All Elite Wrestling star and active member of Samoa Joe’s The Opps, Hook, has now been announced for several new 1FW shows toward the end of January and February. Currently involved in helping Joe get back his AEW World Championship on All Elite Wrestling television, the 26-year-old is also set to make his 1FW debut.
Sharing the announcement on social media, 1FW opened up in detail about Hook’s debut alongside his appearance dates.
“HOOK is officially stepping into a 1FW ring for the very first time — and this one hits different. The former FTW Champion and AEW’s Cold Hearted Handsome Devil brings a level of intensity and presence that very few in the business can match. From his silent confidence to his ruthless in-ring style, HOOK doesn’t come to make friends… he comes to dominate.“
“This is a debut that changes the entire landscape of 1FW. When HOOK walks through that curtain, every opponent knows exactly what time it is — and there’s nowhere to hide once the bell rings.“
The former FTW Champion will be appearing live on January 30 in Buford, January 31 in Hartwell, and February 1 in McDonough. Joining Hook on all three dates will be current MLP Women’s Canadian Champion and former TNA Knockouts star Gisele Shaw.
1FW or One Fall Wrestling is an American indie wrestling promotion, where, over the years, several current and former AEW talents have wrestled. 1FW is available to stream on Triller TV.
A new match with potential title implications has been announced for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s debut show.
Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita is scheduled for night one of Forged in Excellence, the promotion revealed on Saturday.
On Saturday, October 19, @GiseleShaw08 faces another tough competitor in Tokyo Joshi Pro star @miyu_tjp. It's a Night One match with huge consequences – if Miyu Yamashita wins, she will make the Night Two match between Gisele Shaw and ROH Women's World Champion Athena a three-way… pic.twitter.com/9ttwhfjUBy
Shaw is also set to challenge Athena for the ROH Women’s World Title on night two. However, if Yamashita beats Shaw on night one, she will be added to the title match on night two, turning it into a three-way.
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence takes place Saturday, October 19, and Sunday, October 20, 2024, at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Both nights will air live on Triller TV as pay-per-views.
Night one (Saturday, October 19):
Konosuke Takeshita vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something for the inaugural PWA Champion’s Grail Championship
Bhupinder Gujjar vs. QT Marshall (w/ Harley Cameron)
Tables match: Bully Ray vs. Raj Dhesi (former WWE wrestler Jinder Mahal)
Laynie Luck vs. Taylor Rising vs. Kylie Rae vs. Aurora Teves
Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo vs. Trevor Lee (the former Cameron Grimes), Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne
Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita (If Yamashita wins, she’ll be added to the ROH title match on night two)
Night two (Sunday, October 20):
Josh Alexander vs. Konosuke Takeshita
ROH Women’s World Champion Athena defends against Gisele Shaw
The Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship will be on the line when Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling presents its debut shows next month.
Athena will defend her title against Gisele Shaw at MLP Forged in Excellence. The two-night event is scheduled for October 19 & 20 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and will air as a pay-per-view on Triller.
Shaw recently finished up with TNA Wrestling at the promotion’s tapings in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this month. She had been with the company since early 2022.
Athena vs. Shaw is the third match to be officially confirmed for MLP Forged in Excellence. Mike Bailey vs. Konosuke Takeshita has been announced for night one, and Takeshita vs. Josh Alexander is scheduled for night two.
Mauro Rannallo and Don Callis will serve as the promotion’s commentary team.
Also advertised for the shows are El Phantasmo, Raj Dhesi (Jinder Mahal), KUSHIDA, Alex Zayne, Kevin Knight, Jake Something, Kylie Rae, Trevor Lee, QT Marshall, Sheldon Jean, Stu Grayson and Miyu Yamashita.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out. Overwhelmed by the love and support I received in the past 24 hours,” she wrote. “Grateful for all the opportunities that [TNA] has provided me in the past 3 years. Excited and looking forward to embark on a new journey and the adventures that lie ahead.”
Next month, Shaw is set to compete at the debut events for Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. The shows are titled “Forged In Excellence” and are being held at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. They’ll stream live as pay-per-views on Triller TV with Mauro Ranallo and Scott D’Amore as the commentary team.
Shaw finished up with TNA at the promotion’s set of TV tapings in Louisville, Kentucky over the weekend.
Fightful reports that Shaw recently requested her release from TNA, and it was granted under the condition that she work TNA’s set of tapings in Louisville, Kentucky this past weekend. The report notes that TNA “worked smoothly” to grant Shaw’s release and “didn’t put up a fight in keeping her around.”
Shaw is among the talent that’s been announced for the debut events of Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. The shows — titled “Forged In Excellence” — are taking place at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20.
On August 24, Shaw returned to Revolution Pro Wrestling for the first time since 2021, competing in a 10-woman tag match at their 12th anniversary show.
Shaw was featured member of the Knockouts division while with TNA/Impact and led a faction called the SHAWntourage where she teamed with Savannah Evans. Shaw was the first transgender woman ever under contract with the promotion.
In a social media post on Monday, Shaw wrote:
Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty• Enjoy the beauty of becoming• When nothing is certain, anything is possible. Happy Monday 💝🫰🏼🏹 pic.twitter.com/XqExUVVByG
Former Knockouts Champion Trinity competes in a TNA/Impact Wrestling ring for the final time tonight.
At the Royal Rumble, Trinity/Naomi returned to WWE for the first time since 2022. She’s since been confirmed as a new member of the SmackDown roster. Tonight, Trinity has her last TNA match as she teams with Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace against Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans.
Trinity lost the Knockouts title to Grace at Hard to Kill last month. That night, Shaw won an Ultimate X match to earn a shot at the championship. Shaw and Evans attacked Grace and Trinity two weeks ago after Grace defeated Trinity in a Hard to Kill rematch.
Shaw is challenging Grace for the Knockouts Championship at No Surrender on February 23.
Also set for tonight’s Impact: Alex Shelley vs. Eddie Edwards, Josh Alexander vs. Alan Angels, Chris Sabin vs. John Skyler, Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside, and Mike Bailey vs. Zachary Wentz.
TNA Impact opened with Chris Sabin coming out for his match against John Skylar.
Chris Sabin defeated John Skylar (w/ Jason Hotch)
Fundamentally speaking, this was a good match, but Skylar, at this point, is nothing more than a glorified job guy, so the extended heat in the middle of this match for Skylar was not that fun to watch. Still a decent match, but nothing that was must see. Sabin is still one of the best in the world, but I’d much rather a better opponent.
Chris Sabin is still one of the best workers going today, and even his tremendous selling could not get the fans into this match. Skylar got a lot of heat in this match, beating on Sabin for several minutes while Jason Hotch ran interference for him. After one of those spots, Hotch hit a spear through the middle ropes for a 2-count and got a mild “you still suck” chant from the audience. Sabin got the win after a Helluva Kick in the corner and a Cradle Shock as he graciously gave 95% of this match to Skylar, but not something we really needed to see here.
–Alex Shelley talked about how he was a member of different tag teams throughout his career and that he knew what it took to be a member of a team, while The System didn’t. He said that if you take out one part of a system, the whole things fails, and he is starting with Eddie Edwards tonight.
Tasha Steelz defeated Xia Brookside
In traditional Impact fashion, the newcomer that was just establishing a little momentum had been defeated, though it was done with Steelz cheating here, so it looks like it is setting up a program and return matches.
Honestly, it didn’t feel like this match had enough time to get going, but I imagine with the finish we will be seeing more of them again in the future. Steez won by yanking the tights for the win.
–ABC were backstage talking about their best 2/3 series with GYV, and as they were talking, the Vets attacked them, looking like they injured Ace Austin’s shoulder.
–A recap of Kazarian’s heel turn promo aired, with Eric Young looking on from backstage behind the curtain just out of view of everyone.
–Jake Something and Frankie Kazarian had a face off backstage, and he talked about how he used to look up to Kazarian, but now they would fight in the ring since words weren’t working.
Zachery Wentz (w/ Trey Miguel) defeated Mike Bailey
This match was awesome, and a prime example of the kind of matches I love seeing on this show. Either guy could have won, and everyone got a chance to shine.
Bailey blitzed Wentz in the early part of the match, but Wentz as able to turn it around with a distraction from Miguel. Bailey managed to hit the triangle moonsault to the floor on Wentz, but Wentz was able to slam Bailey’s head into the announce table. Wentz hit a hard chop on the floor, and Bailey basically hit a chop with his kicks as he kicked Wentz hard in the chest.
Wentz hit a big suplex on the floor and Bailey made it back in at the count of 7. Wentz pounced into a mounted punching position and he got cocky, shoving Bailey to the floor. Wentz went for a second suplex on the floor, but Bailey hit a snap suplex on Wentz instead. Bailey went to the top rope and hit a missile dropkick on Wentz as he got back into the ring. Bailey hit a great series of kicks but missed a running shooting star press. Wentz clipped the knee of Bailey in a leap frog and hit a German suplex, but missed a running shooting star of his own, and then both men kicked each other and were down.
Bailey missed a big superkick and Wentz hit a full nelson slam for a 2-count. Bailey and Wentz botched a standing Spanish fly and it looked like Bailey landed on his own head, but he was up and moving right away so hopefully he is okay. Bailey blocked a roundhouse kick from Wentz with a spinning kick, which was cool, then hit the tornado kick before going for Ultima Weapon. Migel knocked Bailey from the top turnbuckle which allowed Wentz to hit a UFO Cutter for the pinfall.
–The Rascalz started beating on Bailey, and Trent Seven made the save, as one half of “Speedball Mountain” which may be the worst tag team name I ever heard, Tom Hannifan. Steve Maclin ran down to the ring and took out Seven, but Nic Nemeth ran down, hit superkicks on The Rascalz and cleared the ring. It looks like they’re setting up a six-man tag.
–Kon had a hype video. It did not hype me.
–A recap aired of Crazzy Steve and Rhino from Xplosion. Steve hit Rhino with a low blow and laid Rhino out. They then had Rhino cut a promo from what looked like a 2007 TNA Impact set with Rhino looking like 2007 Rhino. I guess he has a time machine! I could make an old B&V joke here, but I’ll refrain.
This is not how you build to an interesting match between Shaw and Grace, but it was a very nice sent of for Trinity as she leaves to return to WWE.
Evans and Grace started the match with Grace brawling with Evans around the ring. Trinity and Grace had the advantage in the early part of the match, but Evans was able to get the heat after Vidal interfered and Shaw yanked Grace by the hair into the apron. Shaw played the cowardly heel here, only tagging in once Grace was immobilized.
Grace was crawling towards the tag, and you could hear all the little kids screaming for Grace to tag Trinity (proving again, that Trinity is a star). Grace hit a back elbow and a lariat on Shaw after blocking a head scissors takedown. Grace tagged out to Trinity, who hit some kicks on Evans, and then a crossbody on Evans for a 2-count. Trinity hit the Rear View on Evans, but Shaw made the save. Grace threw Shaw out of the ring onto Jai Vidal, and then Trinity hit Code Red and locked on Starstruck on Evans for the win.
–Deaner cut a promo backstage, saying he was a man at a crossroads, and before he could keep talking AJ Francis showed up and offered help to Deaner. Deaner said that he clearly needed help with Joe Hendry. Francis said, “Don’t say the name!” and Hendry’s music hit, and he popped out from behind some chairs, and Deaner clapped to his theme. Francis asked, “Why did you clap?” and Deaner looked confused. That was hilarious.
Then Hendry read from social media what people thought about Francis, and it compared Francis to the YouTube comments mating with the ebola virus in terms of how terrible he is. I laughed. Deaner was trying very hard not to laugh, but managed to get by with a smile. Francis said the last time Hendry talked to him like that, he chokeslammed Hendry, and he walked away. Deaner then said that Hendry shouldn’t talk for him, ever.
I hope this leads to a babyface turn and team with Hendry because Deaner is great at comedy wrestling. I really enjoyed this segment, and I don’t care what anyone says.
Kon defeated Richard Adonis & Ori Gold
The last thing I want to see is a Kon push, but here we are. At least this was short.
Kon squashed Adonis in the corner and then dropped Gold on his head with a clothesline. Kon hit a chokeslam and then put the iron claw on Gold. He then snapped the neck of Adonis, apparently murdering him.
–Kon went to do the same to Gold, but the lights went out and PCO was resurrected again by his team of doctors. As PCO sat up, Kon took out the orderlies and a brawl broke out between the two big men. This is something for PCO to do, as he beats the monster of the week like an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
To their credit, the fans really like PCO, so they wanted to see these big men brawl. PCO and Kon beat up security and continued brawling, ending when PCO clothesline Kon over the ropes, and PCO hit a top suicida to the floor onto all the security guards. Kon slammed PCO on the ramp, and PCO sat up and brawled with him to the top of the ramp. They brawled backstage and the segment ended.
Josh Alexander defeated Alan Angels
I am not sure what Angels did in his talk show to justify this violence against Alexander, but Alexander murdered him in this match, and I enjoyed it.
See, sometimes, a squash is fun. This was one of those times, with Josh Alexander beating the crap out of Angels.
–As Alexander was leaving the area, Simon Gotch attacked him and beat him around ringside, throwing Alexander into the stairs after a stiff strike. Okay. I’m not sure about this. Matt Rewoldt claimed he knew nothing about it, as Gotch’s former tag partner.
Alex Shelley defeated Eddie Edwards (w/ Alisha Edwards)
This was a good main event match, but another match with tons of interference on this show. It would be very difficult for Edwards and Shelley to have a bad match though, and this was no exception – it was very good.
I love watching Alex Shelley play the technical game, and this match featured a lot of it. Edwards tried to take it to the floor to get an advantage, but ended up missing a kick and hit the ring post allowing Shelley to attack the leg of Edwards. He then made a very rude gesture from WWF Raw in 1997 at Alisha Edwards to the delight of the crowd.
Shelley took apart Edwards going after the arms and the knee, but Eddie was able to get some of his offence back with a chop on Shelley. Edwards then distracted the referee as Alisha Edwards choked Shelley on the ropes, allowing Edwards to hit more chops in the middle of the ring. Shelley hit a dragon screw to start a comeback, and then hit an enziguri.
Shelley charged Edwards in the corner, but Edwards tried to block it with a kick. Unfortunately for him, Shelley caught the kick, tied both legs together, and hit another dragon screw. Shelley locked on the figure four leglock but Edwards got to the ropes to escape. Edwards managed to hit a belly-to-belly while selling all of his limbs, which was actually kind of impressive.
Edwards hit a knee to the face of Shelley, and you could hear Alisha Edwards calling the spot, saying “Yeah! Knee him in the face!” which is good heel work. Edwards hit another knee for a 1-count, and Shelley fired up, hitting a superkick, but Alisha Edwards interfered for the distraction, allowing Eddie Edwards to go for the Boston Knee Party. Shelley countered it in a very cool way that I can’t quite describe, and ended up pinning Edwards out of nowhere.
Final Thoughts
Every single match on this show that wasn’t a squash had tons of interference, which really didn’t add to much of the heat for any of these feuds. I’m not sure why they booked it that way, but when every match has interference, the interference means a lot less. That said, Mike Bailey & Zachery Wentz was great, and the main event with Shelley and Edwards was also very good. Those are the two most must see things on the show, but I have a soft spot for that Hendry/Deaner/Francis segment as Hendry continues to make me laugh every time I see him.
TNA Impact – February 15, 2024
· Best 2/3 Series: ABC (c) vs. Grizzled Young Vets
· TNA Digital Media Championship: Crazzy Steve (c) vs. Rhino
· Frankie Kazarian vs. Jake Something
· Moose vs. KUSHIDA
TNA No Surrender – February 16, 2024
· TNA World Championship: Moose (c) vs. Alex Shelley
· TNA Knockouts World Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Gisele Shaw
· TNA X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
Two title matches are official for the Friday, February 23 TNA No Surrender event.
As announced during Thursday’s Impact episode, Jordynne Grace will defend the TNA Knockouts Championship against Gisele Shaw at No Surrender.
Shaw was the Ultimate X winner at Hard to Kill last month, but it remains unclear whether the No Surrender match is by virtue of cashing in that opportunity. Grace is coming off an appearance at WWE Royal Rumble in the women’s Rumble match last Saturday.
The TNA World Championship will also be on the line at No Surrender.
The promotion also announced during Impact that Moose will defend the TNA World title against Alex Shelley on February 23.
Moose defeated Shelley in the main event of last month’s Hard to Kill event to win the title, and Shelley announced on Impact that he was cashing in his guaranteed rematch at No Surrender.
No Surrender will air exclusively on TNA Plus at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, February 23.
The lineup thus far:
TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Gisele Shaw
TNA World Champion Moose defends against Alex Shelley
On the same night where she made her TNA Wrestling debut, Xia Brookside is now officially under contract, announced by the company afterward.
Brookside was one of several women involved in an Ultimate X match at Saturday’s Hard to Kill for a future shot at the Knockouts title. Terms or the length of the deal weren’t revealed.
Since her run in WWE NXT UK ended with the 2022 dissolving of the brand, the 25-year-old has remained active in Stardom, the UK indie scene, and the United States.
**********
There is a new no. 1 contender for the TNA Knockouts title.
In a multi-woman Ultimate X match at Saturday’s Hard to Kill, Gisele Shaw survived and won the match, giving her a future opportunity at the gold.
The end came when Shaw, Dani Luna and Tasha Steelz were all vying for the X, leading to Luna and Steelz falling to the mat. Shaw held on and grabbed the X to pick up the win in a match that also included Alisha Edwards, Jody Threat and the aforementioned Brookside.
Despite having several opportunities, Shaw has never held the Knockouts title. It’s unknown when she will challenge new champion Jordynne Grace who kicked off a new reign with her win over Trinity at the pay-per-view.
**********
TNA & AAA signed a partnership during Saturday’s show — one that AAA head Dorian Roldan Pena hopes will “change the landscape of wrestling.”
During the broadcast, TNA president Scott D’Amore and Pena came out on the stage which led to highlights of past TNA/AAA matches airing. Pena said he wants to bring more lucha libre to TNA before making his statement about changing wrestling.
The two promotions recently held a co-promoted show in Monterrey, Mexico, that was featured on Impact on AXS TV.
TNA has announced the first participant for Knockouts Ultimate X at Hard to Kill.
Gisele Shaw has been confirmed for the match. The promotion will be revealing a new participant each day leading up to the January 13 pay-per-view.
BREAKING: "The Quintessential Diva" @GiseleShaw08 is the first entrant in the Knockouts Ultimate X match at TNA #HardToKill on January 13 LIVE on PPV from the Palms in Las Vegas.
The winner of the match will earn a future shot at the Knockouts Championship, currently held by Trinity.
TNA Hard to Kill 2024 takes place at the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Las Vegas on Saturday, January 13. 800 tickets have been distributed to the show as of Friday, according to WrestleTix.
TNA Hard to Kill announced lineup:
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Moose
Knockouts Champion Trinity defends against Jordynne Grace
X-Division Champion Chris Sabin defends against KUSHIDA and El Hijo del Vikingo in a three-way match
Knockouts Ultimate X match (Announced participants: Gisele Shaw)
PCO vs. Dirty Dango
TNA Tag Team Champions ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) defend against The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel), Speedball Mountain (Mike Bailey & Trent Seven), and The Grizzled Young Vets (Zack Gibson & James Drake)
Pre-show match: Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin
Pre-show match: Eric Young & Frankie Kazarian vs. Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards
Pre-show match: Digital Media Champion Tommy Dreamer defends against Crazzy Steve
Before their Knockouts Championship match at Hard to Kill, Trinity & Jordynne Grace are set to team up at Final Resolution.
Impact Wrestling announced today that Trinity & Grace will face Deonna Purrazzo & Gisele Shaw in a tag team match at Final Resolution 2023 on Saturday, December 9. The show is taking place from Don Kolov Arena in Toronto.
At Bound for Glory last month, Grace won the Call Your Shot gauntlet match. Grace then immediately declared that she would be using her title shot to face Trinity at Hard to Kill in January 2024. Impact Wrestling is officially rebranding back to TNA Wrestling starting with that pay-per-view.
Trinity won the Knockouts Championship from Purrazzo this July. Since then, Trinity has successfully defended the title against Purrazzo twice. As a stipulation of her loss to Trinity at Turning Point, Purrazzo can not challenge for the Knockouts title again while Trinity is still champion.
Final Resolution will stream live on Impact Plus, Impact’s Ultimate Insiders YouTube service, and Fite TV. Here’s the updated card for the show:
Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Josh Alexander & Zack Sabre Jr.
Trinity & Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Gisele Shaw
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel
Moose vs. Rhino
Digital Media Champion Tommy Dreamer defends against Deaner
For the second time, Impact Wrestling and NJPW will come together for a co-promoted event as part of Multiverse United 2 from the famed 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The show will feature three title matches, headlined by Impact World Champion Alex Shelley, who will defend his title against former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi.
In another, NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia will make her debut in this series as she defends against Deonna Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw and Momo Kohgo in a four-way.
X-Division Champion Lio Rush will team with former champion Trey Miguel to battle IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi & Mike Bailey.
In another fast-paced affair, it will be Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Rich Swann vs. Kevin Knight vs. BUSHI vs. Mao vs. El Desperado in a seven-way scramble
NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. will team with Shane Haste to battle Moose & Eddie Edwards.
Other featured matches include Bullet Club vs. The World in a 12-man tag, Impact Digital Media Champion Kenny King defending against Yoshinobu Kanemaru and more.
Uemura and Hendry did a dramatic pose at the end of Hendry’s music, and Taguchi wandered into the shot and gave a thumbs up before Wato and Romero also joined in. I already love this match. Romero and Heath started the match as the announcers talked about Romero’s recent exploits and success in CMLL.
Romero hit a hurricanrana on Heath and tagged out to Taguchi, and Taguchi posed on the middle ropes preparing for his Funky Weapon to be used. Unfortunately, he wasn’t looking at who ran into him, and did not realize that Heath sent Romero into his posterior. Not to be deterred by this, Taguchi continued utilizing his Funky Weapon on Hendry and Heath before tagging out to Wato, who Hendry lariated to death.
Wato sent Heath crashing into Hendry and hit a move on both men before hitting a hurricanrana on Uemura. Wato, Romero, and Taguchi all hit planchas to the floor. Wato attempted to springboard into the ring, but Heath cut him off and beat Wato around ringside before tagging out to Hendry.
Hendry hit a stalling vertical suplex on Wato for a 2-count. Uemura slammed Wato and tagged out to Heath. Wato actually hit a wake up call on Hendry and tagged out to Romero, who hit two forever clotheslines on him. Hendry blocked the third and hit a fallaway slam on Romero and Wato at the same time.
Taguchi missed a Funky Weapon attack on Uemura, and Uemura hit the ropes and hit a hard forearm and bulldog on Taguchi. Uemura hit a huge uranage on Tauguchi and a crossbody for the pinfall.
Impact Digital Media Champion Kenny King defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Just 5 Guys) to retain
Good match, though hurt by it being two heels and the fans not really knowing who Kanemaru is (which is a shame, because he’s really good).
Kanemaru and King did crisscross in the middle of the ring before Kanemaru dropkicked King right in the knee to take the bigger man down. Kanemaru continued his basic offence with headlock takeovers until King raked the eyes and necked Kanemaru on the ropes. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT on King to make a bit of a comeback, before missing a moonsault, but landing on his feet and hitting the ropes right away before nailing a tornado DDT for a 2-count.
Kanemaru went for the moonsault a second time, but only got a 2-count. Kanemaru hit an enziguri on King and then tried to spit whisky into the face of King, but King dodged and hit an Eddy Gordo kick before hitting a royal flush for the win.
Impact x NJPW Multiverse United II Main Card
Chris Sabin defeated MAO, Kevin Knight, Rich Swann, YOH (CHAOS), BUSHI (LIJ), Frankie Kazarian and El Desperado (Strong Style) in a scramble match
Great match here to open the show, with all eight men being given a shot to shine. Sabin winning was probably the right call.
All eight men did a lock up, creating a huddle, before there were 4 headlocks, and then 4 planchas to the floor, with Kevin Knight looking like he landed face first on the floor. MAO faced off with Swann alone in the ring, cartwheeling over MAO and hitting a kick. YOH came in and took it to Swann, hitting a drop toe hold and a dropkick.
Knight came back in and dropped YOH with a hip toss into a cartwheel and dropkick. Sabin sneaked back into the ring and hit a Manhattan drop and a European uppercut in the corner. Desperado and MAO ended up in the ring, and Desperado offered a handshake and forearmed Desperado right in the face to the delight of the crowd.
7 men all locked submissions on each other, and BUSHI ran around the ring trying to figure out who to lock a submission on, before deciding on YOH and falling back into the ropes to break the submission. All 7 men then beat on BUSHI for his lack of assistance towards any of them. Desperado and MAO tried to hit a superplex on Swann, but Kazarian and Sabin hit a tower of doom power bomb on the 3 men, letting Knight hit a huge splash on Swann for a 2-count.
MAO was making himself a star in this, as all 8 men entered a scramble with MAO hitting a cutter before others hit a series of moves. Sabin hit a flatliner on Knight while hitting a DDT on YOH and a cradle shock for the win.
BUSHI went to shake hands with Sabin, but spit black poison mist into Sabin’s face.
Moose & Eddie Edwards Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste (TMDK)
Sabre was very over when he came out as the fans sung his name. Edwards and ZSJ started the match with a great technical exchange, but Sabre soon made him pay like everyone else does too, tearing at the arm of Edwards before tagging out to Haste, who hit a dropkick to the head on Edwards for a 2-count.
ZSJ tagged back in and proceeded to tie Edwards up and work over the arm, tagging out again to Haste. Edwards did manage to hit a backpack stunner on Haste, and Moose got a 2-count out of it. Moose held the arms of Haste back before hitting a brutal chop that dropped Haste to the mat. Moose and Edwards kept control of Haste, beating him down with hard strikes.
Haste managed to hit a hurricanrana on Edwards and tagged out to ZSJ. ZSJ then locked on an octopus stretch on Edwards, but Edwards fought out. Edwards was quickly trapped in a submission again by Sabre, then he kicked Moose in the face which just made him angry. Moose charged at Edwards but ZSJ pulled the ropes down and sent him crashing to the floor before hitting a PK from the apron.
Edwards and Sabre exchanged chops and kicks, ending with Edwards hitting a blue thunder bomb and both men were down. Haste and Moose tagged in and started brawling. Haste hit a big cannonball in the corner for a 2-count. Moose hit a big uranage and then a pump kick on Sabre, but Sabre responded with a tornado DDT on Moose while Edwards ran in and hit a lariat on Sabre.
Moose and Haste got up and started exchanging forearms. Haste went for the dynamic bomb, but Moose countered into a powerbomb of his own. Haste rolled through and Moose flew into a flying triangle choke from Sabre. Sabre, while being held by Moose in the air, switched to a rear naked choke which allowed Haste to hit a flying knee on Moose to drop him. Moose missed a spear and Haste got a 2-count with a roll up. Moose managed to hit a spear on Haste for the pinfall.
NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia (Donna del Mondo) defeated Momo Kohgo (Stars), Deonna Purrazzo & Gisele Shaw to retain
Giulia and Kohgo came across as massive stars to this audience, with Giulia, in particular, looking incredible. This match was 100% designed to get Giulia over to American audiences. This was great.
Shaw and Kohgo were headlocked by Purrazo and Giulia respectively, before Giulia and Purrazzo tried to face off to a great reaction from the audience. Gisele Shaw took credit for women’s wrestling, but then ate a dropkick to the face from Giulia. Giulia used Kohgo as a weapon to kick Purrazzo before hitting a backsuplex for a 2-count.
Kohgo ran up the ropes and hit a crossbody on Giulia for a 2-count. Shaw broke up a second pinfall attempt. Purrazzo hit a Russian leg sweep on Shaw before going for the Queen’s Gambit, but Shaw fought out. Purrazzo hit the ropes, but Giulia puled her from the ring, letting Kohgo hitting a crossbody off the top rope onto both Giulia and Purrazzo.
Shaw tried to hit a dive to the floor, but fell a little short, crashing into the apron and then falling onto the others. A few fans chanted something very rude but were silenced by the rest of the audience. Who would have thought that would happen in the ECW Arena in 2023? All 4 wrestlers hit a series of move before falling to the mat, and struggling to get to their feet before brawling back and forth.
Giulia and Kohgo had a brief alliance before Purrazzo and Shaw broke it up, leading to Shaw kicking Purrazzo on the top ropes. Shaw managed to hit a Spanish fly on Purrazzo, but it was broken up by Kohgo and Giulia. Kohgo hit a tornado DDT on Shaw but ate a drop toe hold into the corner and a Saito suplex by Giulia. Purrazzo rushed in and hit the Queen’s Gambit on Giulia, but Giulia kicked out.
Purrazzo locked an armbar on Giulia while Shaw locked one on Kohgo, and they started kicking each other while holding the submission. This turned into an all out brawl with Purrazzo. Shaw hit a spinebuster on Kohgo, but soon ate a Northern Lights Bomb from Giulia on Shaw for the win.
Kohgo attacked Giulia after the match but ate the Glorious Bomb for her attack.
Sami Callihan defeated Douki (Just 5 Guys) in a South Philly Street Fight
If you like hardcore matches, this is one for you. Good match here, and Douki really did get over with the audience, especially with that last near fall.
Sami Callhian grabbed the mic before the match and said that they were missing something tonight, thinking they were missing some extreme violence in the ECW Arena. He then suggested they have a hardcore match, and Douki agreed, hitting an enziguri on Callihan and a tope suicida. Douki grabbed a chair and started beating on Callihan.
Callihan caught Douki as he tried to charge and hit a Death Valley Driver on the floor. Callihan threw chairs into the ring, and the fans chanted “Just 5 Chairs!” but Callihan laughed and threw a sixth chair in. Callihan grabbed his 8×4 photo and gave Douki a papercut on the webbing of his fingers and on his armpit.
Douki hit a throat thrust, but Callihan hit an exploder suplex through a setup chair for a 2-count. Callihan hit Douki with a chair. Callihan put a chair in the corner and tried to send Douki into it. Douki blocked a German suplex and hit an enziguri. Callihan tried to charge Douki, but Douki dropped into a splits and laid facedown on the mat as Callihan flew over him and into the chair lodged in the corner.
Douki pulled out a kendo stick and started hitting Callihan with it. Callihan blocked a shot and stole the cane before posing and screaming “Sandman pose!” Douki blocked the kendo stick shot with a chair and hit a drop toe hold onto the chair before posing like Tommy Dreamer. Douki hit a flying stomp on Callihan as he was covered in chairs for a 2-count.
Douki went for a slingshot DDT, but Callihan caught him and hit a slingshot suplex into a twist and shout on Douki. Callihan setup a ladder in the corner and tried to powerbomb Douki onto it, but Douki countered with a hurricanrana, sending Callihan in face first and hitting the slingshot DDT for a 2-count. Douki put the ladder on Callihan and tried to hit a senton, but Callihan moved and Douki crashed hard into the ladder. Callihan hit a lariat and then the Cactus Driver ‘97 for a 2-count that everyone thought was a finish, including some people chanting rudely at the referee, but he was right.
Callihan setup 4 chairs (Just 4 Chairs?!) and went for the Cactus Driver on the chairs, but Douki fought out. Callihan then grabbed Douki low and hit the Cactus Driver on the chairs for the pinfall.
This was a really good match. Fujita was given a lot of chances to shine and show that he is a young lion on the rise.
Akira & Fujita started the match, exchanging some basic technical wrestling. Fujita hit a big dropkick on Akira before hitting some hard chops. TJP blind tagged in and hit a series of moves with Akira on Fujita. Eagles tagged in and launched himself off the back of Fujita into a dropkick on Akira.
Eagles hit a low dropkick on Akira letting Fujita roll into a leg lock on Akira, who made it to the ropes quickly to escape. Akira hit a hurricanrana on Fujita before TJP grabbed his hand and assisted him in running up the ropes into a dive onto both Eagles and Fujita. Akira responded to a hard chop by Fujita with an even harder one. TJP tagged in and launched Akira from an electric chair into a senton for a 2-count on Fujita.
Eagles put a leg submission on Akira to work him over, leaving him limping. Akira managed to hit a poison rana on Eagles and crawled over to TJP for the hot tag. Akira and TJP hit the Alley Oop while TJP then hit a frog splash for a 2-count on Fujita. Fujita hit a belly-to-belly on TJP for a 2-count. Eagles accidently hit a superkick on his own partner, leading to Catch 22 being able to hit the Knee Knee for the pinfall.
–Speedball Mike Bailey was backstage, talking about his win at the All-Star Junior Festival the night before and how he was going to soon challenge the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi. But for tonight, they will be teaming together against Lio Rush & Trey Miguel.
Bullet Club (Ace Austin, Chris Bey, KENTA, Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin & David Finlay) defeated The World (The DKC, PCO, Josh Alexander, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & El Phantasmo)
I’m a bit surprised that Josh Alexander’s return match was one in a losing capacity, but he was not pinned, so it’s not a big deal. NJPW’s goal is to clearly continuing trying to establish Finlay’s version of Bullet Club as a top heel faction, and this match helped towards that.
David Finlay and Tama Tonga started the match, with Finlay spitting in the face of Tonga, who started brawling immediately. Not long after it broke down to a brawl between everyone on the floor. By the time Tama Tonga and Finlay were back in the ring, PCO tagged in and Finlay backed away and tagged in Alex Coughlin.
PCO and Coughlin exchanged hard chops to the delight of the fans. Coughlin effortlessly hit a wheelbarrow suplex on PCO, but PCO stood up, screamed, and hit a clothesline that took both men to the floor. A brawl broke out between everyone as this happened. The DKC and Clark Connors ended up in the ring, with The DKC hitting a flipping dropkick on Connors, but Connors responded with a big powerslam.
Alexander tagged in and ran wild, suplexing everyone, but was soon overwhelmed by the numbers of the Bullet Club. Ace Austin pulled a card from his sleave and gave a papercut to the webbing of Alexander’s finger. Bullet Club and The World team broke down and brawled all over the place until PCO hit a moonsault over the corner post to the floor on everyone. The DKC then tried to hit a splash on Finlay, but Finlay got his knees up and hit a massive powerbomb for the 3-count.
Both teams continued brawling after the match, but Bullet Club eventually stood tall in the ring.
Trey Miguel & Lio Rush defeated Mike Bailey & Hiromu Takahashi
This was a really good match, with all 4 men looking great, and an unexpected heel win from the X-Division champion. Another Impact star goes over in this. This is making me think Tanahashi has to win in the main event, because NJPW has took a lot of losses on this one.
Bailey and Lio Rush got in the ring and as Bailey offered a handshake to Rush, who slapped him. They then moved so fast that I would have to type around 300 words a minute to keep up. Bailey hit a kick on Rush and got a 2-count. Takahashi and Bailey hit a double dropkick on Rush to the delight of the fans.
Rush and Miguel managed to isolate Takahashi and hit a series of hard ground and pound strikes, only breaking to tag out.
Rush hit a fisherman’s driver on Bailey for a 2-count. Rush hit a dive on Bailey on the floor and both men exchanged kicks in the ring that dropped them both. Miguel and Takahashi exchanged hard chops and uppercuts before Takahashi finally hit a falcon arrow for a 2-count. Miguel and Rush started double teaming Takahashi, with Rush hitting a spinning kick to a downed Takahashi for a 2-count.
Takahashi hit a pop up powerbomb on Miguel, but Miguel countered a superkick from Takahashi into a school boy. Takahashi and Bailey hit double superkicks on Miguel before Takahashi picked up Miguel in a fireman’s carry, and Bailey flew of the ropes with an Ultima Weapon. I was worried this would drive Takahashi face first into the mat, but he seemed to barely avoid that. Regardless, Rush broke up the pinfall attempt. Miguel slid to the floor into a tornado DDT on Bailey while Rush hit a springboard stunner on Takahashi for a 2-count.
Takahashi and Rush spilled to the floor and Takahashi went for the Time Bomb on the floor, but Miguel launched himself off the apron onto the back of Rush into a meteora. Back in the ring, Miguel managed to just distract the referee enough after a Death Valley Driver by Takahashi for Rush to recover and hit a low blow to roll up Takahashi for the win.
Rush grabbed a mic and said that things have changed since the last time him and Takahashi were in the ring, as he had a title of his own now. Rush said it wasn’t enough though, and he wanted more. He wanted the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and Takahashi appeared to accept the match. Mike Bailey was not happy about this, as Takahashi wanted the match now, but Rush left, saying he had a date elsewhere. It now seems like Rush and Bailey are in competition to see who gets the shot first. Takahashi screamed “YEAH!” and the fans chanted it at him. Gimmick infringement!
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain
I do not say this lightly, but this was the biggest win of Alex Shelley’s career, beating who may be the greatest wrestler of all time. Hiroshi Tanahashi was a key person in the career of Shelley when he was in Japan, and now he got to beat one of his mentors in the main event of a joint PPV between Impact and NJPW. This match was excellent, and Tanahashi had the fans believing he could win, which he always does. If you enjoy a Japanese style main event match, like a G1 main event, you’ll love this match. It would have fit in with almost any of the matches of the G1.
Tanahashi and Shelley started off slow, working a more grounded and technical style. Shelley stopped a corner charge and hit a knee to the arm of Tanahashi off the middle rope while Tanahashi was grabbing the ropes. Shelley began doing what he does best, working over the arm and trying to wear Tanahashi down.
Tanahashi repaid Shelley for the arm attack and went after the knee of Shelley, including working him over on the floor. The fans screamed “One more!” as he stomped Shelley’s knee, so he responded, asking if they wanted one more. They screamed yes at him, and he obliged to a great reaction. Tanahashi is the best, getting the most out of stomping a knee.
Tanahashi sent Shelley into the ring, but Shelley got up quickly and hit a slingshot over the top rope to the apron onto the arm of Tanahashi. Shelley hit a flying knee off the apron and started to attack the arm around the ringpost. Shelley, at this point, essentially started working as the heel in the match as the fans were chanting for Tanahashi.
It got a little divided, but Shelley was standing on the hair of Tanahashi before looking at the fans as they chanted. Shelley slowly came back in, so Tanahashi grabbed Shelley’s right leg and then dropkicked the left leg so Shelley was forced to fall to the mat. Tanahashi resumed stomping the leg in the corner before hitting a dropkick to Shelley’s left leg which was draped over the ropes.
Shelley started hitting forearms to Tanahashi’s left arm while Tanahashi kicked the left knee of Shelley. Shelley burst from the ropes with a forearm that dropped Tanahashi. Shelley baited Tanahashi in and hit a sliced bread #2 for a 2-count before transitioning into the Border City Stretch. Tanahashi got his foot on the ropes, but Shelley leaned back and locked in in further and only broke when the referee got to 4.
Tanahashi rolled to the apron but couldn’t escape the attack and Shelley did an arm breaker over the ropes. Tanahashi was willing to take that though, as it afforded him a chance to grab the left leg of Shelley and hit a dragon screw through the ropes. Tanahashi then hit a dropkick to Shelley’s left knee and locked on a cloverleaf.
Tanahashi stumbled forward trying to lock it in, unable to fully lock it on dew to his arm, but Tanahashi went right back to the knee with another dragon screw. Shelley and Tanahashi exchanged strikes, with Tanahashi grabbing the left leg of Shelley, so Shelley responded with an enziguri with his right leg to drop the legend.
Tanahashi and Shelley exchanged forearms again, showing their fighting spirit. Tanahashi hit a European uppercut that dropped Shelley. He went for a twist and shout, but Shelley cut him off with an arm breaker. Shelley got Tanahashi up in a fireman’s carry, but Tanahashi slipped out and hit three twist and shouts before hitting a sling blade for a 2-count. Tanahashi called for the High Fly Flow but Shelley moved and Tanahashi crashed to the mat. Shelley the Boma Ye, a big knee, to the back of the head of Tanahashi before hitting a Rainmaker for a 2-count. Shelley hit the finishers of Tanahashi’s biggest rivals – Shinsuke Nakamura, with the Boma Ye, and Kazuchika Okada, with the Rainmaker.
Tanahashi held on with an Irish whip attempt and hit a sling blade before going to the top rope again, but Shelley cut him off. Shelley put Tanahashi into a fireman’s carry and then hit an air raid crash from the top rope and Tanahashi barely kicked out. Shelley hit a superkick to the face of Tanahashi before hitting Shell Shock for the pinfall.
Final Thoughts:
One of the things that surprised the most about this show as not its quality, but how many matches Impact had on the winning side. I suspected it to be much more balanced than it was, but it is clear by some of the post match angles and challenges that were setup that NJPW was happy to put the Impact guys over in this one for the most part. Ironically, it was Josh Alexander on the losing side in his match, while ABC got the win. Nonetheless, this was a great show and one that is worth watching.
American fans will have their chance to see Stardom standout and NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia stateside at this Sunday’s Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2.
After several weeks of Impact talent calling her out, it was revealed Thursday that Giulia will defend the title against former Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw and Stardom regular Momo Kohgo in a four-way.
The co-promoted pay-per-view is set for this Sunday at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s the first of two straight Sundays of featured events for Impact as Emergence emanates from Toronto the following Sunday.
Giulia defeated Willow Nightingale for the title in July and has successfully defended it once. She has won several titles in Stardom and has captured increased fan interest in recent years for her matches.
In another new match added to the show, former X-Division Champion TJP & Francesco Akira will take on Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita. Eagles appeared on Impact’s recent Down Under tour.
Here’s the current card for Sunday:
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Hiroshi Tanahashi
NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia defends against Deonna Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw and Momo Kohgo in a four-way
Lio Rush & Trey Miguel vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Mike Bailey
DOUKI vs. Sami Callihan
Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste vs. Moose & Eddie Edwards
Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Rich Swann vs. Kevin Knight vs. BUSHI vs. Mao vs. El Desperado in a seven-way scramble
Bullet Club (David Finlay, Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin, KENTA, Chris Bey & Ace Austin) vs. The World (Josh Alexander, PCO, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, El Phantasmo & The DKC)
TJP & Francesco Akira vs. Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita
Pre-show: Impact Digital Media Champion Kenny King defends against Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Pre-show: Joe Hendry, Yuya Uemura & Heath vs. Rocky Romero, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi
Two wrestlers from Impact’s Knockout division are hoping to challenge Giulia for the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship.
Giulia successfully retained her title against Yuu on today’s Stardom show from Osaka. After the match, a video aired of Deonna Purrazzo challenging her for Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2. Purrazzo was interrupted midway through the video by Gisele Shaw, who said she also wants to challenge Giulia.
Giulia later cut a backstage promo confirming she is coming to the United States for Multiverse United 2, although her match has yet to be made official.
Our own Dave Meltzer reported last month that the 29-year-old would defend her Strong Championship when Impact and NJPW co-promote shows from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena next weekend.
Giulia is one of the top performing female wrestlers in the world so far in 2023. She’s had three matches rated above four stars this year including on April 23 when she faced Tam Nakano. Meltzer rated the match four and three quarter stars, tying it for the highest-rated women’s match of the year.
Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2 takes place Sunday, August 20, 2023, from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. It will air live on FITE TV.
Multiverse United 2 confirmed lineup:
X-Division Champion Lio Rush & Trey Miguel vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Mike Bailey
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Hiroshi Tanahashi
DOUKI vs. Sami Callihan
NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste vs. Moose & Eddie Edwards
Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Rich Swann vs. Kevin Knight vs. BUSHI vs. Mao vs. El Desperado in a seven-way scramble
Bullet Club (Ace Austin, Chris Bey, Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, David Finlay & KENTA) vs. The World (Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, El Phantasmo, Josh Alexander, PCO, and The DKC)
Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly will now have three other teams to contend with when they defend the Knockouts Tag Team titles at Impact Emergence.
The streaming special is set for Sunday, August 27th from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Originally set to be Slamovich & Kelly defending for the first time against Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans, the events of Thursday’s Impact on AXS TV caused Director of Authority Santino Marella to make the match a four-way that will include former champions The Death Dollz (Jessicka & Courtney Rush) and former champions The Coven (KiLynn King & Taylor Wilde).
Slamovich & Kelly defeated King & Wilde for the titles at last month’s Slammiversary.
Here’s the current card for the show:
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA in action
Impact Knockouts Champion Trinity defends against Deonna Purrazzo
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA, Chris Sabin & Josh Alexander vs. Bully Ray, Moose, Brian Myers & X-Division Champion Lio Rush
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)
Impact Wrestling has announced that Slamovich & Kelly will defend the titles against Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans at Emergence on Sunday, August 27. The show is airing live on Impact Plus, Impact’s Ultimate Insiders YouTube service, and Fite TV.
Slamovich & Kelly were crowned the new Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champions last month, winning the titles from Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King at Slammiversary.
After a backstage confrontation between the teams the previous week, Shaw defeated Slamovich in a singles match on Impact last Thursday. Shaw won after interference from SHAWntourage member Jai Vidal.
Emergence will take place from Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Here’s everything that’s been announced for the show so far:
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA in action
Impact Knockouts Champion Trinity defends against Deonna Purrazzo
Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA, Chris Sabin & Josh Alexander vs. Bully Ray, Moose, Brian Myers & Lio Rush
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defend against Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans
