Eddie Edwards has signed a new contract with Impact Wrestling.
From their television tapings in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight, Impact streamed a video announcing that Edwards has signed a “long-term deal” with the company. The exact length of the contract wasn’t disclosed.
Edwards was interviewed by Josh Mathews in the video, with Edwards calling Impact his home and saying his goal is to help take the company to the next level.
Mathews noted that Impact will have news on another signee on Sunday.
Edwards is a former World, X Division, and Tag Team Champion in Impact. He’s held the World title once, the X Division title two times, and has been a five-time Tag Team Champion with Davey Richards.
Edwards is currently involved in a program with Eli Drake on television. The story has been Drake trying to convince Edwards to turn away from hardcore wrestling and become his old self again.
Last night’s Impact ended with an angle where Edwards returned from Shady Acres Psychiatric Hospital while wearing a hospital gown, interfering in Moose’s match against Brian Cage and causing a disqualification. Edwards attacked Moose and gave him kendo stick shots until Moose bailed.
Edwards and Moose have been feuding since Moose turned heel in August. Edwards vs. Moose at Bound for Glory turned into a tag match after Killer Kross interfered on behalf of Moose and Tommy Dreamer made the save for Edwards. Edwards pinned Moose when Moose went to hit him with a kendo stick, then Moose and Kross laid out Edwards after the match. Moose then defeated Edwards on Impact’s “Final Hour” episode in November.
Also on last night’s Impact, the announcement of Gail Kim being the special guest referee for Tessa Blanchard and Taya Valkyrie’s Knockouts Championship match at Homecoming aired. Rich Swann and Trey Miguel won Ultimate X qualifying matches, making it Jake Crist vs. Ethan Page vs. Swann vs. Miguel in an Ultimate X match for the vacant X Division title at Homecoming.
Johnny Impact will defend his Impact World Championship against Brian Cage at Homecoming. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix challenging for LAX’s Tag Team titles and Eli Drake vs. Abyss in a Monster’s Ball match are also set for the PPV.
Impact opened with its usual extended recap of last week’s show.
Tessa Blanchard made her way to the ring first. She hails from Charlotte, North Carolina, and it just feels like one day Blanchard vs. Charlotte Flair is gonna headline a WrestleMania. There’s a good story to tell. But tonight, it’s Blanchard vs. Faby Apache for the Impact Knockouts Championship.
Knockouts Champion Tessa Blanchard defeated Faby Apache to retain her title
It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again, Blanchard is a star on both sides of the ball. She has great offense and sells brilliantly. Apache has great ring generalship and a sense of charisma in the ring too.
Blanchard hit a couple of short-arm clotheslines, followed by a side suplex. Apache applied a reverse figure four leglock to slow Blanchard down. She hit a double arm front-face slam.
This was a really good back-and-forth match, but Blanchard successfully defended the title with a buzzsaw DDT. Blanchard carries herself like a star. Afterward, she grabbed the microphone and said she is the best wrestler and best athlete in professional wrestling.
“Tessa Blanchard is undeniable and the diamond of the Knockouts division,” she said.
Taya Valkyrie appeared on the big screen and challenged Blanchard to a match at Bound for Glory on October 14. Blanchard seemed to accept before walking away.
There were several video segments with Eddie Edwards, then oVe, then Eli Drake walking around Mexico sight-seeing and sampling Mexico’s foods.
Brian Cage defeated Jake Crist (w/ Sami Callihan and Dave Crist)
Cage is absolutely jacked, but still flies around the ring like a cruiserweight.
He was on offense early, driving Jake into the corner and hitting him with clotheslines. Cage gave him a high back body drop, but missed a spear in the corner and fell outside of the ring. Callihan then threw him into the rail. Crist went for an armbar, but Cage picked him up and slammed him. Cage dropped him with a clothesline and then hit him with a left-footed 619.
Cage delivered an elbow off the top rope for a near fall. He delivered a sit-down Alabama slam for another near fall.
Jake hit a cutter from the top rope, but Cage kicked out after one. Cage hulked up and hit a body slam into a face slam for the win. Callihan then rushed the ring and attacked Cage. Dave Crist hit Cage with a low blow.
The lights went out. And when they returned, Dave’s hat was in the ring and Pentagon and Fenix appeared on the screen, with Dave tied up and gagged in a chair. With Callihan and Jake distracted, Cage hit a dive from the ring to the outside.
There was a backstage interview segment with Austin Aries, Moose, and Killer Kross.
There was another advertisement for Chris Jericho’s cruise.
In the Flashback Moment of the Week, the original LAX battled AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels inside a steel cage. Styles looked more muscular in this match compared to today. Homicide pinned Styles with a wicked-looking reverse butterfly suplex on his neck. Once again, the best match on the show so far featured the champion from another promotion.
There was a backstage segment with Grado, Joe Hendry, and Katarina. Katarina asked to make up with the buddies, but she tricked them and introduced her new friend, Murder Clown. She told Hendry that he would face Murder Clown next week.
Scarlett Bordeaux appeared on location in Mexico City. She issued a global talent search for one local man or woman for her to manage who can get her attention “24/7.”
LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defeated The Desi Hit Squad (Rohit Raju & Gursinder Singh)
They gave LAX a big entrance with a Spanish-language introduction. This was a slow-paced match, largely because of the DHS. Santana is a good high-flyer for his size, although wearing a Puerto Rican-flag arm sleeve wasn’t exactly endearing to the Mexican crowd.
Santana got the win with a reverse neckbreaker from a Doomsday Device position, pinning Raju. Gama Singh, as usual, looked angry with his team after their loss.
The OGz appeared on the big screen. King trashed Konnan, saying he has spent a career leaching off other wrestlers, such as Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio Jr. King showed the mask that Konnan used to wear in his early days in Mexico. He lit the mask on fire and watched it burn.
Backstage, Fallah Bahh covered KM with his robe. KM was laid out on the couch wearing a neck brace after last week’s beatdown at the hands of Aries, Moose, and Kross.
We got a backstage interview with Blanchard, sitting down in a red chair. She accepted Valkyrie’s challenge. Earlier, Valkyrie called her a “bitch.” Blanchard said at Bound For Glory, she would show her one.
Kiera Hogan & Allie defeated Su Yung & The Undead Maid of Honor
Allie was not good here, with her chops and offense missing by a mile. Hogan is athletic and carried most of the match. Announcers Josh Mathews and Don Callis spent a good part of the match trying to get people to order merchandise from the Impact website.
Yung applied the mandible claw on Hogan, but Allie hit a kick to the head to break it up. Hogan then hit a reverse neckbreaker on Yung for the win. This was not a good match, with lots of botched spots.
Matt Sydal and Rich Swann appeared on location in Mexico City, and Swann challenged Sydal to a match next week on Impact.
Moose & Killer Kross defeated Johnny Impact & Eddie Edwards
Edwards is essentially doing a Dean Ambrose crazy man gimmick. Moose exudes a lot of arrogance and comes across as a strong heel. Kross lacks charisma, but looks mean. Aries, by the way, looks like a half-pint standing next to the two.
Once again, the show was hurt by the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm.
Impact and Edwards carried this match. Kross and Moose look like the kind of guys who would get big pushes in WWE for their size alone.
All four wrestlers were down towards the end of the match after a series of kicks. Aries then jumped into the ring and acted like he was going to hit Impact with the belt. Impact sprung up and grabbed the belt from Aries. Impact kicked Aries and then hit him with the belt, sending Aries flying out of the ring.
Kross then hit Impact from behind with a side suplex. Edwards clobbered Kross with the kendo stick when the referee wasn’t looking, and Moose hit a spear on Edwards to get the win.
This week’s card was highlighted by two strong main event matches and an excellent Tessa Blanchard performance, but the show also dragged with several long interview segments that ate up a lot of time.
The episode opened with a long backstage fight between LAX and the OGz.
Taiji Ishimori & Petey Williams defeated The Desi Hit Squad
Manager Gama Singh introduced the Desi Hit Squad as “the pride and joy of all of India.” Ishimori walked to the ring giving the Bullet Club and nWo’s “Too Sweet” symbol.
This was a good match, highlighted by Ishimori and Williams’ aerial moves. After a hot tag, Ishimori hit a DDT and front-face slammed both members of the DHS (Rohit Raju and Gursinder Singh) in one explosive move. Ishimori also hit a tombstone-like piledriver, dropping Gursinder Singh’s head on his knees, instead of the canvas.
Ishimori got the pin over Raju after he hit a double-arm jumping DDT, handing the Hit Squad its first television loss.
We then got a series of video packages that chewed up about 15 minutes of time, featuring Pentagon Jr., Allie and Kiera Hogan, Eddie Edwards, Austin Aries, Grado, Katarina, and Joe Hendry.
In her interview, Allie demanded a match with Knockouts Champion Su Yung. She said that she was not interested in winning the title, but instead wanted to stop Yung from putting anyone else inside of a casket.
“Leave your belt at home — just bring your undead ass,” Allie said.
Tessa Blanchard defeated Alisha Edwards
Blanchard came across again as a big star. She brings incredible charisma, facials, and ring presence, along with dynamic in-ring wrestling skills. She gorilla press slammed Alisha, Ultimate Warrior-style and then stepped on her back.
“It’s like Tessa is LeBron James and she is playing against high school players,” commentator Josh Mathews said. “She’s on a another level.”
Blanchard took some punishment in the match, highlighting her selling skills. Alisha hit a crucifix for a pin attempt. But after Blanchard kicked out, she got madder and kicked Alisha in the shin. Blanchard threw Alisha into the bottom rope and then dropkicked her in the back. Blanchard does a great job of staying intense throughout the match and has strong match psychology. She won with a tilt-a-whirl into a DDT.
After the match, she grabbed the microphone and said, “I just made an example of Alisha.”
She called out Allie.
“If you are going after Su Yung and that Knockouts Championship I am going after you,” Blanchard said.
They showed a backstage segment with Scarlett Bordeaux walking to the ring, while the starstruck goofy interviewer from a week ago carried her bags.
There was an extended advertisement encouraging people to buy tickets for Chris Jericho’s Rock and Wrestling Cruise.
Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin (Team USA) defeated Petey Williams (Team Canada) in a 2006 World X Cup match
Sabin won with his Cradle Shock slam after an exciting match between the two workers. But the feel of the moment was ruined by Kevin Nash, who attacked Sabin after, destroyed his trophy, and then gave him a Jacknife powerbomb. Nash snatched the microphone and said “I proved size matters.” The display was a reminder of how in 2006 TNA was pushing Nash over the younger stars.
We got more Bordeaux, who distracted KM and Fallah Bahh backstage as she walked by. Bordeaux walked into a room where a bunch of fawning men, presumably Impact executives, bent over backwards to accommodate her.
Bordeaux said the other girls were jealous of her and that she didn’t feel comfortable getting into the ring with them, so the men gave Bordeaux her own show called “The Smokeshow,” which is set to debut next week.
Pentagon Jr. defeated Matt Sydal
This was an off-the-charts match with both guys putting on a dazzling show. Pentagon ran under the ring at one point to throw off Sydal, but when he came out — Sydal dropkicked him on the ground in an innovative spot.
Both wrestlers exchanged a lot of superkicks. Pentagon displayed both traditional chain wrestling, submission, and high-flying moves.
“Pentagon may be one of the most dangerous wrestlers to come out of Mexico because he can work any style,” commentator Don Callis said.
Pentagon hit a Death Valley Driver. Sydal hit a standing hurricanrana. Sydal went for a Shooting Star Press, but Pentagon got his knees up. Pentagon then hit the fear factor package piledriver for the win. Mathews and Callis made a big deal about the loss being a big hit to Sydal’s career and they wondered where he goes now.
Backstage, Sami Callihan, who had his head shaved after a loss to Pentagon at Slammiversary, demanded that one of his oVe teammates, the Crist brothers shave their head to show solidarity. Jake Crist volunteered to have his head shaved, so Callihan rewarded him by ordering Dave Crist to have his head shaved instead.
Jake then shaved his brother’s head.
Inside the ring, Konnan, along with LAX’s Santana and Ortiz, showed up. King’s OGz, Hernandez and Homicide, agreed to a street fight on next week’s show. King challenged Konnan to a fight inside the “concrete jungle,” accusing him of going soft.
Konnan accepted. “There is only one group that runs the streets and it is LAX,” he said.
They advertised several matches for next week: Callihan vs Fenix, Allie vs. Su Yung, Johnny Impact vs. Jimmy Jacobs, and Joe Hendry vs. Eli Drake, along with the debut of The Smokeshow.
Impact World Champion Austin Aries defeated Eddie Edwards to retain his title
Aries performed like one of the top guys in the business, showing off some of Ric Flair’s ring psychology and Shawn Michael’s in-ring bumping skills.
Aries stalled a lot to build heat to open the match. After a commercial break, Mathews even said. “For the first time in professional wrestling history, during the commercial break absolutely nothing happened. Austin Aries wants nothing to do with Eddie Edwards.”
Edwards is playing a demented, but likable, good guy, who carries a kendo stick, and comes across as a combination of The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer.
Edwards eventually caught up with Aries and hit him with chops and a headbutt. He chased Aries into the ring, and Aries did a classic Flair impersonation, begging for his life, and as Edwards slowed up to show sympathy, he kneed him in the gut.
Aries threw him outside and hit a suicide dive through the second and third ropes. He brought him back inside the ring, tore off part of Edwards’ shirt, and then chopped him. Edwards has a tendency to oversell with his face, making his expressions of pain looked cartoon-like.
Edwards returned the chops and then hit a double-armed butterfly piledriver. Later, Aries attempted his Last Chancery submission finisher, but Edwards bit Aries’ finger to break the hold. Aries ran outside, grabbed his title belt. and brought it into the ring — but the referee took it away.
Aries put Edwards on his shoulders and swung him around, accidentally knocking down the referee. With the referee down, he grabbed the belt again and went to hit Edwards. Edwards countered with a DDT and covered him for a seven count, but the referee was still knocked out.
Edwards then grabbed his kendo stick and hit the referee. Aries hit a low blow, but Edwards then smashed Aries over the head with the kendo stick. Killer Kross came out and hit Edwards with the Doomsday Saito suplex, then Aries hit a brainbuster. The referee woke up and made the count for the pinfall, likely setting up a match between Edwards and Kross.
Aries and Kross posed in the ring together to close the show.
Impact Tag Team Champions DJ Z & Andrew Everett defeated Aerostar & Drago to retain their titles
The match featured some quality chain wrestling and several high spots from the high-flyers. It kicked off with Aerostar performing several flips and somersaults in the ring, only to have Everett match them — to the delight of the crowd. Aerostar’s moveset resembled Rey Mysterio Jr.
Everett hit a hurricanrana against Drago to slow down the pace of the match. Aerostar and Drago then cut off the ring well with frequent tags and a double team before Everett broke free and made the hot tag to Z.
The match ended with several high-flying moves, including Drago back body dropping Z over the top rope. Everett later hit a corkscrew moonsault, jumping from the back of Z, who then executed a dive through the legs of Everett and the second and third rope onto Aerostar on the outside. Everett than did a springboard moonsault onto Drago.
Everett hit a 720 flip off the top rope to pin Aerostar to retain the Tag Team titles.
Back in the studio, Don Callis and Josh Mathews hyped the upcoming unsanctioned fight between Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards. Callis said he would never participate in an unsanctioned fight because there’s no health insurance for that kind of battle. They also showed a video package of new Knockouts Champion Su Yung, looking evil and maniacal.
The show then featured a long flashback match between RVD and Tommy Dreamer, a match that looked slow by comparison to the fast-paced action of the episode’s opener. RVD won with the frog splash off the top rope.
LAX defeated The Cult of Lee (Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley)
King is now managing Santana and Ortiz. With his brawling style and long, curly hair, Trevor Lee looks like a skinnier version of Bruiser Brody. The match featured some good back-and-forth, tag team wrestling. Lee hit a belly-to-back suplex, setting up Conley for a cover, but Ortiz kicked out.
Lee went for a powerbomb, but Ortiz flipped him over, then crotched Conley on the top rope. Ortiz hit a rolling cutter, allowing Santana to get the pin on Conley.
Eli Drake Fact of Life segment
Eli Drake showed a lot of charisma in this segment, where he listed the five Impact Dummies:
5. The fans of Impact Wrestling
4. Austin Aries
3. Impact Wrestling management
2. The fans of Impact Wrestling (again)
1. Moose
Drake hit a buzzer every time he called someone a dummy, while a dummy icon showed up simultaneously on the TV screen.
Moose came out to interrupt Drake. \ Mathews called Moose “the best pure athlete in Impact Wrestling.”
Moose called Drake a loser. “I don’t need gold because I am gold,” he barked, before Drake punched Moose. Moose kicked him, but Drake gave him a low blow and the Gravy Train. Drake then threw the microphone stand onto Moose.
Brian Cage defeated Rohit Raju
Raju tried some flying moves off the chest of Cage, but he was too strong, and Cage quickly overwhelmed him with his power. Cage pinned Raju with the Weapon X..
X-Division Champion Matt Sydal came out and tried to convince Cage to join forces.
Sydal told him “you’re jacked, you’re tan, and you can throw just about anyone around.”
Still, Cage has even more potential. “I can open your third eye,” Sydal told Cage. Sydal said “inner strength separates challengers and champions,” before Sydal asked him to forgo his title shot.
Cage then grabbed him and gave him an F5.
Mathews interviewed a shirtless Austin Aries via satellite.
Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards (unsanctioned match in the woods)
This was a bizarre match, looking like a combination of The Final Deletion and the 2016 WWE outdoor match between The New Day and the Wyatt Family.
Under a full moon, Edwards spent most of the jump-cut match screaming for “Sami!” and walking through the nighttime dark forest. He took out OVE first, choking one out with a two-by-four.
When Callihan finally appeared, the match involved a bull’s horns, a baseball bat, and even a collar-and-elbow tie-up, amid a forest of trees. After some brawling and a sunset flip on the dirt, there was a moment of blood when Edwards used a broken horn to mangle Callihan’s face.
Just as Edwards seemed to subdue Callihan, Tommy Dreamer and Alisha arrived in a car. Edwards attacked Dreamer, hitting him with some kind of rod in the stomach, before screaming in the woods to end the show.
The first match between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan since Callihan accidentally injured Edwards in a baseball bat spot gone wrong will be taking place next month.
Impact Wrestling announced today that Edwards will face Callihan in an I Quit match at their Impact vs. Lucha Underground show in New Orleans on April 6th.
Edwards will be returning to the ring at an indie show this week for the first time since he was injured after his match with Callihan at Impact’s television tapings in January. Callihan meant to hit a steel chair with a baseball bat, but the spot went wrong and he accidentally hit Edwards in the face with the bat. Edwards suffered a broken nose and broken bones in his face due to the incident.
Things have since been turned into a storyline, with Callihan acting unrepentant about what happened. He also got into a Twitter feud with Jim Cornette over the spot earlier this month.
Impact vs. Lucha Underground is part of WrestleCon’s weekend of events in New Orleans and will stream live on Impact’s Twitch channel at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier & DJZ vs. King Cuerno, Drago & Aerostar is the only other match that’s been announced as of now.
In a new edition of Best of Wrestling Observer Live, catch up on some of the interviews you missed last week in the most-widely heard wrestling show of its kind in the entire universe and galaxy.
On this edition of the show:
– Eddie Edwards discusses his eye injury suffered at the hands of Sami Callihan and his baseball bat of doom. He talks about the fan reaction, his recovery, and what’s next.
– Dave Meltzer then does his weekly spot, talking about the latest Observer and news of the week.
– We then go to Sonjay Dutt who gives us an update on the recovery from his Achilles injury, the Edwards injury, and some of the recent changes in Impact Wrestling.
– From there, it’s a talk about the world of lucha libre with our own “Dr. Lucha” Steve Sims who gives his thoughts on Alberto del Rio, Rey Mysterio, and more.
– We wrap up with MJF of MLW fame in an interview that shouldn’t be missed.
Eddie Edwards being brutalized with a baseball bat by Sami Callihan caused Impact Wrestling’s viewership to rise substantially from last week’s numbers, which were the lowest of 2018.
The show scored 365,000 viewers, way up from last week’s 262,000 and the highest it’s been since the July 13th, 2017 episode of the program. It ranked #123 for the night on cable, with NBA games winning the night overall.
Edwards had just beaten Callihan in a match in the main event when Callihan jumped him. He grabbed a chair and put it on Edwards’ waist. He meant to strike the chair with the bat, but slipped and instead smashed Edward’s eye, causing Edwards to immediately roll out of the ring in pain. Footage was shown on Impact Wrestling’s YouTube page of Edwards being taken backstage to an ambulance.
As a result, Edwards suffered a broken eye socket and orbital bone. Regardless, he will be a part of Impact’s first PPV of 2018, Redemption, on April 22nd.
You can see footage of the attack and the aftermath below:
Previously: Johnny Impact defeated Ethan Carter III in a number one contender’s match.
Tonight: Eddie Edwards takes on Callahan in the main event.
Show Recap —
Tyrus defeated Ethan Carter III
Tyrus was firmly in control and nothing EC3 did hurt him. EC3 kept stalling by going to the floor and finally gained the advantage and knocked Tyrus down.
Tyrus made a comeback and used the Tongan Death Grip slam for the win.
– Backstage, Sami Callihan promised to defeat Eddie Edwards later in the main event.
El Hijo Del Fantasma defeated Braxton Sutter
Fantasma was on fire early until Sutter cut him off. Fantasma fought back and hit a suicide dive, then Sutter scored a near fall with his feet on the ropes. Fantasma hit the Thrill of the Hunt for the win.
After the match, Sutter cut a heel promo and pointed out that Allie wasn’t there because she ruins lives. He claimed he’s the biggest star in the company but didn’t even get an entrance tonight.
Brian Cage came down to the ring and beat down Sutter. Cage then gave him the Drill Claw.
– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Matt Sydal before Taiji Ishimori interrupted. He challenged Sydal to put the Grand Championship on the line next week against his X Division Championship.
Kongo Kong (w/ Jimmy Jacobs) defeated Joseph Park
Kong completely dominated Park and won easily with a splash off the top.
Following the match, Jacobs asked one more time for Abyss. Kong choked out Park with a scarf. Jacobs told Park they’re just getting started.
– Caleb Konley threw a party, but Trevor Lee wasn’t impressed. They celebrated stealing LAX’s bandanas. The only guests were the Mumbai Cats, with Lee apologizing for attacking them a few weeks ago.
Konnan approached and mocked the heels. The Cats removed their masks to reveal Santana and Ortiz. They beat down Lee and Konley and threw them in a pool.
Rosemary defeated Hania
Hania was briefly in control before Rosemary gained the advantage. Rosemary used the upside down, a missile drop kick, and a spear. She then hit the Red Wedding for the win.
Rosemary promised to win the Knockouts Championship. The returning Taya Valkyrie interrupted her. Valkyrie attacked Rosemary from behind and beat her down, giving Rosemary the Road to Valhalla on the ramp.
Flashback Moment of the Week: Eddie Edwards defeated Bobby Lashley to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The story of the match was that Lashley had picked Edwards because he wanted the easy win. Edwards hit two suicide dives, but he missed the third and crashed hard into the guardrail.
Lashley attempted the spear, but Edwards countered with the Boston Knee Party to win the championship.
– Laurel Van Ness had a commitment ceremony with the Knockouts Championship. KM was the minister and the belt had a blue bow tie. KM asked if anyone had any objections — and Braxton Sutter came out in a neck brace.
Sutter told Van Ness that he made a mistake by picking Allie. He tried to propose to Van Ness, but she kicked him out of the ring. Van Ness made KM ask if anyone had any objections again. Allie snuck up from behind in a disguise and jumped her.
Eddie Edwards defeated Sami Callihan (w/ OVE)
They started out hitting each other with suicide dives. Edwards had the upper hand as they brawled around ringside. OVE tried interfering, but the referee sent them to the back. Callihan took advantage and kicked Edwards in the face.
Edwards made a brief comeback until Callihan gave him a piledriver on the apron. Edwards made a fiery comeback and executed a superplex. They exchanged stiff shots in the middle of the ring, then Edwards rolled up Callihan for the win.
After the match, Callihan grabbed his baseball bat but Edwards tried fighting back. OVE jumped Bobby Lashley in the back.
Callihan placed a chair on Edwards and hit the chair with the bat, but it ricocheted and hit Edwards in the face. Edwards was injured and rolled out of the ring.
Next Week: Impact presents Crossroads featuring a loaded lineup:
Impact World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries defending against Johnny Impact
Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness defending against Allie
Grand Champion Matt Sydal vs. X Division Champion Taiji Ishimori
Impact World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions LAX defending against Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley
Previously: Dan Lambert defeated James Storm in a career match and retired Storm from Impact Wrestling in the process.
Tonight: Moose & Eddie Edwards face Bobby Lashley & KM in the main event.
Show Recap —
– Dan Lambert and Bobby Lashley came down to the ring. Lambert bragged about ending James Storm’s career last week and introduced the newest member of American Top Team, KM. Lambert pointed out that KM helped get rid of Storm while Lashley didn’t.
KM mentioned that he attacked Moose last week, which brought Moose to the ring. A brawl broke out and the heels beat down Moose until Eddie Edwards ran out for the save. Moose and Edwards cornered Lambert but he escaped.
– Ethan Carter III came down and called Matt Sydal a choke artist. He buried the Canadian crowd and asked if they wanted to see him get beat up, then issued an open challenge that Petey Williams accepted.
Grand Champion Ethan Carter III defeated Petey Williams by DQ
The match was contested under traditional rules. Williams was on fire early before EC3 took over. Williams then made a fiery comeback and scored several near falls. He missed a plancha and injured his ankle, which distracted EC3.
Matt Sydal ran out from the crowd and jumped EC3 for the disqualification.
– In the back, Allie gave an intense promo after being attacked by Laurel Van Ness last week.
– Backstage, Matt Sydal challenged EC3 to defend the Grand Championship in a traditional 60-minute time limit match with no judges and no rounds.
Flashback Moment of the Week: James Storm defeated Kurt Angle to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Angle beat down Storm with kicks and punches in the corner. He was firmly in control when Storm suddenly hit the Last Call superkick to win the championship. Storm celebrated with Bobby Roode, Frankie Kazarian, and AJ Styles.
Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness defeated KC Spinelli in a non-title match
Spinelli was briefly in control before Van Ness quickly gained the advantage. Spinelli made a comeback and scored a close near fall, but Van Ness used a curb stomp and an Unprettier to retain the title.
After the match, Allie ran out and attacked Van Ness but Van Ness ran off.
– Impact World Champion Eli Drake and Chris Adonis came down to the ring. Drake bragged about beating Alberto El Patron last week in New Jersey and still being champion. He promised to go to Detroit next week and defend the title.
Alberto El Patron interrupted the champion and said he’ll be in Detroit next week too. Patron demanded a title shot, then Johnny Impact came out. Impact promised to see them in Detroit. A brawl broke out between all four guys and Impact wiped out everyone with a dive to the floor.
– In the back, Dan Lambert gave KM full credit for getting rid of Storm. Bobby Lashley didn’t seem happy about this.
– Backstage, Chandler Park celebrated his victory last week. Joseph Park was worried when Jimmy Jacobs approached. Jacobs buried Abyss and said he shouldn’t come back. Chandler got in Jacobs’ face and Kongo Kong scared him off.
– Sami Callihan and OVE trashed the LAX Clubhouse and tore down their flags.
– Later, LAX arrived at the clubhouse to find it destroyed and their money stolen. Konnan challenged OVE to a barbwire match.
Sonjay Dutt, Garza Jr. & Dezmond Xavier defeated Trevor Lee, Caleb Konley & Hakim Zane
The faces were in control early in the match, but the heels managed to isolate Dutt. Garza Jr. got the hot tag and basically competed with one arm. Xavier got the tag and hit the Final Flash on Zane for the win.
X Division Champion Taiji Ishimori and Xavier had a staredown. They meet for the championship next week.
Bobby Lashley & KM (w/ Dan Lambert & John Hartnett) defeated Moose & Eddie Edwards
Hartnett got beat up again before the match. The faces ran wild early, though the heels quickly took over. They isolated Edwards on their side of the ring. The faces made a brief comeback until Lashley yanked Edwards off the apron to regain control.
Moose got the hot tag and ran wild on KM. He scored a close near fall with the Go to Hell. Edwards made the blind tag and took out KM with a suicide dive. Lambert distracted Edwards and KM hit a powerbomb into a lungblower for the win.
Next Week: Impact World Champion Eli Drake defends against Alberto El Patron and Johnny Impact in Detroit. Plus, for the first time on television, LAX battle OVE in Barbed Wire Massacre III.
Previously: Eli Drake captured the GFW Global Championship by winning a Gauntlet for the Gold battle royal.
Tonight: Eli Drake & Chris Adonis take on the team of Eddie Edwards & Johnny Impact in the main event.
Show Recap —
– Earlier today, Bobby Lashley, Dan Lambert, and American Top Team arrived. Lambert and Jeff Jarrett argued as Earl Hebner tried to get involved.
– Eli Drake and Chris Adonis made their way to the ring to celebrate Drake’s championship win. He discussed his title victory and that it took him 14 years to get to where he is.
Johnny Impact interrupted the new champ and made his way to the ring. Impact mentioned that he’s the AAA Mega World Champion, but he said that he wants Drake’s title too. This brought out former World Champion Eddie Edwards.
Edwards respects Impact being AAA Champion, but this is GFW. Edwards said he wants a shot at the championship as well. Jim Cornette came out and announced the tag team main event. Whoever scores the pin in the main event gets a future title shot. If Drake or Adonis gets the win, Drake doesn’t have to defend the title against either guy.
– In the back, Allie introduced herself to Taryn Terrell. Allie wanted to know why Terrell was so mean to Gail Kim last week. Terrell asked Allie to give Kim a message and beat her down.
OVE defeated Fallah Bahh & Mario Bokara
OVE controlled the early part of the match by keeping Bokara on their side of the ring. The heels had the brief advantage, but OVE made a quick comeback to win the match. During the match, LAX was shown watching in the back.
– In Cornette’s office, Cornette warned Moose that he might run into Bobby Lashley at AAA’s Triplemania. Ethan Carter III came in and was upset that he’s not on Triplemania. Cornette and Moose did Road Dogg’s “Oh you didn’t know?” quote to end the segment.
Petey Williams defeated Caleb Konley (w/ Trevor Lee)
Konley jumped Williams to start things off. Williams gained the advantage, then Lee distracted him and allowed Konley to take over. Williams took out Lee with a hurricanrana to the floor and hit the Canadian Destroyer on Konley for the win. Lee jumped Williams, but Sonjay Dutt ran out for the save.
Kongo Kong defeated Richard Justice
Kong destroyed Justice and beat him easily with a splash off the top. Kong continued to attack Justice after it was over until Mahabali Shera came out for the save.
Low Ki (w/ LAX) defeated James Storm
Low Ki was in control until Storm made a fiery comeback and scored several near falls. Low Ki attempted the Warrior’s Way, but Storm moved and hit the Eye of the Storm for a close near fall.
Storm connected with the Last Call, but Konnan had the referee distracted. Ortiz nailed Storm with the tag team title belt and Low Ki connected with the Warrior’s Way for the victory.
– In the back, Allie nursed her injury from Taryn Terrell’s attack earlier. She was explaining to Braxton Sutter what happened when Garza Jr. approached to see if she’s okay. Sutter got upset at Garza Jr. and told him to leave.
– Joseph Park helped Grado and Laurel Van Ness plan their wedding. Grado and Park were shocked to find out that Van Ness is Canadian.
– Pagano is on his way to GFW and will be debuting soon.
– Taya Valkyrie makes her GFW debut next week.
– Bobby Lashley, Dan Lambert, and ATT were interviewed in the back. Lashley said he wants to do both pro wrestling and MMA. Lambert wanted him to focus on MMA and accused Jeff Jarrett of disrespecting him, his team, and the entire sport of MMA.
Eli Drake & Chris Adonis defeated Johnny Impact & Eddie Edwards
The faces were in control early as Edwards hit a suicide dive to Drake and Impact dove onto Adonis. The heels then took over and isolated Impact on their side of the ring.
Edwards got the tag and took on both heels. He climbed to the top, but Adonis held his leg and Drake caught him with a slam for a near fall. The heels worked over Edwards and cut him off from tagging Impact.
Impact finally got the hot tag and ran wild. He connected with the Thursday Night Delight for a two count. Edwards got the blind tag, but Drake hit the Gravy Train for the win.
– After the match, Dan Lambert, Lashley, and ATT came to the ring. Jim Cornette came out and told Lashley that if he or ATT enters the ring, Lashley will lose his match at Triplemania. Cornette then announced Matt Sydal challenging GFW Champion Eli Drake next week.
Next Week: GFW Champion Eli Drake defends against Matt Sydal, Sonjay Dutt teams with Petey Williams against Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley, and Sienna & Taryn Terrell take on Allie & Gail Kim.
Global Force Wrestling’s Eddie Edwards has become the first American wrestler to win Pro Wrestling NOAH’s GHC Heavyweight Championship.
Edwards defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima to win the title at this morning’s NOAH Summer Navigation 2017 event at Korakuen Hall. Edwards has been a semi-regular since GFW established a working relationship with NOAH back in February. Nakajima had been champion for 307 days, defeating Takashi Sugiura on October 23rd of last year.
Naomichi Marufuji came out after the match and challenged Edwards to a title match. That will take place in Yokohama on October 1st.
Since taking over GFW, Jeff Jarrett has established ties with a number of international promotions, including NOAH, to bring talent over to the US for Impact tapings. Both Taiji Ishimori and Marufuji have wrestled for the promotion in recent months. GFW has also set up relationships with Konnan’s The Crash promotion in Tijuana and AAA.
The Summer Navigation 2017 event featuring Edwards’ title win is set to air on G+ in Japan on September 3rd.
Previously: Alberto El Patron & James Storm battled Bobby Lashley & Ethan Carter III in a wild main event.
Tonight: It’s the last night in India and the final Impact before Slammiversary. It features Alberto El Patron, Eddie Edwards, James Storm & Mahabali Shera vs. Bobby Lashley, Davey Richards, Ethan Carter III & Kongo Kong.
Show Recap —
– Earlier tonight, Jeremy Borash and Bruce Prichard hosted several Slammiversary contract signings in the ring. The signings aired in quick succession and included Rosemary and Sienna, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, James Storm and EC3, and Bobby Lashley and Alberto El Patron.
During the Lashley and El Patron signing, Edwards, Storm, Richards, and EC3 remained at the table. Before a brawl could break out, Prichard announced the eight-man main event for later tonight.
Sonjay Dutt & Matt Sydal defeated Low Ki & Trevor Lee
Dutt and Sydal controlled the early part of the match until the heels briefly took over. Dutt and Sydal made a comeback and cleared the ring. The heels isolated Sydal in their corner. Dutt got the hot tag and ran wild. Dutt took out Low Ki with a dive to the floor and Sydal hit the Shooting Star Press on Lee for the win.
– A training video of NFL free agent DeAngelo Williams aired. He discussed his passion for wrestling and the respect he has for wrestlers past and present.
Eli Drake & Chris Adonis defeated The Mumbai Cats
Adonis and Drake dominated the match, which came to an end when Drake hit the Gravy Train.
– King Mo was announced as Bobby Lashley’s corner man at Slammiversary to counter Alberto’s father Dos Caras.
Swoggle defeated Rockstar Spud in a Mumbai Street Fight
Spud viciously attacked Swoggle in the corner until the ref tried to stop him. Spud pulled the ref’s pants off and chased him in the corner. Swoggle pulled off Spud’s pants and put him through the table to win the match.
– J.B. and Joseph Park completed their training. J.B. told Park to find his inner monster and handed him an Abyss action figure.
Rosemary, Allie & Braxton Sutter defeated Sienna, Laurel Van Ness & KM
All six competitors brawled to start the match until the men went one-on-one. Rosemary scored a near fall on Van Ness and the match broke down into another brawl. Rosemary spit the green mist at Sienna, but she pushed Van Ness in the way. Allie took out Sienna, then Rosemary hit the Red Wedding on Van Ness to win the match.
– Joseph Park tried to find his inner monster and found Abyss’s favorite weapon Janice nearby.
Alberto El Patron, Eddie Edwards, James Storm & Mahabali Shera defeated Bobby Lashley, Davey Richards, Ethan Carter III & Kongo Kong
The heels jumped Shera before the match started and before his partners were introduced. Shera had to be taken to the back for medical attention — making it four-on-three.
EC3 teased starting the match with Storm but quickly tagged out to Lashley. The heels took over and kept Edwards on their side of the ring. Edwards tried to make a tag, but the heels pulled Storm and El Patron off the apron.
Shera made his return to the ring and ran wild on the heels. Kong missed a splash in the corner and Shera picked him up for a big slam. El Patron made the blind tag and hit the double foot stomp on Kong to win the match for his team.
Up Next: Impact’s second marquee event of the year, Slammiversary XV, takes place this Sunday night. The lineup features:
Impact World Champion Bobby Lashley (w/ King Mo) vs. GFW Global Champion Alberto El Patron (w/ Dos Caras) with both titles on the line
Knockouts Champion Rosemary vs. GFW Woman’s Champion Sienna with both titles on the line
DeAngelo Williams & Moose vs. Eli Drake & Chris Adonis
James Storm vs. Ethan Carter III in a strap match
Jeremy Borash & Joseph Park vs. Josh Mathews & Scott Steiner
X Division Champion Sonjay Dutt vs. Low Ki in a two-out-of-three falls match for the title
Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards vs. Davey Richards & Angelina Love in a Full Metal Mayhem match
Impact/GFW Tag Champions LAX vs. Laredo Kid & Garza Jr. vs. Drago & El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Taiji Ishimori for the titles
Previously: LAX won the Impact World Tag Team Championship in a four-way defeating Reno Scum, Decay, and Garza Jr. & Laredo Kid.
Tonight: Eddie Edwards will battle Davey Richards in a last man standing match. Also, Impact will feature a Knockouts gauntlet battle royal to determine the next challenger for Knockouts Champion Rosemary. Plus, Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash reveal their team members for an upcoming match.
Show Recap —
Eli Drake (w/ Tyrus) defeated Caleb Konley
Konley was in control of the match until Tyrus helped Drake takeover. Konley made a short comeback but Drake hit his finisher to win the match.
– Jeremy Borash and Josh Mathews argued after the match. Bruce Prichard ran out and called them in the ring. Prichard was sick of their bickering and ordered both to pick teams. Prichard said that next week their two teams would face off to finally settle this matter.
Borash and Mathews went back on commentary and they were both on their phones putting their teams together throughout the night.
ODB and Madison Rayne were the final two in the Knockouts gauntlet battle royal
– Ava Storie and Madison Rayne started the match off. Mathews stood up and cheered for Rayne as she entered the ring. Rebel was out next and briefly worked with Rayne to double team Storie. Amanda Rodriguez was out next, followed by MJ Jenkins. Diamante was next and ran wild. Rebel eliminated Rodriguez.
ODB entered and dominated all the Knockouts. ODB gave a splash to all five Knockouts that were piled in the corner. ODB tossed out Storie. The final entrant was Brandi Rhodes, who quickly eliminated Diamante. Jenkins dumped out Rebel but ODB and Rhodes worked together to eliminate Jenkins. Rayne sneaked up and eliminated Rhodes.
ODB defeated Madison Rayne
The match then turned into a singles bout. ODB quickly hit the TKO to become the number one contender for the Knockouts Championship.
– James Storm came out to his old music and is back to being “The Cowboy.” Storm said that five years ago new management took over and told him that there is no room for a character like “The Cowboy.” He said the night he won the World Championship was the highest rated Impact.
The DCC interrupted Storm. Bram stood in the corner holding a chair. Kingston said that Storm lied to him about everything. Storm said he did everything for them but they didn’t live up on their end. Kingston spit in Storm’s face and Storm responded with a Last Call superkick. He followed that up with a Last Call to Bram as well.
Andrew Everett defeated Marshe Rockett and Suicide
Everett hit a sweet looking twisting corkscrew to the floor. Suicide scored a close near fall but Rockett broke it up. Everett knocked Suicide off the apron and hit a shooting star press on Rockett to win the match.
– Backstage, Davey Richards and Angelina Love were making out when the interview guy interrupted them. Richards promised to bury Eddie Edwards and then the rest of the Impact roster.
Davey Richards (w/ Angelina Love) defeated Eddie Edwards in a last man standing match
They brawled into the stands to start things off. Edwards attempted a plancha from the stands but Richards moved and Edwards crashed onto a garbage can. Edwards powerbombed Richards through two steel chairs. Later, Richards superplexed Edwards onto a pile of chairs.
Edwards’ wife, Alisha, appeared at ringside to cheer on her husband. Love passed Richards a steel chain. Edwards trapped Richards head in a chair and then hit a double foot stomp from the top. Love jumped on Edwards so Alisha ran in and brawled with Love at ringside. Love knocked out Alisha and entered the ring.
Love held Edwards and Richards wrapped a chain around his leg. Richards had second thoughts but Love told him to do it for her and kissed him. Richards kicked Edwards in the side of the head to win the match.
– A video aired for the arrival of a new team. The video included George W. Bush talking about the 2003 Iraq War. The graphic “Veterans of War” appeared on the screen.
– LAX celebrated Santana and Ortiz winning the Impact tag titles in Orlando.
Alberto El Patron defeated John Bolin
El Patron dominated the majority of the match. He hit the double foot stomp for the win. After the match, he promised to defeat Bobby Lashley for the World Championship.
– Backstage, KM and Sienna got into an argument with Braxton Sutter and Allie. Karen Jarrett broke it up and announced a mix tag for next week.
– Another “Fury Will Be Unleashed” promo aired. Sienna showed pictures of Sutter and Allie to a mysterious man.
Jeremy Borash and Josh Mathews Revealed Their Teams
Bruce Prichard returned for the reveal of the teams. It’ll be an eight-man tag match with four on each side. Mathews’ first pick was Impact World Champion Bobby Lashley. Borash’s first pick was Alberto El Patron.
Mathews’ second pick was DCC member Bram. Borash went outside the roster for his second pick, which was Chris Adonis (formally Chris Masters in WWE).
For his third pick, Mathews introduced Eli Drake, who was followed by the final member of the team — Tyrus. They jumped Team Borash and beat them down. Borash then introduced the third member of his team — the returning Matt Morgan. Morgan and Lashley had a staredown.
In the back, somebody exited a car and headed into the Impact Zone. The Pope speculated that it’s Borash’s final team member. Impact was out of time and he said to check out Impact’s website to find out who the final member is.
Impact uploaded a video online revealing the fourth member — GFW World Champion Magnus. The heels were in control until Magnus joined up with the rest of Team Borash to clear the ring of Team Mathews.
Next Week: Team Borash (Alberto El Patron, Chris Adonis, Matt Morgan & Magnus) will battle Team Mathews (Bobby Lashley, Bram, Eli Drake & Tyrus). Plus, KM & Sienna take on Braxton Sutter & Allie.
Previously: Ethan Carter III defeated Eli Drake in last week’s main event. After the match, The DCC beat down EC3, Drake, and Tyrus. Also, Bobby Lashley defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
Tonight: Bobby Lashley defends the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Eddie Edwards.
Show Recap —
– In the back, The Broken Hardys, Reby, and King Maxel arrived at the Impact Zone. Matt criticized Maxel’s poor eating habits. Matt promised that tonight all would be revealed.
– The DCC came down to the ring. James Storm mentioned that The DCC kept their promise to run through all of the talent in TNA. Eli Drake and Tyrus interrupted The DCC. The audience doesn’t deserve to hear Drake’s voice so Tyrus was doing all of the talking.
All five guys ended up brawling around ringside. Storm gave Tyrus a low blow, but somehow Tyrus caught his arm and countered it.
The DCC defeated Eli Drake & Tyrus
Drake wanted a third partner but Tyrus thought they could win without a third guy. The DCC isolated Drake in their corner to start the match. Tyrus came in and they kept Bram on their side of the ring.
James Storm got the hot tag and briefly ran wild on Drake. Tyrus came back in and dominated The DCC. Drake abandoned Tyrus, leaving him on his own. Tyrus cleared the ring and gave Kingston a suplex but Storm nailed him with a superkick to win the match.
– Backstage, Allie and Braxton Sutter both reached for a water bottle and touched hands. Maria Kanellis interrupted them and sent Allie away. Maria is forcing Sutter to propose to Laurel Van Ness later tonight.
– Brandi Rhodes came down to the ring and called out Rosemary. Rosemary mentioned that they offered Brandi a spot in Decay but she’d rather fight. Abyss and Crazzy Steve surrounded Brandi, leading to Rosemary locking on a submission until Moose ran out for the save.
– In the back, Moose and Brandi challenged Decay to a mixed tag match next week. Moose said if you mess with Brandi, you mess with Moose.
Aron Rex (w/ Rockstar Spud) defeated Robbie E
Before the match, Spud introduced Aron Rex by singing his name. Rex made Spud sing his name several more times before Robbie E finally interrupted.
The finish of the match came when Spud was pulled into the ring and Robbie went after him to throw him out. Rex adjusted the rings on his fingers and hit a loaded punch, knocking out Robbie to win the match.
– In the back, Eddie Edwards prepared for his match against Lashley with his wife Alisha, Davey Richards, and Angelina Love.
– Backstage, Mike Bennett approached Braxton Sutter. He slapped Sutter on his back, knocking the water bottle out of Sutter’s hands. Bennett gave Sutter a pep talk for the upcoming proposal. Bennett told Sutter that he knows he’ll do the right thing and Sutter agreed.
– The Hardys entered the ring and Matt introduced Vanguard 1, which has been updated by the Seven Deities. Vanguard 1 is now a transportation device that’ll take them to every promotion in the world to win all of the tag team titles. The Hardys want to prove they’re the greatest tag team in space and time.
Matt pointed out that it could take them to any promotion, including The Honorable Ring where they could face the Bucks of Youth. They put their hands on Vanguard 1 and disappeared from the Impact Zone. They teleported to Tijuana, Mexico to begin the search for the tag team champions.
Grand Champion Drew Galloway defeated Mahabali Shera to retain his title
Shera controlled the early part of the first round and hit the Sky High but it was after the round was over. The judges gave the first round to Shera.
Shera charged at Galloway to start round two but he got wiped out with a big boot. Galloway hit the Claymore, followed by the Future Shock DDT to win the match in round two.
– In the back, Sutter approached Laurel Van Ness and tried to break off their relationship. He dropped his water bottle and went to pick it up. Van Ness assumed he was proposing and said yes. She celebrated and went to call Maria. Sutter tried to explain himself but it was too late.
– The Helms Dynasty came out to the ring. New X Division Champion Trevor Lee said he’s the crown jewel of the X Division and the Helms Dynasty. Shane Helms said he feels that Andrew Everett is the weakest link of the Dynasty. Helms told Everett he’s going to trim the fat. Everett snatched the mic from Helms and told him he’s wrong. Helms and Lee jumped Everett and beat him down.
– Back in Tijuana, The Broken Hardys searched the streets for the tag team champions of Mexico. The journey through the streets led them to the Auditorio Municipal.
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Eddie Edwards to retain his title
Alisha and Angelina Love were sitting at ringside. Lashley got the advantage on Edwards and went over to taunt Alisha and Love. That gave Edwards the chance to hit a suicide dive. Edwards hit a second dive and a missile dropkick for a near fall.
Lashley tried to hit Edwards with the World title but Davey Richards ran down and grabbed the belt. Edwards made a comeback and went for a third suicide dive but this time Lashley caught him and hit a sick belly-to-belly suplex on the floor. Lashley went for the spear but Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party.
Edwards had the match won but Richards pulled the referee out of the ring. Richards yelled at Edwards and Angelina Love knocked out Alisha, which distracted the referee.
Richards hit Edwards with the title belt and Lashley hit the spear to win the match. After the match, Richards choked out Edwards with his belt while Love forced Alisha to watch.
Next Week: The Expedition of Gold begins when The Broken Hardys challenge Super Crazy & Psicosis for the Crash Tag Team Championship in Tijuana, Mexico.
