Michael Elgin has reportedly been arrested in Japan.
Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net reported that Elgin was arrested last weekend in Japan for stealing protein powder and has remained in jail since. The report noted that Elgin could face up to five years in jail.
Elgin was on tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he was one half of the GHC Tag Team Champions with Masa Kitamiya. On July 9, NOAH announced that Elgin would be unable to compete in an upcoming card in Shizuoka. On July 12, they announced that Elgin would also miss the Budokan Hall event set for July 16 and the titles were vacated as a result. Timothy Thatcher and Hideki Suzuki ended up winning the titles, defeating Kitamiya and Yoshiki Inamura.
Prior to returning to NOAH in April, Elgin had only wrestled sporadically since 2020 following Speaking Out allegations made against him. He has previously worked for Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Impact Wrestling.
Michael Elgin is making his return to Pro Wrestling NOAH.
Pro Wrestling NOAH has announced that Elgin will return to the promotion later this month, marking the first time he’s wrestled for them since 2020. Elgin will face Masa Kitamiya at night two of NOAH’s Majestic 2022 event on Saturday, April 30.
Majestic 2022 is taking place at Sumo Hall in Tokyo and will air live on Wrestle Universe.
Elgin wrestled for Pro Wrestling NOAH three times from 2019-2020.
This February, Elgin filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Impact Wrestling after being removed from Impact programming in June 2020 following allegations made against him during the #SpeakingOut movement. Elgin also claimed that Impact prevented him from working for Pro Wrestling NOAH in December 2020, damaging his reputation in Japan.
Impact announced on June 22, 2020 that Joey Ryan and Dave Crist’s contracts had been terminated after #SpeakingOut allegations and Elgin had been suspended pending a further investigation. Four days later, it was announced that Elgin would not be appearing in any future Impact programming.
Elgin claimed that Impact made it seem like he was fired by the promotion after an investigation. Elgin’s lawsuit against Impact alleges that Scott D’Amore told Elgin via email that “”the company’s decision not to utilize you in further programming was not based on any investigation beyond the public disclosures (and your responses thereto) at the time.”
Elgin was kept under contract with Impact despite not being used. The contract was set to expire this month, but Elgin said he became a free agent earlier than expected due to Impact not paying him since February because of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by Elgin on February 8 in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee. Elgin is seeking “not less than” five million dollars in compensatory damages.
According to documents obtained by PWInsider, Elgin is claiming Impact breached their contract by removing him from its programming in June 2020 following allegations made against him during the #SpeakingOut movement.
“A career in wrestling is not comparable to a normal employment opportunity. The wrestler’s reputation and fame is dependent upon the entertainment and content company to deliver television programming to the mutual benefit of the wrestler and entertainment company,” the lawsuit reads.
Elgin is also claiming that Impact prevented him from working for Pro Wrestling NOAH in December 2020, damaging his reputation in Japan.
On June 22, 2020, Impact announced the termination of Joey Ryan and Dave Crist following allegations against them as part of #SpeakingOut. The company also revealed that Elgin was suspended pending a further investigation.
Impact then released a statement on June 26, 2020 announcing that Elgin would no longer appear on its programming,
The lawsuit alleges that Elgin was told by Scott D’Amore that there “would be no investigation into allegations.” It also alleges that D’Amore later confirmed there was no investigation, stating in an email to Elgin that “the company’s decision not to utilize you in further programming was not based on any investigation beyond the public disclosures (and your responses thereto) at the time.”
Elgin posted a statement on his social media this week stating that Impact made it appear as though he had been fired from the company.
“In June of 2020, Impact Wrestling made it seem to the public that they had fired me after an investigation,” Elgin wrote. “I found 12 plus wrestling websites that reported Impact Wrestling had fired me due to allegations.”
Elgin’s contract with Impact was set to expire on April 15, 2022, but according to his social media post, he has not received payment from the company since February 15, 2022 due to the lawsuit he filed against Impact, leading him to be a free agent sooner than expected.
Aaron Frobel (Michael Elgin) has been arrested for violating a protective order.
A WrestlingNews.co report says that Elgin was arrested on June 29, days after he was reported missing on Facebook but was later said to be found safe. His ex-fiance, who WrestlingNews.co identified by her first name Alex, filed the order of protection on May 21 after leaving her home in April due to safety concerns. She said that she was “being abused physically, mentally, verbally, and emotionally” by Elgin.
Alex, who talked to WrestlingNews.co, said that Elgin had violated the order over sixty times, and has used suicide as a manipulation tactic. According to WrestlingNews.co, the protective order states:
I had a plan to leave a few times before but always backed out from fear. Since I left I have received hundreds of phone calls, hundreds of text messages, numerous videos, and suicide threats from him. He has also reached out to my friends and family. Whenever I or someone he has reached out to block him, he uses the free text/calling apps to make a fake number and continues calling and texting. Sometimes saying it is him, sometimes pretending to be other people. I have asked him not to contact me numerous times.
Since I’ve been in a relationship with the respondent I have suffered sexual, mental, emotional, and verbal abuse from him. Abuse included:
punishment for saying no to sex
berating me verbally in public
berating me verbally in private
isolating me from my friends and family
monitoring my phone and computer to see if I am complying – extreme control
sexual caretaking
pressure to engage in sex acts I expressed not wanting to do
exposing my sexual health by seeing male and female sex workers during our relationship
insulting and shaming me
intimidation
I recently found out he has been texting me our entire relationship from different fake numbers pretending to be people from my past and saying nasty things about me. I believe this was used along with many other tactics of control and manipulation to break me down and keep me under his control.
Elgin has only made sporadic wrestling appearances since being fired from Impact Wrestling last year due to Speaking Out allegations. He previously had runs in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Updates on the WWE PPV shows heads up the new issue of the Observer, including proposed main events, ticket sales and the reason for the Hell in a Cell change.
Also in this issue:
Update on the health situation of Antonio Inoki.
Another Saudi Arabia lawsuit, the details in the suit and the two possible endings including comments from Jerry McDevitt.
Updated ticket sales for all the WWE shows through early September, demand and comparisons with AEW, plus why WWE books NBA buildings and blocks off most of the building while AEW runs smaller buildings.
Dwayne Johnson talking the presidency, Edge creative, Brock Lesnar in WWE, new WWE hires, house show changes, Ronda Rousey update, international AEW & WWE ratings, what WWE is looking for in tryout camps going forward, ESPY Award, Titus O’Neil, John Cena movie, vaccines in WWE, Andre the Giant history, WWE injuries, WWE new names, plus the most-watched videos of the past week and WWE market value.
The decision by New Japan Pro Wrestling to run three Domed stadium shows in the upcoming months and how the Saitama dates preclude them from their biggest named American stars, plus the attempt to run so many major shows on successive dates in July.
Full coverage of UFC 263, with poll results, match-by-match rundowns, and the future direction of the top fighters on the show.
Full coverage for NXT Takeover, including poll results, star ratings, direction after Takeover, the next two major dates for the promotion, as well as interest level in the show.
An update on Don West, the former TNA announcer, as he battles brain cancer.
The Federacion promotion, the latest company to try and make it as a major group in Mexico, what went wrong, and the history of new attempts to go national in that country.
Stardom Cinderella tournament finals and the main event that has gotten so much talk, Utami Hayashshita vs Syuri, with the background on the two, plus coverage of storylines and direction, match-by-match with star ratings.
More into detail on the ratings than any other source, how many different viewers the shows had, breakdown of who watches the shows and how they watch, DVR numbers and how long the average fan watches.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
A new tag team match has been added to tonight’s NXT, with Io Shirai and Zoey Stark teaming up to take on Aliyah and Jessi Kamea.
On Raw last night, Nikki Cross revealed new superhero-inspired gear when she teamed with Alexa Bliss to defeat Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match. On Raw Talk last night, Cross described the inspiration behind the new gear. “Do I have superpowers? I know I don’t,” she said. “I know I can’t fly or don’t have super strength. But the thing is, when I put on this outfit, I feel like I can do anything. I’m going to keep trying and keep getting back up. All anyone can ever do is believe in themselves, so, the last few weeks I have been working on this attire. I’m so happy to finally share it with the WWE Universe.”
Cross further wrote on Twitter this afternoon: “Bringing THIS to life has given me such joy. The [role] I have been on @wwe gave me the boost I needed to unveil this to the [world], that everyone has that spark and they can try anything they want to, just listen to your heart. I want to blossom like a butterfly. I want us all to.”
Franky Monet spoke to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, talking about her transition to WWE and her “encore” appearance tonight on NXT. “I’ve just been taking it in day by day and pinching myself every so often,” she said. “It’s been a crazy ride to get here, but I’m just enjoying every moment. Every time I get to be in the ring with this amazing talented roster, as well as learning from some of the greatest legends and producers and teachers that there are in the world of sports and entertainment, I’m honestly just enjoying myself. And I’m very excited for everyone to see the encore of my world premiere, which happens tomorrow night on the USA Network.”
PWInsider is reporting that a lawsuit against the WWE has been filed in Florida by Jackson Parsons, who says he was injured in a traffic incident by a vehicle owned by WWE.
It was reported earlier in the day that Aaron Frobel (Micheal Elgin) had gone missing and had left his phone at home after sending a “concerning message” on Facebook. Impact referee Brandon Rolle later posted a message saying that he has since been found.
People Magazine has an article featuring the first photos of Brandi and Cody Rhodes’ first-child, Liberty Iris Runnels.
Andrade El Idolo filed a trademark for his new name on June 4.
AXS has announced that their Wrestle Week block of programming will return in the week of July 12. Monday will have The Good Brothers hosting a screening of the film Pulp Fiction. Thursday will have the go-home edition of Impact prior to Slammiversary. Following Impact at 10 pm ET will be “Impact Wrestling: This is Slammiversary”, a preview for the pay-per-view which takes place that Sunday. Saturday will have the broadcast premiere of the Rebellion pay-per-view event from April, which had Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega for the Impact World title.
Wesley Blake spoke to Sportskeeda, where he was open to the possibility of reuniting with former tag team partners Buddy Murphy and Steve Maclin.
On his AdFreeShows podcast, Kurt Angle talked about being in extreme pain due to all the damage from wrestling over the years.“I’m in extreme pain all day long,” he said. “I do maintenance on my body all day, I do my neck traction. I have a thing called the iron neck. I have anti-gravity machine rollers. I stretch, I do a lot of weight training, I work on my body 2-3 hours a day. I have to. I’m so banged up now, I sacrificed a lot of my body in professional wrestling and amateur wrestling. I have to blame both sports, not just one. I’m paying for it now, but I’m managing it.”
Lita is a guest on this week’s Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette.
Impact confirmed on tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling that the main event of Slammiversary will be a fatal four-way for the Impact championship.
Announcer Josh Mathews confirmed that Trey Miguel, Ace Austin, and Eddie Edwards will compete in a fatal four-way match for the vacant Impact championship. The fourth person in the match is being billed as a yet to be named mystery opponent.
The match originally was a five-way bout. Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards were originally set to challenge champion Tessa Blanchard at Rebellion, but the match was unable to happen due to travel restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trey Miguel later advanced to the finals of a number one contender’s tournament but was attacked before he could compete. That tournament was then won by Ace Austin.
I appreciate the time and opportunities given to me with Impact. That locker room, the film crew and all the company officials were a pleasure to be associated with. I hope that in time things get sorted.
For now i have to look at the bright side, I have more time to spend with my son and reclaim time that has been missed.
**********
It looks like Michael Elgin has made his final appearance for Impact Wrestling.
In a statement issued today, Impact announced that Elgin won’t be appearing in any of the promotion’s further programming: “IMPACT Wrestling has announced that Michael Elgin will not be appearing in any further IMPACT Wrestling programming.”
Impact announced earlier this week that Elgin was suspended “pending further review of allegations of misconduct.”
Elgin had been scheduled to be one of the challengers for the Impact World Championship at Slammiversary on Saturday, July 18. Tessa Blanchard was supposed to defend the Impact World title against Elgin, Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin, and Trey Miguel in a five-way match at the pay-per-view. In addition to Elgin not appearing in any further Impact programming, that match has been affected by Impact terminating its relationship with Blanchard and stripping her of the World title. Impact hasn’t revealed their new plans for the match or how a new World Champion will be decided.
Elgin made his Impact debut at Rebellion in April 2019.
In the latest development as a result of the #SpeakingOut movement, Impact Wrestling announced Monday night that Joey Ryan and Dave Crist are no longer with the company while Michael Elgin has been suspended.
Impact released the following statement to the Observer:
“Impact Wrestling confirms that it has terminated its contracts with Dave Crist and Joey Ryan, effective immediately. In addition, it has suspended Michael Elgin pending further review of allegations of misconduct.”
Elgin was scheduled to compete for the company’s world title at July’s Slammiversary in a five-way intergender match featuring champion Tessa Blanchard, Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin, and Trey Miguel, while PWInsider reported that the six-man tag between Cancel Culture (Ryan, Rob Van Dam, Jacob Crist) vs. Crazzy Steve and two mystery partners has been edited off Tuesday’s edition of Impact.
Earlier Monday, it was reported that Ryan’s Bar Wrestling has been shut down as its owner was accused of sexual assault and harassment by several women over the past few days. After apologizing and attempting to explain his personal situation went over poorly on social media, Ryan deactivated his Twitter account as well as Bar Wrestling’s. Crist and Elgin have yet to comment publicly about the accusations of abusive treatment to women in the industry.
Impact Wrestling returns from Nashville, TN for tonight’s episode.
The opening video focused on the finals of the number one contender’s tournament, where Trey Miguel was mysteriously taken out in the back, prompting for his Rascalz teammate Zachary Wentz to take his spot and go after Ace Austin. Unfortunately for Wentz, Ace Austin bested him and became number one contender.
Furthermore, we got a refresher of the feud between Jordynne Grace and Taya Valkyrie, who face off tonight for the Knockout’s Championship.
Show opened with D’Amore and Callis debating on what to do with the Impact World title and Trey Miguel’s attack.
Michael Elgin defeated Ken Shamrock and Sami Callihan
Talk about an opening match, this could main event any major Impact pay-per-view.
Elgin made his entrance, but Shamrock didn’t wait. He ran down and started brawling with Elgin. Callihan entered via blackout apparition and the match was finally started.
For the first minutes, Shamrock and Elgin brawled while Callihan watched. After a powerbomb, Shamrock left the ring and Callihan entered the battle against Elgin.
They brawled to the outside, where Elgin caught Callihan’s dive and slammed him on the apron. Shamrock, out of nowhere, came down with an over the top rope dive on both men.
Elgin and Shamrock made it to the ring where Elgin hit a missile dropkick on Shamrock to take him down and start working. However, Callihan was there to distract Elgin, allowing Shamrock to armdrag him.
Callihan and Shamrock initially showed to be on the same side, and thus Elgin took them both out with a double clothesline, sent Shamrock out, and hit a falcon arrow for a two count on Callihan.
Elgin worked over Callihan, tossing him around the ring. Callihan would try to outstrike Elgin, but he wasn’t hurting him, while Elgin’s strikes surely made an impact on Callihan. It wasn’t until Shamrock came back to attack Elgin that Callihan and Shamrock took Elgin out with a kick combo and belly-to-belly.
Callihan and Shamrock started striking off until Callihan took out Shamrock’s leg, hit a diving elbow, and picked up a two count.
Elgin returned and went to exchange strikes with Callihan, but this time, Sami got the upper hand with a kick and elbow, only for Elgin to comeback with a release German and a diving forearm. As he went for the pin, Shamrock locked in the ankle Lock to break things up.
Both Elgin and Shamrock exchanged strikes. Elgin hit two DDTs, but Ken kept getting up, so Elgin went for an enzuigiri. Shamrock countered into an ankle lock. Elgin made the ropes, but Shamrock pulled and took the turnbuckle with him. Callihan didn’t allow the tap out, prompting Ken to change the lock to Callihan, but he managed to get out.
Elgin tossed Shamrock to the exposed turnbuckle and hit a spinning backfist on Callihan. He hit the Elgin Bomb on Shamrock for the win.
Elgin looked really strong here, defeating two wrestlers that technically worked together all match.
After the match, Shamrock and Callihan had a stare off before Callihan disappeared with his light tricks.
Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne ran down tonight’s card and teased that Tessa’s championship may be in jeopardy.
Gia Miller interviewed Jordynne Grace about being prepared after taking time off. Grace said that all she did in the last month was study and train, and she was ready to go back into competing week in week out.
Backstage, Dezmond and Wentz talked about becoming the number one contenders when Trey Miguel arrived. He was mad and wanted to know who jumped him last week. Xavier brought up that he had seen Ace Austin in the bathroom while Trey was being attacked. Wentz suspiciously tried to bring up Reno Scum.
Fortunately for Wentz, The North made their return and said that next week, it’s Rascalz vs The North. Wentz tried to imply that maybe The North attacked Wentz, and so The North said they were not even in the country and that maybe Wentz had done it because he didn’t want Trey to be the first champion of the group. Good arguments there as the dissension seeds are planted.
Tasha Steelz (with Kiera Hogan) defeated Susie
Steelz started talking trash, bullying Susie, but the latter got her by the neck, hit a couple of takedowns and a bulldog, causing Steelz to run to the floor to recoup. Susie tried to attack her with a dive, but Steelz got her on the way out with a kick.
Tasha worked over Susie, stomping on her. She hit a running forearm, European uppercut, and a neckbreaker for a two count.
Steelz knocked down Susie with strikes, but got surprised with a schoolgirl pin when Tasha played to the camera.
Susie made a comeback with a series of palm strikes and a Thesz press. She caught Tasha with an elbow, but Tasha connected with an enzuigiri to cut Susie off. Tasha went for a top rope move, but Susie caught her with another palm strike as she went down, earning a two count.
Kiera Hogan then came out, interrupting Susie, talking trash. That allowed Tasha to sneak up with the OKURRR! for the win. Good short match, Tasha Steelz is soo good.
Miller was supposed to interview Ace Austin, but he played Connor McGregor and made her wait and walk to where he was. Ace Austin said that he was the number one contender, but since Tessa wasn’t coming to work, he was the rightful World champion.
Moose approached him and told him that at Slammiversary, he should be challenging him. Ace told him off, saying it’s a good looking belt.
Hernandez walked up and told Moose he wanted a match for the title next week. Moose walked away without a response.
We saw Deonna Purrazzo arrive at the venue.
Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan celebrated in the back when they were approached by Havok and Neveah. Hogan tried to talk her way away from them and pretended to not be scared of Havok. Neveah challenged them to a match, but Hogan said that Tasha JUST had a match so maybe later on.
Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week was Michael and Maria Bennett making their debut and challenging Earl Hebner to fight. It’s a good tease, but not exactly Bennett’s best moment.
Backstage, Rohit Raju confronted Rhino about attacking him last week instead of taking him under his wing as the veteran he is. Rhino said that Rohit is always crying about not being given anything, so instead, Rohit jumped Rhino from behind.
Willie Mack & Cousin Jake defeated Chris Bey & Johnny Swinger
Bey teased wanting to take on Mack, but instead tagged to Swinger.. Swinger actually started with some offense on the corner on Mack, going for the 10 punches, but before he could finish, Mack hit an atomic drop and tagged in Jake.
Jake came in and tossed Swinger around for a bit before tagging back Mack. Swinger, however, managed to pull Mack to his corner and allow Bey to hit a cheap shot, cutting off Mack.
Bey tagged in and worked over Mack with kicks and quick tags to Swinger, who used his old school dirty tricks to keep Mack down.
Mack caught Swinger with a low kick, enough to tag in Jake, who came in hot. He took out both men, tossed Bey on top of Swinger and went for the corner spear, but Swinger was there to pull Bey away and let Jake go into the ring post.
Back from commercial, Bey and Swinger cut off Jake and worked over his abdomen, using every dirty trick in the book. Cousin Jake tried to make a comeback, only to be taken down by an enzuigiri by Bey.
Swinger and Bey tried to pull off a double team move on Cousin Jake, but he managed to body block Swinger and take down Bey, giving him enough to tag in Mack.
Mack came in, hit the Samoan drop and moonsault on both Swinger and Bey. Cousin Jake clotheslined Bey to the floor. Swinger went for his swinging neckbreaker, but Mack reversed and hit the stunner for the win.
After the match, Bey and Swinger jumped Jake and Mack, but Cody Deaner made his return and made the save for his cousin.
Rosemary and John E. Bravo were drinking at a bar. Rosemary once again tried to get Bravo to bite the poison apple. Taya was there to interrupt them and asked why Bravo wasn’t welcoming her with a party. Rosemary stood up for Bravo, but Taya told them off and gave Rosemary a Micro Brawler as a present.
Rosemary told Taya she had a gift for her for tonight’s title shot.
Scott D’Amore came out to address the situation with the Impact World Title. D’Amore said that they have a number one contender crowned in Ace Austin, but Tessa Blanchard is still not there at the building. Before he could proceed, Ace Austin came out to interrupt.
Ace jumped the line and said that he was going to be crowned the new world champion. Not long after, Michael Elgin came out to claim his rightful shot for the title.
Elgin said the title was rightfully his and that if Ace wanted to be the champ, he had to go through Elgin. Elgin said that no one could handle him, but as a prompt, Eddie Edwards came out, making his own return.
Eddie said he wasn’t scared of Elgin. He also said that he belonged in that Rebellion match that didn’t take place, mentioning that he was still holding the title shot trophy. Ace pushed for D’Amore to call him the champion already.
D’Amore said that no one gets handouts in Impact, and that if any of them wanted to be the champion, they would have to fight for it because at Slammiversary it’s going to be a five way match. Tessa will defend against Eddie Edwards, Michael Elgin, Ace Austin, and Trey Miguel, who then came in and jumped Ace Austin.
All four men came in and brawled with one another.
Gia Miller tried to interview Deonna Purrazzo, but she wasn’t in her locker room. Gia is having a bad night.
#CancelCulture came down along with the new Jacob Crist and the returning Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes. Ryan explained that Crist was a new man. Ryan said that tonight, Jacob Crist was going to teach “Mentally Unwell” Steven a lesson.
Jacob Crist (with #CancelCulture) defeated Crazzy Steve
Crist jumped Steve to start the match, but Steve was quick to recover, dropping Jake to his knees. He hit a low dropkick and a senton for an early two count. Side leg sweep for a second pin attempt. He followed that with a snapmare and a standing neck twist followed by a hanging leg lock.
Crist finally managed to snap Steve’s arm on the ropes and started working over that arm with ambreakers and submission attempts.
Steve recovered, hit a couple of takedowns and a short clothesline for a two count. Joseph Ryan distracted Steve, allowing Crist to hit a kick combo and take down Steve for a three count. Pretty weak match and an even weaker finish, but Jake Crist finally picks up a win.
Impact Knockout’s Champion Jordynne Grace defeated Taya Valkyrie (with John E. Bravo & Rosemary) to retain the title
This is the match that was originally scheduled for Rebellion.
Jordynne rushed Taya at the start of the match, but Taya ran to her party, only for Jordynne to follow with a tope, taking them all out.
Back in the ring, Jordynne had control and rammed Taya in the corner. She hit a suplex for a pin attempt. Jordynne clotheslined and chopped Taya from corner to corner. Taya had enough and chopped back, successfully hurting Grace, yet causing her to get more aggressive, hitting a belly-to-belly for a two count.
Jordynne followed with more strikes, but once again Taya left the ring, and yet again, Jordynne followed except this time, the distraction of Bravo was enough for Taya to attack her from behind and cut her off. Taya, however, used her opening to only talk trash. She slowly made her way to the top turnbuckle, allowing Jordynne to recover and struck her, sending her all the way to the floor.
Taya gained full control, sending Jordynne to the steel steps. Back in the ring, Taya worked over Grace in the corner with chokes and running knees to the head, earning a two count. Taya went for a superplex, but she argued so much with the referee that Grace recovered and dropped Taya with a sunset flip powerbomb.
Grace started powerslamming Taya every time she attacked. She tossed Taya into the ringpost and followed with running knees and elbows, ending with a Vader bomb for a two count.
Jordynne chased the Grace Driver, but Taya blocked it. Jordynne tried for a sleeper, but Taya was too tall for her and pushed back. Taya once again distracted herself with Bravo now, coming close to being taken out by Grace, but then caught the champion with a spear for a two count.
Taya tried to lock in a sharpshooter, but Grace escaped. Taya went for the Road to Valhalla, but Grace fought out of it, clotheslined Taya several times, and locked in the sleeper hold, submitting Taya to retain the title.
All throughout the match, Rosemary and Bravo kept talking to each other and not paying helping Taya, so that’s likely to become a story.
After the match, The Virtuosa Deonna Purrazzo finally made her debut and got face to face with Jordynne Grace and made clear that her intentions were the championship. She offered a handshake, but instead took down Grace with a vicious armbar. Purrazzo stood tall over Jordynne and the title as the show went off the air.
After the show, we saw Michael Elgin on the phone talking with someone from Canada, who he referred as “sir”. He said that “us Canadians have always been team players”.
Final Thoughts:
Good show. Really eventful, filled with returns and a big debut to close it off. Wrestling wise, we had some good stuff, but nothing out of this world.
We are now officially on the road to Slammiversary 2020 with a solid main event announced, big return teases, and a likely Knockout’s title challenger.
Next week, Rohit Raju vs Rhino, Moose defends the TNA title vs Hernandez, Ace Austin vs Eddie Edawrds in a Street Fight, and The North vs The Rascalz for the Impact Tag Team titles.
Tessa Blanchard will defend her Impact World Championship against four challengers at next month’s Slammiversary pay-per-view.
After announcing that the future of their World Championship would be addressed on the episode, it was revealed on tonight’s Impact that Blanchard will defend her title against Michael Elgin, Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin, and Trey Miguel in a five-way match at Slammiversary. The PPV is taking place on Saturday, July 18.
Scott D’Amore made an appearance on tonight’s Impact to announce the title match for Slammiversary. The segment ended with Austin, Elgin, Edwards, and Miguel brawling.
Elgin and Edwards were supposed to challenge for Blanchard’s title in a triple threat match at Rebellion in April, but that match didn’t happen because Blanchard and Edwards weren’t able to attend the tapings for the show due to the coronavirus pandemic. Blanchard also missed the most recent set of Impact tapings.
On last week’s Impact, Austin defeated Zachary Wentz in the finals of a tournament to become the number one contender to Blanchard’s title. The tournament final was supposed to be Austin vs. Miguel, but there was an angle where Miguel was attacked backstage. Miguel’s attacker has yet to be revealed.
Impact Wrestling returns from Nashville, TN for tonight’s episode, main evented by the finals of the Impact World Title #1 contendership tournament between Ace Austin and Trey Miguel.
Opening video was a full recap of the tournament.
Impact made a dedication of tonight’s episode to George Floyd and his family. They were silent on social media throughout the show.
Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz defeated Kylie Rae & Susie
Rae and Steelz started the match with a lock-up, a couple of wrist control reversals ending with Steelz pulling on the hair to gain control. Susie tagged in and was mocked by Steelz, but Susie had enough and slapped Steelz. Hogan tagged in and once again Susie controlled her, tagging in Rae for the double team and a two count.
Steelz once again came in and trash talked Susie into Hogan’s hands for the attack behind Susie’s back. Hogan and Steelz worked over Susie with quick tags, a lot of strikes and trash talk, but eventually Susie hit a desperation bulldog and tagged Rae in.
Kylie came in and ran wild over both women with running european uppercuts and rolling sentons. She went from the top rope into the Kylie Special, but Hogan kicked out.
Susie tagged in and went for a fireman’s carry, but Tasha got her with a codebreaker. Rae took out Tasha, but Hogan was there to superkick Rae.
Susie came back and went for an airplane spin on Tasha, but Hogan cut her off. They superkicked Rae and hit a top rope rana by Tasha and a twisting fisherman’s suplex by Hogan for the win. Good match, the team of Tasha and Kiera is really good.
Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne ran down the card for tonight.
Ace Austin was interviewed about losing to Mack right before the tournament. Ace cut the interviewer off and said that he never dwells on the past. He is only focused on the future, and his future is the World title.
Moose interrupted him and congratulated him for making the finals. Moose sold Ace Austin how prestigious the TNA World title is, making an argument to go after his title, and not Tessa’s. Ace considered it.
Joseph P. Ryan (with oVe) defeated Crazzy Steve
Jake and Dave Crist are out with Ryan by invitation.
Steve started calling Ryan the ‘dick guy’, and thus got slapped by Ryan. Steve, however, reacted by getting fired up and running wild on Ryan, hitting a couple of clotheslines and kicks for a two count.
Ryan recovered and caught Steve with a great dropkick to cut his momentum off and start working over him. It’s hard to say with the facepaint, but it seemed like Steve was busted open with the dropkick.
Ryan got a couple of near falls before Steve started fighting back and biting Ryan’s hand. Steve hit a running cannonball and was going for the finish, but Jake and Dave Crist distracted the referee, allowing Ryan to superkick a distracted Steve for the win. Boring match, but at least it was short.
After the match, Joseph P. Ryan invited Jake Crist to join #CancelCulture, but Jake had to change his ways and make some sacrifices. Dave tried to talk Jake out of it, but with zero hesitation, Jake hit Dave with a spin kick.
Rohit Raju defeated Chase Stevens
Rohit started strong, clubbing Stevens to the mat, but Stevens came back with punches. Rohit kept that momentum by kicking Stevens’ leg out and hitting a running kneelift for a two count. Rohit kept going after the leg, but Stevens hit a short distance clothesline to stop Rohit’s momentum, getting a two count with a suplex.
Rohit hit a side leg sweep for a two count and followed through with stomps and a falling elbow for another near fall. Chase went for a German, but Rohit countered and dropped Chase with a Reverse STO. Rohit choked Stevens a bit, dropped him with a back elbow, but he kept getting distracted talking to the camera.
Chase made another comeback with strikes and kicks, hitting a release German and scissors kick for a near fall. Chase went for the second rope moonsault and almost broke his neck on Rohit’s knees.
Stevens hit a low kick that distracted the referee, allowing Rohit to hit a jumping knee and double stomp for the win. Good short match, Stevens looked in good shape.
After the match, Rohit said he was the most underrated wrestler of the world, which I’ve also been saying. After the promo, Rhino gored him from behind for no reason whatsoever.
Havok and Neveah were interviewed about her arrival to Impact. Neveah said that since Havok was now free from James Mitchell’s hand, she came in to make sure that Havok was doing good, and decided to rejoin her as the unstoppable duo they are.
We got a new episode of Locker Room talk with Madison Rayne and Johnny Swinger. Their special guest was Chris Bey. Swinger was extra excited about his new ‘tag team partner’.
Madison asked Bey about joining Impact, but before he could answer, Swinger jumped in and put him over in Swinger’s way. Madison asked about going for the X-Division championship, but once again, Swinger jumped in and answered for him, saying he could easily become the X-Division Champion, but that he was going to focus on his new tag team “The Finesse and Bench Press Express”, and they’re making their debut next week against “Willie Mark” and Jake “Ham n Egger”. Chris Bey agreed to team with him if Swinger would help him go after the X-Division title next.
This was great, but Swinger saying Madison “Square Garden” Rayne was the cherry on top.
Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week was the World Title KO or Submission match between Drew Galloway and Bobby Lashley at 2016’s Slammiversary.
Jimmy Jacobs interviewed Jordynne Grace, who said that she had been training in her absence and that she was returning to a far stronger Knockout’s division. Taya interrupted saying that if she was the champion, she wouldn’t have taken time off.
Jordynne Grace said Taya was right, and she was craving getting in the ring, even offered Taya her title rematch, but Taya wasn’t ready for tonight, so next week it is.
The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) defeated Fallah Bahh & TJP in a Tag Team championship #1 contendership match
Rascalz made some jokes about not having people there, but TJP said they were doing it for the fans at home. They bumped elbows, while actually saying they were about to wrestle anyway, but again, it was done as a sign of respect.
There was some comedy with TJP not getting Bahh to let him start, but once everything was good, the wrestling started.
Bahh and Dezmond started the match, with Bahh using his size advantage to cut off Dezmond’s attack and showing that Bahh could also do lucha style reversals to Dezmond’s quick attacks.
TJP and Wentz came in and had a far more serious and competitive sequence of counters and reversals, combined with a lot of chain wrestling in between the ranas and takedowns. Rascalz ended with the upper hand when TJP got too close to The Rascalz’ corner and started double teaming him with an enzuigiri and bronco Buster combo.
Bahh came in and took on both Rascalz and set up the Poetry in Motion on TJP for a two count. TJP with a suplex and was going for a backplex, but Wentz escaped and tagged in Dez for a kick combo and another two count.
From here on, The Rascalz worked over TJP with quick tags and double team moves, but TJP managed to dodge them and hit a Tornado DDT, getting his opening to tag in Bahh.
Fallah ran wild over both men with running splashes, used Dezmond as a longdart to land onto Wentz, followed by a Samoan drop for a near fall. Bahh hit a Hadouken, sending Dezmond into the corner, which was the set up for TJP to hit a Rolling fireman’s carry slam and the stacked-up plancha double team move for a two count.
TJP hit a twisting suplex and a dragon screw. TJP striked Dez over and over again, but eventually, Xavier fired up, hit a combo, and got the tag to Wentz, who came in hot. He took down TJP with a kick combo, a running knee, and finished it with a standing moonsault for a near fall.
Rascalz hit a superkick and foot stomp combo, but Bahh broke the pin, hit a belly-to-belly on Wentz, a Samoan drop on Dezmond, and after a couple of more near falls, everybody was down.
Wentz took out Bahh with a jumping boot, TJP hit Wentz with a backplex, only for Dez to come in with a Pele kick and get countered into an ankle lock. After a long struggle, Wentz assisted Dezmond with a punch, rolling him over to a bridging pin over TJP for the win. Great match with a cool unique finish.
Both teams made up after the match and The Rascalz offered a rematch whenever they wanted.
We got a second vignette for ‘The Virtuosa’ Deonna Purazzo. This was even better than last week’s, a lot more character in her promo. She debuts next week.
Rosemary and John E. Bravo walked down the street in what seemed like a work day. Bravo said that he never had this much fun with Taya, and so Rosemary invited him to work for her. Rosemary even tried seducing Bravo, but as he was about to bite the apple, Taya called him on the phone and Bravo ran off.
Michael Elgin barged into the production table and demanded his music get played as he headed to the ring.
Elgin said that he is the rightful World champion but he keeps getting screwed, and last week, he allowed himself to lose because of Sami Callihan. Incidentally, Sami’s hacking started.
Elgin said that Callihan knew he had nothing on Elgin and thus played his tricks on him. He said that tournament finals were next and he wasn’t leaving the ring until he was declared the #1 contender to the Impact World championship.
Out came Ken Shamrock. Elgin attacked Shamrock and they started brawling in the ring, Shamrock getting the better of Elgin with multiple knees, but when Shamrock went for the ankle lock, Elgin escaped.
Ace Austin came down to the ring for his match. When Trey Miguel was to make his entrance, we suddenly jumped to the back where Trey Miguel had been taken out and Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz called for help. Wentz went after who he thought was the attacker.
In the ring, Ace Austin said it was unfortunate, but he may as well be declared the #1 contender. This was interrupted by Wetnz, who tried to attack him.
Scott D’Amore came down to deal with the problem and said that Wentz could take Trey’s place in this match, but he didn’t specify if he was Trey’s proxy or straight up replacement. Madison Rayne was the one that later made the note that Wentz could become the #1 contender tonight. This is straight out of the Russo era, Matthews defending this was pretty bad.
Ace Austin defeated Zachary Wentz in an Impact World championship #1 contendership match
Wentz started strong, taking down Ace with a running dropkick and the gunckle driver for an early two count. Wentz went straight for punches and stomps, but kept getting pulled away by the referee. Wentz hit a big superkick and more punches, but Ace finally managed to pull Wentz face-first into the buckle to cut him off.
Back from commercial, Ace had somewhat recovered and had Wentz on the floor, where he was dropped on the apron when Wentz swept his leg. Ace kept attacking Wentz on the floor, ramming him to the apron. Ace hit a Back Body Drop onto the ramp. They traded more strikes and whipped each other to the guardrails.
Ace stomped on Wentz’ hand when he tried to come back to the ring and worked more on his back, only for Wentz to counter Ace and send him towards the rail, followed by more stomps and kicks. Wentz went for a big running attack, but was caught with a spinning kick by Ace instead.
They made it back to the ring, where they traded kicks. Ace locked in a low abdominal stretch, but Wentz pushed over to the corner. Ace hit a slingshot onto the ropes for a two count. Ace hit a suplex for a two count, only for Wentz to come back with one of his own for another two count.
Ace hit a desperation Stunner to get some space and locked in an armbar for his papercut trick. Wentz came back with a chop, but Ace easily cut him off again with a kick. Wentz still tried to fight back with chops and punches, successfully bringing Ace to his knees, forcing Ace to rely on pulling Wentz’s hair to cut him off. Wentz hit a desperation jumping knee to finally bring down Ace.
Wentz hit a great striking combo, followed up with a jumping knee, a low kick, and landed a standing moonsault for a two count. Ace went for a backplex, but Wentz escaped and kicked Ace. Wentz hit a complex version of an uranage for a two count. Wentz went back for punches.
Wentz went for a suplex, but Ace rolled over for a two count. Wentz responded with a superkick for another near fall. Wentz went for the swanton bomb, but Ace got his knees up. Ace hit the double footstomp DDT and The Fold for the win.
Great match, but aside from giving us a new match-up, there was no point in doing this angle with Trey Miguel, only for Wentz to lose to Ace Austin.
A vignette aired with a hooded figure watching a newscast on television, mentioning twenty wrestlers that were released due to the global pandemic. After showing footage of Eric Young, a Bulgarian flag, Gallows, Anderson, Drake Maverick, Curt Hawking, Mike and Maria Bennett, and EC3, the vignette plugged this year’s Slammiversary.
Final Thoughts —
Ok show, we had some good wrestling, but that final angle with Trey Miguel really left a bad taste in my mouth. With the benefit of the doubt, it may go somewhere later on.
Impact Wrestling returns from Nashville, TN to kickoff the semifinals of the Impact World Championship #1 contender’s tournament.
Also tonight, The North will defend the tag team titles against Cody Deaner and a mystery partner at the Deaner Compound.
Tonight’s Impact Wrestling episode is dedicated to Shad Gaspard and Hana Kimura. RIP.
Opening video focused on Moose defending his TNA World championship against Suicide, Ace Austin defeating Rhino, and Elgin defeating Callihan to advance to tonight’s semifinal matches.
Ace Austin defeated Hernandez in an Impact World championship #1 contender semifinal match
This was another speed vs. power match for Ace, he was quick to dodge and run around Hernandez, but Hernandez only needed to get his hands on him to cut him off and throw him around.
Hernandez had started with some momentum, but Ace cut him off with a kick and went after his legs. Hernandez hit a body press slam, blocked a sunset flip, but Ace was quick enough to superkick him, send him to the floor, and follow with a dive, only to get caught by Hernandez.
Ace caught Hernandez coming into the ring and kicked the ropes into his groin to finally cut him off. Hernandez tried to punch Ace away, but Ace kept going after the leg. Ace went for a bodyslam, but he wasn’t able to lift Hernandez, who instead tossed him around with a suplex. Ace went back for the leg instead and stomped around for a while, getting a two count at one point with a running dropkick.
After some more knees and kicks, Hernandez caught Ace with a shoulder tackle and turned the match around. He hit a couple of clotheslines, a corner splash and followed with a backbreaker for a two count.
Hernandez went for the Border Toss, but Ace escaped and clipped the knee of Hernandez. He tried for the Border Toss anyway, but his knee buckled. Ace went for a crossbody, but Hernandez caught him, rocked him like a baby, completely ignoring the knee, and went for a powerbomb, but was countered with a rana for a two count.
Hernandez went for a suplex, but once again, Ace escaped and clipped the knee. This time, Ace hit Hernandez with a reverse DDT and The Fold for the clean win.
Weak match, Ace was great, but Hernandez can’t do much right now. Ace advanced to the finals.
Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne ran down tonight’s card.
We got a video package of someone in a motorcycle, which was the subject of Undertaker references by Cody Deaner, who was getting ready for his match tonight. We saw The North take a limo to the Deaner Compound, making fun of everyone who lives there.
Backstage, Johnny Swinger told Chris Bey that he has his back tonight and he has all the gimmicks in his pocket. Bey just told him to call it in the ring.
Michael Elgin cut a promo saying that last week he beat yet another World Champion, and tonight, he has to take care of Trey Miguel. He told Trey to be serious tonight and not his Treehouse happy-go-lucky self, because Elgin is always serious.
Chris Bey (with Johnny Swinger) defeated Cousin Jake
Commentary explained that Cousin Jake wasn’t at the Deaner Compound because he was stuck in the US.
Lock up to start the match, with Jake having the power advantage, pushing Bey to the corner, and sending him to the other side with a toss. Jake kept hold of Bey’s wrist and hit a couple of short distance Clotheslines. Bey tried to run around, but took a Body Block and Body Slam for a two count.
Jake dropped a knee, and at this point, Bey started dodging Bey, and thanks to Swinger’s distraction, Bey finally connected with a kick and dropkick to take down Jake.
Back from commercial, Bey worked over Cousin Jake with past paced kicks. Bey took time to distract the referee, allowing Swinger to attack Jake.
Cousin Jake eventually fired up and started challenging Bey to hit him. Bey eventually took him down with a kick and got a two count. So much for that approach.
Bey kept these attacks coming for a while, but after missing a standing moonsault, Jake finally got an opening to hit a right hand on Bey and take him down. Cousin Jake hit a series of clotheslines and prepared for one more, but instead caught Bey and hit a screwdriver for a two count.
Jake went for a deadlift powerbomb, but Bey woke up and fought from underneath. He went for a rana, but Jake blocked and went for a powerbomb, only for Bey to reverse it into a Yoshi Tonic. Bey went for another, but this time, Jake connected with a powerbomb for a two count.
Jake hit a corner spear, but Swinger got involved and distracted Jake, who took him out, but the distraction was enough for Bey to hit the Fameasser and the Final Finess for the win. Pretty good sleeper match.
After the match, Swinger and Bey attacked Cousin Jake until Willie Mack came out for the save.
Rohit Raju was interviewed about his future. Rohit asked when he was getting a rematch, but before he continued, Chase Stevens interrupted him. Rohit asked why he was here to take spots in the card and challenged him to a match. Crazy to believe that in 2020, Chase Stevens is becoming a regular.
Kimber Lee defeated Havok by DQ
Kimber Lee, this time around, is definitely playing a bit more heelish on her entrance.
Lee jumped Havok to start the match. She went on a flurry of strikes, but soon enough, Havok got a hold of her and started tossing her around from corner to corner.
Kimber Lee regained control by kicking Havok on her legs and head to bring her down to her knees, and transitioned to a sleeper. Havok started to fade a bit, but Havok then powered up, picked up Lee, and slammed her back-first to the buckle. Havok then hit a huge spinebuster and backbreaker and clothesline combo to take her down. Havok hit a couple of running boots to the corner.
Kimber Lee raked Havok’s eyes and went for the brass knuckles, but Nevaeh finally got in the ring and attacked Kimber Lee, saving Havok from the knockout punch. Havok and Lee have a good chemistry and put a lot of intensity to their work, they could have a great match if given time.
After the match, Havok and Neveah hit a demon drop and cutter double team move.
Backstage, Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz bullied Kylie Rae. Susie came out and told Hogan that what she was doing was bad. Hogan and Steelz beat up Rae and Susie, who had some Su Yung flashbacks.
We got another video of The North getting to the compound’s barn and being greeted by some dude that just keeps running. The barn opened and three rednecks welcomed The North in.
Backstage, Joseph P. Ryan asked Jake and Dave Crist to come out with him next to his fight with “Mentally ill” Steve.
Cody Deaner hyped his crew for tonight’s match. The North said the match was a two-on-two and that no other Deaner could get involved, but Cody Deander said that in the compound, everything goes. Cody introduced “Wheels”, his tag team partner.
Impact World Tag Team Champions The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated The Deaners (Cody Deaner & Wheels) to retain their titles
This was a cinematic type of match. It started with all four men brawling around the barn, with the Deaners getting some early advantage over Josh Alexander thanks to the size of Wheel. Afterwards, Cody focused on Josh while Wheels went around ringside beating up Page.
Back in the ring, however, Josh Alexander took control of the match, while Page started to recover by throwing stuff at Wheels.
The match spilled outside where they rammed each other against walls and tossed tractor tires at each other. At one point, The North hit Cody with a double Border Toss from a trailer onto the crowd. Cody later hit a plancha from up top too.
Wheels was tossed through a fence, but later recovered to slam Josh through a car, breaking the windows and all, only getting a two count.
The brawl continued around the farm with tire irons and such, but it eventually built to Josh and Cody brawling up to the top of a cargo container, where Josh hit a piledriver and left Cody for dead. Josh tossed the ladder away to make sure that Cody couldn’t come down.
Page and Josh then double teamed Wheels for a while in the ring, while the rest of the Deaners tried to bring Cody down.
Back in the ring, the referee attacked The North, but failed to land his SSP. Meanwhile, Cody Deaner came back, ran wild over The North and hit the Give’er on Josh for the visual pin, but the referee was down.
The North hit their finisher on Cody, but he rolled out of the ring. Wheels went for a double chokeslam, but the announcer from Battlearts Academy appeared. They low blowed Wheels, revealed his referee t-shirt, and counted the quick pin. This was fun, but nothing special.
The North and company then ran away from an angry mob of rednecks.
TJP and Fallah Bahh were interviewed about The North. TJP said they were still in the northern trail and it was a matter of time before they would get their title match. The Rascalz interrupted them and told them that they JUST them, to which TJP made a challenge for next week for the tie breaker and #1 Contendership match for the tag titles.
Trey Miguel was at the Treehouse when Dezmond and Wentz arrived. Trey was stressing out regarding his match tonight when Moose arrived and gifted Trey with some sweet sunglasses. They asked Moose why he had the TNA title. He said that once Trey wins, maybe he should go after Moose’s title instead of Tessa’s, but they laughed it out. Moose reminded them what happened the last time they made fun of Moose.
Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week was Moose vs. Cody Rhodes for the Impact Grand Championship.
We got a vignette for “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo. Hell of a catch for Impact! She cut a great promo.
Rosemary and John E. Bravo were talking at the bar, Rosemary talked about her history and coming close to getting married. Bravo said that he felt like he had also sold his soul to Taya. They agreed to work together and said that they’d go find a new bar for next week. It just hit me that they’ve been in a crowded bar for weeks.
Matthews and Rayne ran down the card for next week: The Rascalz vs. Bahh and TJP, Joseph P. Ryan vs. Crazzy Steve, Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz vs. Susie and Kylie Rae, a Locker Room Talk featuring Chris Bey, and the finals of the #1 contender’s tournament.
Trey Miguel defeated Michael Elgin in an Impact World championship #1 contender semifinal match
This is yet another speed vs. power match up. This time around, they started with some chain wrestling and a short sequence of headlocks and reverses. Elgin had the strength advantage and was really hurting Trey when he got his hands on him, but Trey’s lucha style ranas and arm drags were able to take Elgin out of his element.
Elgin was sent to the floor, but caught Trey Miguels’ dive attempt. Trey went for a second with a moonsault. Once again Elgin caught him, but Trey managed to rebound from the ropes and drop Elgin with a DDT, followed by a split-legged moonsault in the ring for a two count.
Trey hit an elbow on Elgin, but was brought down from the top rope the hard way and hit with a double underhook backbreaker for a two count.
Elgin started punishing Trey with chops and forearms. He whipped Trey around the corners and talked trash to Trey, challenging him to bring it, but Trey couldn’t even take a slap from Elgin. Trey kept trying to come at Elgin, but couldn’t hurt Elgin at all. Elgin kept on with the punishment for a while.
After more strikes from Elgin, Trey finally fired up and started taking Elgin’s punches and pushing back, and eventually released a flurry of attacks, going after Elgin’s jaw.
Elgin went for a powerbomb, but was blocked by Trey and taken down by a low kick. Elgin went for a pop-up powerbomb, but Trey reversed into a meteora on the spot, finally bringing down Elgin.
Back from commercial, Trey had started gaining momentum with kicks, scoring a two count with a Pele Kick. Elgin hit a cutter and stormbreaker for a two count. Elgin went for short distance clotheslines, but Trey kept trying to strike back. Elgin started striking down Trey, but the latter managed to start superkicking Elgin and connected with a Yoshi Tonic. Elgin simply rebounded into a sliding lariat. Elgin went for a suplex, but Trey reversed into a Stunner, again, only for Elgin to rebound from the ropes with a Lariat, turning Trey around.
Trey hit his second wind and delivered three Superkicks, a Foot stomp, and a low Cutter for a two count. Trey was crying out of desperation at this point.
Trey went for the third rope, but was stopped by Elgin, who went for the Green Bay Plunge, but Trey blocked and went for the rana. Elgin blocked, but Trey managed to gain momentum and land it.
Trey went for a poison rana, but Elgin blocked and hit a release German suplex instead for a two count. Elgin went for a deadlift superplex, but Trey fought off and hit another meteora for a two count. Trey went for another meteora, but Elgin caught him with a powerbomb.
Elgin hit a huge lariat for another two count, and Elgin is now the one getting desperate. He went for the buckle bomb, but was interrupted by Sami Callihan, who hacked the screen and lighting of the venue. Thanks to the distraction, Trey recovered, rolled over Elgin, and picked up the upset win of the year.
That result officially makes it Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel next week in the tournament finals.
After the match, Elgin threw a fit and trashed his surroundings as the show closed.
Final thoughts:
Ok show. Two really good matches, and a couple of storyline developments as they start to build the upcoming programs for the future.
The semifinals are set for Impact Wrestling’s number one contender’s tournament.
The promotion has announced that both semifinal matches will air on next Tuesday’s episode of Impact. They are Michael Elgin vs. Trey Miguel and Hernandez vs. Ace Austin.
Elgin defeating Sami Callihan and Austin defeating Rhino in first round matches aired last night. After an angle where Elgin attacked Ken Shamrock last week, Austin replaced Shamrock in the tournament.
Miguel advanced to the semifinals by defeating Rohit Raju, while Hernandez defeated Madman Fulton.
The winner of the number one contender’s tournament will challenge Tessa Blanchard for the Impact World Championship. A triple threat match for the title between Blanchard, Elgin, and Eddie Edwards was supposed to headline Rebellion last month, but Blanchard and Edwards weren’t able to attend Impact’s tapings due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a match from the Deaner Compound, Impact Tag Team Champions The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) will defend their titles against Cody Deaner and a member of the Deaner family on next week’s Impact. Kimber Lee vs. Jessicka Havok is also set for the show.
Impact Wrestling returns from Nashville, TN for tonight’s episode, which features the second half of the World Title #1 contendership tournament’s first round matches. Ace Austin replaces the injured Ken Shamrock to take on Rhino, and Sami Callihan will take on Michael Elgin.
Opening video was a recap of last week’s tournament matches, with Hernandez defeating Madman Fulton, and Trey Miguel getting the win over Rohit Raju. We also got a recap of Elgin attacking Shamrock, as well as the Moose vs Suicide main event.
Ace Austin defeated Rhino in a World Championship #1 contender first round match
Rhino had the early advantage power-wise, forcing Ace to stall outside the ring on several occasions, at one point dodging an early Gore.
Eventually, Rhino chased after Ace to the floor where he dropped him with a suplex and went for a chair. The referee was there, however, to stop Rhino. The distraction allowed Ace to recover, catch Rhino with a couple of kicks (including the headstand kick) then rammed him into the ring post.
Rhino made it back at nine, but Ace was ready to attack him and started to work on him. Rhino had some comeback spots, however Ace cut him off to regain control.
Eventually, Rhino managed to connect a clothesline counter as both men went down. Rhino went wild with clotheslines and elbows on Ace and hit a mini-Gore, but Ace still caught him with a jumping leg lariat for a two count.
Ace went to the top rope, but Rhino stopped him, hitting a superplex for a two count. Ace went for the chair, but the referee distracted him. Rhino took the chair, but once again the referee took the chair, which allowed Ace to hit Rhino with his Gambit stick and hit The Fold for the win. Okay match.
We got an interview between Josh Matthews and Moose, where the former asked the latter when he’ll end his delusions of being the TNA World Champion. Moose said that when he loses the title, he will let it go. Moose brought up the referee making it an official title match when he raised it over his head.
Matthews brought up that Suicide had a visual pin over him. Moose said Suicide didn’t win. Moose said that he’ll give Suicide a rematch to show that he’s a fighting champion.
Tasha Steelz was backstage when she was approached by Kiera Hogan. She told Steelz that she was impressed and offered to guide Steelz, who agreed to partner up.
Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne ran down the card for tonight.
Crazzy Steve defeated Dave Crist (with oVe)
Crist tried to jump Steve, but got caught with a leg sweep, took a couple of strikes, and a cannonball before escaping to the floor. Steve landed a pescado, wiping him out. Unfortunately for Steve, when he went back to the ring through the ropes, Dave kicked the ropes into Steve’s groin and cut him off.
Joseph P. Ryan came down to the ramp to observe and make notes on the match.
Dave Crist worked on Crazzy Steve for a couple of minutes, getting several two counts and a submission tease with a Kimura. Crazzy Steve would try to kick Dave away, but it wasn’t enough, and when things got bad, someone from oVe would distract the referee, allowing the rest of oVe to attack.
Eventually, Crazzy Steve got an opening to hit a jumping DDT from the second rope to pick up the win. This was like a reverse squash; Dave did all the work, then lost to one move.
After the match, Fulton berated Dave Crist. Jake tried to stop him. Madman Fulton said he was done with oVe. Jake Crist tried to stop him, but Fulton choked both men and ripped apart his oVe shirt.
Out in the bar, Rosemary was talking to Mr. Mundo when John E. Bravo approached them. Rosemary hit on Bravo, but he was disgusted and weirded out.
Bahh and Acey started the match, a clash of hosses. They went for the lock up, but neither could get the better of the other, so they relied on shoulder tackles and body blocks.
TJP and Larry D tagged in, with the latter having the easy power advantage, tossing around TJP, but TJP had the speed to dodge and get some strikes on Larry. At one point, Larry went for a sit down pin, but TJP dodged, and followed with a low crossbody for a one count. TJP and Bahh hit the stacked splash, successfully cutting off Larry D.
TJP and Bahh worked over Larry D with quick tags and double team moves, but eventually Acey Romero got a blind tag on D and saved him.
Back from commercial, Acey and Larry D have cut off TJP and hit a double running splash for a two count. Now in control, Larry D worked over TJP, getting a two count with a huge spinebuster. TJP hit a jumping DDT (jumping off Acey Romero), and dropped Larry D to get the tag to Bahh.
Fallah Bahh came in and took out Acey Romero with a shoulder tackle, sending him to the floor. Bahh continued with a rossbody on Larry D and tried to follow that up with a belly-to-belly, but Larry blocked and allowed Acey to return with a pounce for a two count, broken up by TJP.
XXXL went to double team Bahh, but were caught by a crossbody. Bahh hit the belly-to-belly on Larry D for a two count. Bahh set up the Banzai Drop, but was stopped by Acey Romero, who then dropped TJP with a body slam. Larry D went to the top rope, but Bahh stopped him, hit a Samoan drop and followed that with a bMamba Splash for the win. Good match, Larry D is somewhat underrated.
Self-Proclaimed TNA World Champion Moose defeated Suicide to retain his title.
Once again, Moose forced ring announcer David Penzer to make the proper title match introductions.
Match started with Suicide dodging some of Moose’s attacks and hitting a rana, but Moose recovered and blocked Suicide’s attacks. Suicide faked Moose to the floor and hit a pescado, but Moose caught him. However, he managed to ram Moose to the ring post.
Back in the ring, Suicide hit a springboard rana and followed with an octopus stretch, transitioning to a pin for a two count. Suicide hit a low dropkick to send Moose out again, but when he went for a rolling senton, Moose caught him and swung him to the guard rail like a ragdoll.
In the ring, Moose worked over Suicide with chokes and strikes, but he kept distracting himself with the referee. He tossed around Suicide from corner to corner; he legit did this about 10 times before he started talking trash to Suicide. This provoked a comeback from Suicide, with him hitting some clotheslines. Eventually, the fourth clothesline had enough power to spin Moose around.
Suicide dodged Moose’s rushes and hit a couple of running dropkicks, a rolling fireman’s carry slam and a lionsault for a near fall. Moose came back and rammed Suicide to the corner followed by stomps, but distracted himself with the referee once again. In a bit of deja vu from last week, the referee almost got taken out, but they both stopped themselves.
Continuing his offense, Suicide hit a codebreaker and superkick on Moose. He landed three more superkicks and finally went to the top rope for a crossbody, but Moose rolled over with the momentum and pinned Suicide. Good match, but not as good as their match from last week.
Michael Elgin cut a promo where he talked trash about people waiting for their participation trophies while he puts in the work, then talked about being hated for being the best, like Ali and McGregor once were. But in due time, everyone will appreciate Elgin’s greatness.
Backstage, Chris Bey approached Swinger and told him that if he can’t win, he may as well take out Mack and consider that as a win. Swinger was sure he was winning tonight.
X-Division Champion Willie Mack defeated Johnny Swinger to retain his title
Swinger jumped Mack to start the match, choked him around and started working over him with strikes, clotheslines, and some dirty tricks. Swinger dropped several elbows for a two count.
Mack eventually tried to start a comeback with a big body slam and leg drop. Mack hit a running splash and went for the Samoan drop, but Swinger blocked and hit a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall.
Swinger thought he had won. He grabbed the title and celebrated early, but the distraction was enough for Mack to recover, hit the Samoan drop and moonsault combo for the win.
After the match, Swinger wouldn’t let go of the title, so Mack had to rip it apart from his hands. Swinger afterwards jumped Mack from behind. He was joined by Chris Bey as both of them laid out Mack.
We got a promo by The North from the Battlearts Academy. Page said he rented the dojo for a month, but Alexander wasn’t excited for another match. Page said there was no more competition when suddenly Cody Deaner walked in and told them he wanted a title shot. Deaner made the challenge for a match at the Deaner compound. Deaner has a mystery partner for that match.
Also next week, we will have the semifinals of the #1 contenders Tournament.
Michael Elgin defeated Sami Callihan in a World Championship #1 contender first round match
This is a main event in any arena. Callihan walked in limping after the work that Shamrock did on his ankle at Rebellion.
Elgin had the early advantage in both power and health. He knew that Callihan had a bullseye on his ankle and went after it immediately. Callihan tried to give himself space, but Elgin blocked him and went after his leg again.
Callihan went for the eyes and went for a Cactus special, but Elgin blocked him and went for the leg again. Callihan, however, managed to hit a draping DDT for a two count. Callihan then sent Elgin out with two bicycle kicks.
They brawled for a bit outside the ring, ramming each other to the guardrail and ring post. Callihan started working on Elgin’s arm, but when he went for an apron bomb, Elgin swept him, and once again rammed Callihan’s leg into the apron and guard rail. Elgin tortured Sami’s leg against the ring post but at the very end, Callihan managed to pull Elgin arm first into the ring post.
Back in the ring, Elgin once again kicked off Callihan’s leg and kept him at bay with kicks. Callihan tried to get into a strike off with Elgin, but was easily taken out. Elgin went for a diving clothesline, but Sami reversed into a crucifix pin for a two count.
They traded strikes and kicks until Sami landed a big clothesline to finally bring Elgin off his feet. Callihan side-stepped Elgin to the floor and hit a suicide dive.
Once again in the ring, Callihan got a two count with a suplex. Sami went for another Cactus special, but Elgin reversed into a knee breaker followed by a couple of running clotheslines, then set up Callihan’s knee for a low dropkick.
Elgin dropped Sami on his knee, then followed with a sliding lariat to the back for a two count. Elgin then transitioned to a single leg Boston crab, hinting that Sami would pass out like he did in Rebellion, but Callihan managed to make the ropes instead.
Elgin went for the Buckle-Bomb, but Sami’s knee buckled. Instead, Elgin hit a couple of lariats with Callihan mocking Elgin while he did it. Elgin went for one final lariat, but Callihan collapsed. Elgin lifted Sami, then out of nowhere Sami hit a desperation backplex and a running elbow for a two count.
Sami went for the Cactus special, but Elgin reversed, hitting a Deadlift buckle bomb. Sami came back with a Lariat. Elgin responded with a backfist, but Sami escaped the second buckle bomb. Elgin then hit a second backfist and the Elgin bomb for the win. Great match, this felt like a Japanese match.
Final Thoughts —
Good show by Impact, it was heavily focused on in-ring action. Three matches that are worth going out of your way to check out.
