The Tag Team title match at Bound for Glory 2019 will be a triple threat.
During last night’s Impact episode, it was announced that The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) will defend their titles against Rich Swann & Willie Mack and RVD & Rhino in a triple threat match at Bound for Glory. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, Illinois on Sunday, October 20.
The North have been Impact Tag Team Champions since defeating LAX (Santana & Ortiz) for the titles this July.
Here’s the updated card for Bound for Glory:
Impact World Champion Brian Cage defending against Sami Callihan
Michael Elgin vs. Naomichi Marufuji
Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie defending against Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Champion Jake Crist defending against Tessa Blanchard, Daga, and two other wrestlers in a five-way ladder match
Impact Tag Team Champions The North defending against Rich Swann & Willie Mack and RVD & Rhino in a triple threat match
Moose vs. Ken Shamrock
The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. and two partners
Call Your Shot Gauntlet match (winner gets a future shot at the Impact title of their choosing)
Impact Wrestling returns from Fronton Mexico in Mexico City as the Road to Bound for Glory continues. Tonight’s opening video made a big deal about Ken Shamrock’s return and the title vs career main event between LAX and The North.
Twitch stream was hosted by Melissa Santos from Las Vegas, where they’re taping the new set of episodes. There were cameos by some of the roster. In addition, Impact started showing ‘Hidden Gems’ during commercials, one of which was Homicide and Hernandez squashing the former Tyler Black in under a minute.
Havok vs. Su Yung ended in a no contest
Yung tried to start strong rushing Havok, but she was easily stopped by Havok’s size advantage. Havok hit a pair of running boots to a cornered Yung and went to toss her around by the hair. Havok went for a leg drop, but Yung dodged and came back with some kicks and a Shining Wizard for a two count. Yung went for the Mandible Claw, but Havok blocked it and hit a double arm chokeslam that transitioned into a Boston Crab. Yung made the ropes.
Yung caught Havok with a Palm Strike and the Arachnarana. Yung walked the ropes into a rana and locked in the Mandible Claw, but Havok reached the ropes. Yung hit a running senton to Havok on the floor. She went for a kick, but Havok blocked and dropped her face first into the apron. Havok went to attack Yung again outside the ring, but she distracted herself with the referee that kept trying to get the match under control. This gave Su Yung the time to hit the Red Mist, provoking the ref to toss the match out.
After the bell, Yung rammed Havok into the ring post and walked away before Havok could recover.
The North cut a promo backstage saying farewell to LAX. Page thanked them for giving them the titles. Alexander said that putting their titles on the line is like putting their careers on the line because they are as important as everything they have. They are so good, completely underrated promos.
oVe cut a video promo. Callihan celebrated that tonight, he gets his deserved title shot decision, which he expects will be to get handed the championship since Cage can’t compete. He said that tonight, Fulton destroys Rob Van Dam.
Don Callis and Josh Mathews addressed the news that Naomichi Marufuji is coming to Bound for Glory.
Moose defeated Fallah Bahh
Bahh rushed the ring and went after Moose with a splash and strikes. Moose tried to counter, but Bahh was one step ahead and tossed around Moose. Bahh hit a belly-to-belly suplex and a backdrop. Moose finally got an opening after raking Bahh’s eyes.
Moose hit a big plancha, but Bahh no sold it and hit a huge lariat. Bahh got a two count with a crossbody. Bahh connect the Banzai Drop from the second rope, but Moose managed to kick out at 2. Bahh went for another splash, but Moose hit the No Jackhammer Needed out of nowhere and pinned Bahh for the win. This was short and one sided, but this was far better than it had any right to be.
After the match, Moose locked in an ankle lock on Bahh and talked trash to Ken Shamrock.
Backstage, Tessa looked for Dreamer. She told him that she was sick with everything with Callihan. Dreamer told her to get back into her goals and not let the hate eat her up, but she wouldn’t take it and asked if Tommy still had her back. He said yes.
Alisha and Eddie talked about their relationship. Eddie apologized and said he take it easier on Ace. Suddenly, a woman walked up to Eddie saying he was ‘great last night’. Obviously sent by Ace, who walked up as Alisha slapped Eddie and ran away.
TJP defeated Golden Magic
This match is the result of Golden Magic stealing the pin away from TJP in last week’s 4-way match. This was great for the most part, but there was a part in the middle were both guys felt a bit lost. Crowd was mostly behind Golden Magic.
Match started with a good sequence of counters and reversals, fighting for wrist control, submissions, and quick pins. Magic delivered a set of great armdrags and an Asai moonsault to gain control.
Back from commercial, Magic maintains control, but TJP caught him going for a top rope move, blocked him, and took him down with a kick. TJP hit a beautiful Senton Atomico for a two count. TJP went for a Butterfly submission, but Magic broke it off. They traded a couple of pin reversals until Magic got a two count with a Disaster Kick. Magic went for a Lionsault, but TJP caught him with a dropkick in the middle of the air and followed up with a suplex and backplex combo.
TJP went for a senton, but Magic dodged and hit a cutter. Magic followed with a twisting Asai that TJP completely failed to catch him. Magic hit the floor bad, but was up after a minute.
Back in the ring, they traded a couple more pin attempts. Magic hit another Twisting and a Stormbreaker-like move for a two count. TJP hit a brainbuster for a two count. Magic delivered a top rope Hurricanrana for a two count.
Finish finally saw Magic got for a 450, but TJP moved away. Magic hit Bandido’s Moonsault Fallaway Slam. Magic went for another 450, failing again, but this time, TJP capitalized with the Damnation Kick and the TJP Clutch for the win.
Backstage, Ace was paying off that lady that was messing with Eddie when Alisha walked up and faked rejecting her. Alisha and Ace walked together to prepare for Alisha’s match.
Impact Plus Moment of the Week was Sting vs AJ Styles from Bound for Glory 2009.
Taya argued with John E. Bravo about her problems with Tenille. She just argued, nothing much here.
We got a training vignette for Johnny Swinger. He’s the stereotype 90’s wrestler, fanny pack and all.
Jimmy Jacobs interviewed Tenile Dashwood. She said that her plans are clear, she is here for the Knockout’s championship. Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne interrupted and told her to go to the back of the line. Tenille said she doesn’t make lines and challenged them, which Madison accepted in behalf of Hogan.
Rob Van Dam defeated Madman Fulton (w/ Dave Crist) by DQ
Fulton started with the power advantage pushing RVD into the corner and forcing him to find some space. Fulton went for an early chokeslam, but RVD kicked his way away. RVD went for a headlock, but Fulton easily picked him up and rammed him to the corner. RVD took out one of Fulton’s legs and followed with kicks to finally take him down and send him to the floor. RVD followed with a senton from the apron.
RVD went for another dive, but this time Fulton caught him and hit a Slingshot neckbreaker against the ropes. Fulton hit a chokeslam, but didn’t follow up. RVD tried to recover, but Fulton hit a clothesline to keep him down. Fulton went for a Swinging Side Slam, but RVD countered into a crucifix pin.
RVD started to kick Fulton from all corners to bring him down again. RVD hit Rolling Thunder and went for the Five Star Frog Splash, but Dave Crist attacked him and tossed him off the top rope for the DQ.
After the bell, Crist and Fulton ganged up on RVD, but Van Dam managed to dodge the attack, take down Crist, get rid of Fulton, and deliver the Frog Splash on Crist for good measure.
Jimmy Jacobs tried to interview Brian Cage. Melissa Santos answered the locker room door, but she could only say that we’ll get our answer later tonight.
The Rascalz were in the Treehouse. They argued because Trey couldn’t hook up ‘the stuff’. Rich Swann and Willie Mack walked in, who fortunately, had some of the stuff. After a session, they talked about who would win tonight’s main event, then they danced. This was all over the place. Treehouse cameos are getting really popular with the Twitch crowd.
We got another segment with the Desi Hit Squad working the Deaner Farm. They were fishing, which obviously ended with Rohit falling in the water.
Somewhere in the Undead Realm, Jordynne Grace looked for Rosemary. Jordynne told Rosemary to stay out of her business just like Jordynne had done when Rosemary said the same. Rosemary ignored her request and said that she simply follows orders from the shadows. They got in each other’s face in a challenging manner.
Next week, Tenille Dashwood makes her in-ring debut against Kiera Hogan. Eddie Edwards vs Ace Austin, and Tessa and Dreamer vs oVe also take place.
LAX hyped each other backstage. Konnan told them that they’re not losing tonight because they’re representing all the Latino nation.
Impact Tag Team Champions The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/ Konnan to retain their titles and end the Impact Wrestling career of LAX
Santana and Alexander started the match with some good chain wrestling, where Santana got a good chance to show what he can do. Ortiz tagged in and hit a couple of double team moves.
LAX kept that control over Alexander throughout the commercial break, but soon after, Page managed to get rid of Ortiz and distract Santana enough for Alexander to caught him up and work over Santana’s injured knee from Slammiversary.
It was now The North that cut the ring in half on Santana, targeting the knee. Page would use stomps and kicks, while Alexander would use kneebars. North went for a double team move, but Santana finally managed to escape them, kicking Page away, and rolling Alexander, and jumping off to tag Ortiz.
Ortiz came in strong, got a two count on Alexander after an assist kick of Santana. The North regained control with an assisted suplex. Alexander got a near fall after a double facebuster. Page got cocky and wanted to finish them with the Street Sweeper, but Santana returned for the save. Santana hit a huge Cannonball on Josh for a two count.
LAX now went for the Street Sweeper, but Page blocked off Santana, allowing Alexander to escape. The North double teamed Santana with their new finisher for the win, ending the Impact career of Santana and Ortiz. This was a great match, but didn’t get the time it deserved.
After the match, all LAX members were heartbroken and mad. Fans chanted for LAX, but the crowd reaction didn’t seem like one of a crowd that knew this was LAX’s final match.
Brian Cage came out to the ring to address his health status and Sami Callihan’s title shot. Melissa Santos came out with Cage. He talked about how he had worked so hard to finally earn himself a world title, but he surely didn’t expect it to happen like this. He only had one defense under reign.
Cage said that his doctors have given him a return date for Bound For Glory and so he told Impact Management that he won’t vacate it and will be there to defend it against Callihan. Cage then turned things around and used the opportunity to propose to Melissa Santos who said yes. Happy ending! No sight of Callihan, who will surely have some hell to raise on next week’s episode.
Final thoughts —
Good show for Impact. Really strong inside the ring, but I still expected more for LAX’s final match with Impact and finally having a Callihan vs Cage face off.
Impact Wrestling has added four matches to their television tapings in Mexico City, Mexico.
Impact is taping TV at Fronton Mexico tomorrow and Friday. Michael Elgin vs. Rhino, Impact Tag Team Champions The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) vs. LAX (Santana & Ortiz), and Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) are set for Thursday’s tapings.
Jessicka Havok vs. Su Yung has been confirmed for Friday.
As was previously announced, Tenille Dashwood vs. Kiera Hogan and RVD vs. Madman Fulton are set for Thursday. Dr. Wagner Jr. will be appearing on Friday.
Elgin and Rhino’s feud began when Elgin was Gored at Slammiversary XVII. Elgin lost to Impact World Champion Brian Cage at the pay-per-view, then hit Cage with the title belt after the match and went to attack Don Callis. A masked man then appeared and gave Elgin a Gore.
Impact didn’t specify if The North vs. LAX is a title match. The North won the titles from LAX at Bash at the Brewery last month.
At Slammiversary, The North retained against LAX and The Rascalz in a triple threat match. There was an injury angle with Santana during the match. In his place, Daga teamed with Ortiz as they unsuccessfully challenged for The North’s titles on the Impact episode that aired last week.
LAX’s contracts with Impact are set to expire this summer.
Impact Wrestling returned from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada this week as the Road to Bound for Glory continued. The Twitch stream was hosted by Melissa Santos.
The opening video focused on last week’s X-Division number one contender’s match that was won by Aiden Prince, Havok destroying John E. Bravo, Eddie Edwards confronting Ace Austin, and the fantastic battle between The North and The Rascalz for the Tag Team titles.
X-Division Champion Jake Crist defeated Aiden Prince to retain his title
This was a solid opener. Prince had the crowd completely behind him.
It started with some chain wrestling reversals and counters, ending with Prince sending Crist to the floor. But as Prince went for a suicide dive, Crist cut him off with a boot to the face and delivered a DVD on the apron for a two count.
Prince escaped a submission attempt — only to take a boot to the face for another two count. Both men traded strikes, but Prince wasn’t able to maintain momentum. Crist raked Prince’s face and hit some shoulder tackles in the corner. Crist hit a great superkick combo for yet another two count.
Prince finally started a comeback with some strikes, landing a top rope flatliner. But as he went for a 450, Crist got his knees up and small packaged him for a 2.99 near fall.
Prince hit a reverse rana for a two count. Crist powerslammed Prince into the corner before both men went to the floor, where Prince hit a rana and a suicide dive. Prince went for a top rope plancha to the floor, but Crist caught him with a superkick straight to the chin. Prince made the count at nine, but Crist went straight for a cradle for a two count.
Prince went for another top rope move, but Crist cut him off and hit a superplex. He floated over, but Prince reversed into a suplex of his own and landed the 450 for a huge near fall. Prince went for a third 450, but Crist caught him with a cutter this time for the win.
– Backstage, Konnan and Daga were talking about Daga teaming with Ortiz. Konnan asked Daga to be patient with Ortiz because he is on the edge about Santana’s status.
Ortiz then walked up. Daga told him that he doesn’t need to apologize — Daga just wants to win the Tag Team titles tonight. They cheered with some beers that Ortiz opened with his teeth, much to my cringe.
– Jimmy Jacobs interviewed Taya Valkyrie, who said that Impact management are forcing her to defend her championship against Havok again because she walked out of the match at Unbreakable.
Ace Austin defeated Eddie Edwards by DQ
Edwards didn’t wait for the bell and chased down Austin, taking him down with a shoulder block. Austin tried to run to the outside — only for Edwards to follow with a plancha. Edwards worked over Austin outside for a bit until Austin managed to land a kick and the handstand penalty kick to finally get some distance from Edwards.
Once recovered, Austin went after Edwards to continue brawling outside the ring. This time, Edwards dropped Austin with a backbreaker and a facebuster on the apron.
Back from commercial, Edwards and Austin were trading strikes before Edwards once again sent Austin outside. He followed with a suicide dive. Austin kept running away from Edwards, who got distracted with the referee and Austin took advantage to use his Gambit staff to attack Edwards for a two count.
Austin was now in control. He struck down Edwards and delivered the card cut between the fingers. He went for The Fold, but Edwards countered into a powerbomb.
Edwards delivered some close distance forearms as Austin tried to play mind games with Edwards, so Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party. Edwards started hitting closed-fist punches on Austin and pushed down the ref, getting himself disqualified. This was really good — I’m looking forward to a proper match between them.
After the match, Alisha Edwards came down to the ring to scream at Eddie. Eddie asked her if she is with him, pointing at Austin. After Alisha kept shouting, Eddie ended up walking away on both.
– We got an interview by Tessa Blanchard from Unbreakable. Blanchard said that she went in there looking to beat Sami Callihan, but oVe had to interfere again and steal her win. She said that she is one of the best wrestlers in the company and she won’t let them take her moment from her. Blanchard said she is coming for Callihan. Blanchard was fantastic here.
– Backstage, Fallah Bahh was at catering when Moose approached him. Moose told Bahh to stop losing weight or Impact won’t need a clown anymore. Moose called Bahh a fat boy, provoking Bahh to fight back.
Bahh and Moose brawled all around the catering area, ending with Moose shoving some cake down Bahh’s face. Good old catering brawl, but both men took it seriously.
– Kiera Hogan joined commentary for the next match.
Madison Rayne defeated Alexia Nicole
Okay match. Nicole showed potential.
A collar-and-elbow lock up started the match. Rayne mocked Nicole, who responded by pushing her to the corner. Nicole hit a running meteora for a two count. Rayne pulled Nicole to the floor by the feet and went back to mocking her.
Back in the ring, Rayne worked on Nicole with some knees to the face and abdomen. Rayne locked in a Koji Clutch, but Nicole stayed on her feet and rammed Rayne into the corner. Nicole hit a backstabber for another two count. Rayne dodged Nicole coming down from the top rope, hit a ripcord cutter, and finished her off with CrossRayne.
Rayne and Hogan argued after the match but joined forces to beat up Nicole. They’re frenemies. Jordynne Grace came down to save Nicole and ran both Rayne and Hogan away to the back.
– The Rascalz met at the tree house. Trey Miguel and Dezmond Xavier were bummed out about losing the title match. Zachary Wentz then told them he saw “him” in the hallway. They hyped “him” up and out he appeared like an angel — Rob Van Dam. They all sucked up to him and fought to impress him. This was funny.
Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie (w/ John E. Bravo) vs. Havok ended in a no contest
Taya’s title was on the line. Commentary told us that if she walks out again, she is getting fined.
Havok rushed at Taya to start the match, but the champ kept dodging until she decided to get some offense in — only to get taken down with a shoulder tackle. Bravo distracted Havok, allowing Taya to take her down with kicks and running knees for a one count. Havok came back with a powerbomb for a two count.
Havok worked over Taya’s back with stomps. Taya tried to start a comeback, but she got cut off by Havok with a kick to the face. Havok went for a chokeslam, but Taya reversed into a roll-up for a two count.
Havok hit the chokeslam, but as she pinned her, Su Yung and her Bridesmaids came down and distracted both Havok and the referee, who should have kept counting really.
Yung came down to the ring and faced off with Havok. Havok went for the chokeslam, but Yung reversed it by locking the Mandible Claw on Havok, bringing her down to her knees. Yung hit a couple of palm strikes and sent Havok to the floor. Yung stood tall in the ring at the end.
– Jacobs interviewed Melissa Santos about Brian Cage’s status. She talked about her real-life relationship with Cage and having to put it out there in order to protect Cage from Michael Elgin. She didn’t have an answer about Cage’s medical condition, saying that he is still going to doctors to figure out where the source of his injury is.
Santos said that if Cage can’t compete anymore, he and she realize that there are now more important things in life than titles and money.
– We got a video from last week with The Deaners drinking beer. They got interrupted by The Desi Hit Squad, who made fun of their smell. They brawled, with The Deaners taking out Raju and Raj and running off Gama Singh. The Desi Hit Squad came back, breaking beer bottles over The Deaners’ heads and leaving them lying.
– The Deaners then cut a promo saying that The Desi Hit Squad have crossed the line by jumping them at their bar. Cody Deaner cut the promo and challenged The Desi Hit Squad to a match next week. This was a super old school promo.
Nate Madsen defeated Stone Rockwell by DQ
This match didn’t even get entrances. Madsen went to get some offense early with strikes and a crossbody, but Rockwell cut him off and dropped him with a backbreaker. Madsen got some more strikes, but Rhino jumped in the ring on the other side and Gored Madsen down. Rockwell offered Rhino some food — only to get Gored too.
After the attack, Rhino cut a promo calling out Elgin to come down and fight. Elgin came out, but instead of fighting he addressed Rhino. Elgin said he understands why Rhino attacked him — since he is the hottest commodity in Impact and Rhino just wants to make a name for himself. Elgin said that he does things on his terms, so Rhino rushed at Elgin and started brawling on the ramp.
Security came down for the pull-apart. Good angle. Elgin’s mic was malfunctioning, but he got his point across.
– Ace Austin bragged about his victory backstage to some random people, who brought up that it was a DQ and that Austin got his ass handed to him all match. Austin said it was all part of the plan and said that he is “going to bang his wife.”
– The Impact Plus Flashback Match of the Week was Jeff Hardy vs. Rhino vs. Sabu vs. Abyss in a four-way Monster’s Ball match from Bound for Glory 2005.
– Backstage, The Desi Hit Squad accepted The Deaners’ challenge. The Desi Hit Squad said that when they beat them, The Deaners will become servants of Gama Singh. The official stipulation is that whoever loses becomes the other’s servants.
– oVe cut a promo where they mostly argued with each other. Callihan said that he defeated Blanchard again and now he is going to become the Impact World Champion. He addressed Tommy Dreamer for getting involved against them. Next week, Callihan & Dave Crist team up against Blanchard & Dreamer. Good promo.
Also next week, Bahh and Moose face off, The Desi Hit Squad take on The Deaners, and RVD teams up with Rich Swann & Willie Mack against The Rascalz.
Impact Tag Team Champions The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated Ortiz & Daga (w/ Konnan) to retain their titles
Page and Ortiz started the match, with the latter rushing at Page and getting the early control. They did a short sequence of reversals until Ortiz hit a powerslam and tagged in Daga. Ortiz and Daga hit a short combo before Alexander tagged in. Daga and Alexander traded strikes before Alexander was sent to the outside. Daga hit a tope on both North members.
Back in the ring, Daga hit a great suplex for a two count. The fans were chanting for Daga over their countrymen. Daga and Alexander kept trading strikes until Page interfered and cut off Daga, allowing Alexander to hit an assisted suplex for a two count.
The North started working over Daga with quick tags and power moves, keeping Ortiz at bay. Daga then had a great comeback, hitting a deadlift German suplex on Page.
Ortiz tagged in and took out Alexander with a series of kicks and a tornado DDT. Ortiz hit a DVD after a foot stomp from Daga, who then followed with a standing moonsault for a two count. The North hit their swinging neckbreaker combo, followed with a flying elbow and top rope moonsault for a two count.
Daga fought off both Page and Alexander with kicks, getting a two count. LAX set up the 5150, but Page saved Alexander.
Ortiz hit a tope on Page. Alexander tossed Daga outside, leaving Ortiz open for The North to hit their finisher on him and retain their titles.
This was really good given that Daga and Ortiz had never teamed before and the match only went about 10 minutes. Daga looked great here. Don Callis put him over huge, saying he is the next big thing coming from Mexico.
After the match, Ortiz thanked Daga. Konnan and Ortiz seemed to be introducing Daga to the crowd as the show went off the air.
Final Thoughts —
Really good show in terms of wrestling. We’re starting to get hints of what the Bound for Glory card could look like.
– Ahead of a number one contender’s match to determine the next challenger for the title, Josh Mathews hyped up Jake Crist winning the X-Division Championship last week.
Aiden Prince defeated Zachary Wentz, Rohit Raju, Chuck Mambo, Cody Deaner, and Petey Williams
Williams and Prince ate a big dive from Wentz. Don Callis talked about Wentz and The Rascalz being on the cutting edge — but instead, Wentz was on the end of a Williams hesitation dropkick against the rope. Williams got a Sharpshooter and Raju got a crossface, but it was just a transitional spot here.
Williams teased a dive, but Deaner put the Canadian flag on him like a cape and they both dove on the heels.
Raju also teased doing a dive but denied it before letting the fans know where they can shove it. Wentz dove on the pile, and Prince landed an Asai moonsault to the pile as well. Mambo hit a standing 450 on them all.
Deaner hit a big running lariat to Raju before Prince chopped away at Mambo. Williams got a tilt-a-whirl Russian leg sweep and hit the Canadian Destroyer on Wentz. Raju went to steal the pin, but Deaner nixed that. Raju hit a helluva kick, but he missed a cannonball and Deaner hit a DDT.
Mambo went for a GTS, but Prince hit a brainbuster and a 450 for the win. For a match with a ton of guys who aren’t usually on the show, most of the folks here got over with the crowd in just one match.
– Sami Callihan said that Jake Crist brought gold to oVe. Callihan wanted to see the X-Division title, but Jake told oVe he’ll knock them out if they try to take it. Jake said the title is the greatest thing to ever happen to him, even putting it over his wife and kids.
Callihan said that now it’s time to let the Madman out of his cage to face Tessa Blanchard later — basically turning Fulton into a modernized version of what Abyss was at the start of his TNA run.
– Rich Swann talked to Blanchard about how unwise it is to face Fulton and he’s worried because Fulton is tall, crazy, and has oVe on his side. Blanchard said she appreciates the help, but she wants to do it on her own. Blanchard as a babyface is odd to me.
– John E. Bravo came out to Taya Valkyrie’s theme and threw streamers for himself.
Jessicka Havok defeated John E. Bravo
Callis buried Bravo for dressing like Josh Mathews before Bravo took his shirt off and got kneed in the face. Havok hit a corner avalanche and got her eyes raked, but she beat Bravo quickly with a chokeslam.
– A creepy Su Yung video aired with her somewhat speaking in tongues.
– Josh Alexander told Ethan Page that the Tag Team titles prove that they’re the best in the world. Page calmed Alexander down and said they debuted in Windsor, won the titles, and they’ve done everything they set out to do. Alexander said he’s ready for them to go down in the history books as the best team in Impact history.
– Stone Rockwell came down and thanked the fans. Callis buried him on commentary. Ace Austin entered, with Callis saying that Austin calls himself “Ace” because that’s the top spot in Japan.
Ace Austin defeated Stone Rockwell
Rockwell got a slam and an atomic noogie. He caught Austin on a dive and went for a pose, so Austin just kneed him in the head. Austin hit a series of chops and kicks but ate a fallaway slam into an Irish Curse backbreaker. Austin hit Black Out, then The Fold ended it.
Rockwell is great as a modern-day Bushwhacker-style act. Austin feels like a guy who would be best-built in AEW as he isn’t even in the main X-Division title picture.
After the match, Eddie Edwards came out and attacked Austin for going after his wife Alisha.
– Madison Rayne walked up to Tessa Blanchard and disingenuously said that, as the locker room leader, she congratulates Blanchard on breaking down barriers and shattering glass ceilings. Blanchard didn’t buy her BS and told her she doesn’t have time for it. When Blanchard walked away, Rayne hoped for her demise.
– A tremendous video package aired hyping up the history of the Knockouts and how the division has made history and will change it.
– With some terrible acting, Alisha got pissed at Eddie Edwards for defending her honor.
– Stone Rockwell was still down about 15 minutes after the match. He was then laid out by Moose, who cut a promo calling himself a five star athlete. To Callis’ joy, Moose went for Rockwell’s eye. A slimmer Fallah Bahh then came down and Moose insulted him.
Fallah Bahh defeated Moose
Moose, who wasn’t wearing his wrestling gear, went for a spear, but Bahh sidestepped it and avalanched him. Bahh hit a hip attack in the corner and then a Banzai Drop to win. Well, this sure didn’t help Moose. It somewhat helped Bahh, but it still felt kind of random.
– Blanchard taped up to face Fulton next.
– Moose said that wasn’t a match and no one signed it. He then threatened Bahh.
Tessa Blanchard vs. Madman Fulton ended in a no contest
Callis made a great point about Blanchard losing to Sami Callihan being something that has led to her trying to prove herself here. That one loss had great meaning and still has importance now.
Blanchard ran wild with all kinds of strikes. They registered, but Fulton didn’t sell them. He caught Blanchard off of a Magnum and hit a deadlift chokeslam. Fulton tried to get an oVe chant going, but he got met with “no!” before Blanchard got tossed around.
Blanchard gave Fulton the thumbs down before Fulton got the Brock Lock bear hug and ragdolled her. Blanchard pulled out one of his dreadlocks, so Fulton bear hug slammed her. He went for a PRIDE stomp, but Blanchard evaded and hit a tornado DDT.
Blanchard slugged him and hit a running forearm, but she then ate a big boot. Sami Callihan grabbed a chair and wanted death, but Tommy Dreamer made the save.
Callihan lariated Dreamer down and went for a chokeslam, but Fulton ate a ton of kendo stick shots from Blanchard and they send Fulton packing. Other than Fulton selling for Dreamer in 2019, this was great stuff.
– Michael Elgin talked about Rhino attacking him — not the X-Division Champion and not the World Champion, but he went after the big dog. Elgin said he doesn’t know how it was in WWE. He knows Rhino was a man-beast before, but he doesn’t compare to Elgin.
– Kiera Hogan bullied a new wrestler. Madison Rayne asked who the new girl was and was mad that she didn’t introduce herself. Rayne again called herself the locker room leader before we got more catty bickering. This is the worst of what this division has been before — and it undercuts the video package hyping up the division and the entire push of Blanchard breaking down barriers.
– The Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week was The Young Bucks facing The Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team titles at Bound for Glory 2010.
– Jimmy Jacobs traveled to Brian Cage’s home to get an update on Cage’s health. Melissa Santos answered the door and said that they just want privacy. Jacobs saw Cage and wanted answers, but Santos wanted more privacy and said she’ll answer his questions next week.
Impact Tag Team Champions The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) defeated The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Trey Miguel) to retain their titles
Alexander forearmed Miguel down to start. Miguel did a pose and got clubbed in the back before landing a pop-up rana and a 450 rana to Page. Xavier hit a somersault senton for two before each Rascal hit a pair of short-stopping swantons for two.
Alexander held onto Page to prevent an O’Connor roll, then Alexander hit an apron powerslam. Alexander backflipped off of both North guys to tag in Miguel. He ran wild on both Alexander and Page.
Alexander got two off a Blue Thunder Bomb. Miguel went for a desperation tag, but Xavier was knocked down. He then got back up for stereo tags. Xavier wheelbarrowed Alexander into Page in the corner.
Alexander ate a boatload of kicks and a basement double stomp for two. Page caught Xavier off the apron, powerslammed him on the floor, and apron powerbombed Miguel. Alexander landed a big backbreaker for two and got an ankle lock.
A head-trap superkick led to a 619 from Miguel that was countered by Alexander into a backbreaker/powerbomb for two. The North hit their back suplex/powerslam combo for 2.9 before Xavier broke it up.
Things broke down into a forearm exchange, so Alexander took his elbow pad off and knocked down Miguel before he ate a ton of Kobashi machine gun chops. Alexander hit a double shoulder-mount powerslam on the Rascalz for 2.9!
Alexander slammed the Rascalz on each other, but then missed a moonsault. The Rascalz hit a pair of uppercuts in the corner to Alexander and a head-trap superkick and double 619s to him. Miguel landed a meteora off the top before Xavier hit a crazy flip dive onto him for two.
Xavier hit a crazy low-pe to Page, with Page almost losing him completely and Xavier almost sliding right off of him. Miguel got a jackknife cradle for two.
The North hit a wheelbarrow cutter into a wheelbarrow German and a wacky double Dominator for the win. Alexander & Page as tag champs is a great role for them at this point — they are a hell of a working team even if they aren’t the most bombastic team in the world.
– Backstage, Ortiz attacked The North before they choked him with a cable. Daga then made the save for Ortiz. Good stuff overall. They teased that Konnan was trying to force Ortiz & Daga to be a team and now with this, it shows that Daga is at least willing to be on Ortiz’s side for mutual gain and doesn’t want him to get injured going into a title match.
Just two days before Slammiversary XVII, a title change took place at Impact Wrestling’s Bash at the Brewery live special.
The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) defeated LAX (Santana & Ortiz) in San Antonio, Texas on Friday night to win the Impact Tag Team Championship. The finish of the match was Page hitting Santana with a title belt while the referee couldn’t see it, with Alexander then rolling up Santana to win the titles.
LAX had been scheduled to defend their titles against The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) at Slammiversary. It will now be The North defending against LAX and The Rascalz in a triple threat match.
The Rascalz (Xavier, Wentz, and Trey Miguel) faced each other on Impact’s go-home show for Slammiversary. The stipulation was that it would decide which two would be in the title match at the pay-per-view, and Xavier and Wentz both pinned Miguel at the same time.
LAX’s contracts with Impact are set to expire later this summer. Dave Meltzer reported that there’s interest in them from both WWE and AEW.
Slammiversary is taking place at Gilley’s Dallas in Dallas, Texas tomorrow (Sunday, July 7).
Michael Elgin got a win over Willie Mack ahead of his upcoming title match against Impact World Champion Brian Cage at Slammiversary XVII on July 7.
The North earned a Tag Team title shot at Bash at the Brewery on July 5 by defeating Rob Van Dam & Sabu. The Sandman also wrestled on the show. What year is this?
Two of the six matches on the episode saw wrestler’s pants fall down. The Twitch version of the show was riddled with technical issues during commercial breaks.
Show Recap —
A storyline recap video kicked off the show.
Josh Mathews welcomed us to the Melrose Ballroom in New York.
Mathews and Don Callis talked up the Moose and RVD feud. Moose has challenged RVD to face him at Slammiversary.
The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated Rob Van Dam & Sabu
Sabu got a single-leg takedown, and Alexander rolled to the ropes. Alexander took a chest-first turnbuckle bump. Sabu dropped him with a clothesline. RVD tagged in, hitting a slingshot leg drop, then a vertical suplex.
Alexander forced RVD into The North’s corner. Page tagged in, and RVD hit a spinning back kick, then worked a Fujiwara armbar. Sabu tagged in. RVD and Sabu hit a tandem Rolling Thunder. Sabu used a Camel Clutch, hit Page with a chair, then went back to the Camel Clutch.
RVD got a tag, then he and Sabu used tandem leg drops for a near fall. The North used an illegal double team to gain the advantage on RVD. Alexander hit an inverted atomic drop, and Page hit a backbreaker.
The North used a series of quick tags and worked RVD over in their corner. Page missed a charge into the corner. RVD hit an enzuigiri, then Sabu got a hot tag. Sabu ran wild with a chair and used the weapon to hit a step-up leg lariat.
Sabu and RVD set up a table in the ring. Sabu hit an Arabian facebuster off the top rope to Alexander, sending him through the table. Moose ran out and shoved RVD off the post.
Page used the distraction to jump in and take out Sabu. Sabu’s pants fell down. The North hit their double-team finisher, with Alexander pinning Sabu.
Mathews said that Page and Alexander earned a tag title shot at Bash at the Brewery with their win.
Tommy Dreamer waddled out to the ring, throwing Moose back inside. They teased RVD hitting a Van Terminator, but Moose escaped.
RVD looked good here, considering the mileage on his body. Sabu’s botch and pants falling down were very on-brand.
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During the commercial break on Twitch, they showed a split screen of Don Callis and Melissa Santos. Callis tried to throw it to Santos, but Santos couldn’t hear him. Callis asked why she couldn’t hear him. Santos’ audio wasn’t working either. Callis gave shout-outs to Twitch users in the chat. This was embarrassing.
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Back from commercial, Moose confronted The North backstage. Moose was upset that they beat RVD and Sabu, but didn’t “take them out.”
Havok (w/James Mitchell & Su Yung) defeated Masha Slamovich
Squash city.
Havok no-sold a couple of strikes from Slamovich, then hit a right hand. Havok hit two backbreakers and a vertical suplex. She missed a charge into the corner, and Slamovich fired up. Havok blocked a kick and pushed Slamovich down.
Havok hit a sidewalk slam, then a chokeslam. Havok hit a tombstone and got the pin.
Mitchell cut a promo after the match and said that Rosemary needs to get her anger under control. Mitchell said he was a diplomat when she tried to steal his demon bride, Su Yung. He said she committed the ultimate sin, and put her hands on him.
Mitchell said Havok flattened Rosemary, breaking the spell of the demon collar. He said it’s his personal mission to make sure that Havok becomes the Knockouts Champion and uses Rosemary’s carcass as a launch pad.
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Commercial break time. Santos still couldn’t hear Callis. Callis said they were working on Santos’ audio. Santos’ video dropped out, then Callis’ audio dropped. Callis waved an iPad around.
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Gama Singh introduced Raj Singh and urged the crowd to bow down to him.
Deaner hit a shoulder tackle, some right hands, then a fist drop. Singh rolled outside, and Deaner hit a suicide dive. Singh ended up with a bloody nose after the dive.
Deaner climbed to the top rope, but Singh cut him off. Singh hit a neckbreaker, then a leg drop. Gama Singh connected with a right hand from the floor.
Singh hit a dropkick to the back and got a near fall. Deaner hulked up and hit a series of strikes. Deaner hit a lariat, then the Deaner DDT. Gama jumped on the apron, disrupting the match. Gama feigned a heart attack on the floor.
Raj used the distraction to hit a facebuster for the pin. Deaner looked good here. Singh has good size and a good look, but he’s very green.
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Michael Elgin cut a promo. He promised to send Willie Mack to the hospital later. Johnny Impact interrupted Elgin. He said Mack isn’t going to the hospital if it’s up to Elgin. He said if Elgin needs his help, all he has to do is ask.
Elgin declined help and walked off. Johnny was upset that Elgin didn’t compliment his hair.
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Callis’ audio wasn’t working again. He made some gestures and continued talking as though we could hear him. We couldn’t.
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Rosemary cut a promo. She said Mitchell has a type, monsters. She said he couldn’t control his last monster, what makes him think he can control Havok?
Rosemary told Mitchell they’re on a collision course — and to bring it on.
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The Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week showed the Dudleys and Tommy Dreamer fighting off Rhyno, Spud, King Mo, and EC3, then putting Dixie Carter through a table.
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Callis’ audio was working during this break. He said he enjoyed watching Dixie go through the table. He said he won’t ever go through a table because he’s not a mark.
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Sami Callihan entered the women’s locker room. Tessa Blanchard told him to bring his friend Jake Crist next week to face her.
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Madison Rayne defeated Jordynne Grace
Kiera Hogan came out to join the commentary team for this match. She said she’s done making friends in this business, because she always gets stabbed in the back.
Grace and Rayne locked up. They did some solid chain wrestling, and Rayne used a quick cradle for a near fall. Rayne escaped a side headlock, but ran into a shoulder tackle. Rayne rolled to the apron, and Grace knocked her off into the barricade.
Back inside, Grace hit a back elbow for a near fall. She followed with a delayed vertical suplex for a two count. Grace hit some forearm strikes. Rayne used a Koji Clutch, but Grace sat down into a submission of her own. Rayne escaped, then they traded a series of quick cradles.
Rayne hit an enzuigiri and a dropkick. They stepped to the apron. Rayne rolled to the floor, then took Grace’s legs out. Grace tried to send Rayne into the post, but Rayne blocked. Rayne hit a cutter on the floor. They teased a countout, but both made it back inside.
Rayne tried for a Northern Lights suplex, but Grace blocked it with a front facelock. Rayne used a crucifix bomb for a two count. Rayne went to the top rope. Grace teased a Muscle Buster. Rayne teased a tornado DDT. Grace ended up hitting a Muscle Buster, but only got a two count.
Grace hit a short clothesline. She went to the second rope, but Hogan distracted her. Rayne cut Grace off. Off the distraction, Rayne hit Cross Rayne and got the pin. This was a good match.
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Callis hit a tech guy with a right hand during the break, blaming him for the audio issues. Callis urged viewers to send cards and letters to Gama Singh after his “heart attack” earlier in the show.
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Killer Kross defeated The Sandman
Sandman attempted a sneak attack during Kross’ entrance. Kross intercepted him, but Sandman still managed to get the early edge. He hit 10 punches in the corner and was immediately blown up.
Sandman managed a couple of kendo stick shots, but Kross caught him in a choke, and the ref called a stoppage finish.
Eddie Edwards ran down to make the save for Sandman. Kross escaped before Edwards could get his hands on him. Mathews said that Edwards and Kross’ feud may end with someone in a body bag.
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LAX were shown hanging out in a bar. Konnan said that Ortiz and Santana need to start taking their matches more seriously. The Rascalz entered and said that they’re the best tag team in the world. A brawl broke out, and LAX came out on top.
LAX said The Rascalz will get their rematch. LAX defending their Tag Team titles against The Rascalz is official for Slammiversary.
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Callis read a series of compliments about himself from the chat.
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The Smoke Show
Scarlett Bordeaux and Fallah Bahh welcomed Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo to The Smoke Show.
Bordeaux said that if Taya doesn’t defend her title next week, she’ll be stripped. Taya made a stripper joke about Bordeaux.
Bordeaux said she heard that Taya has to face Su Yung next week. Everyone in this segment was unlikeable.
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Mathews and Callis plugged Dreamer vs. Moose, Valkyrie vs. Yung, and Blanchard vs. Jake Crist for next week’s show.
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Callis hyped the main event. He said that Elgin is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and that he beat Kenny Omega for the title. Actually, that was the Intercontinental title.
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Michael Elgin defeated Willie Mack (w/ Rich Swann)
Elgin’s torso and arms were covered in baby oil.
They started with an exchange of strikes. Mack took Elgin off his feet with a shoulder tackle. Mack hit a blockbuster, a dropkick, and an exploder suplex. Elgin rolled to the apron. Elgin pulled Mack to the apron, where they traded strikes. Elgin hit a superkick, then sent Mack to the floor with a dropkick.
After a break, Elgin had a chinlock on Mack. Mack broke the hold, but Elgin hit a dropkick. Mack hit a couple of clotheslines, then a wheel kick. Mack used a leg drop for a near fall. Mathews informed us that Willie Mack loves to have a good time.
Mack hit a spinebuster for a two count. He went for a stunner, but Elgin blocked it. Elgin hit a series of superkicks. Elgin sat Mack on the top rope and hit a superplex for a two count. Mack’s trunks started falling down.
Elgin missed a charge into the corner. Mack hit something resembling a guillotine leg drop, dropping Elgin to the floor. Mack teased a dive, but Elgin pulled Swann in his way. Elgin slammed Swann on the apron.
Back inside, Elgin hit a buckle bomb, then an Elgin Bomb, and pinned Mack. This was a slightly above average TV match.
After the bell, Elgin teased another Elgin Bomb, but Swann made the save. Johnny Impact ran in, making the save for Elgin. Johnny dropped Swann with a spinning uranage.
Elgin shook hands with Johnny. Johnny turned his back, and Elgin hit him with a suplex. Elgin then went after Mack again. He buckle bombed him into the post. The show ended with Elgin making the championship belt motion around his waist.
Impact Wrestling returned from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The opening video focused on the ongoing story with Rosemary, Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross, and last week’s great main event between Rich Swann and Michael Elgin.
This week’s Twitch stream was hosted by Melissa Santos. She had some computer issues at first, and so we got a couple of extra Impact Plus Flashbacks for those watching on Twitch. For the post-show, they aired Moose vs. Eddie Edwards from this year’s Homecoming pay-per-view.
Sami Callihan defeated Fallah Bahh (w/ Scarlett Bordeaux)
The story of the match was that Callihan brought out a more vicious side of Bahh — whether it was to show off to Bordeaux or to survive the match. Callihan jumped Bahh to start things off, but Bahh quickly cut him off with a flying crossbody. Bahh kept control with chops and stomps. Callihan even tried biting off Bahh’s exposed toe, but it was to no avail.
The match spilled outside, where they brawled for a bit with chops. But as they made their way back to the ring, Callihan caught Bahh with a clothesline that dropped him back to the floor.
Back in the ring, Callihan tortured Bahh’s bare foot, biting the toes and twisting them. Callihan locked in a sleeper, but Bahh made a comeback as he hulked up. Bahh came back with a good belly-to-belly and side slam for a two count. Bahh went for the top rope Banzai Drop, but Callihan rolled out of the way, and thankfully, Bordeaux was there to tell Bahh not to dive.
Callihan got a two count with a kick combination, and Bahh was bleeding from the mouth. Bahh hit a Samoan Drop and once again went for the Banzai Drop, but now it was the Crist brothers that came out to help Callihan. Bordeaux confronted both of them and took them out with a rolling senton. Inside the ring, Bahh used the distraction to get a two count on Callihan.
Bahh hit a suicide dive to take out all of oVe. But when he tried to capitalize, Callihan caught him with a draping Cactus Special and pinned Bahh by putting his feet on the ropes. Pretty good opener.
Tommy Dreamer cut a promo backstage talking about the first impressions he had of Rob Van Dam and their history throughout ECW, WWE, and old TNA. He talked about them going at it one last time tonight.
Melissa Santos interviewed Johnny Impact and Johnny Bravo. She asked about helping Elgin last week. Impact was explaining that he wanted to let Elgin keep sending people to the hospital. Elgin walked up to them, and Impact offered to tag together and send Swann and Mack to the hospital next.
Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie defeated Madison Rayne to retain her title
Taya ran around the ring to start the match, but Rayne soon used a spear to stop her and started delivering a flurry of punches. Rayne kept control, getting a two count with a second rope crossbody.
Back from commercial, Rayne delivered a cutter for another two count — and Taya once again decided to run away and leave the ring. Rayne tried to catch Taya with a baseball slide while she was distracted, but Taya was ready for her, caught her leg, and started kicking her hamstring to finally ground her.
Taya focused on Rayne’s leg by stomping her knee over and over on the mat. Rayne tried to make a comeback with strikes, but she had a weak footing that Taya easily broke. Same when Rayne thought she could do a suplex. Taya locked in a single-leg crab, but Rayne made the ropes.
Taya started getting more and more cocky, distracting herself and talking trash and giving Rayne the time to recover a bit. Rayne finally manage to reverse a running hip attack with a kick and a tornado DDT. Taya pulled the referee in front of her to once again cut off Rayne, but it didn’t last long as Rayne returned with a schoolboy for a two count. She transitioned into a single-leg crab, but Taya made the ropes.
Taya connected with two knee lifts and went for Road to Valhalla, but Rayne reversed it. Rayne went for a reverse DDT, but Taya countered into Road to Valhalla for the win.
As Taya was celebrating in the ring, Rosemary suddenly appeared. The crowd popped big. Rosemary tied up Su Yung in the ring post and went to face off with Taya and make her intentions clear — she wants the Knockouts Championship.
We got a Deaners Vignette of them eating Philly cheesesteak. Cody Deaner talked about The Desi Hit Squad stealing their last match and talked about the sacrifices they’ve made to come to Impact.
Backstage, James Mitchell met with Rosemary and told her that they’ve always looked at her as part of the family, but he was starting to get annoyed at Rosemary stealing bridesmaids and Su Yung. Rosemary told Mitchell that they’re done with him and technically told him that she is planning to kill Su Yung.
The Impact Plus Flashback of the Week was Raven and The Sandman’s debut in The Asylum from February 2003.
We had a video recap of Eddie Edwards and his kendo stick. Edwards talked about what the stick meant to him. He did acknowledge it was just a stick, but it was a memento that had been with him in the last months and through his struggles.
Edwards challenged Killer Kross to a fight next week. Edwards had his mouthpiece on and was talking funny.
The Rascalz were in the Treehouse. They were sober and arguing because they were hating their new training regiment. Zachary Wentz proposed they smoke, then they were all happy and ready to train again. Now that they were back to normal, they dominated their training session.
Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/ Konnan defeated The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) to retain their titles
Santana and Alexander started the match with a sequence of reversals and counters. Alexander dominated with his strength advantage and gave Santana a cheap shot to get some control, but Santana managed to tag in Ortiz before he got completely cut off.
Page came in — only to take a couple of double-team moves from LAX. Alexander returned and took out Santana with a running crossbody to the back and finally cut off Ortiz.
The North worked over Ortiz with quick tags and double-team moves, earning a couple of two counts along the way. Page was in with Ortiz, who made a small comeback with a neckbreaker, but Alexander had taken out Santana once again. Ortiz was forced to survive a bit longer until Santana could make it back to the corner.
Santana and Alexander tagged in, with the former running wild over The North. Santana hit a sunset flip for a two count. LAX then used a slingshot into a kick on Alexander for another two count, then The North hit a quick combo on Santana for a two count for themselves.
Santana went for the propelled cutter, but Alexander caught him and tossed him out, leaving Ortiz open for a finisher. Alexander pinned Ortiz and Santana was late to break up the pin, but the ref still counted only two.
The match continued with LAX hitting a cutter, superkick, and Street Sweeper combo to pin Alexander and retain their titles. Great match if we ignore that one botched pin attempt. The commentary team sold it as controversial and said that they’ll review the tape and give The North another title shot if they see fit.
“Disco Inferno” Glenn Gilbertti vs. Ashley Vox ended in a no contest
This was announced as an exhibition match. Before it began, Disco cut a promo talking trash about women’s wrestling and said that he would be doing live commentary during the match. He asked production to cut off Don Callis and Josh Mathews’ headsets.
Disco interviewed Vox and just made fun of her over and over until Vox got tired of his voice and started the match.
Disco still used the distractions to cheap shot her and beat her up a bit, ramming her into the turnbuckle. Disco locked in a headlock and actually called the match while doing it. In a heelish way, he was hilarious.
Disco eventually got tired and hit an old school thumb to the throat behind the ref’s back. He kept talking trash, giving Vox the opening to roll him up for a two count. Vox got some offense in, dropping Disco, but Disco got an opening and hit a stunner but broke up his own pin.
Disco went for a second stunner, but Tessa Blanchard finally came out for the save, running Disco to the back. This was longer than it needed to be.
Blanchard vs. Disco was announced for next week.
Dezmond Xavier defeated Ace Austin, Petey Williams, and Rohit Raju (w/ Gama Singh) in a fatal four-way match
Raju took out Xavier to start the match. Austin then took Raju out, right before Williams hit a couple of moves on both men. Williams went for an early Canadian Destroyer, but Austin cut him off and gave him the Ace finger cut.
Xavier returned and took out Austin. He exchanged some reversals with Raju, who he dropped with a combo right before diving on Austin. Williams hit a dive on Xavier, followed by a Space Flying Tiger Drop by Austin on both of them.
Back in the ring, Austin superkicked both Raju and Xavier. Williams hit the Destroyer on Austin. Xavier came in and Williams was going for another Destroyer, but Raju foot stomped him in the back of the neck and took him out. Xavier kicked Raju and pinned him to take the win. This had fast-paced action but was too short.
Announced for next week: Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross in a street fight, Tessa Blanchard vs. Glenn Gilbertti, and Michael Elgin & Johnny Impact vs. Rich Swann vs. Willie Mack.
Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer
This was billed as their final match against each other ever. They spent the first few minutes playing to the crowd’s dueling chants and E-C-Dub chants. This was total fan service for the Philly crowd.
They finally started wrestling with a short series of reversals. RVD got the first pin attempt with a rolling leg sweep. Dreamer hit a suplex. They exchanged a couple of reversals, ending in a standoff. It had already been five minutes since they started — this was going slow.
RVD played to the fans and Dreamer tried to roll him up. Dreamer went for the Dusty strikes. RVD countered but was sent out to the floor. Dreamer spat water on RVD, seemingly wanting the match to get extreme — and thus RVD hit the springboard apron leg drop and brought out a chair for the Van Daminator to the corner.
Dreamer set up RVD in the tree-of-woe with a chair and delivered a running dropkick. RVD came back with a Rolling Thunder onto a chair once Dreamer moved out of the way. Dreamer dropped RVD with a DDT onto the chair for a two count.
Dreamer went for a piledriver, but RVD blocked him once. Dreamer hit it on his second attempt, getting a two count. Dreamer went for a diving elbow, but RVD dodged and Dreamer went face-first into a chair with a drop toe hold. RVD delivered the Five Star Frog Splash to pick up the win.
I can’t say it was a good match. Both men looked old, but the spectacle of this match in the old ECW Arena was enough for the live fans to go crazy for it.
After the match, The North came down and attacked both RVD and Dreamer. They mocked them, but RVD and Dreamer made a comeback until Moose came out to aid The North. Moose set up for the spear, but the lights suddenly went out and Sabu returned to make the save.
RVD, Dreamer, and Sabu joined forces to take out The North and Moose to close the show.
Final thoughts —
Overall, this was a good and entertaining episode. The main event felt completely like fan service and somewhat out of context to the whole direction of the show, but nonetheless, this was a fun watch.
Impact Wrestling was back at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday to close out two straight nights of television tapings.
– Tessa Blanchard defeated Disco Inferno
Blanchard picked up a quick win.
– Ahead of their six-man tag match against RVD, Sabu & Tommy Dreamer later in the tapings, Moose & The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) cut a promo in the ring and insulted ECW.
– The Deaners defeated The Desi Hit Squad
– Eddie Edwards defeated Killer Kross in a street fight
The Sandman helped Edwards win, giving him a new kendo stick after Kross broke Edwards’ kendo stick at Friday’s tapings.
– X-Division Champion Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated Johnny Impact & Michael Elgin
Elgin walked out on Johnny after they bumped into each other. Swann pinned Johnny to get the win.
– Non-title match: Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary ended in a no contest
Jessicka Havok came out with James Mitchell. She attacked both Valkyrie and Rosemary, then left with Su Yung. Yung was at ringside with Rosemary on a chain after she lost a demon collar match to Rosemary at Friday’s tapings.
Tessa Blanchard made the save when oVe attacked Bordeaux after the match.
– Jordynne Grace defeated Kiera Hogan
Hogan played the heel here.
– Impact Tag Team Champions LAX vs. The Rascalz ended in a DQ
It appeared that The Rascalz won the titles after a ref bump, but the decision was reversed and the match ended in a disqualification.
– Ace Austin defeated Cousin Jake Deaner
The Desi Hit Squad distracted Cody Deaner near the end of the match.
– RVD, Sabu & Tommy Dreamer defeated Moose & The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page)
Dreamer cut a promo to close the show, with him saying RVD has suffered over 100 concussions in his career and is still flying higher than ever. Dreamer mentioned that Impact and ECW are similar in how their rosters had misfits and castoffs.
