Friday’s TNA Under Siege only had three title matches on the card, one of which saw a title change with another one announced due to necessity.
The Knockouts Tag Team Championship is now owned by Masha Slamovich & Alisha Edwards after their victory over Spitfire (Dani Luna & Jody Threat).
It’s the fifth title change for these belts this year alone and Slamovich’s third overall. Her prior two were with Killer Kelly who is currently taking some time off from the promotion. It’s Edwards’ first title reign of any kind in TNA.
The win ends the two-month run for Spitfire who had just one successful title defense in that time.
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The other title bouts saw X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali successfully retain his gold by besting former champion Ace Austin, while Digital Media Champion Laredo Kid defeated KC Navarro.
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The card saw several matches change from the originally announced lineup.
Alexander Hammerstone was set to face Jake Something, but Hammerstone was “not medically cleared” to wrestle and thus was pulled. It’s unknown what the injury is as both Hammerstone and TNA had posted on social media about the match just hours before the show started.
As a result of that change, Something was then booked against Rich Swann. Swann had been set to face Digital Media Champion Laredo Kid in a non-title match.
Kid then was signed to the aforementioned title defense against KC Navarro who hadn’t been announced for the show.
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After an extended absence, a new deal with the company and vignettes heralding his return under unique circumstances, Jonathan Gresham introduced his new look which includes wrestling under a mask in addition to trunks.
For the first time ever, a WWE wrestler will appear at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport as Barnett disciple Shayna Baszler will make her show debut in Philadelphia Thursday.
Baszler will have tough competition as she battles former GCW Champion and former TNA titleholder Masha Slamovich.
That won’t be the only debut at Bloodsport X as multi-promotion champion Nic Nemeth makes his first walk into the unique Bloodsport ring against “Speedball” Mike Bailey.
Barnett himself will be in action and looking to rebound from his first loss as he challenges Johnny (Morrison) Bloodsport.
The Triller+ streaming special will also see a four-woman, one-night tournament as Marina Shafir, Lindsay Snow, Lady Frost and Janai Kai will battle.
Timothy Thatcher and Minoru Suzuki will also compete in separate bouts.
Per event rules, matches can only end via knockout or submission in a ring that has no ropes with a mat that pays homage to the classic movie of the same name.
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The Philadelphia venue is packed and lively. The ring announcer ran down the Bloodsport rules before introducing all of today’s fighters as each came to the ring. Charlie Dempsey from NXT came out with the announced entrants. He wasn’t previously announced. Big “BLOODSPORT” chant after everyone came out.
The venue is packed and lively. The ring announcer ran down the Bloodsport rules before introducing all of today’s fighters as each came to the ring. Charlie Dempsey from NXT came out with the announced entrants. He wasn’t previously announced. Big “BLOODSPORT” chant after everyone came out.
Viktor Benjamin defeated Akira Way via TKO (ref stoppage, kick)
Big chants for Akira at the start. The two got into it quickly and exchanged shots, palm strikes and knees. Akira Way was able to throw Benjamin but Benjamin was back up immediately. Akira landed a spinebuster but Benjamin transitioned into an achilles hold quickly. He put Akira down with a nice single-arm suplex. Akira countered on the ground and threw some elbows; Benjamin quickly countered to knee-on-belly position facing away from Akira and started peppering him with jabs to the solar plexus. Benjamin landed elbows, straight punches, roundhouse kicks. Akira fought back with headbutts. Benjamin kept throwing heavy kicks until Akira caught one and dragon screw legwhipp’d him to the mat before throwing Benjamin once more with a German suplex.
The crowd was pretty pro-Akira. He had Benjamin locked in a choke sleeper for a bit until Benjamin powered out and delivered a picture-perfect round kick to Akira’s head. Akira didn’t go down and flipped off “The Savage Gentleman.” He then went for a Pelé kick but “didn’t get all of it,” as is the parlance. Akira did a pretty cool looking double-wristlock suplex and held onto the submission after the two hit the mat. The crowd started chanting “Tap! Tap! Tap!” until Benjamin rolled to the floor, breaking the hold. Smart. He then hoisted Akira up into a vertical suplex hold and then dropped him on the concrete floor. Fans booed. Benjamin then nailed Akira with a 540 type kick to the face, spot on, TKO’ing Akira Way and picking up the win. Benjamin’s kicks are super accurate and fun to watch.
The crowd lovingly began chanting “F— that guy!” after the bout. Akira Way flipped Benjamin off before exiting. This was a great opener.
Nic Nemeth defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey via TKO (rear naked choke)
Both Bailey and Nemeth sounded to have a lot of good will from the crowd before things started. Bailey got into Nemeth’s face during introductions. Wrestling vs. Tae Kwon Do is the loose story here; Nemeth has a collegiate wrestling background, Bailey a TKD expert.
Bailey looked to set up a triangle choke but Nemeth fought it off with jabs to the ribcage. Nemeth was able to maneuver around from the top position as Bailey attacked from his back. Bailey threw kicks and Nemeth went in for shots. Nemeth grabbed a double leg and dumped Bailey out onto the floor.
Back in the ring, Bailey threw a kick, but Nemeth caught it and took him down with another double leg. Bailey went to the floor again. Was he playing possum? Then, back in the ring, Nemeth went in for another double leg takedown, but he ran into a foot to the face from Bailey out of nowhere. The crowd stood up. Bailey quickly transitioned into an armbar but couldn’t lock it in all the way. Bailey let go of the hold, then went for a standing moonsault double knee-drop, but missed. Nemeth immediately went in for a rear naked choke and locked it in. Bailey tried walking to the ring post and grabbing onto it, but since there isn’t a proper rope break in Bloodsport, Nemeth didn’t have to break the hold. Instead, though, Nemeth let go for a split second, then spiked him backwards with the Zig Zag and locked the sleeper back on once Bailey was back to the mat. Bailey was out and the ref called the match. The pro-”Speedball” crowd booed, but then cheered Nemeth.
This was a really cool, creative match, albeit a bit short. I’m sure no one would have minded an extra five minutes in this one. The two shook hands afterwards.
They aired a custom video package for the four way women’s tournament today. Janai Kai, Marina Shaffir, Lady Frost and Lindsay Snow all took part.
Women’s Tournament: Opening Round Lindsay Snow defeated Lady Frost via submission (heel hook)
Lindsay Snow came out to that Vanessa Carlton song which is hilarious. Her and Lady Snow traded low kicks up front. Frost caught Snow with a kick that sent Snow to the floor. Back in the ring, Snow took Frost down with a fireman’s carry then moved to an armbar. Frost countered from that into a RNC. Snow stood up and slammed Frost down to break the hold, then pounced on her and threw a flurry of shots before transitioning into a heel hook and Lady Frost tapped quickly. Lindsay Snow advances in the Women’s Tournament.
Women’s Tournament: Opening Round Marina Shaffir defeated Janai Kai via submission (Mother’s Milk)
Like Nic Nemeth vs. Mike Bailey, this was a grappler vs. striker type of bout. Shaffir landed a trip early, then a head-and-arm throw soon after. Janai Kai almost landed an up-kick which Shaffir dodged. Kai would then land a middle kick, then a high right roundhouse that sent Shaffir to the canvas. Kai smelled blood and went right in for knees but Shaffir weathered the storm. Kai blasted her with another kick to the face, this time a running straight. Shaffir again survived and would catch Kai with a mule kick.
Kai unleashed a number of kicks and palm strikes and Shaffir ate all of them without a problem while she stared into Kai’s soul. Kai went for another high kick, but this time Shaffir caught it, dropped it, quickly caught Kai’s arm put her down hard with a throw. “The Problem” then locked on Mother’s Milk and tapped Kai out. Good match. Shaffir advances in the tournament.
Charlie Dempsey defeated Matt Makowski via submission (double wrist-lock)
“Weapon X” Matt Makowski caught Dempsey with a low kick early on. Dempsey with a beautiful cradle suplex early. BJJ black belt Makowski was on top in mount position soon after, though Dempsey was able to roll Makowski over with a double-wrist lock. They went back and forth at a pretty rapid pace.
Makowski later caught Dempsey with a rolling savate kick out of nowhere, then threw Dempsey with a high butterfly suplex that he turned into an armbar on the way down to the mat. Nice.
Dempsey bullied his way into top position, cranking down on Makowski’s wrist while shoving the blade of his forearm into Makowski’s face. Always nasty. There were “BLOOD-SPORT!” chants soon after. Dempsey moved into a Fujiwara armbar; when Makowski tried escaping, Dempsey would transition into a straight armbar. Makowski would strike his way out of the hold. Dempsey locked in a standing ankle lock, but Makowski reveresed that beautifully and caught Dempsey in the RNC. “Tap! Tap! Tap!” Dempsey reversed with a cravat takeover. Makowski moved back to the armbar.
Makowski landed a spinning back elbow and an enzuigiri kick. Dempsey responded with a stiff European uppercut followed by a German suplex hold and then double-wrist lock. Makowski tapped. This was the best match on the show so far, for sure.
Takuya Nomura defeated Fuminori Abe via TKO (rear naked choke)
These two are a tag team known as Astronauts in Japan. They’re often seen working companies like Big Japan Pro Wrestling, where they were tag champions, and where Nomura was BJW Strong Heavyweight Champion. They’ve both been wrestling for under ten years and are better than most on the market today, without exaggeration. And they’ve been that good for a while now. Fun fact: Abe was trained by Munenori Sawa and had 220 matches in 2023.
They went hold for hold at the top of the match, trading back and forth. Abe landed a hard headbutt. They then started slapping each other really, really hard. Abe did the Rob Van Dam “pick a hand” spot and smacked Nomura.
Nomura later unleashed a cornucopia of lowkicks against Abe’s back before locking him in a straight ankle lock. How did Abe break the hold? A hard closed-fist punch to the head.
We saw blood running from Nomura’s head at this point. He’d catch Abe in a cradle suplex and launch him across the ring. Nomura locked in an abdominal stretch but Abe turned that into an octopus hold.
Abe exploded with a beautiful moonsaulting dropkick. He went for a wind-up punch, but Nomura caught him with two quick palm strikes and a release German suplex. Abe was up immediately and caught Nomura with the wind-up punch. Nomura answered with a headbutt; Abe answered with a stiff one of his own. Wow. The crowd was on their feet and chanting from here.
They were back on their feet trading more shots, this time elbows. Abe caught Nomura with a high kick behind the ear, then a rough knee strike. Nomura stood up and caught Abe with a massive lariat. German suplex from Nomura before standing Abe up and drilling him this time with a dragon suplex.
Nomura cinched in a single-leg crab, but Abe countered that with a straight ankle lock. Nomura tried slapping his way out of the hold, but Abe held on. It wasn’t until Nomura conked him with a headbutt that he broke the hold. Abe was almost knocked out. Nomura slapped on a sleeper until the ref called the match as Fuminori Abe was eventually out. Killer fight. A “THAT WAS AWESOME!” chant broke out afterwards.
Erik Hammer defeated Lou Nixon via submission (armlock)
Bloodsport alumni Erik Hammer scored an early takedown and threw hard shots before Nixon could get back to his feet. Nixon landed a clean knee to the face that dazed Hammer.
Hammer aimed to slow the pace and took Nixon back down to the mat. Neither could grab a leg lock so both were back to their feet again. Hammer with a seoinage throw. Nixon later moved into a head-and-arm lock scarf hold.
Hammer put Nixon down hard with a German suplex and then applied a wrist lock for the tap. I don’t think this was clear to those in the audience or to the commentators and the crowd started booing. This was good but the finish was a little bit funky.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Royce Isaacs via TKO (Gotch-Style Piledriver)
Big “Kaze Ni Nare” singalong before the bell. Both Isaacs and Suzuki are Bloodsport alumni and have helped define what the brand is since Barnett took over. Isaacs is part of the West Coast Wrecking Crew with Jorel Nelson in NJPW, which is where he and Suzuki have crossed paths in the past.
They had a good exchange at the top. When Isaacs was back to his feet, Suzuki flashed that devious smile and invited Isaacs back to the mat to grapple some more. Isaacs took him up on the offer and Suzuki locked him in an armbar and slid to the floor to yank on Isaac’s arm for extra leverage. Suzuki broke the hold, then mosied around ringside, sometimes rolling back into the ring to break the ref’s count. The crowd loved this. Suzuki sat himself down on a row of females in front and posed. Fan service is a wonderful thing and Suzuki is so damn good at it.
The two fought for ankle locks and heel hooks. On their feet, they started trading big elbows. Suzuki chuckled as they hurt each other. Suzuki blasted Isaacs with an elbow that echoed inside the venue. The crowd reacted accordingly with gasps. Isaacs was out for a second, then back in the game in an instant, catching Suzuki with a big pump kick, then a German-to-Half-Nelson suplex. Woah.
Isaacs went for a double-pump power bomb, but Suzuki swiveled out of it and locked in a rear naked choke before finally putting Isaacs out with a Gotch-Syle Piledriver for the TKO win.
This was another great fight, and one that really defines what Bloodsport is all about. It was extra satisfying for those who have been watching Bloodsport since the beginning.
Suzuki offered a handshake, and when Isaacs went to shake, Suzuki pulled it back and dipped out of the ring. Minoru Suzuki, you wily rascal.
Timothy Thatcher defeated Axel Tischer via submission (Fujiwara armbar)
Timothy Thatcher is the only Bloodsport fighter to hold a win over Josh Barnett, which he picked up last year in Los Angeles. Axel Tischer can be seen in Germany’s wXw, which was Thatcher’s old stomping ground back in the day.
The two looked evenly matched as they pummeled for leglocks on the canvas. Thatcher went Snakepit-style and scraped his wrist bone against Tischer’s face, though Tischer maintained his composure and held control. He caught Thatcher with an upkick when Thatcher stood up and went for a standing ankle lock.
Tischer pounced on Thatcher later with a sliding tackle and proceed to shower him with punches. Thatcher later threw a few hard penalty kicks against Tischer’s back. This was a painful looking match.
Tischer locked in a deep hammerlock and threw straight elbows onto Thatcher, who’d then counter and lock Tischer into a high angle single-leg crab before switching to a bow-and-arrow lock. Tischer escaped with a wild forearm to break the hold.
Tischer used a few German suplexes on Thatcher, but Thatcher wouldn’t stay down. They then slapped each other a LOT. Tischer grabbed Thatcher and spiked him with a brainbuster.
When Tischer looked to go in for the kill with another brainbuster, Thatcher exploded out of it and locked in the Fujiwara armbar for a quick tap out. Thatcher picks up another Bloodsport win. This was excellent.
Shayna Baszler defeated Masha Slamovich via TKO (stomps)
Masha Slamovich came to the ring with Jordynne Grace in her corner, while Shayna Baszler entered alongside her WWE tag team partner, Zoey Starks. Baszler wore her gi top and black belt to the ring. The crowd chanted “HO-LY SH*T!” before things kicked off. They were on their feet as the two had a staredown during the introductions.
The crowd was pro-Masha and anti-Shayna, or maybe, rather, pro-GCW and anti-WWE. Baszler wailed Slamovich and walked to her corner as the match was about to start. Awesome.
They went to the canvas quickly for a high-speed roll. They’d start to fight for leglocks. They fought to a stalemate and crowd started to sound split between the two.
Watching Shayna Baszler in this setting, it is obvious this is where she shines. Not just at Bloodsport, but in a pure pro wrestling situation like this. She’s a natural and adds so much credibility to what’s going on.
From back control, Baszler started peppering Slamovich with jabs to the ribcage. Slamovich was back up with a flurry of strikes before landing a flying armbar.
Baszler wrestled back into control and worked the armbar. When she almost had it locked in, Slamovich stacked her and reversed the attempt. The pro-Masha supporters were loud here.
The two traded suplexes. Slamovich had an armbar on, but Baszler slipped out and put her in the rear naked choke with her back hooks in. The crowd booed. Slamovich reversed it, then drilled Baszler with an amazing pump-handle sleeper suplex, then went back to the same RNC hold.
Baszler escaped and put Slamovich in an ankle lock, but Slamovich tried upkicking her way out of the hold. Baszler then released the hold and exploded with a flurry a stomps so brutal that the referee had to dive in and stop the match. Baszler wins via TKO. The crowd ERUPTED with boos and a “F*CK YOU, SHAYNA!” chant. Great finish. This was very, very good.
Women’s Tournament: Finals Marina Shaffir defeated Lindsay Snow via TKO (kick)
Shaffir landed a big head-and-arm throw early. They grappled on the mat until hitting a stalemate on the mat, then stood back up. Snow attempted a triangle choke and Shaffir almost looked like she was going to slam her but she didn’t have to. Shaffir escaped and went for an armbar but this time Snow escaped.
Snow took Shaffir down again, this time with a kneebar attempt. They went back and forth for a few more minutes until Snow took Shaffir’s back. Shaffir stood up, so Snow transitioned to a leg lock attempt. Shaffir shut it down, but still couldn’t escape Snow’s grip. Shaffir figure-four’d Snow’s legs tight and was able to pop her leg free from Snow’s grip. She took Snow down with a trip, then held her in her guard. Snow started dropping elbows, but almost got caught in a triangle of her own before moving back to a straight ankle lock attempt.
Shaffir would slam her way out of Snow’s hold, twice actually. She then took Snow out with a hard kick to the head, sending Lindsay Snow flying out of the ring onto the floor. The ref immediately called for the bell. Marina Shaffir wins via TKO and wins the Bloodsport X Women’s Tournament.
Josh Barnett defeated Johnny Bloodsport via TKO (gutwrench slam)
The crowd was split between both Barnett and “Johnny Bloodsport” aka John Hennigan. It’s easy to forget how tall Johnny is. When Barnett went in for a double leg takedown, Johnny leapt over him, dodging it. He threw some flashy spin kicks next but couldn’t connect.
Barnett was soon in top mount position until giving Johnny some room to stand back up. He took Johnny back down with a double wrist-lock takedown. Johnny showed off flashy capoeira and par kour movements.
Barnett dragged Johnny to the middle of the ring with a straight ankle lock attempt. Johnny would try to escape but Barnett kept grabbing him and going for holds. Johnny rolled into Barnett who stopped the takedown attempt and held him in a turtle position. Johnny escaped and shot to his feet to put some boots to Barnett on the mat. Johnny worked for a keylock from side mount position as the crowd clapped in support. Barnett rolled out and reversed the hold into a headlock before landing some kicks. Johnny did a capoiera clothesline but didn’t connect all the way, though he was able to lock in a RNC from back mount.
“The Warmaster” landed a massive backdrop suplex before blasting Johnny with a spinning heel kick which sounded to have shocked everyone. Barnett then slammed Johnny with a gutwrench slam. The ref then called the match. Josh Barnett picks up another Bloodsport victory.
Afterwards, Barnett grabbed the mic and thanked Johnny Bloodsport and the fans. He also announced Bloodsport Bushido in Tokyo, Japan at Ryogoku Sumo Hall on June 22nd which airs TrillerTV and will feature MMA legends like Minoru Suzuki, Masakatsu Funaki, Kazushi Sakuraba, Quentin “Rampage” Jackson and more.
Final Thoughts:
Bloodsport is the best. This was longer than other Bloodsport events, but it felt like it flew by. I enjoyed seeing familiar faces mixed in with new ones, and the ruleset makes for great pro wrestling matches that don’t insult you intelligence. If you’re already a fan of the Bloodsport style, this is a must-watch, of course
Everything on this card was really good, but the stand-out highlights were Shayna Baszler vs. Masha Slamovich, Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura, Timothy Thatcher vs. Axel Tischer and Charlie Dempsey vs. Matt Makowski. I look forward to watching the next step Bloodsport’s story on June 22nd in Tokyo.
WWE wrestler Shayna Baszler’s opponent for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X has been revealed.
In a rare indie appearance for a contracted WWE talent, Baszler will be in action at Bloodsport X at GCW’s The Collective on Thursday, April 4 against Masha Slamovich.
Barnett revealed Baszler’s opponent in a video posted to social media on Monday where Slamovich commented on taking on Baszler. The video is embedded below.
Barnett posted:
In a place like Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport, when a name like Shayna Baszler is announced it’s like blood in the water of an ocean of nothing but sharks. One voice stood out loudest and proudest of all. A voice with a tenor of authority from her accomplishments and tone of pure violence. In the end, I could not deny her request…
Slamovich is a two-time former TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion.
Baszler is a protege of Barnett’s, as well as a former NXT Women’s Champion and former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion.
A report from Fightful stated that “multiple” WWE talents are planned for the Bloodsport X event, which will stream live on Triller TV+.
Bloodsport presents pro wrestling matches with a worked MMA style where matches can only be won by knockout or submission. Baszler is a former professional MMA fighter.
Nic Nemeth vs. Mike Bailey, Josh Barnett vs. Johnny Bloodsport (John Hennigan), and Minoru Suzuki vs. Royce Isaacs are among other bouts confirmed for Bloodsport X.
In a place like Josh Barnett's: Bloodsport, when a name like Shayna Baszler is announced it's like blood in the water of an ocean of nothing but sharks.
One voice stood out loudest and proudest of all. A voice with a tenor of authority from her accomplishments and tone of pure… pic.twitter.com/u3wI9erGUB
In case you missed it, TNA Wrestling is returning this January.
The current Impact Wrestling announced at late-October’s Bound for Glory that they would revert back to its old name starting with January’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view from Las Vegas.
It will be their first event under the TNA banner since 2017.
Along with the name change, company officials confirmed in a press release that there will also be a new look “from the entrance ramp to turnbuckles in the ring to larger, more prestigious venues and much, much more.”
Following the announcement, I talked with several members of the roster about their reaction to next month’s change.
Former Impact Digital Media Champion Brian Myers
“I was hyped, man, especially being there live in Chicago for the announcement. It was a real goosebump moment and I think we all were under the impression that it would just get drowned out with CM Punk chants or something or that the crowd wouldn’t get what was going on, but they were with it and super excited and the excitement hasn’t stopped.
“Everywhere we’ve gone — an entire UK tour, Mexico — the TNA chants haven’t stopped. People stop me when I see them and want to talk about it and they’re thrilled. I love saying that I’m a ‘TNA wrestling star.’ The feedback has been unbelievably 100% positive across the board, so people are just excited. I think it’s just such a great step and a huge, huge step, a big leap for the company, for everything.
“The company has a 20+ year history with some, legendary moments and performers. So to not lean into that, I think would have been foolish, right? People grew up on this product. They are now old and grown-ups and have kids and lives of their own. So, they’re sentimental about it, so it means something to them and it’s really worked.”
Former Impact World Champion Steve Maclin
“It’s awesome and is a question that I always get when people are like, ‘Who do you work for?’ (I tell them) ‘Impact Wrestling.’ (They say) ‘Oh, I don’t know them, but do you remember TNA?’
“So it’s something that’s been kinda talked about where they wanted to go back to it a couple years back, and there was talk about it during Covid times, when I first got there, and you would hear rumblings of the changes and different things coming. It’s just cool to be part of something that’s changing, because I was part of that time in NXT when that boom happened when the indie folks came in and NXT became something bigger. Now I am part of TNA and to take the phrase: ‘We’re f**king back.'”
Knockouts Tag Team Champion Masha Slamovich
“Oh, I was jumping up and down with joy. I mean, I grew up watching the X-Division in TNA with the likes of Amazing Red and Chris Sabin and a bunch of other wrestlers. I’m extremely happy and honored to be a part of TNA Wrestling going forward in the year 2024.”
Impact Tag Team Champion Chris Bey
“I couldn’t believe my ears. The heart and soul of Impact/TNA Wrestling has been always TNA Wrestling. Since I signed with Impact four years ago, people go, ‘Oh, you work for TNA.’
“They still believe that. They still breathe that. When I have done stuff in the Impact Wrestling ring and the crowd goes crazy, they chant ‘TNA, TNA.’ I chant ‘TN Bey,’ but that’s that’s another story. But the crowd goes crazy. They love it. They have always felt that inside.
“I went into my closet once that was announced and I got home off the road and I went back to Las Vegas. I went into my closet and I pulled out my Shop TNA bag that I ordered off of Shop TNA back in 2010 when I did an unboxing on my YouTube channel. Young Chris Bey, 14 years old, 14 years young. I was an itty bitty Bey and I look at that signed Don West bag, RIP Don West, and I think ‘You are working at this place. You are a champion at this place.’
“And I believe firmly that myself and Ace Austin are the very best tag team of this generation. So going back to TNA Wrestling, like I mentioned, the Motor City Machine Guns earlier being the best tag team of TNA Wrestling’s history, we get to start the new era, the new generation of TNA Wrestling.
“We get to be the ones that are the best tag team of TNA Wrestling and we get to inspire the next generation, the next crop. It’s just so sweet and I’m so grateful that I’m the one to be able to represent the company, man.”
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
In the night’s co-main event, Trinity (the former Naomi in WWE) defeated Deonna Purrazzo to kick off her first run as Knockouts Champion.
Trinity got the victory following a series of headbutts, a full nelson bomb off the middle rope, and then Starstruck for the submission victory.
It’s the first major singles title for Trinity since her second run as WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion ended in 2017. After eventually gaining her WWE release, Trinity debuted with Impact in March of this year and is now 5-0 in her new home.
The win ends the three-month reign of Purrazzo who began her third run with the title back in April.
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In another high-profile change, Lio Rush defeated Chris Sabin to kick off his first-ever run as X-Division Champion.
The result didn’t come without controversy as Rush attacked Sabin before the match, hitting a suicide dive that drove Sabin into the ramp that he sold as being knocked out. After an Impact doctor suggested he not wrestle, he continued and Rush eventually finished him off with two Final Hours to get the win and title.
Sabin had defeated Trey Miguel last month to begin his ninth reign.
Rush’s first challenger for the X-Division title is likely to be KUSHIDA who won an Ultimate X match to earn a future title shot. The former NJPW star picked up the win after punching Alan Angels in the face, knocking him off the ropes to get the victory.
Rush and KUSHIDA are scheduled for a match on Sunday’s TV taping.
Right afterward, Subculture (Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster) won their first-ever Impact Tag Team titles by winning a four-way that included now-former champions Ace Austin & Chris Bey, Moose & Brian Myers, and Sami Callihan & Rich Swann.
Predictably, The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) got involved after failing to gain entry into the match despite the stipulation of Wentz defeating Bey last Thursday to earn the opportunity.
Wentz and Miguel prevented Bey from landing the Art of Finesse on Myers, pulling Bey and Austin outside the ring. Webster took out everyone on the outside of the ring with the exception of Myers who was hit by an Andrews’ shooting star press for the win and title change.
This was the first win in Impact for the former WWE NXT Tag Team Champions.
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The multi-month run for Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry has ended as Kenny King defeated him Saturday for the title.
King took home the win thanks to the aid of Sheldon Jean who held onto King’s feet while they were on the ropes, giving him the additional leverage he needed to get the pin and title change.
This is King’s first Impact title of any kind since his second X-Division title run ended in 2015. Since winning the title in November 2022, Hendry had successfully defended the title 13 times.
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Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly are leaving Windsor, Ontario, Canada, as the new Knockouts Tag Team Champions.
The duo defeated The Coven (Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King) to win the titles, their first in Impact. The end came when Slamovich countered a Witch’s Wrath with a snowplow for pin and win.
Wilde and King’s reign ends after just three successful title defenses dating back to February when they first won the titles.
A new championship match has been confirmed for Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary pay-per-view.
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Coven (Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King) will put their titles on the line against Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly at the Saturday, July 15 event. It’s taking place at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Slamovich and Kelly aligned together after facing off in a dog collar match at Against All Odds last month. They’ve defeated the Knockouts tag champs in singles action over the past couple of weeks.
Two weeks ago, Kelly defeated Wilde on Impact. Slamovich then saved Kelly from a post-match attack, joining forces with her former rival.
Slamovich defeated King last week after Kelly helped neutralize interference by Wilde.
Wilde & King won the Knockouts Tag Team titles from Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary this February.
Here’s the updated card for Slammiversary:
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Nick Aldis
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defends against Trinity
X-Division Champion Chris Sabin defends against Lio Rush
Steve Maclin & Bully Ray vs. PCO & Scott D’Amore with former NHL player Darren McCarty as special enforcer
Impact Tag Team Champions ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) defend against Sami Callihan & Rich Swann, Brian Myers & Moose, and Subculture (Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews) in a four-way match
Ultimate X match: Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Angels vs. Kevin Knight vs. KUSHIDA
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Coven (Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King) defend against Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo will defend against Taylor Wilde in the first match of her third title reign.
Purrazzo regained the vacant title at this month’s Rebellion by defeating Jordynne Grace. Wilde will be looking to become a multi-time Knockouts Champion while also holding the Knockouts Tag Team titles with KiLynn King.
Former Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace will rematch with her rival Masha Slamovich in another high-profile bout. This will be their fourth meeting in Impact with Grace undefeated in the previous three. Their last meeting was for Grace’s then-Knockouts title in a last woman standing match at November 2022’s Over Drive.
In a non-title match, Impact Tag Team Champions ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) will take on The Design’s Angels & Kon. ABC is coming off a successful title defense at Rebellion while Sami Callihan turned on The Design at the PPV.
The BTI pre-show will see Kenny King battle Channing Decker.
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BTI pre-show: Kenny King defeated Channing Decker
This was a good match that saw Decker show why he is one of the up and coming indie talents in Canada.
Main Show:
Impact opened with a big match.
Jordynne Grace defeated Masha Slamovich
I think it is time to start getting behind Slamovich, but I can’t deny that this match was awesome. Grace winning is a sign she must be around for at least a little more. Absolutely fantastic performance between both wrestlers.
Slamovich spent the early part of the match hitting hard strikes and keeping the pace of the match slow. Grace eventually fired up and hit a muscle buster for a 2-count, the same move that finished Slamovich a few months ago. Grace hit a hard bodyslam and then hit an awesome Michinoku driver for a 2-count.
Slamovich countered a German suplex into an O’Connor roll, but Grace pulled her back into a rear naked choke. Slamovich floated backwards like when Bret Hart pinned Roddy Piper, and transitioned into a choke of her own. Slamovich hit a pumphandle German suplex on Grace as Grace fought out of the choke for a 2-count.
Slamovich blocked a muscle buster, and a series of near falls exchanged between them until Grace finally sat down after a nearfall in a sunset flip and pinned Slamovich.
Steve Maclin segment
The new Impact World Champion came out and talked about his strategic retreat from PCO last week. PCO’s music hit, followed by Champagne Singh and Shera attacking PCO from behind as Maclin retreated again. PCO took out Singh and Shera before Santino Marella came out. Singh tried to pay off Santino. He took the money, banned Shera from ringside and sent Singh to his death against PCO.
PCO defeated Champagne Singh
This went too long for a squash, but it was effective in showing PCO as a monster.
Singh got more offense than I expected, but made the foolish mistake of shoving money into the mouth of PCO after a flatliner. I don’t think that is how one normally attempts to pay off their opponents. PCO spit the money out and proceeded to hit code breaker and guillotine leg drop on Singh. PCO got the win after a moonsault, crushing Singh.
– The Impact Plus throwback involved Nick Aldis (as Magnus) getting a win against Christopher Daniels.
– The Design were backstage and Deaner cut a promo about Sami Callihan turning on them. This was actually a good delivery by Deaner, but he talked about how he was created by The Designer (Eric Young) to eliminate weakness. He confessed he ripped Young’s heart out and fed it to the wolves. Well then. Guess we know he’s dead now.
– Oh good, we got another creepy promo from The Coven. Taylor Wilde and KiLynn King were trying to cast spells on Deonna Purrazzo to rip her limb from limb. King turned over the Eight of Swords tarot card. It sucked.
Johnny Swinger defeated El Dineroco
The luchador that Swinger and Dice paid to bring into face Swinger was Zicky Dice under a mask,. Swinger won with a La Magistral cradle.
Dineroco and Swinger went back behind the curtain and the camera saw Dineroco take off the mask to reveal it was Dice. Santino walked up and said the match didn’t count since it was supposed to be someone not contracted. Dice asked for a contract anyway. Swinger walked away upset at Dice, saying he knew it wasn’t going to work. Swinger is back to zero wins.
– Kenny King was backstage and Channing Decker thanked him for the match on BTI. King said he was thankful Decker let King beat him in his hometown. Decker walked away offended. King then sat down next to Sheldon Jean and offered to help mentor him so he could help him climb the ladder in Impact, doing what needs to be done.
Impact Tag Team Champions Ace & Bey Connection (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) defeated The Design (Angels & Kon) (w/ Deaner) in a non-title match
I was worried Kon broke Bey’s ankle by accident in a botch, but he recovered. Kon could have also severely hurt himself, and then nearly killed Angels too. Not a good night for Kon. Match was pretty good otherwise, honestly.
Kon hit the ropes with Bey on his back and hit a shoulder tackle on Austin before tripping and face planting right into the middle rope in a botch, leading Bey to scream “My ankle!” Kon threw Bey from the ring, and he was grabbing at his ankle. I hope he didn’t hurt himself, as that didn’t look good.
As the match went on, we saw an update from backstage and Santino was taken out by someone. Bey made it back to the apron. The heat continued on Austin for a bit, but the tag was made to Bey, who looked okay. Bey went for the art of finesse, but Angels and Kon stopped him, and Angels hit a Russian leg sweep off the middle ropes.
Austin low bridged Kon to send him to the floor and hit a back body drop on Angels that sent him over the ropes onto Kon. Instead of catching Angels, Kon just stood there, and Angels bounced off him and nearly landed on his head on the floor. Kon’s second botch of the night. As Bey and Austin were hitting dives on Kon, Callihan ran out and dropped Deaner on the floor and brawled backstage with him. ABC hit the art if finesse and the fold on Angels for the pinfall soon thereafter.
– Santino said he tried to fight back against who hit him, but he had no idea who it was. The doctor said he was recommending Santino take time off. Dango then appointed himself the Detective of Authority and offered to investigate what happened.
– The Death Dollz were backstage discussing how they needed the Knockout Tag Team titles to use magic powerful enough to see who was blocking them from the Undead Realm. Crazzy Steve walked up and Rosemary smiled at her mutual Decay friend. Steve said she needed to go talk to James Mitchell, and Rosemary was reluctant. A third weird supernatural promo. Rosemary, Steve, and Jessica were all great in their performances, but I really don’t like this kind of thing in my wrestling. If this wasn’t wrestling, I’d be intrigued.
Jody Threat defeated Seleziya Sparx
The fans chanted “She’s a threat!” which Threat should adapt as her catchphrase immediately. Threat controlled most of the match, outside of a brief heat segment. This was a pretty standard squash. Threat hit a seated senton and a series of corner lariats before hitting a pump kick and a German suplex and the F416 for the pinfall.
Frankie Kazarian sit-down interview
Gia Miller sat down with Kazarian to discuss his career and his original signing with Impact, saying Scott D’Amore and Jeff Jarrett were why he got a shot in TNA. He talked about his world title match with AJ Styles a month into being there, but also talked about the business where the old mentality was still active with older veteran wrestlers holding back younger talent for years.
Kazarian talked about why he left TNA with Daniels and went to ROH in 2014 because of the turmoil backstage in TNA at the time, and he decided he needed out because he was never going to get the chances he wanted there. This was accompanied by highlights of Dixie Carter, Hulk Hogan, and Jeff Jarrett all shown in negative light, including Dixie Carter being dragged backstage holding onto the foot of Hogan as he left the company.
I appreciate the honesty of how bad a state Impact was in then, but I’m not sure if it was wise to show this on TV, but I can’t deny it was compelling as Kaz told a very honest story about his journey in the company.
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defeated Taylor Wilde (w/ KiLynn King) to retain
Solid match between these two, with Purrazzo looking absolutely fantastic and helping Wilde look good. It’s interesting that Grace saved Purrazzo, clearly setting up a tag match. Maybe Grace and Purrazzo will challenge for the tag titles at some point.
Deonna was not ripped limb from limb, so I don’t think the spell from earlier worked. Purrazzo immediately started trying to work over the arm, getting a cross armbar quickly, and every time Wilde tried to counter out, Purrazzo transitioned right back to some sort of arm lock. Wilde had a few moments of looking lost, but recovered fast enough that you probably wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for it. Purrazzo helped cover for it well too.
Wilde went to the floor and King gave her a Priestess tarot card, she smiled and they went to break. They came back and Purrazzo sent Wilde to the floor again. These cards really aren’t working for her. Purrazzo hit King with a forearm by accident, leading Wilde to attack Purrazzo from behind.
Wilde got the heat for the next while, including a headscissors into a crossface. Wilde tried to match Purrazzo with forearms, but was unable. Purrazzo hit a running knee and Russian leg sweep before floating over into a Fujiwara armbar. Purrazzo tried to tie Wilde up wit the Venus de Milo, but Wilde made the ropes. Wilde avoided the Queen’s Gambit and hit the Wilde ride for a 2-count, and went for the witch’s wrath, but Purrazzo immediately countered into Venus del Milo for the submission.
King and Wilde attacked Purrazzo after the bell, but Jordynne Grace made the save and both of them cleared the ring. Grace then faced off with Purrazzo, shook hands, and pointed at the Knockouts title. This was good.
Final Thoughts
A fair bit of squash matches, but there were 3 good matches on this show tonight with Slamovich/Grace, and Purrazzo/Wilde being quite good, and ABC/The Design being decent despite the botches of Kon. Not a lot of major angles, but they are clearly setting up stuff to slow burn, which I am okay with. Hopefully the seeds they are planting actually sprout, as there are some interesting stories they could try to tell.
Next week:
Major surprise debut
Steve Maclin, Champagne Singh & Shera vs. PCO and two partners of his choosing
Jody Threat vs. Alisha
Moose & Brian Myers vs. Yuya Uemura & Bhupinder Gujjar
Nearly two weeks after she regained the Knockouts title at Rebellion, new champion Deonna Purrazzo will defend it on next Thursday’s Impact on AXS TV.
Purrazzo will face former champion and reigning Knockouts Tag Team Champion Taylor Wilde. This follows Wilde and her partner KiLynn King cutting a backstage promo Thursday in which they called her a fraud.
The show will also feature former champion Jordynne Grace take on Masha Slamovich in the latest chapter of their intense feud. Grace was unsuccessful in defeating Purrazzo for the vacant title at Rebellion while Slamovich is still looking for her first title reign.
Impact Tag Team Champions ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) will take on The Design’s Kon & Angels in non-title action. The Design are reeling after Sami Callihan turned on the group at Rebellion and will look to get back on track.
Here’s the current lineup:
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defends against Taylor Wilde
Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich
Impact Tag Team Champions ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin vs. The Design (Kon & Angels) in non-title action
Impact Wrestling has announced two new matches for Thursday.
Ahead of her title match against Mickie James at No Surrender, Masha Slamovich will face Alisha on this week’s show.
Also booked for Before the Impact on Thursday is a match between Deonna Purrazzo and Steph De Lander. The former Persia Pirotta made her in-ring debut for Impact on last week’s episode in a loss to Jordynne Grace.
The Thursday, February 16, 2023 edition of Impact Wrestling was filmed on January 21, 2023, from Osceola Heritage Park in Orlando, Florida. The announced lineup is below:
KUSHIDA vs. Chris Bey
Eddie Edwards vs. Heath in a No Surrender four-way qualifier
Steve Maclin vs. Rhino in a No Surrender four-way qualifier
Rich Swann vs. Kenny King
Masha Slamovich vs. Alisha
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Steph De Lander (Before the Impact)
Impact then heads to Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas on Friday, February 24, 2023, for No Surrender. The announced lineup for the Impact Plus streaming show is as follows:
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against Rich Swann
Knockouts Champion Mickie James defends against Masha Slamovich
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Death Dollz defend against The Hex
No. 1 contender’s four-way: PCO vs. Brian Myers vs. TBD vs. TBD
Bullet Club vs. Time Machine
Frankie Kazarian vs. Kon
Pre-show: “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham
The first contender for new Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James is official as she will defend against Masha Slamovich at No Surrender.
The Impact Plus streaming special takes place on Friday, February 24th in Las Vegas.
Slamovich won a four-way no. 1 contender’s match at last Friday’s Hard to Kill — the same show where James defeated recent Slamovich rival Jordynne Grace for the title.
On Thursday’s show, Slamovich came out at the end of James’ show opening promo and issued her a “death warrant” to make the match official. This will be their first-ever meeting.
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander will also defend his title on the show, but he won’t learn who his contender is until next Thursday which will feature the first-ever Golden Six Shooter match where six former World Champions will compete for the opportunity to face Alexander.
Moose, Eddie Edwards, Callihan, Rich Swann, Chris Sabin and Rhino will all vye for the shot.
Here’s the current lineup for No Surrender:
Knockouts Champion Mickie James defends against Masha Slamovich
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against TBA
Impact Hard to Kill saw several returns and debuts which included former WWE star Santino Marella.
Teased on Thursday, Marella made his return to Impact after nearly five years as the company’s new Director of Authority. He temporarily replaces Scott D’Amore who was taken out by Bully Ray last Thursday and is injured in storyline.
In December, it was revealed that Impact filed a trademark for the Santino Marella name.
He made his presence felt during Friday’s Digital Media title match between champion Joe Hendry and Moose, restarting the match after Moose cheated to win the title. Hendry then hit his Standing Ovation finisher to get the pin and retain the title.
Marella appeared at 2017’s Bound for Glory and began hosting a Twitch show for the company. He cornered a BattleArts wrestler of his during a 2018 taping and was a guest commentator at last year’s Sacrifice for the title match between then-Impact World Champion Moose and Heath.
Regardless of who wins in the main event, the Knockouts Champion already has her next challenger in Masha Slamovich.
Slamovich survived a four-way Friday that included former champions Taylor Wilde and Deonna Purrazzo in addition to Killer Kelly.
If it’s Jordynne Grace, she and Slamovich had a rivalry last year that saw Grace retain the title at October’s Bound for Glory and again at November’s Over Drive in a Last Knockout Standing match. If it’s James, it would be their first-ever meeting.
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While they do have streaming specials on Impact Plus the next two months, Impact announced they will return to pay-per-view on Sunday, April 16th in Toronto, Canada.
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PCO made his return Friday, attacking Eddie Edwards after his victory over Jonathan Gresham. The two were members of Honor No More before Edwards attacked him as the group broke up.
A new title match has been made official for Impact Wrestling’s Over Drive special.
The Knockouts Championship will be on the line as Jordynne Grace defends against Masha Slamovich in a Last Knockout Standing match at Over Drive this Friday night. The special is airing live on Impact Plus and for Impact’s Ultimate Insiders subscribers on YouTube.
Grace vs. Slamovich was set up when Slamovich made her return to Impact Wrestling last Thursday. After Grace retained her Knockouts Championship against Gisele Shaw, Slamovich attacked Grace with a steel chair. Slamovich then slammed Grace onto a pile of chairs.
Slamovich unsuccessfully challenge for Grace’s Knockouts Championship at last month’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view. The loss ended an undefeated streak that Slamovich had been on in Impact Wrestling this year.
Grace has been Knockouts Champion since winning the title at Slammiversary this June.
