Former AEW wrestler Alan Angels has announced that he is no longer with TNA Wrestling after his contract expired.
Angels confirmed a report regarding his TNA departure in a social media post Wednesday.
The former AEW wrestler and member of The Dark Order stable had been with TNA since November 2022. He wrestled his last TNA match in November 2024. He writes that he intends to continue his career, and speaks positively of his time in TNA.
The text of Angels’ post can be read below.
“The thing about wrestling is no matter how much you love it, it doesn’t have to love you back. Wrestling doesn’t owe anyone anything. Not going to lie, this is a big hit to me. I love TNA. It was an absolute dream to wrestle there under a brand that I have watched since I was little. I love the locker room even more and I’m leaving with nothing but good memories of the friends that I have made there. I am once again starting over and truthfully I have no idea what’s next, but I will never give up.
Wrestling is my passion and has been since the day I started watching as a 7 year old boy. It’s all I think about every second of every day and I can’t imagine ever not doing it.
Thank you to anyone that ever even watched me on a TNA program and just know this isn’t the end for me.”
Because of the knee injury he’s dealing with, Alan Angels won’t be back in action until the new year.
Angels suffered a strained ACL in November that has kept him on the shelf for a month. He was hoping to be back before the end of 2024, but the injury is a little worse than originally thought. The good news is that Angels does not need surgery and is expected to be back in the ring soon. He noted that he should be 100 percent by the start of 2025, which is just a few weeks away.
“Unfortunately, last month I sustained a minor knee injury. It’s a little worse than I originally thought and I’ll be missing all my scheduled shows for the rest of the year including TNA in Atlanta this weekend which I was really looking forward too,” Angels wrote. “A real downer to end 2024 which I considered to be the best year of my career. Luckily, no surgery is needed and I should be 100% by 2025!”
TNA Wrestling has its Final Resolution event taking place at Center Stage in Atlanta this Friday and a TV taping happening on Saturday. Angels — a former member of the Dark Order in AEW — has been with TNA since 2022.
Angels is the current champion for indie promotion Prestige Wrestling and expects to be back in time for a title defense against Mike Santana in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, January 11.
It puts things in perspective. But I’m a different person than Tyson is. I’m being asked to do something different than Tyson did. The amount of pressure that I feel after watching Tyson and Jake Paul does not weigh heavier on me by any stretch of the imagination compared to the pressure I’m gonna put on myself anyway.
…I have a long time to recover after this one. Let’s just say that. So I’m putting it all out there on the line. And the fact is I’ve got a number of months to get ready for something that will take 15 minutes in the ring. And the preparation always is much harder than the actual performance. But at the end of the day, you just try to do whatever you know and whatever is at your fingertips to prepare for whatever you’re about to embark upon.
And again, I don’t give a flying fart if I’m 57 or 58 years old at the time. This time I’m actually getting some prep time. I’m actually getting the ability to get ready. So comparatively, even though I’m at the age that I’m at, I will have five times as much time to prepare than I ever have for any other match. And so if I can’t get ready in that period of time, with what I have to offer, then, you know, then it’s not gonna be enough. But I do believe that I set my standards quite high, and at the end of the day, I think people will be more than pleasantly surprised with the outcome of my performance.
WrestleVotes reports that WWE has “notable interest” in Jake Paul making a PLE appearance at some point in 2025: “Sources indicate WWE has notable interest in a Jake Paul appearance at a PLE sometime in 2025. It’s worth noting that WWE Superstar Logan Paul and Mike Tyson exchanged words at the conclusion of last Friday night’s fight on Netflix. Time will tell where all this goes.”
Carlito’s unscripted “I gotta learn Chinese” line has been edited out of the version of the October 21 episode of Raw that is available on Peacock.
The lawsuit Kevin Kelly and The Tate Twins have filed against AEW is being moved to Florida after a Pennsylvania judge sided with AEW in their argument, which said that a clause in the talent contracts signed by Kelly and The Tate Twins stipulates that disputes have to be litigated in the state of Florida.
If we’re asking people to pay a little more on pay-per-view, I’m going to give them a little more. I can’t juggle or dance or do cartwheels for you, but I can put my elbow all the way into Orange Cassidy’s face to see how much of his skull I can get. I can see if I can snap his arm so loud that it reverberates through the audio and picks up on camera. We have a group chat going where we’re always sending really bad cuts and hematomas and snaps. It doesn’t bother me. I have an iron stomach for that kind of stuff. I also don’t like to watch horror movies. The real world is scary enough. I don’t need to see demons and werewolves eating people. But if someone’s arm gets snapped or a leg breaks, everyone wants to throw up. it doesn’t bother me at all. Since it’s pay-per-view, I will try to give that to the fans in New Jersey and fans watching on pay-per-view. Something really heinous in the main event on Saturday night.
She works extremely hard. She trains multiple times a week in the wrestling ring, at all different wrestling schools all over Florida. I know within the year to come, we’re just gonna see her grow to whole new heights.
I’ve been a fan of hers for a very long time. I’ve trained with her at Flatbacks Wrestling School with Tyler Breeze for the past two years. Just to see how quick that she adapts to things and just wants to try things to learn. It’s so refreshing to see.
Former WWE wrestler Gene Snitsky attended last night’s AEW Dynamite in his home state of Pennsylvania. Snitsky thanked AEW, Tony Khan, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, and Prince Nana for their gracious welcome.
This week’s AEW Unrestricted podcast is a Full Gear preview episode with appearances by Roderick Strong and Kris Statlander.
Olympic wrestler David Modzmanashvili will face Matt Makowski at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XII in Jersey City, New Jersey this Sunday.
A GCW Tag Team title match with Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku vs. Joey Janela & Megan Bayne is set for the promotion’s Dream On event this Saturday. The show is taking place from the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Minoru Suzuki & Ikuro Kwon will defend their MLW Tag Team titles against former champions Satoshi Kojima & Okumura at Eric Bischoff’s MLW One-Shot event in New York City on Thursday, December 5.
CMLL wrestler Averno has been announced for MLW Kings of Colosseum in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, January 11.
Tonight, Impact Wrestling moves on from its 1000th episode and continues the road to Bound for Glory.
The X-Division Championship will be on the line as Chris Sabin defends against Alan Angels. Sabin, the most decorated wrestler in X-Division history, began his 10th reign with the championship by defeating Lio Rush at Impact 1000.
Angels put himself in line for an X-Division title shot by winning an Ultimate X match on Impact 1000.
Knockouts Champion Trinity is set for non-title action against Gisele Shaw. They were part of a star-studded 10-woman tag match at Impact 1000 where Trinity, Awesome Kong, Gail Kim, Mickie James & Jordynne Grace defeated Shaw, Savannah Evans, Angelina Love, Deonna Purrazzo & Tasha Steelz.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham is part of tonight’s lineup. Bailey has a match against Will Ospreay scheduled for Bound for Glory on October 21.
Tommy Dreamer & Heath vs. Kenny King & Sheldon Jean in a Memphis street fight, Rhino in action, and a goodbye ceremony for Yuya Uemura are also set for tonight. The BTI (Before the Impact) match is Sami Callihan & Rich Swann vs. Laredo Kid & Black Taurus.
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BFI Preshow
Iceman’s Intel saw George Iceman talk about hearing rumours that Trinity was going to be attacked by someone this week, but he couldn’t find out who it was, speculating that it could be someone new, or a returning star.
Sami Callihan & Rich Swann defeated Black Taurus & Laredo Kid
This was a very good tag match, though I am a bit surprised Callihan and Swann won with Callihan likely leaving Impact soon. Maybe he’ll work as a freelancer there instead.
Impact Wrestling Main Card
The show opened summarizing Impact 1000!
Impact X-Division Champion Chris Sabin defeated Alan Angels to retain
Angels is looking to build of his Ultimate X win, cashing in for his title shot right away, and isolating the arm of Sabin in the early part of the match. The heat segment here was long, with Sabin selling consistently for the first few minutes of the match, firing back every now and then with chops, adhering to the Ricky Steamboat method of selling.
Sabin hit a dropkick after Angels hit the ropes. Angels countered a Cradle Shock into a Rings of Saturn, but Sabin rolled it back into a pin attempt to break the submission. Sabin hit a Yakuza kick in the corner and went for a tornado DDT, but fought out and hit a tornado arm breaker. Angels went back to the Rings of Saturn, but Sabin went right to the ropes.
Angels shoved Sabin into the referee and hit a low blow before hitting the halo kick for a 2-count. Sabin dodged a splash and then hit a missile dropkick to the back of Angel’s head before hitting the Cradle Shock for the win.
–As Sabin celebrated, he was interrupted by a video highlighting KENTA, before announcing him returning at Bound for Glory. It looks like KENTA will be challenging Sabin at the PPV.
–Alex Shelley was with Gia Miller and talked about how he respected Josh Alexander, but that he was an emotional guy, so Alexander needs to respect him and the fact that Shelley is the current champion, and it is not Alexander’s belt. It is his until Alexander takes it. This was very good.
Rhino defeated Jack Price
Rhino crushed Price in this match, as Price acted as a pinball that was bounced around the ring for him. The crowd was super into Rhino, and popped huge when he hit a Gore for the win.
–Paying Rhino back for his attack from the last few weeks, Maclin came out and attacked Rhino. After a brawl, Rhino was left in the ring, with Maclin making a strategic retreat.
–Deonna Purrazzo walked up to Tasha Steelz and welcomed her back, asking to become a tag team, and Steelz agreed, since they both have a great championship lineage.
–Alisha Edwards and Eddie Edwards were backstage talking about how their feud with Kazarian wasn’t over, because while Traci Brooks beat Alisha Edwards, Kazarian did not beat him. Kazarian walked up and said that Edwards was right and that they needed to end it in the ring, and Kazarian was going to management to ask them to find a way for there to be a definitive winner.
–Joya made their way down to the ring for Yuya Uemura’s last appearance as a young lion in Impact. Hendry talked about how he had no regrets about teaming with Uemura, and then led the fans in a chant saying, “Thank you!” to Uemura. Just as Uemura was saying thanks to the fans, The Rascalz interrupted.
The Rascalz said that Joya was the only tag team in the company that had an excuse for not being champions because Uemura got fired, whereas the rest would lose to the best team. Hendry said that it was a bit ironic that Wentz & Miguel said that since they were the 2nd and 3rd best Rascal. Both groups broke into a brawl, and Santino’s music hit.
Santino them booked The Rascalz against Joya, though it isn’t a title match, but if Joya won, Uemura got to keep his job.
The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachery Wentz) defeated Joya (Joe Hendry & Yuya Uemura)
Hendry started the match beating on Wentz before tagging out to Uemura. Miguel stunned Uemura on the middle rope and started getting the heat on Uemura. Wentz hit a slingshot senton for a 2-count. As this was happening the announcers noted that this was the first time someone who ever got the “fired” briefcase in Feast or Fired had a chance to save their career.
Hendry tagged in and hit fallaway slams on both Wentz and Miguel before grabbing both and tossing them at the same time with a 3rd fallaway slam. Hendry and Uemura hit the One Hit Wonder on Wentz, but he barely kicked out. The fans really started getting behind Uemura and Hendry here, with everyone exchanging big moves. They hit the One Hit Wonder on Miguel for another two count because Wentz made the save. This led to Miguel spraying Uemura in the face with spray paint and pinning him. Uemura is on his way back to New Japan.
–Gia Miller interviewed Gisele Shaw about Shaw’s upcoming match with Trinity. Shaw talked about beating Trinity tonight in order to get a match at Bound for Glory.
–Deaner was in a pretape video, and screamed about returning to his throne that Eric Young took.
Heath & Tommy Dreamer defeated Kenny King & Sheldon Jean in a Street Fight
This was your average plunder match, with Dreamer getting the win.
Dreamer and Heath started the match brawling all over ringside with King and Jean, and it was your standard hardcore match from there, with Dreamer using plunder and bumping into plunder, like King hitting a spinebuster into a garbage can. King choked Dreamer with his shirt, as Jean grabbed a chair. King yelled “This is your DMC?” at the audience, referring to the Digital Media Championship, but I can’t help but hear “Devil May Cry” and be momentarily confused. The pains of being a gamer and wrestling fan.
Heath ran in and hit a Wake Up Call on Jean. Heath setup a table in the corner as King and Jean recovered. Heath went to hit a Death Valley Driver through the table, but King saved Jean and hit a spinning kick. King went to the top rope but was cut off by Dreamer. Dreamer grabbed a ladder and bridged it in the corner, but King shoved Dreamer and he fell between the rungs. King hit a blockbuster on Dreamer, and then blocked a Wake Up Call from Heath. King hit a torneo plancha to the floor. Jean tried to hit a bionic elbow on Dreamer, but Dreamer picked him up and hit a Death Valley Driver through the table for the win.
–Crazzy Steve ran down to the ring and hit Dreamer with his briefcase, saying that Dreamer was his next target.
–Tom Hannifan announced the Impact Hall of Fame ceremony would be on the preshow for Bound for Glory.
–ABC was backstage talking about how the Rascalz paid off The Good Hands, but now they had their tag team title briefcase, and the Rascalz couldn’t keep them away forever. ABC then said they had unfinished business with the Good Hands, so they challenged them in a Fan’s Revenge match, where they can use leather straps against them. John Skylar walked up and said that as much as he would love to fight them, Jason Hotch was at home with his newborn baby. ABC then said it was simple – find a partner to take his place. Skylar insisted he had friends.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Mike Bailey
This match was great, and an awesome heel turn. It’s simplicity was fantastic, and played off the story that everyone was beating Gresham by cheating, and Gresham was tired of it. I really liked this.
Gresham entered the ring looking frustrated, as his Impact run thus far has been less than stellar, having to face people who didn’t abide by a pure wrestling rules style. Mike Bailey wanted to show him that there are still people in wrestling who prefer an honest, pure, and fair style. This led to many great exchanges in the early part of the match with technical wrestling mixed with a little high flying from Bailey.
Bailey and Gresham continue to be two incredible workers, and the fans gave them the reaction they deserve. Bailey hit a series of hard kicks on the floor, sending Gresham to his knees. Bailey then hit a corkscrew Asai moonsault to the floor on Gresham. Gresham, however, turned it around in the ring with a brutal looking Boston crab, but Bailey made the ropes to escape.
Gresham had a familiar exchange of vertical suplex attempts until Gresham was able to finally get one, before transitioning into a sleeper as soon as Bailey kicked out. Gresham hit a big back elbow, and as Bailey kicked out twice, Gresham went for a 3rd pinfall and yanked the tights to pin Bailey, cheating to win.
–Moose & Myers were backstage talking about how they dominated the tag division, which is a stretch, but since they are heels they can exaggerate. Moose said he was going to get a warm up next week for his future world title shot.
–Steve Maclin walked up to Bully Ray backstage and said that he helped Ray with PCO many times. Ray said that he would talk to Rhino for him, because they have been friends for 25 years. Maclin accused Ray of being soft, and nostalgic because he had Devon back.
Trinity defeated Gisele Shaw (w/ Jai Vidal & Savannah Evans)
This was easily Trinity’s best match in Impact thus far. Shaw brought out the best in Trinity and vice versa. Very good main event.
Trinity ducked under a clothesline attempt from Shaw before hitting a legdrop for a 2-count. Trinity chopped Shaw in the corner and hit a snapmare. Trinity danced around Shaw and hit a clothesline off the ropes for a 2-count. Shaw threw Trinity into the ring steps to start turning the match around. Shaw managed to hit a knee off the top rope while holding Trinity’s head, driving Trinity into the mat.
The fans were very into Trinity throughout this match, and even more so during the heat segment with chants and cheers. Shaw stepped on the back of Trinity’s head to a chorus of boos before hitting a snap suplex for a 2-count. Trinity managed to hit a Samoan drop after Shaw hit the ropes for a two count. Trinity hit a crossbody off the middle rope for a two count. Shaw responded with Shock & Awe for a two count, and Shaw began to show frustration.
Shaw went for a running knee, but Trinity dodged and hit a heatseeker on Shaw for a 2-count. As Shaw hit the ropes, Vidal accidentally tripped Shaw as the referee was distracted by Evans. Trinity immediately put on the Star Struck submission and got the win.
–Vidal and Evans attacked Trinity after the match but Mickie James ran down and made the save, and they both sent Evans and Vidal packing. Mickie James grabbed a mic and said that she was friends with Trinity, and that she would always have her back. James said that she was so happy to see Trinity come through the doors of Impact to win the Knockouts championship, but she did want a title shot as she has never faced Trinity in a match before.
James then talked about the rematch clause in her contract for the title James never lost, and challenged Trinity for a match at Bound for Glory. Trinity shook James’ hand as the show went off the air.
Final Thoughts
This was a very good Impact this week. Lots of angles being setup, and lots of interesting things heading into Bound for Glory. Nothing came off that George Iceman thing from before the show, but we will see if they return to that in the weeks to come.
Impact Wrestling – October 5, 2023
Tasha Steelz vs. Killer Kelly
ABC vs. John Skylar & A Mystery Partner
Jake Something, Dirty Dango, Champagne Singh, Eric Young, & Jordynne Grace vs. Brian Myers, Shera, KiLynn King, Jody Threat, & Bully Ray
Josh Alexander vs. Kon
Impact Wrestling Bound for Glory
Impact X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin (c) vs. KENTA
Impact Knockouts World Championship: Trinity (c) vs. Mickie James
Ultimate X winner Alan Angels will challenge for the X-Division Championship on next week’s Impact Wrestling.
Angels captured the Ultimate X victory on night two of Impact 1000 airing this week and announced that he will cash in his title shot on the Thursday, September 28 edition of Impact Wrestling.
Angels came away with a win in Thursday’s Ultimate X match which also included Rich Swann, Samuray del Sol, Mike Bailey, Ace Austin, and Zachary Wentz.
NJPW’s Yuya Uemura’s Impact excursion will come to an end on next week’s episode as well with a goodbye ceremony announced. It was revealed during this week’s show that Uemura’s Feast or Fired briefcase won at Impact Wrestling 1000 night one contained termination papers.
Two additional matches are also set for next week, as Mike Bailey will face Jonathan Gresham, plus Tommy Dreamer & Heath will team against Kenny King & Sheldon Jean.
Next week’s lineup:
Impact X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin defends against Ultimate X winner Alan Angels
Tommy Dreamer & Heath vs. Kenny King & Sheldon Jean
Two pre-show matches were made official for Sunday’s Impact Emergence streaming special from Toronto, Canada.
Former X-Division Champion “Speedball” Mike Bailey will take on Alan Angels, formerly of The Design. These two initially hooked it up in Angels’ first-ever Impact bout in July 2022 after he had departed AEW. Bailey was champion at that time and picked up the win.
In a tag team bout, The Good Hands (Jason Hotch & John Skyler) battle former Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry & Yuya Uemura.
Here’s the full lineup for Sunday night’s event:
Impact Knockouts Champion Trinity defends against Deonna Purrazzo
Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA, Chris Sabin & Josh Alexander vs. Bully Ray, Moose, Brian Myers & Lio Rush
Impact Tag Team Champions Subculture (Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews) defend against The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz)
IWGP World Champion SANADA vs. Jake Something in a non-title match
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defend against Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans, The Death Dollz (Jessicka & Courtney Rush), and The Coven (KiLynn King & Taylor Wilde)
Eric Young vs. Deaner in a no DQ match
Digital Media Champion Kenny King defends against Johnny Swinger
Back to School match: Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian
Pre-show: Mike Bailey vs. Alan Angels
Pre-show: The Good Hands (Jason Hotch & John Skyler) vs. Joe Hendry & Yuya Uemura
Ahead of his challenge of X-Division Champion Trey Miguel at next Friday’s Under Siege, Chris Sabin will take on “Speedball” Mike Bailey on next Thursday’s Impact on AXS.
It will be Sabin’s first singles match since early-December 2022 as he has primarily been working in the Motor City Machine Guns tag team. He will be looking for his ninth run as X-Division Champion when he faces Miguel.
This will be their second-ever match against each other and their first in Impact. Bailey will be looking to snap a three-match winless streak.
In a preview for Under Siege, former Impact World Champion Rich Swann will take on Angels of The Design. Swann, Sami Callihan and a mystery partner will face Angels, Kon and Deaner next Friday.
Here’s the current lineup for the go-home show with more matches and segments expected to be announced:
Three matches were announced for next Thursday’s Impact on AXS — one of which has career implications on the line.
Mickie James’ Last Rodeo continues as she faces Deonna Purrazzo in a clash of former Knockout Champions. As has been the stipulation, if James loses, she must retire. Purrazzo blames James for Chelsea Green leaving the company following her recent loss to James.
Steve Maclin will look to take his frustrations about not getting a World title match out on the man that recently did in Frankie Kazarian. Kazarian was unable to unseat Josh Alexander at last Friday’s Over Drive.
The next challenger for Alexander will be on the show as Bully Ray takes on former champion Rich Swann. After Alexander’s win at Over Drive, Ray, who won the Call Your Shot trophy at Bound for Glory, got physical with Alexander and his wife, threatening to power bomb her on the outside of the ring as Alexander was zip tied to the ring ropes.
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Alan Angels, now going by just his last name as part of Violent by Design, has signed a contract with the company. Terms, or the length, were not disclosed. On a podcast where he revealed the news, he said he signed his deal in the middle of October.
Angels made his debut earlier this year after his AEW run ended, losing to “Speedball” Mike Bailey in a match for Bailey’s X-Division title. He recently returned for the X-Division title tournament and soon after, he joined his new faction.
Tonight saw the next set of tapings from NJPW Strong’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed 2022 tapings in Hollywood, California, with IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori defending his title against Alan Angels in the main event.
QT Marshall (w/ Aaron Solo) defeated Keita
Marshall got booed a lot, both before and during the match. It was around the time of the five-minute call that Marshall flashed the Diamond Dallas Page diamond gesture, crotch-chopped the audience, then put Keita away with a Diamond Cutter for the win.
Marshall got on the mic and talked about how Shota Umino ruined his moment at NJPW Strong in Charlotte, North Carolina recently. Knowing that Umino wasn’t in the building for this show, Marshall would challenge Umino to a one-on-one match. Suddenly, a backstage vignette of Umino aired where he answered Marshall’s challenge. He showed off his Death Rider jacket Jon Moxley gave him, then addressed Marshall before saying “See you in Las Vegas.” Marshall then started screaming to unbook the match as he exited with Aaron Solo.
TMDK (Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito) defeated Christopher Daniels & Yuya Uemura
This match was great.
There were sporadic “TITO!” calls came from the audience before things got underway. On commentary, Ian Riccaboni explained that Haste’s usual tag partner in TMDK, Mikey Nicholls, was absent due to the birth of his child, which is why Tito was in his spot. Congratulations to Mikey Nicholls.
Uemura took a beating from TMDK until he was able to stop Haste from coming off the top rope, taking him over with a big double-overhook suplex into the ring. He then tagged out to Daniels, who cleaned house. He took Tito out with a big diving lariat from the second rope before spiking Haste with a Death Valley Bomb for two.
There came a point where Daniels hoisted Haste onto his shoulders in an electric chair so that Uemura could come off the top with a flying bulldog, Steiner Bros. style, just like they’ve used over the summer. However, Bad Dude Tito was able to shove Uemura off the top, which sent him crashing into Daniels and breaking up the spot. Daniels started yelling at Uemura, but Haste capitalized and attacked Daniels while Daniels had his back turned. Tito dragged Uemura out of the ring, and Haste put Daniels away after a fireman’s carry-to-uranage slam for the win.
Afterwards, Daniels apologized to Uemura. The two hugged, and Daniels raised Uemura’s arm . . . just before giving Uemura a low blow. Daniels kicked him in the groin, dropping Uemura immediately. The crowd booed a lot. A scowling Daniels then gave Uemura two double-jump moonsaults before telling off the crowd and heading backstage.
Next up was a short promo interview from TJP. He addressed NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Fred Rosser and the upcoming match between the two. He talked about how they’d both been champions in New Japan and at “a different company” (WWE). He told a story about the WWE Cruiserweight Championship; since he was the inaugural champion, TJP claimed wrestlers would ask him why his name wasn’t featured on the side plates of the belt with the other champions. TJP said that it was because the big part in the middle was made for him. He then said Rosser wouldn’t be “sharing” the ring with TJP but “renting” it from him, because he said without a NJPW Strong there’d be no LA Dojo, and without an LA Dojo, NJPW wouldn’t have existed, saying the he “built this dojo”. He told Rosser to remember the big centerpiece on the Strong Openweight championship before their match, because TJP is the one who “built” that championship.
Ren Narita defeated Jakob Austin Young
This was solid. Young was discovered by NJPW at one of their dojo tryouts. He’s previously worked for OWE in China. He’s very talented.
Narita would pick up the win with a bridging front suplex.
This was good, but it seemed as though it finished early because of a possible injury towards the end of the match.
Angels has good charisma and is just 24. Towards the finish, Angels did a triangle moonsault from the top rope to the floor, but on his way down, he crashed shin-first into the guardrail. It doesn’t come across that loudly on screen, but inside the venue, it was absolutely jarring; it sounded like a car crash. The crowd reaction was loud, and a number of fans unfortunately began chanting “You f****d up!” The mood changed at the venue from here. Even Ian Riccaboni hoped Angels was all right after the match.
Angels and Ishimori crawled back in the ring and went right to the finish. Angels came off the second rope, but Ishimori caught him on the way down with double-knees to the face. He’d then put Angels away with the Bloody Cross, which looked kind of bad because Angels couldn’t kick his legs up in the air for it.
Final thoughts:
Christopher Daniels & Yuya Uemura vs. TMDK was the best match of this week’s episode, with Narita vs. Austin as a short but solid runner-up.
Next week sees STRONG Openweight Champion Fred Rosser take on TJP and more.
Stray Dog Army (Barrett Brown & Misterioso) defeated Midnight Heat (Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson)
Pearl and Brown kept missing elbow drops on each other early on. Misterioso did a giant swing to Gibson later, and Brown caught Gibson in the face with a low dropkick mid-swing.
When Brown was running off the ropes, Eddie Pearl, who was on the ground outside the ring, pulled at Brown’s ankle, tripping him up. This allowed Ricky Gibson to spike Brown with a DDT for a count of two.
Midnight Heat worked Brown over in their corner for a while. When the crowd started stomping and clapping in support of Brown, Pearl spat at the crowd, which elicited lots of boos.
Brown was almost able to tag out to Misterioso, but Midnight Heat pulled him back towards the center of the ring, slamming him down with a combination side Russian leg sweep and backcracker.
Misterioso made the save for Brown. Gibson whipped Misterioso into the ropes, but Misterioso caught himself before flying out of the ring, setting himself up between the top and middle ropes, much like Andrade el Idolo often does. He then threw Gibson to the floor and crashed onto Gibson with an Asai moonsault, but Misterioso looked to have slammed his foot/ankle/knee into the guardrail on the way down. It looked brutal live, and even more so on video. The live crowd gasped. Thankfully Misterioso was OK, I think, because just moments later he helped Brown finish off Midnight Heat. The finish came when Misterioso hopped back into the ring to catch Pearl with a superkick and lung-blower before Barrett Brown sent him flying with a Claymore kick for the win. Kudos to Misterioso for finishing the match smoothly because that Asai moonsault landing looked rough. Stray Dog Army advances to the semi-finals.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor defeated Bad Dude Tito
Both Lawlor and Tito are in Japan right now for NJPW’s G1 Climax 32 tour, with Lawlor a part of this year’s A Block competition.
So, this was really good. Bad Dude Tito’s style meshed perfectly with how “Filthy” Tom wrestles, and from the get-go you could sense an organic chemistry between the two.
Tito slammed Lawlor into the corner and lit him up with chops. Lawlor answered back with a few of his own. They traded leglocks and heel hooks next.
Tito used a waistlock takedown from behind before locking in a double wrist-lock. “Filthy” rolled out and used a drop toe-hold on Tito, causing him to fall forward. Lawlor then transitioned into a face lock before pivoting to Tito’s legs. Lawlor yanked Tito’s leg into a crab hold before falling backwards, pulling Tito’s leg away from his hip flexor.
Lawlor jumped Tito into his guard and locked on a guillotine choke but Tito muscled him off. Lawlor teased a tomoe nage throw, then flipped Tito around into a rear naked choke while grapevining the legs. Tito escaped and slapped on a standing ankle lock before Lawlor moved to a triangle choke, then armbar.
The fight moved from the ground to the feet after about five minutes in. Lawlor connected with an enzuigiri kick to the back of Tito’s head. Tito answered with one of his, then followed up with a rolling elbow. The crowd heated up.
Tito used an exploder suplex on Lawlor. Lawlor went for one of his own, but Tito countered and threw another exploder. Later, Tito caught Lawlor with a deadlift German suplex. Tito was on offense for much of this bout. He caught Lawlor with a blockbuster off the second rope and earned a close two-count. Lawlor moved to another rear naked choke, but Tito countered into a Blue Thunder bomb for another nearfall. Lawlor wouldn’t stay down.
“Filthy” Tom ripped Tito with a Penalty Kick in the chest for two. He next went for a kamigoye knee strike, but Tito spat in his face. Lawlor then plowed him with the knee, then turned around while keeping Tito locked in a straightjacket hold and threw a knee to the back of Tito’s head.
Lawlor went for another choke sleeper, but Tito rammed Lawlor into the corner before he could really cinch it in. The finish saw Lawlor spike Tito with a bulldog DDT, planting Tito head-first into the mat. Lawlor picks up the win in his last singles bout before the G1 Climax 32 tournament. Really good match.
STRONG Openweight Tag Team Tournament Round One:
Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) defeated Dark Order (Evil Uno & Alan Angels)
Dark Order got a loud reaction upon arrival. Lots of AEW fans, or non-regular NJPW fans, were in attendance at the Ignition tapings.
Angels and Fletcher had an excellent exchange at the top of the match. Aussie Open later hit some impressive double-team moves on Angels, at one point pulling off a double-team slingshot elbow that put Angels on the mat.
When Uno tagged in, the crowd popped before he could even do anything. The AEW rub. Uno at one point tossed Fletcher’s leg to the referee, then took Fletcher down with a running neckbreaker. Angels reappeared and took both of Aussie Open down with a diving bodypress.
When Uno laid Fletcher out with a deadlift German suplex, five minutes had passed. Angels did a moonsault to Davis on the floor.
Later, Fletcher was able to take the heavier Uno down with a vertical suplex. He then tagged out to Mark Davis, who’d ragdoll Alan Angels around the ring, launching him from corner to corner. When the fight spilled onto the floor, Angels dove onto Davis with a tope through the ropes. When he rolled Davis back into the ring, he went for another aerial attack from the top rope, but Davis caught Angels mid-air with a chop.
Aussie Open put Angels down with a double-team Emerald Flowsion move for two. When they went for their finisher, Angels countered with a hurricanrana that took Davis out onto the floor. Evil Uno connected with a somersault senton onto Davis.
Dark Order used a quick combo of strikes before Uno pinned Fletcher for two. Ten minutes had passed. Uno, now shirtless, and Davis got into a chop battle next. The crowd was as loud as ever behind Dark Order at this point.
Davis super-plexed Uno off the second rope. Angels landed on Fletcher with a frog splash. Finally, Aussie Open were able to elbow Angels into a dazed stupor before putting him away with the Coriolis for an emphatic win. Aussie Opens advances to the semi-finals of the STRONG Openweight tag team tournament.
Final thoughts:
I liked “Filthy” Tom vs. Bad Dude Tito’s match the best on tonight’s episode, but the final bout between Aussie Open and Dark Order was awesome action. If innovative, high-octane tag team wrestling is your thing, you should probably check this one out.
Lawlor and Tito had an abbreviated main event style match that told a good story. Bad Dude Tito is one of the most underrated and overlooked wrestlers on the market today, and I imagine he’ll make some noise this summer while on tour in Japan teaming with JONAH of TMDK.
Angels issued a statement confirming his departure from AEW on June 30. Angels promised to “make as many towns as [he] can, meet as many fans as [he] can and wrestle as much as [he] can” until he’s considered one of the best wrestlers going today.
Bailey won the X-Division Championship in an Ultimate X match at Slammiversary last month.
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mia Yim and Laredo Kid vs. Trey Miguel have also been announced for this week’s Impact. It’s the first episode of the show since last Friday’s Against All Odds Impact Plus special.
Days after his AEW contract expired, Alan Angels made his surprise debut at Saturday’s Impact Wrestling TV taping in Atlanta, Georgia.
Angels answered X-Division Champion “Speedball” Mike Bailey’s open challenge which he threw out at Friday’s Against All Odds.
Saturday’s taping will cover the next two weeks of TV and it’s unknown at this time which date this match will air. It’s also unknown whether Angels has signed a contract or if this is a one-off appearance for the Georgia native.
The 24-year-old thanked AEW for the opportunity in a Thursday statement and said he feels his career is just beginning. He had been in the company for two years, debuting at their Norcross, Georgia, pandemic era tapings. It was there he first made a name for himself in a competitive match with Kenny Omega.
It will b the second title defense from Bailey who successfully defended against former champion Trey Miguel Friday.
Alan Angels has posted a statement regarding his departure from AEW.
The 24-year-old confirmed that his contract with the company expires at the end of June. He also noted that he considers this to be just the beginning of his pro wrestling career.
Angels’ statement reads as follows:
“As of June 30th my AEW contract has expired.
I am nothing but grateful for the two years I spent there. I love AEW. It was/is the best place ever to work. I got to wrestle some of the best wrestlers in the world on a weekly basis, as well as travel to some of the most amazing cities and meet some of the best fans in the world. There are no hard feelings between myself and AEW or Tony Khan.
I had a great time in AEW and would have loved to have stayed, but I am extremely excited for my future in pro wrestling. I am 24 and I look at this as my wrestling career just beginning. Now I get to show everyone how good I really am. I’m going to grind harder than I ever have before. I’m going to make as many towns as I can, meet as many fans as I can and wrestle as much as I can until I am considered one of the best going today. Thank you all for all the support and kind words and I hope you all will continue to follow my journey.
AEW’s Dark Order took another hit this year as Alan “5” Angels’ contract has expired.
A Reddit thread noted that Angels had removed all references to AEW in his Twitter profile and made his profile image all black. Bryan Alvarez confirmed that his contract did expire. However, he is expected to work in AEW on a per-date deal.
On Monday night, Angels tweeted the following:
Excited for what’s next
— “All Attitude” Alan Angels (@Alan_V_Angels) June 28, 2022
Stu Grayson, an early AEW roster member and original Dark Order member, could not come to terms on a new deal earlier this year and also departed. It’s unknown if there were any such negotiations with Angels on a contract.
The 24-year-old debuted during the early pandemic era Norcross, Georgia, TV tapings in 2020. That included his much-discussed and debated match with Kenny Omega due to the amount of offense the relative unknown got in. He would join Dark Order in May and remained with the group through the end, wearing a mask for part of his run and then dropping it.
His last AEW match was a Pure Rules bout against Daniel Garcia during the most recent Universal Studios TV tapings that has yet to air.
Angels has continued to work indies and just made his NJPW Strong debut in the Openweight Tag Team title tournament along with Dark Order member Evil Uno.
