Impact Knockouts Knockdown will return for the fifth time Saturday on Impact Plus with one title match, a tournament to crown a new no. 1 contender, and a non-title match featuring Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo.
Purrazzo will face Masha Slamovich in non-title action as Mickie James selected her as her “pick your poison” choice ahead of Purrazzo and James’ clash at Bound for Glory. Purrazzo will next pick an opponent for James before the October 23rd pay-per-view.
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Decay (Havok & Rosemary) will defend their titles for the second time when they take on The Influence (Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne).
A one night Knockouts Knockdown tournament will feature eight women (Mercedes Martinez, Lady Frost, Renee Michelle, Chelsea Green, Tasha Steelz, Jamie Senegal, Rachael Ellering and Brandi Lauren) competing for a Knockouts title shot down the line.
The show will also feature the return of the Monster’s Ball in honor of the late Daffney who competed in the first such match.
James and Veda Scott will be on commentary with Melissa Santos handling ring announcing duties.
Our live coverage begins at 8 PM EST.
**********
Show opened with a ceremony in honor of Daffney.
Veda Scott and Mickie James introduced the show and ran down the card for tonight.
We got a video package for Lady Frost and Rachael Ellering. They talked about what they’ve done with Impact in the last couple of months and some thoughts about each other.
Rachael Ellering defeated Lady Frost in a Knockouts Knockdown Tournament First Round Match
Ellering has been part of the Knockouts roster for some time now, while Frost has only wrestled once on Impact TV against the champion Deonna Purrazzo.
Match started with both women measuring each other’s strength with Ellering gaining early control of the match. Frost tried to counter Ellering on occasions, but Ellering managed to maintain control.
Eventually, Frost did manage to use her athletic background to dodge Ellering and turn things around, she went for a quick paced sequence of attacks and covers, but she couldn’t keep Ellering down. Ellering ended up relying on a desperation lariat to cut Frost off.
Both women exchanged a couple of running strikes, followed by a second rope leg drop from Ellering for a two count. Frost hit the snowball fight, but Ellering reversed it to a pin, followed with a spinebuster, at which point Frost hurt her back, which ended up costing her the win when she couldn’t capitalize on a pin.
Finish saw Frost go for a moonsault, but get cut off by Ellering, dropped neck first on the corner and finished off with a bosswoman slam.
Ellering advances against the winner of Mercedez Martinez and Brandi Lauren.
– We got a video package for Chelsea Green and Renee Michelle, with the latter talking about being on another level than what Green has ever wrestled. While Green talked about winning the title and going after the winner of James and Purrazzo at BFG.
Chelsea Green defeated Renee Michelle in a Knockouts Knockdown Tournament First Round Match
Match started with a minute long lockup, they rolled around and pushed each other, but neither was willing to give a centimeter. They locked up for a second time, but this time around, Green managed to outsmart Michelle into a faceplant and into the headlock.
Green took control of the match with constant takedown and armdrags, but she got a bit overconfident playing to the crowd, allowing Michelle to trick her into the ringpost, successfully cutting her off.
Michelle worked over Green’s broken arm by ramming it on the apron, or going for submission, forcing Green to come back with a big boot out of nowhere to get MIchelle off her. After both women recovered, Green started feeling the urgency and went for a couple of pin attempts combined with a couple of kicks.
Finish saw Green hit the unprettier for the pin. She advances and awaits the winner of Tasha Steelz vs Jamie Senegal.
– Video package for Mercedes Martinez vs Brandi Lauren only featured Martinez talking about winning the tournament. Lauren is an Undead bridesmaid for Su Yung, so she doesn’t really talk.
Mercedes Martinez defeated Brandi Lauren in a Knockouts Knockdown Tournament First Round Match
Lauren rushed at Martinez at the start of the match, only to get taken down at every attempt, but Lauren did manage to counter Martinez and cut her off for a couple of minutes before Martinez hit the OG drop and got the win. This was really short, arguably a squash.
It will be Martinez vs Ellering in the semifinals.
Tasha Steelz defeated Jamie Senegal in a Knockouts Knockdown Tournament First Round Match
Match started with some chain wrestling and a couple of counters and reversals between the two, with Senegal getting the early upper hand, but when the match started to pick up speed, Steelz cut off Senegal with a kick from the apron. Steelz rammed Senegal into the ring post to solidify her control before heading back to the ring.
Steelz completely dominated Senegal for a couple of minutes both outside and inside the ring, but she couldn’t get the 3 count on her. Senegal started her comeback with some strikes, ending with a springback German for a two count.
Steelz regained control catching Senegal between the ropes for some knees and a bulldog for a two count. A second near fall with a cutter, at which point Steelz started to get frustrated, but she followed with a blackout crucifix bomb and got the win. Not the smoothest of matches.
It will be Steelz vs Chelsea Green in the semifinals.
– Gia Miller interviewed Gail Kim about the show so far. Kim talked about bring the show back and all the new talent coming in. Kim was asked who her pick was for the tournament, but she gave us a political answer instead.
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo (with Matthew Rehwoldt) defeated Masha Slamovich in a non-title match
This match is Mickie James’ Pick Your Poison challenge for Deonna Purrazzo as dictated by Gail Kim on the last episode of Impact. This is Slamovich’ debut with Impact Wrestling.
This was really good. The first couple of minutes did a great job at building Slamovich as a powerful challenger for Purrazzo, at one point she gained some momentum, outpowered Purrazzo in a test of strength, and followed with three suplexes that forced Purrazzo to leave the ring. Purrazzo would turn things around when Slamovich decided to hit a dive on Rehwoldt, allowing Purrazzo to take her down with a kick.
Back in the ring, Purrazzo started to go after Slamovich’ arm as she usually does, doing a great job countering Slamovich’ offense into takedowns and submissions.
Slamovich did make a comeback with a quick flurry of kicks, but Purrazzo quickly stopped her with a kneelift and into the Fujiwara armbar. Slamovich hit a desperation driver for a near fall. Slamovich went for the GSP driver, but Purrazzo escaped and locked in an armbar once again.
Finish saw Purrazzo lock in the Venus de Milo on a snap sequence and verbally submit Slamovich for the win. Great match.
With Mickie James on commentary, half of this match was a promo for the broadcast audience.
Mercedes Martinez defeated Rachael Ellering in a Knockouts Knockdown Tournament Semifinal Match
This was really good. Both women started with a good sequence of reversals, counters, and arm drags, until Martinez was done playing into Ellering’s game and started to heel it up. As Martinez got more intense and took a couple cheap shots, Ellering stopped being a smiling competitor and got quite serious too.
Martinez took control after dropping Ellering rib first into the apron with a spear, and attacking her outside the ring, going after the ribs. Back in the ring, Martinez hit 3 kamigoye-like knee strikes to the ribs of Ellering.
Ellering came back with a kick out of nowhere, but wasn’t able to follow up since Martinez once again cut her off with a codebreaker and a twisting neckbreaker for a near fall. Martinez followed up with an STF until Ellering made the ropes.
Ellering finally got some space when she tricked Martinez to go with the big kick into the ropes and pulling a hamstring. Ellering hit the springboard legdrop for a near fall. Ellering hit a twisting suplex and a spinebuster, but Martinez kicked out at two again.
Ellering hit the bosswoman slam, but wasn’t quick enough to capitalize before Martinez rolled out of the ring. Martinez came back with a fisherman buster and into a guillotine and Ellering finally tapped. After the match, Martinez finally embraced Ellering, after all the times that Ellering tried to shake her hand.
Mercedes Martinez advances to the finals against the winner of Steelz and Green.
Tasha Steelz defeated Chelsea Green in a Knockouts Knockdown Tournament Semifinal Match
This had a similar start to Green vs Michelle, but even a bit more heated between the two, they pushed each other around after the lockup, followed by some grappling, but throughout, Green kept getting the better of Stelz thanks to her size advantage. Even when Steelz tried to trick Green, the latter would come back with offense.
Steelz relied on stalling to get in Green’s head, but once again, it only led to Green taking out Steelz with a tope suicida. Unfortunately, Green got greedy and went for a second, and this time around, Steelz was ready with a forearm to stop her.
Steelz got some offense in before Green recovered enough to go back and forth with Steelz, trading pin attempts and strikes. The match spilled into the apron where Steelz hit a cutter for the countout tease.
Green kicked out of the crucifix bomb, and Steelz kicked out of the unprettier, having both women kick out of the moves their opponent used to advance. At the end, Green went for an avalanche unprettier, but Steelz blocked, hit a frog splash, and got the win.
It will be Tasha Steelz vs Mercedes Martinez in the finals, somewhat set up in this week’s Impact.
– Miller interviewed Martinez about the finals. Martinez put over Steelz, but said her emotions are her worst enemy, whereas Martinez is an OG, ready for pressure.
– Christy Hemme made her return to Impact. She announced that the new inductee to the Impact Hall of Fame is Awesome Kong. They showed a great video package of Kong’s history in the promotion.
Awesome Kong came out and talked to the crowd. Talked about the honor she felt for being inducted to the Hall of Fame, but she instead wanted to talk and honor Daffney. She talked about the doors Daffney opened for women’s wrestling.
Awesome Kong’s induction will take place at Bound For Glory in Las Vegas, NV.
– We got a video package of Daffney, with members of the roster talking about her significance to wrestling. Wilde talked about being in the first ever Monster’s Ball Match versus Daffney.
Savannah Evans defeated Kimber Lee, Alisha Edwards, and Jordynne Grace in a Monster’s Ball
Alisha and Lee have issues going back some weeks when Su Yung and her minions took one of Swinger’s valets, who Alisha had a relationship with.
Alisha and Lee went at it early on, but the pair ups quickly changed when Lee and Savannah took the ring while Grace and Alisha fought outside the ring. Early on, Lee broke a pool stick on Evans’ back, attacked her with a garbage can and crowbar, and finished the trifecta bringing out a barbed wire wrapped chair that she went face first into. Lee got busted open.
Alisha brought out her and her husband’s kendo sticks and went after Lee. Alisha’s kendo stick is also wrapped with barbed wire, which she raked over Lee’s head before the pin attempt, broken by both Evans and Grace.
Grace and Evans exchanged strikes in the ring, Grace completely dominated Evans and Alisha, ending with a Vader bomb for a two count. Grace brought out a 45lb weight plate, but was cut off by Lee before she could use it. Lee instead brought out a sack of thumbtacks, but ended up taking a muscle buster from Grace right on top of them. Alisha ran to pancake Grace, also taking a couple of tacks on the back.
Grace recovered and planted Alisha on the weight plate, but Evans jumped in, Fuji’d Grace with powder, hit a full nelson slam on Alisha, and picked up the win.
This was Evans’ third ever match in the promotion, and it was a monster’s ball.
– Miller interviewed Steelz about the finals. Steelz put over Evans for winning and said that tonight is all about her becoming a title contender. She said that Martinez is the past and she is the future. Fantastic promo.
Mercedes Martinez defeated Tasha Steelz to win the Knockouts Knockdown Tournament
After a minute of trash talking, Martinez took control of the ring, using her power advantage to toss Steelz around. Steelz came back using her speed to turn things around on Martinez, dropping her with a tornado DDT for her first near fall.
Martinez chased the OG drop early on, but Steelz was able to escape and hit a cutter, but after two matches, Steelz wasn’t able to capitalize. Steelz seemed to continue on top, but made the mistake of taking a second to call out Purrazzo and James, but it was that one split second that allowed Martinez to counter Steelz and bring her down.
Both women continued trading momentum, wrestling on top of the corner where Steelz dropped Martinez with a headbutt, a rana, and a Stratusfaction for a big near fall. They once again went to the turnbuckle to trade strikes, but this time around, Martinez hit the OG drop and picked up the win. Good match, but it slowed down a lot towards the end.
Mercedes Martinez earns herself a future shot at the Knockouts Champion.
Knockout Tag Team Champions Decay (Havok & Rosemary) (with Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve) defeated The Influence (Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne) (with Kaleb) to retain the titles
The Influence defeated Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering to earn this title shot for the tag titles.
Match started with Decay in control, Rosemary scared and bit Rayne around the ring, while Havok came in to slam Dashwood from corner to corner. Rosemary tagged in, but as usual, Kaleb started to get involved with distractions, which allowed Rayne to take down Rosemary with clothesline on the floor as the latter tried to chase Kaleb around.
Back in the ring, Rayne and Dashwood kept Rosemary on their corner, working all their offense towards Rosemary’s head, between quick tags, strikes, and a couple of pics by Kaleb. Rosemary eventually landed a desperation lariat on Dashwood to get the space to tag out.
Havok got the hot tag and ran wild over Rayne with running boots to the corner. Rosemary went to attack Rayne, but Kaleb jumped in with the distraction that allowed them to hit the collab on Rosemary, but the referee was distracted and Rosemary had time to kickout.
Decay came back with a Russian leg sweep and spear combo for the win. Good match, but the finish was a bit flat, even if it leaves the opportunity open for a rematch.
Show ended with a vignette for The Inspiration, Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay, debuting at Bound For Glory.
