Journalist and author Pat Laprade reported on Saturday that the 55-year-old PCO has given his notice to Impact Wrestling. PCO’s contract with Impact is set to expire near the end of October. He’s been with the promotion since the beginning of 2022.
“BREAKING NEWS: After speaking with sources very close to the situation, I can confirm that PCO has given his notice to Impact Wrestling. His contract ends on October 30,” Laprade wrote. “Real name Carl Ouellet, the veteran from Montreal had started with Impact in January 2022.”
A three-time WWF Tag Team Champion as part of The Quebecers in the 1990s, PCO has gone through a career resurgence over the last several years. That resurgence included PCO holding the ROH World Championship one time. He was with ROH from 2018-2021.
PCO defeated Bully Ray in an anything goes match at Impact Victory Road earlier this month. On the first week of Impact’s 1000th episode, PCO was one of the participants in a Feast or Fired match. PCO didn’t get one of the briefcases in the match.
The final pieces for this Thursday’s Impact Wrestling on AXS TV have come into place with a high-profile tag team match as the main attraction.
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) will take on Nick Aldis & Lio Rush following the events of last Thursday where Rush assisted Aldis in a beatdown of Shelley and Sabin. Shelley will defend the Impact World title against Aldis at this month’s Slammiversary while Sabin will defend the X-Division title against Rush.
PCO will battle The Good Hands (Jason Hotch & John Skyler) in a handicap match. This was made after Hotch and Skyler challenged Scott D’Amore to a warmup match ahead of he and PCO teaming up against Bully Ray & Steve Maclin at Slammiversary. D’Amore then made the handicap match to their chagrin.
Former Impact World Champions Sami Callihan & Rich Swann will be in tag team action against opponents to be named.
Here’s the current lineup:
Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Nick Aldis & Lio Rush
PCO vs. The Good Hands (Jason Hotch & John Skyler)
The following are spoilers from Saturday’s Impact Wrestling TV taping in Atlanta, Georgia, setting up the road to next month’s Slammiversary.
Here’s all the results from Friday. Everything taped this weekend will air through the July pay-per-view.
Results come courtesy of PWInsider:
Trinity defeated Jai Vidal
PCO def. The Good Hands (John Skylar & Jason Hotch) in a handicap match
Lio Rush & Nick Aldis defeated The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
Zachary Wentz defeated Chris Bey
Mike Bailey defeated Kevin Knight
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jody Threat in an open challenge
Moose & Brian Myers defeated Sami Callihan & Rich Swann
Ace Austin defeated Angels, Trey Miguel and Jonathan Gresham in a four-way
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Coven (KiLynn King & Taylor Wilde) and The Design (Kon & Deaner) defeated Decay (Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus) and The Death Dollz (Jessicka & Courtney Rush)
The blood feud between Impact president Scott D’Amore and Bully Ray will rage on at July’s Slammiversary.
D’Amore will return to the ring alongside PCO to take on Ray and former Impact World Champion Steve Maclin at the Saturday, July 15th show from Windsor, Ontario. Canada.
After Maclin defeated PCO at last month’s Under Siege to retain his then-World title, Ray made his surprise return and put D’Amore through a flaming table, putting him out of action. D’Amore returned at last Friday’s Against All Odds to hit Ray with a chair during the 8-4-1 match as Ray was about to lay out Jonathan Gresham.
On Thursday’s Impact on AXS TV, Ray filed an official complaint with Anthem Sports about D’Amore who is taking a storyline leave of absence. He then attacked Ray which brought out Maclin. As the two were attacking D’Amore, PCO came out to even the odds. D’Amore then said he was coming out of retirement and the match was made.
The 48-year-old hasn’t wrestled since November 2022 when he took part in a handicap match at Impact Wrestling’s comedy spinoff IPWF promotion.
Here’s the current card for the PPV:
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Nick Aldis
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defends against Trinity
Steve Maclin first won the vacant Impact World title at Rebellion after defeating KUSHIDA. Since then, he has had two successful title defenses, one of which had people buzzing online due to the violent nature of the match.
Ahead of his Friday title defense against Alex Shelley as part of Against All Odds, I talked to the champion about his first World title run, that bloody affair against PCO last month, and former champion Josh Alexander.
You can watch the video above on YouTube and read some highlights below.
Winning the title
Maclin was scheduled to face then-champion Alexander at Rebellion, but Alexander had to relinquish the title due to a triceps tear, thus ending his 335-day reign. That set the Maclin vs. KUSHIDA match into motion.
Not only did he win a championship, but his wife, Deonna Purrazzo, regained the Knockouts title for a third time by defeating Jordynne Grace in the evening’s main event.
“To win that night in Toronto, especially the night my wife and I won the world titles, it’s just cool to come out of that and share the moment together,” he said.
Maclin feels he is now the “flag bearer” of the company and simply wants to have the best matches possible, whether or not they steal the show.
“I want to go out there and give the fans their money’s worth. I want to set the tone for what the World title should be, in my eyes, of how it should be defended and how you should fight for it,” he said.
The PCO match
Just a few weeks ago at Under Siege, Maclin fought PCO in a no DQ title defense and managed to retain the title after a bloody and violent spectacle.
Maclin felt that at Under Siege, the two men showed what the “World title means in Impact Wrestling” and that they were able to “create a little bit more buzz” on a very busy wrestling weekend.
“I knew we were gonna go out there and try to do something different that people haven’t seen in a long time,” he said.
As champion, he said he puts the weight on his shoulders to help Impact keep growing because he believes that they have the “best professional wrestling show out there.”
He added that he could relate his match against PCO to Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind at WWE In Your House: Mind Games from 1996, describing it as “one of those matches that evolved both talents.”
“It really was mayhem for all,” he stated.
Following the match, Maclin said he and Purrazzo spent his birthday night in the emergency room while he waited to get stitches on his head:
THE WAY @SteveMaclin DESCRIBED THE SKIN ON HIS HAND AFTER WIPING HIS FOREHEAD đđđđđđđđđđ
— Denise 'Hollywood' Salcedo (@_denisesalcedo) June 7, 2023
Josh Alexander’s reign
When Alexander was Impact World Champion prior to Maclin, his reign became historic as he held the title for 335 days. I asked Maclin if he felt any pressure having to follow that.
As it turns out, Maclin feels “no pressure” at all from that. While he did want to be the one to defeat Alexander for the title, that was not able to happen due to the injury.
“What I worry about is whatever my next match and my next opponent is going to be. I have my body of work, he has his body of work. I am going to leave my version of a lasting legacy, he’ll leave his version of a lasting legacy. That’s what anybody does in wrestling. I think if you start worrying about other people, then that’s when you have problems with yourself and that’s where you start to lose confidence. I worry about me. But when the time comes and he is healthy, I am looking forward to that matchup,” he said.
Impact Wrestling returns tonight with Under Siege from London, Ontario, Canada.
The event will feature nearly every championship defended with Impact World Champion Steve Maclin putting his title on the line against PCO in a no DQ match.
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo gets a big test in her latest run as champion as she defends against Jordynne Grace. If Grace cannot regain the belt, she can’t challenge Purrazzo again as long as she is champion.
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel will defend against former multi-time champion Chris Sabin while Impact Tag Team Champions Chris Bey & Ace Austin will defend against the debuting Subculture (Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews).
In a six-way to determine the next World title challenger, it will be Eddie Edwards vs. Moose vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Yuya Uemura vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Alex Shelley.
The 10-match card will also feature Trinity looking to go 2-0 in her early run as she takes on Gisele Shaw.
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Countdown to Under Siege:
The pre-show for Under Siege began with The Coven making their entrance.
Death Dollz (Courtney Rush & Jessicka) defeated Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Coven (Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King) in a non-title match
I like this presentation of Rush far more than her Rosemary character. This was a fun match.
Rush and Wilde started the match. After a brief exchange, Jessicka & KiLynn King tag in and start hitting some hard strikes. Jessicka gets the better of it and this leads to some double team offence from Rush and Jessicka. Rush went for a sharpshooter on Wilde, but King ran up and hit a big German suplex on Rush. Wilde and King got the heat on Rush for the next few minutes, including missing a tag by Jessicka, as the referee was distracted by KiLynn King.
Jessicka managed to tag in and hit a big kick to the face of King before hitting a low cross body to the seated King for a 2-count. Wilde and Rush both tagged in again, and Wilde tried to setup a double team move with King, Jessicka ran in and took out King while Rush countered and locked a sharpshooter on Wilde for the submission.
– Joe Hendry came out and cut a promo about how Dango was experiencing an identity crisis recently, attacking Santino. Hendry said that it didnât matter if he came out as a ballroom dancer, a fake police officer, or a list of others jobs, because the only job he needed to worry about was coming down to the ring to get beat by Joe Hendry. This was a good promo.
Impact Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry defeated Dirty Dango via DQ to retain
There was not a lot to this match, but it was highlighted by Dango working over the left arm of Joe Hendry repeatedly. Dango hoped to get the win that way, but as he was on the middle turnbuckle holding Hendryâs arm, Hendry pulled him off and hit a cutter. Dango responded by low blowing Hendry for the DQ.
Dango continued the assault after the match, stomping on the arm of Hendry. As he went to the top rope, Santinoâs music hit and he ran down and made the save. Dango ran away before Santino could attack, and handed Hendry his title.
Main Card:
Nick Aldis opened the show with his entrance and a great reaction from the Canadian audience.
Nick Aldis defeated Kenny King (w/ Sheldon Jean)
Good opening match here with Aldis and King. Kenny King has really been working different since his MMA style match with Mike Bailey. Aldis looked quite good here as well.
Aldis caught King on a crossbody, and picked it up into a nice vertical suplex. King rolled the floor and let Jean roll into he opposite side of the ring to distract Aldis, but Aldis responded and turned to elbow King as he was rolling back into the ring to attack. Aldis followed King to the floor and got hit with a drop toe hold that drove Aldis face first into the steps.
King managed to hit a great flip over the top rope to the floor on Aldis. King missed a springboard leg drop and Aldis got up and hit a suplex. Aldis went to the top rope for a flying elbow, but King cut him off and went for a superplex. Aldis shoved King off the ropes, but King landed in a back handspring and landed on his feet before running up the ropes with an enziguri. Both men stood up and started exchanging punches. King hit a powerslam for a 2-count.
Aldis hit a Michinoku driver and then an elbow drop off the top rope, but Sheldon Jean got on the apron to distract the referee. Aldis knocked Jean off the apron but gold rolled up by King, who put his feet on the ropes. The referee noticed and broke up the pinfall. King tried to hit a dropkick off the top rope, but Aldis caught him and locked the Kingsland Cloverleaf on for the submission win.
As Aldis was leaving, he noticed something in the audience, and it was Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly brawling through the crowd. They brawled to ringside and Kelly hit a suplex on the floor that dropped Slamovich. Kelly grabbed a steal chain from ringside and wrapped it around the mouth and neck of Slamovich, attempting to choke her out, and a whole bunch of security and referees ran down to break it up as the fans chanted âLet them fight!â This was a great angle.
– Jordynne Grace was with Gia Miller backstage, and she talked about the potential of losing the match tonight against Deonna Purrazzo. If Grace lost, she would never be able to challenge for the title again as long as Purrazzo was champion, and that would mean her admitting that she wasnât the best, and she didnât know what to do if she wasnât. She was quite emotional here, and Gia Miller looked ready to cry.
Sami Callihan, Rich Swann & Jake Crist defeated The Design (Deaner, Kon & Angels)
This was a really good tag match, with non-stop action and tons of time for everyone to shine. Kon was booked to hide his weaknesses and highlight his strengths, which was no selling and throwing people around. This was very well done.
Crist and Callihan double teamed Angels in the early portion, but it broke down to all 6 men being in the ring soon thereafter and the action spilled to the floor. Angels hit a tope on Callihan while Crist went for a suicide dive on Kon, but Kon hit a forearm to the face of Crist to drop him. Crist got up quickly as Callihan hit Kon with a kick and hit a springboard moonsault to finally drop Kon.
Callihan then power bombed Angels over the top rope onto everyone. Rich Swann was bleeding a lot from the mouth as he, Callihan, and Crist rolled Kon into the ring and hit a triple superkick that Kon no sold. Swann jumped onto the back of Kon and put him in a sleeper while Callihan and Crist hit two superkicks which failed to knock Kon down again. Kon then slammed Swann over his head and onto Callihan and Crist.
Deaner tagged in and got a big reaction, as he worked the Canadian indie scene for years. The Design isolated Crist, who was now bleeding from the ear. Crist managed to hit a flying forearm on Deaner and tag out to Callihan. Callihan signaled he wanted to fight Deaner, offering his chin for Deaner to punch. Both men started brawling, but Crist and Angels came back in again, and soon Callihan and Crist were hitting stereo Death Valley Drivers.
Kon chokeslammed both men, and Angels hit a huge spinning kick on Callihan before hitting a low down for a 2-count. Kon missed a corner charge and Swann came in and superkicked everyone before hitting a double handspring cutter on Kon and Deaner. Angels took out Swann but ate a superkick and a tiger suplex from Angels. Callihan came in and hit a Cactus driver on Deaner. Angels hit a half nelson suplex on Swan, and went for another, but Swann countered into a forward cradle for the pinfall. Good match.
– Gia Miller was with Santino backstage, and he talked about how Dango attacked him. Santino threatened to punch the lights of Dango out.
Trinity defeated Gisele Shaw (w/ Savannah Evans & Jai Vidal)
Trinity looked so happy as the fans cheered, and started the match hitting a nice leg drop on Shaw. Shaw rolled from the ring to regroup. Trinity dodged a corner charge and hit a Stinger splash before hitting flying head scissors on Shaw. Shaw rolled to the floor to regroup again, so Trinity tried to hit a basement dropkick.
Shaw moved, and Trinity came face to face with Savannah Evans. Trinity launched over Evans and hit a Thesz press on Shaw. After rolling Shaw back into the ring, Evans pulled Trinity from the apron onto the floor. Shaw got the heat over the next few minutes, slowly shoving Trinity with kicks.
Trinity blocked the next kick and hit a torture rack backbreaker on Shaw. Trinity hit a series of forearms and a dropkick before spiking Shaw with a head scissors takedown. Trinity hit the split legged moonsault for a 2-count. Shaw cut Trinity off and hit a draping DDT for a 2-count. Trinity dodged the running knee and hit two enziguris to take down Shaw and Vidal, who got on the apron. Trinity then reversed an attempt at a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a sunset flip before locking on Starstruck for the submission win.
– Gia Miller was with Subculture backstage, talking to Mark Andrews, & Flash Morgan Webster, & Dani Luna. Brian Myers and The Good Hands came up and said that they should be getting the tag title match first. Subculture then offered The Good Hands their first defense once they beat ABC.
Impact Tag Team Champions ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) defeated Subculture (Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster) (w/ Dani Luna) to retain
What a fantastic tag team title match. This was fantastic, and I hope we see more of Subculture in Impact. This is a team that and act that fits in very well with Impact, and they could use some more great tag teams.
Austin and Andrews started with Austin seeing a drop toe hold blocked, leading to Austin to kick Andrews in the back before tagging out to Bey who continued the assault. Subculture quickly hit some double team moves that involved several moonsaults and sentons on Bey, ending with a North Lights suplex on Bey from Andrews for a 2-count.
Austin managed to tag in and ABC hit the Click Click Boom on Webster, stealing from the Motor City Machine Guns. Austin low bridged Webster to send him to the floor, letting Chris Bey hit a tope con giro. Austin captured Websterâs head between his feet and stomped it down to the mat for a 2-count.
Webster managed to slip through the legs of Bey and tagged out to Andrews. Andrews can in and hit a moonsault to the floor on Bey before hitting a code red on Austin for a 2-count. Austin dodged a corner charge from Andrews and hit a springboard dropkick. Austin and Andrews both tagged out, and Bey and Austin hit a combo enziguri and torture rack bomb for a 2-count.
Andrews was sent to the floor after a low bridge from Austin. Bey and Austin were both sent to the floor by Webster, who hit a flip dive off the corner post to the floor. Andrews managed to hit Bey with a Stundog Millionaire and Webster hit a senton bomb on the back of Bey for a 2-count. Subculture went for a combo knee on Bey, but Bey ended up hitting a poison rana on both men before Bey and Austin hit the One Two Sweet for the win.
– An excellent hype video aired for Trey Miguel vs. Chris Sabin
Impact X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defeated Chris Sabin to retain
This was another excellent match. Impactâs show thus far has been a huge thumbs up, as Sabin showed why he still one of the best going, and Miguel was right there with him.
Sabin quickly outwrestled Miguel and sent him to the floor with an arm drag. Miguel went to the floor again after getting in the ring, thinking he escaped Sabin, but Sabin followed him and hit a running kick off the apron on Miguel. Sabin put Miguel in the tree of woe and hit a hesitation dropkick in the corner.
Miguel was able to get the advantage after sweeping the legs of Sabin with a tiger feint kick on the apron. Miguel hit a senton and a running knee drop in the ring, and locked on a dragon sleeper. Miguel switched to a sleeper hold, but Sabin fought out. Sabin hit a sunset flip for a 2-count and followed up with a DDT. Sabin hit a missile dropkick off the top rope on Miguel and a boot in the corner that Hannifan called a âhell of a kickâ in the corner. I see what you did there, Tom.
Sabin hit a German suplex. Sabin and Miguel exchanged uppercuts and strikes back and forth running corner to corner, and it ended when Miguel hit a flying kick and a brainbuster for a 2-count. Sabin rolled under a meteora and hit a dropkick to the knees of Miguel before stomping on the legs of Miguel.
Miguel got hit with a dragon screw by Sabin before getting locked in a sharpshooter. Miguel got to the ropes to escape. Both men ended up fighting on the turnbuckle and Miguel tried to hit a sunset flip bomb off the corer, but Sabin countered. Miguel hit a cheeky nandos kick before hitting a meteora for a 2-count. Miguel slid on his knees through the lower ropes into a tornado DDT on the floor. Miguel missed a second meteora, landing right on the injured knee.
Sabin and Miguel started to exchange chops in the middle of the ring. Sabin kicked the knee of Miguel and hit a chop to drop him. Miguel went for the lightning spiral, but Sabin countered it into a Canadian Destroyer. Sabin hit a massive lariat and went for the Cradle Shock, but Miguel raked the eyes to escape.
Sabin grabbed the referee and thought it was Miguel, but put him down. Miguel dropkicked Sabin into the referee, and Sabin hit the Cradle Shock on Miguel, but there was no referee to make the count. Miguel rolled to the floor and grabbed his spray paint and sprayed it into the eyes of Sabin before rolling him up for the win.
Alex Shelley defeated Moose, Eddie Edwards (w/ Alisha Edwards), Jonathan Gresham, Yuya Uemura and Frankie Kazarian to become the no. 1 contender to the Impact World title
Impact is in London, Ontario tonight, which is not far from Detroit, MI. Shelley spent a lot of time working Ontario indies in his career, so the right call was having him win here. This was fantastic.
Kazarian and Edwards immediately started brawling around ringside. Shelley and Gresham dropkicked Moose off the apron before locking up to start their technical wrestling exchange. Moose came in and tried to chokeslam both of them while Kazarian was suplexed on the floor by Edwards. Shelley and Gresham managed to block the chokeslam and hit dropkicks to Mooseâs knees. Shelley hit dragon screw leglocks on everyone before Kazarian came in to cut him off.
Shelley hit a drop toe hold and Kazarian and locked a single leg crab on both Uemura and Kazarian. Moose pulled Shelley to the floor and drove him into the apron. Edwards tried to run at Kazarian, but Kazarian dodged and Edwards spilled to the floor and nailed Moose with an accidental tope suicida.
Gresham hit a hurricanrana on Kazarian but got hit with a big boot from Edwards. Kazarian fought back and hit his draping legdrop on Moose before hitting a springboard legdrop on Edwards. He went for the chicken wing, but Edwards fought out. Kazarian hit an unprettier on Edwards, but Shelley broke up the pinfall attempt. Kazarian hit a backstabber on Gresham and sent him into a flatliner into the turnbuckle by Shelley.
Uemura came into the ring and started exchanging chops with Kazarian and hitting a shoulder tackle. Moose came in and hit a huge uranage on Edwards before power bombing Uemura. Moose rolled through a backslide from Kazarian and hit yet another power bomb. Moose went for another power bomb on Gresham, but Gresham hit a hurricanrana. Moose held on, however, and picked Gresham up and hit yet another power bomb for a 2-count.
Moose tried to hit Uemura with a spear, but Uemura rolled out of the way and hit a flying forearm on Moose. Uemura went for a bulldog on Moose, but Moose shoved him off and Uemura ducked a clothesline from Edwards before hitting a capture suplex on Edwards and the bulldog on Moose for a 2-count.
Moose hit a sky high out of the corner on Uemura, but Shelly broke up the pinfall. Kazarian hit an OâConnor roll on Shelley and a Northern Lights suplex on Edwards at the same time for a 2-count. Gresham hit a few dives, but Kazarian hit slingshot cutter. Everyone hit big moves after this ending with Shelley hitting Shell Shock on Uemura and getting the win!
– Trey Miguel was met by Gia Miller backstage, and Miguel mocked Chris Sabin, leading to Sabin running up to him and attacking. Referees and security came in to separate them.
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jordynne Grace to retain
This match was awesome. Grace and Purrazzo have a ton of chemistry, and the finish was spectacular. I can only imagine what this match would have been like in front of 10,000 people instead of the 1000 or so here at this show, but regardless, the fans loved this one.
The story of the early parts of this match featured Jordynne Grace trying to keep the match hard hitting while Purrazzo tried to turn it into a technical affair. Purrazzo hit a neck breaker on Grace on the apron before hitting a flipping senton off the apron to the floor on Grace. Grace tried to hit a clothesline or punch, but Purrazzo kicked the arm to stop it. However, Purrazzo unwisely tried to hit a head scissors takedown on Grace, but Grace caught it and dumped Purrazzo across the top rope.
Grace went up and over Purrazzo in the corner and hit a German suplex for a 2-count. Grace put Purrazzo on the top rope and went for a muscle buster, but Purrazzo fought out of it and tried to kick the left arm of Grace while coming off the turnbuckle, but Grace dodged and hit a lariat that sent them both over the top rope to the floor. Grace and Purrazzo came back into the ring and started exchanging forearms.
Purrazzo hit a running knee but was unable to hit a Russian leg sweep. Purrazzo hit a head scissors into a Russian leg sweep that she immediately transitioned into a Fujiwara armbar, but Grace countered into a roll up. Grace hit a torture rack bomb for a 2-count. Grace went for a tombstone piledriver, but Purrazzo countered into one of her own for a 2-count.
Grace hit a power bomb and a jackhammer for a 2-count. Grace picked Purrazzo up in a firemanâs carry and tried to climb the ropes, but Purrazzo slipped out and hit a cheeky nandos kick in the corner before hitting a power bomb. Purrazzo went for the Queenâs Gambit, but Grace countered into a Jackknife pin, which Purrazzo countered into Queenâs Gambit for a 2-count. Grace hit a reverse piledriver for a 2-count.
Grace went for the Grace driver, but Purrazzo blocked it. Purrazzo and Grace hit open handed strikes at the same time and both went down. Grace tried to hit the Grace Driver off the middle ropes, but Purrazzo countered out of it and hit Queenâs Gambit off the middle ropes for the pinfall.
– Victory Road is set for Friday, September 8th in White Plains, New York, with the 1000th Impact being taped the following night. I remember the first episode, so this makes me feel very old.
Impact World Champion Steve Maclin defeated PCO in a no DQ match to retain
This is one of the bloodiest matches Iâve seen in Impact ever, and that includes all of Abyssâs wars, and Ravenâs insanity. This is not my kind of match, with some of the things that happened, but holy cow they worked hard. Absolutely brutal war between the two, and if you ever doubted the toughness of either Maclin or PCO, then you really shouldnât.
Maclin and PCO started brawling right away, with PCO hitting a clothesline that took them both to the floor. PCO hit a cannonball through the ropes on Maclin, leading to a huge reaction from the crowd. Maclin suplexed PCO into the ring steps, and it sounded horrifying. Maclin nailed PCO with a cookie sheet and sent PCO flipping to the floor in a horrific thud. It is hard to believe PCO has been taking that bump since the 90s.
Maclin went for a tope suicida and PCO nailed Maclin with a cookie sheet that busted him wide open. There looked to be a huge cut on his forehead, leading to the blood. Maclin hit a low blow and nailed PCO with a chair. Maclin was nailed PCO with the chair several more times and got a 2-count out of it. Maclin hit a spear in the corner on PCO into a garbage can for a 2-count.
Goodness gracious, Maclin took a staple gun and stapled PCOâs mouth shut. PCO grabbed pliers and took the staples out. That was horrifying. Maclin hit PCO with a sledgehammer, and then pulled slabs of concrete out from under the ring. Maclin then put the concrete on PCOâs back and hit it with a sledgehammer like he did on Impact 2 weeks ago, but only got a 2-count.
PCO fired up and hit a DDT on Maclin and then hit a lung blower off the middle ropes. PCO hit a leg drop to the back of the neck of Maclin for a 2-count. PCO hit a senton bomb off the top rope onto Maclin on the apron. Maclin then hit an iconoclasm off the top rope onto the apron on PCO.
PCO somehow got up after this and hit an inverted DDT on Maclin before setting up a series of cinder blocks in the ring. PCO went to the top rope but Maclin cut him off and threw PCO off onto the cinder blocks before hitting the KIA on the blocks for the pinfall.
Maclin grabbed a mic and demanded that Scott DâAmore keep his promise and come down to the ring to put the belt around Maclinâs waste while blood poured down his face and covered the ring. I canât say that is an image I will ever forget, as DâAmore strapped him up. DâAmore offered to shake his hand, but Maclin refused, leaving the ring and a pool of his own blood behind. Maclin left screaming that he was DâAmoreâs boss now.
As Maclin left, Bully Ray came out from the crowd and wrapped a strap around the neck of DâAmore and choked him out in the ring. Maclin said he liked the way Ray thought, and Ray told Maclin to get the tables. Bully Ray pulled out lighter fluid and went to light the table on fire Matt Rehwoldt ran in and told Ray and Maclin to stop. Ray took out Rehwoldt. PCO got back in the ring and briefly tried to fight back, but they took him out.
The Motor City Machine Guns tried to make the save, but they were fought off too. Ray and Maclin lit the table on fire and power bombed DâAmore through it, with Ray getting in the face of DâAmore after, saying that DâAmore would never get rid of him, and he was going to tag the entire company down around him. Ray then held Maclinâs hand up, celebrating with the bloody champion.
Maclin will defend against Shelley at next month’s Against All Odds.
Final Thoughts:
Well, a lot sure happened on this show. After a few shows that felt inconsequential, Impact fired back with this, literally in the case of DâAmore going through a flaming table. I know they tried this angle a few months back with Ray, but the table wouldnât light. This time it did, and it made it better. The violence against DâAmore escalated from going through a table to going through a flaming table, and now it appears Bully Ray will be aligned with Steve Maclin going forward, hopefully in a more managerial role, with the occasional match.
If you are into great wrestling, this show had plenty of it, and it you are into freak show matches, that main event was definitely one of those. With the angles put forward, and with the quality of matches this didnât feel like a monthly special, but a big time PPV for Impact. This show was a home run.
For the first time in a year, Trinity will appear on national TV as she makes her Impact Wrestling debut Thursday on AXS TV.
The former Naomi in WWE, she will be on hand to cut an in-ring promo to announce her intentions.
The build to Impact World Champion Steve Maclin and PCO’s match at Under Siege continues as Maclin teams with Champagne Singh and Shera against PCO and two mystery partners.
Jonathan Gresham and “Speedball” Mike Bailey will lock horns for the fourth time in Impact as their friendly rivalry continues.
Jody Threat will look to remain unbeaten in Impact as she faces Alisha Edwards while Sami Callihan and Deaner are expected to have an in-ring confrontation.
As part of the fallout from Hardcore War last month, Moose and Brian Myers will team up to take on Yuya Uemura and Bhupinder Gujjar.
Laredo Kid vs. Jack Price will be on the BTI pre-show.
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Laredo Kid defeated Jack Price
Itâs nice to see Kid back doing well after the serious injury he had awhile back. Kid looked fantastic, and Price worked very hard to make him look good too. Solid match for the preshow.
Moose & Brian Myers defeated Bhupinder Gujjar & Yuya Uemura
This was a good opening tag that saw Moose and Myers give a lot to Uemura and Gujjar, before getting the clean win. Gujjar is slowly improving, though still quite green.
Uemura and Gujjar had a good start to this match, sending Myers flying over the top rope into a flip dive on his own partner, and then hit stereo topes to the floor on Moose and Myers. Uemura hit a nice bulldog off the middle ropes on Moose. Gujjar and Uemura showed some great offence, almost beating the two more experienced wrestlers, but after Gujjar managed to send Myers to the floor, Moose hit a spear out of nowhere for the win.
–Steve Maclin was backstage with Champagne Singh and Sheera, as Gia Miller walked up and asked about their upcoming 6-man tag against PCO. Maclin said that PCO wouldnât be able to find partners, while he is establishing alliances.
–Dango was backstage with a murder board trying to figure out who attacked Santino last week. This included images of Tyler Breeze with âDirty cop?â written underneath it, Tomko, and Dangoâs belief that Mike Tenay was responsible. Joe Hendry showed up and said that the likely candidate was Trey Miguel given he hasnât been getting along with Santino lately. Dango called Hendry his best friend while side eyeing the picture of Tyler Breeze. A hint? Or just wackiness? Or both? Time will tell.
–The Design entered after Callihan and informed Callihan that the match would not be against Deaner, but against Kon. Kon attacked Callihan before the bell, chokeslaming him.
Sami Callihan defeated Kon (w/ The Design) via DQ
This was a poor match, but not due to Callihan.
Callihan quickly got back in the fight, low bridging Kon and then hitting a kick from the apron. Kon caught a second kick and pulled Callihanâs leg out from under him causing him to crash into the apron. As the came back from break, Kon was hitting a legdrop on Callihan for a 2-count. Kon did WWE big man offence, with bear hugs and rest holds, which slowed the match down considerably.
Callihan turned around in the bear hug and punched Kon in the face, ripped Konâs shirt off, hit some hard chops, and then hit an impressive Death Valley Driver on Kon. Angels tried to distract Callihan, but Callihan brought him into the ring to distract the referee. As the referee was dealing with Angels, Callihan low blowed Kon before smiling and inviting Deaner to come into the ring. Deaner signaled and a ton of men in yellow sweaters, the Army of Violence, to attack Callihan.
–Dango and Hendry interviewed Trey Miguel, who insisted he was innocent. Hendry examined his head for missing hair and determined it couldnât be him. Dango was conspicuously wearing a hat, and Miguel pointed out Dango had the most motivation to attack Santino as it elevated him to director of authority, which I donât think it is how it works.
–Jimmy Jacobs was with Nick Aldis, and Aldis talked about wanting to climb the ladder up to face Steve Maclin. Kenny King walked in and was skeptical. Aldis said King was acting like a gatekeeper, so Aldis challenged him to a match. King said that Aldis needed to work his way up to him, denying the match for now.
Jody Threat defeated Alisha Edwards
Edwards immediately slapped Threat. Threat responded with knees and a hard kick. Threat hit a shoulder tackle and a slap, in a bit of revenge. Threat dumped Edwards onto the middle rope and went for double knees to the back, but Edwards moved, sending Threat into the ropes. After a brief time of offense, Threat went back to the double knees before hitting the F416 for the pinfall.
–The Motor City Machine Guns were backstage with Gia Miller, and Sabin talked about how he has done it all in Impact, and he wanted to win the X-Division title for a 9th time, hopefully dethroning Treg Miguel. Alex Shelley said folks were asking him what was next since Sabin was chasing the X-Division title, and Shelley said, âI guess Iâll go win the World title.â Shelley heading back into the world title picture would be a delight. This is a good answer to the injuries in the main event scene, since Shelley is a good promo, great worker, and guy that can always main event a show when called upon.
–The second part of the in depth interview with Frankie Kazarian continued, as he talked about his time in ROH and how he helped found AEW with the Young Bucks, Christopher Daniels, and Cody, before returning to Impact and taking a chance on himself. I am not sure you can keep doing interviews like this and not make Kazarian champion at some point. It is the perfect story, and as his last major run, it would be fantastic to see him get a World title run.
PCO, Rhino, & Heath defeated Steve Maclin, Champagne Singh, and Sheera
This was a fun 6-man tag. The crowd was into everything that the babyface did.
PCO was prepared to fight all 3 men himself, but Rhino and Heath came out to join him, since they have their own issues with Singh and Sheera lately. Singh tried to overpower Rhino. This did not go well. Rhino tagged in Heath, who hit an axe handle to the arm on Singh. Maclin tagged in and beat on Heath for a bit before Heath was able to hit a powerslam on Maclin, leading to the hot tag to PCO.
PCO took everyone out as Maclin rolled to the floor to get away. PCO hit a DDT on Singh before hitting a cannonball through the middle ropes on Singh. PCO hit the Deanimator off the top rope onto the apron, crushing Singh like he did last week. Sheera and Maclin mauled PCO, and Maclin called the shots, getting Singh and Sheera to put PCO on the top rope. As they tried to attack, PCO slipped off the turnbuckle, took them both out, and faced off with Maclin. Maclin fled to the outside and ate a gore from Rhino. Heath hit the wake up call on Singh as he tried to buy off PCO, sending money flying everywhere. PCO then hit a moonsault on Singh for the pinfall.
–The Coven were in an unknown area, with Taylor Wilde carving something into a candle. She said that when the candle disappeared, so would Jordynne Grace & Deonna Purrazzo. I somehow doubt that will happen.
–Rosemary & Jessicka were backstage, and they summoned James Mitchell. Mitchell said The Coven was not powerful enough to keep Rosemary from the dark realm, but he could guide her directly into it. Rosemary didnât trust him, but believed she didnât have any other options. Jessicak wanted to come along, but Rosemary said that the last thing they needed was for her to get kidnapped. Rosemary gave Jessicka an hourglass and then said by the time it ran out, they would be back.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Mike Bailey
What a match. These guys could be generational rivals given how well they work together. Gresham and Bailey looked great throughout their series of matches, with Gresham getting the win to take the lead in the series for now. I suspect weâll see them clash again down the line in another classic. One of the best parts of these matches was that every one of them were different.
The fans gave a huge ovation for Bailey and Gresham, showing that the series of great matches they had thus far have been appreciated. Gresham and Bailey quickly picked up where they left off with Miguel causing a no contest in their last one, with Gresham getting a headscissors locked on Bailey. After a stalemate, but men locked up and got caught in the ropes.
As they came back from break both men were exchanging shoulder tackles before Bailey hit a kick to drop Gresham. Gresham targeted the left arm of Bailey in this match, changing tactics from targeting the knee previously. Gresham did have to face some kicks, and then an unexpected armbar from Bailey that almost got the submission.
Bailey kept up with the submission before getting back to his feet, hitting a moonsault double knees, and then transitioning immediately back to an armbar that Gresham countered into a pinfall attempt. Bailey hit a series of kicks and then went over the top rope to hit double knees on Gresham, who was on the apron. Bailey then hit a triangle moonsault to the floor that Kota Ibushi would be proud of.
Gresham went back to the arm back in the ring, but Bailey continued his assault with a pump kick and standing Spanish fly. Bailey went for Ultima Weapon, but Gresham moved and countered into the Octopus stretch on Bailey to get a quick submission due to the arm submission.
–Sami Callihan was backstage admitting that he did the stupid thing trying to take on The Design on his own. He was asking for help from Rich Swann, saying that they have been family for years, and Swann was saying that this isnât the first time that Callihan got him in trouble. Callihan left Swann with some things to think about, asking clearly for help, which is not something he usually does.
–Steve Maclin was backstage with Scott DâAmore, and he demanded DâAmore handle what Rhino did to him. DâAmore handled it by booking him against Rhino next week for the Impact World Championship.
–Trinty made her Impact debut to close the show to a fantastic reaction from the audience. Impact did a great job making this feel like a huge deal, and having her close the show also puts a lot of trust in her, showing they see her as a huge star. This was awesome. Trinity put over the Impact Knockouts division, and said she has wanted to be a part of it for years. Trinity said she was looking forward to fighting all the women the division had to offer, and that she was coming for the Knockouts Championship.
Deonna Purrazzo made her entrance, and welcomed Trinity to Impact. Purrazzo said that when they stepped into the ring together, Trinity wouldnât be able to walk out on it. Trinity fired back, saying that Purrazzo would wish she got fired again. Jordynne Grace came down to the ring, and said it was feeling hot out there because of the heat between those two.
Grace indicated that everyone wanted to see them wrestle, but Grace was still in line first for the Knockouts title. Grace said the title was hers, so Trinity would have to face Grace first. Trinity made it very clear that no matter who was champion, they would have to face her next. The dialogue was a bit forced at points, but this was an excellent segment that immediately positioned Trinity as a main event star. That is how its done.
Final Thoughts
This episode felt like a lot of important things happened in terms of storyline development. From the debut of Trinity, to the Motor City Machine Guns chasing singles titles, to advancing Purrazzo and Grace while tying Trinity into it, a lot of what was on this show was good. The Bailey/Gresham match delivered, as those two always do. A good show, despite the wacky Dango/Hendry, Undead Realm, and Coven stuff.
Impact Wrestling â May 11, 2023 Card
¡ Nick Aldis vs. Sheldon Jean
¡ Masha Slamovich vs. Killer Kelly
¡ Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship: The Coven (c) vs. Jordynne Grace & Deonna Purrazzo
¡ Impact World Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs. Rhino
The road to Under Siege continues on next Thursday’s Impact on AXS TV.
As was revealed earlier this week, Impact Wrestling is promoting a “major surprise” for next week’s show that no one is going to see coming. A yet-to-be denied report emerged this week that the surprise will be the Impact debut of the former Naomi in WWE.
The show will be taped this weekend in Chicago, Illinois, as part of two days of tapings.
After the events of Thursday night, Impact World Champion Steve Maclin will team with Champagne Singh and Shera against PCO and two partners of his choosing.
Shera and Singh attacked PCO as he came out to confront Maclin Thursday, leading to an impromptu match where PCO defeated Singh.
Jody Threat will look to remain unbeaten in her early Impact run as she takes on Alisha while Moose and Brian Myers battle Yuya Uemura and Bhupinder Gujjar.
Part two of Frankie Kazarian’s sit-down interview with Gia Miller is also on tap.
Here’s a look at the current lineup:
Major surprise debut
Steve Maclin, Champagne Singh & Shera vs. PCO and two partners of his choosing
Jody Threat vs. Alisha
Moose & Brian Myers vs. Yuya Uemura & Bhupinder Gujjar
Impact Wrestling is getting into the big announcement business, touting a “major surprise” for this Friday’s TV taping in Chicago, Illinois.
Impact is heading to the Windy City for tapings on both Friday and Saturday at Cicero Stadium as part of Spring Slugfest weekend. There was no hint as what the surprise could be.
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Coven (Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King) vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Jordynne Grace
It wasn’t advertised as a Tag Team title match, but Purrazzo will defend her Knockouts title against Wilde on this Thursday’s Impact on AXS. Purrazzo defeated Grace at this month’s Rebellion to win the vacant title.
Steve Maclin/PCO confrontation
A graphic featuring both men was released ahead of their match for Maclin’s World title at this month’s Under Siege. It’s unknown what their interaction will entail.
Moose & Brian Myers vs. Bhupinder Gujjar & Yuya Uemura
Moose took on Uemura on last week’s Impact on AXS.
The first title defense for new Impact World Champion Steve Maclin has been confirmed and it will be at next month’s Under Siege against PCO.
The streaming event will take place on Friday, May 26th in Toronto, Canada.
The match was made at the end of Thursday’s Impact on AXS TV as Maclin was having his “Changing of the Guard” championship celebration following his victory at last Sunday’s Rebellion.
In a jab at injured former champion Josh Alexander, Maclin was calling out any Canadian for a title shot which brought out Impact president Scott D’Amore.
The two had a heated verbal confrontation where D’Amore teased that he would be the Canadian to challenge Maclin, but he then revealed it would be PCO.
PCO emerged from the back and took out Maclin’s camouflaged-dressed security detail before he and Maclin exchanged punches. The champion eventually got out of the ring and watched as PCO took out two security members through a table to close the show.
PCO, who has never held Impact gold, is coming off a win over rival Eddie Edwards in a Last Rites match at Rebellion while Maclin defeated KUSHIDA to win the vacant title.
The following are spoilers from Impact Wrestling’s television tapings on April 17 from the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto.
Perhaps the most notable event to occur at the tapings was the announcement that new Impact World Champion Steve Maclin will defend his title at Under Siege against PCO.
A program between Deonna Purrazzo and Jordynne Grace appears to be continuing after their match at Rebellion as well. Grace came out to save Purrazzo from an attack by the Coven on Monday’s event.
Additionally, Jody Threat got a nice hometown reaction from the fans and now appears to be entering a program with Alisha Edwards.
Impact TV tapings 4/17:
Heath & Rhino defeated Jack Price & Shogun
Kenny King defeated Channing Decker
Time Machine (Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA, & Chris Sabin) defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Trey Miguel & Jonathan Gresham
Alisha Edwards defeated Tara Rising – Jody Threat came out and confronted Edwards after the match
Frankie Kazarian defeated The Good Hands (John Skyler & Jason Hotch)
Impact Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry retained his title against Sheldon Jean (Reality star from Big Brother Canada)
A Changing of the Guard Ceremony was held for new champion Steve Maclin. Scott D’Amore then announced Maclin will defend his title against PCO at Under Siege
Jordynne Grace defeated Masha Slamovich
Johnny Swinger defeated El Dinerico (Zicky Dice)
Chris Bey & Ace Austin defeated The Design (Angels & Kon) – Sami Callihan ran off Deaner
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defeated Taylor Wilde to retain her title. KiLynn King and Wilde then attacked Purrazzo after the match until Jordynne Grace came to the new champion’s rescue.
An angle between Maclin and PCO played out that saw Maclin convince PCO he would get an impromptu shot at the title. PCO was then jumped by Champagne Singh and Mahabali Shera. This led to an impromptu match between PCO and Singh.
PCO defeated Champagne Singh
Sami Callihan defeated Brian Myers in a Street Fight
Impact Wrestling has announced that Eddie Edwards and PCO will settle their rivalry in a Last Rites match at Rebellion this Sunday (April 16). A Last Rites match is Impact’s version of a cage match.
On last week’s Impact, Edwards defeated PCO after Alisha Edwards interfered and hit PCO with a kendo stick. PCO chased Eddie and Alisha out to the parking lot after the match, but they drove off before he could get to them.
Impact Wrestling wrote:
For months, the intense rivalry between former Honor No More allies Eddie Edwards and PCO has sprawled across the IMPACT Zone, the parking lot and even the Las Vegas desert. After failing to bury PCO alive, Edwards recruited Kenny King to join his cause. But when King fell to PCO at Sacrifice, Edwards made a move that would shock the IMPACT faithful. During a singles bout against PCO on IMPACT!, Edwards reunited with his wife, Alisha, as she cracked PCO in the back with the coupleâs signature kendo stick. But after scoring the victory, Edwards was reminded that PCO is not human as he sat up and chased them off the property. At Rebellion, it all comes down to this as Eddie Edwards and PCO settle the score once and for all in the infamous Last Rites match, where the only way to win is to put your opponent inside of a casket and close the lid.
Rebellion is taking place at Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The updated card for the PPV is listed below:
KUSHIDA vs. Steve Maclin for the vacant Impact World Championship
Knockouts Champion Mickie James defends against Deonna Purrazzo and Jordynne Grace in a three-way match (if James isn’t cleared to compete, it will be Purrazzo vs. Grace for the vacant title)
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defends against “Speedball” Mike Bailey and Jonathan Gresham in a three-way elimination match
Hardcore War: Team Bully Ray vs. Team Tommy Dreamer
Ultimate X match: Impact Tag Team Champions Ace Austin & Chris Bey defend against Motor City Machine Guns
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Coven defend against The Death Dollz
Last Rites match: Eddie Edwards vs. PCO
The Design vs. Joe Hendry, Dirty Dango & Santino Marella
A new match has been announced for Impact Sacrifice.
PCO vs. Kenny King is now set for the streaming special scheduled for Friday, March 24, from Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
The match is part of an ongoing rivalry between PCO and Eddie Edwards. Two weeks ago, PCO was hit by a car driven by an unknown assailant. Then during last week’s episode, King aided Edwards in attacking PCO, leading to speculation it was King driving the car a week earlier.
Recently on IMPACT!, their ongoing battle was brought to a screeching halt when PCO was run over by an unknown assailant. One week later, their former stablemate in Honor No More, Kenny King, assisted Edwards in blindsiding PCO with another brutal assault. Was King the driver in the hit-and-run? And what are his motives for taking out PCO? In any case, Sacrifice will play host to a highly-combustible bout between PCO and Kenny King and revenge is in the air.
Next week’s edition of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV will be the go-home edition before Sacrifice. Four matches are listed for the show.
Impact on AXS TV lineup for Thursday, March 23, 2023:
Bully Ray & Masha Slamovich vs. Mickie James & Tommy Dreamer
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Savannah Evans
Moose & Brian Myers vs. Joe Hendry & Dirty Dango
The Design (Deaner, Kon & Angels) vs. Time Machine (KUSHIDA & Motor City Machine Guns)
Lineup for Impact Sacrifice on Friday, March 24, 2023, from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada:
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander, Rich Swann & Frankie Kazarian vs. Time Machine (KUSHIDA & Motor City Machine Guns)
Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James defends against Jordynne Grace
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defends against TBA
Impact Tag Team Champions Bullet Club defend against TMDK
Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry defends against Brian Myers
Impact Wrestling’s first episode since Friday’s No Surrender event will air on Thursday.
Three matches have been announced for this week’s show and one for Before The Impact.
Shane Haste will make his promotional in-ring debut when he faces “Speedball” Mike Bailey in singles competition. Bailey is looking to rebound after suffering a loss to Jonathan Gresham on The Countdown to No Surrender.
PCO vs. Trey Miguel will also air on Thursday. Miguel is coming off a win over Crazzy Steve in a Monster’s Ball match that aired last week. PCO was entered into the #1 Contenders four-way match at No Surrender that was won by Steve Maclin.
Kenny King vs. Kevin Knight is set for this week’s episode as well. King is coming off a loss to Rich Swann from the February 16 episode. Knight picked up a win against Jack Price on last week’s edition of Before the Impact.
Heath & Rhino are set for action on Before the Impact this week. They will take on Decay’s Taurus and Delirious in tag team competition.
Impact Wrestling on Thursday, March 2, 2023, was filmed Saturday, February 25, 2023, from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. The advertised card is as follows:
PCO has returned to action in Impact Wrestling and is heading to this month’s No Surrender in a four-way no. 1 contender’s match for a future World title shot.
It could begin a run that the Canadian feels could be the greatest character in professional wrestling ever.
Whether it’s in the ring or on social media, PCO has gotten fans accustomed to expect the unexpected. In past social media clips, he has been seen getting electrocuted with car batteries, lifting insane amount of weight while his arm is on a board of nails, smashing down nails with his palms, and much more.
It’s safe to say he is really living up to the tagline that “PCO is not human.” So what does he think is the craziest thing that he has ever done?
“In the ring, I took a power bomb over the rope to the floor, to the straight floor, with a little mat. That was pretty crazy because that was about a ten foot, 12-foot bump straight on the cement, straight on my head. That goes up there as one of the craziest things,” he said.
Additionally, he recalled getting thrown off a “pretty high” stage and landing on chairs in a match against Heath. He also shared thoughts on an incident that landed him in the hospital and getting 14 stitches.
“The craziest one was at Center Stage. I had an electrical malfunction where I kind of lose sight with the reality and I think thereâs someone and I jump into space. I cleared all the mats, banged my head on the cement floor, and I had 14 stitches inside and outside my eyebrow. I spent the night in the hospital,” he recalled.
PCO said that when promotions try to prevent him from going too far with big bumps, he fights for those things really hard. He understands companies have protocols they need to follow, but that he feels like he’s not human.
âSometimes companies or Impact, they want to be safe. Theyâll say, âMaybe itâs better if you donât wrestle tomorrow.â But I really fight those things really hard. I know itâs a question of health, and I know thereâs protocol. But I just feel like Iâm not human,” he said, adding that he really believes that he can “do something inhuman.”
One of those occasions he got pushback was in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“I remember doing a show with New Japan where I wanted to get power bombed on the floor. The officials at New Japan came up to me like maybe ten times, âNo, PCO. We catch, we catch.â No, if you catch, Iâm human. If you donât catch, Iâm not human. That was going on for maybe ten times, maybe for an hour, an hour and a half, and I had to really fight over (it).”
What drives him to put his body on the line and why does he push the limits? He said it’s his passion for the business.
âFor me, it was always like, Iâm willing to do things that maybe others arenât willing to do. It started like that, just to say, âYeah, Iâm really dedicated to this business.â But, also knowing that I was able to maybe pull it off. Even as a kid, I would always do some pretty crazy things. So I always knew I was that guy who could take a lot of pain, absorb a lot of pain, and pretty much get away with it in a way.”
In regards to Impact, PCO made his return to the company at January 2022’s Hard To Kill and it was revealed that he had signed with the promotion. PCO said one of the “strongest points” that made him re-sign for a full year last October was because they knew creatively where to go with his character.
âI really thought that (it) was the best company. The company knew creatively where to go with my character, what to do, what really I had inside myself. They kind of were able to read me and thatâs a lot to me. That means a lot to me. That was one of the strongest points that made me re-sign for a full year with Impact because they exactly knew what they had to do in order to make this thing really, really, really work,” he said.
He feels the best part is what the fans haven’t seen yet, noting that there is so much potential and that his gimmick can be the the greatest character in professional wrestling ever.
âWeâve been discussing a lot of it lately with a lot of people on creative. I have the confidence that we can go there. Once we go there, I think itâs going to be the greatest character in professional wrestling ever. I donât think any other character can approach that character as far as what it is and potential what the characters got in potential in store. Itâs crazy.â
