Impact Wrestling has officially announced an intergender match for Slammiversary XVII.
Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan is set for Slammiversary. The pay-per-view is taking place at Gilley’s Dallas in Dallas, Texas on Sunday, July 7.
Blanchard vs. Callihan was set up when Callihan challenged Blanchard to a one-on-one match at Slammiversary on last week’s episode of Impact. Blanchard tweeted out a video today accepting the challenge and saying that she’ll see Callihan in Dallas.
Blanchard defeated Callihan’s oVe stablemate Jake Crist in a match that aired on last Friday’s Impact.
The night before Slammiversary, the American Airlines Center in Dallas is hosting the opening night of this year’s NJPW G1 Climax. WWE Raw is also taking place at the American Airlines Center next Monday.
Here’s the updated card for Slammiversary:
Impact World Champion Brian Cage defending against Michael Elgin
X-Division Champion Rich Swann defending against Johnny Impact
Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie defending against Su Yung, Jessicka Havok, and Rosemary in a Monster’s Ball match
Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defending against The Rascalz (two of Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel)
Salina de la Renta is the executive producer of this week’s MLW Fusion and presented “The Southern Psycho” Mance Warner vs. “The Worldwide Desperado” Sami Callihan in a loser leaves MLW, falls count anywhere match.
The Big Takeaways
A stapled Mance Warner defeated Sami Callihan in a loser leaves MLW match.
Low Ki got some revenge on Promociones Dorado by defeating Ricky Martinez.
Flamita, in his MLW debut, and Rey Horus had an amazing match.
We go a further build toward “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and the Von Erich brothers against Contra Unit next week.
Show Recap
Backstage, while laying on a red velvet draped couch and sipping champagne, de la Renta introduced us to her executively produced show where she announced that tonight “the traitor” Low Ki would take on Promociones Dorado’s own Ricky Martinez. She also announces, in Spanish, Flamita will take on Rey Horus, and chastised Rich Bocchini for his pronunciation of “Horus”.
She finished by announcing the upcoming battle between “the goat lover” Mance Warner and “the gross, sweaty warthog” Sami Callihan and warned them that she has given the order “off with their heads”.
We then saw Sami Callihan and Mance Warner having trouble entering the building as security was denying them entrance. Jimmy Havoc appeared and calmed them down but told them that they are not allowed in tonight by orders of de la Renta. It looked like the main event was in jeopardy as Havoc smiled and waved them away. I guess Salina’s powers are spreading farther and farther tonight.
Flamita defeated Rey Horus (13:20)
This was an excellent and exciting match-up between these two. Flamita came out to “Firestarter” by the Prodigy for his first MLW appearance and Jim Cornette and Rich Bocchini told us he was one of the most sought after talents coming out of Mexico after his recent tour with Dragon Gate. Rey Horus also looked excellent here and both should have an exciting future in MLW.
It had a quick pace and a smooth lucha exchange to start before they traded early big dives. Flamita had an early flourish with a tilt a whirl headscissors and top rope asai moonsault to the floor but Horus quickly retaliated with a huge no-touch cannonball plancha to the floor.
Both seemed evenly matched as Flamita cartwheeled off the top rope to evade a Horus attack, and then swiftly hit a gutbuster from a muscle buster position for a two count. Horus responded with a belly-to-belly overhead release suplex right into the turnbuckles for a close two count of his own.
They exchanged slaps, right hands, and basement dropkicks for a double down and to cement the fact these two are evenly placed in the MLW middleweight division. Shortly thereafter, Flamita hit the back of his head off the top turnbuckle when Horus yanked him off the top rope. That seemed to knock Flamita a bit off his game but he was able to regain focus and reverse a hurricanrana attempt off the top, but Horus countered that with a deep arm drag sending Flamita across the ring.
Horus hit a Spanish fly and then a tilt-a-whirl around-the-world DDT, and Flamita responded with a Spanish fly of his own. But, Horus hit another spinning DDT for another close two count.
They took a breather, stood face to face, and began a forearm exchange. Horus leapt and spiked Flamita with a hurricanrana for a two, but Flamita kicked out and sprung to his feet to grab Horus and hit a death valley driver, double underhook powerbomb, and frog splash combo but only for another two count. This sequence got a show of appreciation from the MLW crowd.
Horus crotched Flamita on the top rope but Flamita fought him off and hit a 450 splash to pick up the win and another dose of the Prodigy’s “Firestarter”.
— A Contra Unit video package led into a “Filthy” Tom Lawlor promo where he introduced us to the Von Erich brothers: Marshall and Ross who will be joining him to take on Contra Unit in six-man tag team action. He said they were going to put them to sleep at the hands of “Filthy” Tom.
— We got a promo video for the return of Savio Vega, coming this summer!
Low Ki defeated Ricky Martinez (5:55)
De la Renta took the mic before the match and welcomed everyone to her show, telling us there would be a public execution tonight.
Ricky stalled early but Low Ki caught him and chopped him around ringside and inside the ropes too. Martinez stalled again and baited Low Ki out, who began jawjacking with Salina. That gave Martinez the chance to hit a baseball slide to take the advantage.
The commentators were questioning if de la Renta and Contra Unit were in cahoots and also questioned Jimmy Havoc’s intentions with the Promociones Dorado leader. Inside the ring, Martinez kept on top of Low Ki and came close a few times with close nearfalls.
The crowd got behind Low Ki and he responded by fighting back and hitting a double foot stomp. Martinez soon grabbed the referee and was able to get some heat back, but only momentarily as Low Ki fought back and hammered Martinez with an elbow/forearm to the face of Martinez which knocked him clean out. The referee called for the bell and awarded the match to Low Ki via knockout.
After the match Low Ki and Salina got face-to-face in a heated confrontation before bailing and leaving Salina to storm off and leave Martinez alone in the ring.
— Sami Callihan and Mance Warner were then outside the building arguing about tonight’s match. They called themselves the Midwest Mega Powers before spitting into each others hands and shaking on it.
— We then had a short LA Park video package before we saw a second video package for the debuting Dr. Wagner Jr.
De la Renta and Ricky Martinez were backstage arguing about Martinez’s loss. She said she had no time for Martinez and the whole world should see what a f*cking disappointment he is.
We then saw Dynasty cutting a pre-taped promo on the Hart Foundation. They were in the best place money could buy…Wisconsin. Holliday hyped up his match with Teddy Hart next week and they joked about Teddy making his own ring gear. A bit of tension followed when Hammerstone said he had brought the Dynasty gold, but MJF told him that he and Holliday will soon win gold of their own too.
Mance Warner defeated Sami Callihan in a loser leaves MLW, falls count anywhere match (18:13)
This was an unbelievable, gross, wild and crazy brawl which ended Callihan’s MLW run. The fight took them all over the arena and a staple gun was used all over Warner’s body. In the end, the Southern Psycho didn’t give up and fought back to win a vicious and bloody fight.
Warner brought out a trash can with him, Callihan walked out, spat water at Jim Cornette, and flipped him the middle finger. Cornette flipped out and swung his tennis racket but missed Callihan by a mile.
They immediately went at it at ringside with Callihan using a trash can lid and steel chair against Warner before launching him into the crowd. They brawled through the concession stand as Bocchini and Cornette got worked up thinking that Callihan could have spat diphtheria, Ebola, measles, syphilis or tetanus at them.
They brawled up the bleachers and rammed each other into the back wall before Callihan hit a brain buster on the bleachers for a two count. Warner fought back and used a plastic trash can as a helmet to smack Callihan in the face.
Bocchini thought Cornette’s eye was becoming a little red, and Cornette wondered if Callihan had given him “trench mouth”. They brawled over to the food stand and used forks on each other before Warner shoved tabasco down Warner’s throat.
They made their way back into the ring where Callihan brought out the staple gun. He went for Warner’s forehead, but Warner fought back and after ten minutes, we got the first attempt at a wrestling move: a sunset flip. Callihan stood firm, reached down between his legs and staplegunned Warner between the eyes.
He then placed a trash can on Warner and swung a steel chair full force directly at his face. How are you supposed to know when that chair is coming? Warner was busted open from either the staple or the chair shot as Callihan grabbed some money from the fans at ringside. He then stapled dollar bills to Warner’s shoulders and one on his forehead.
Warner was a sight: on his knees, writhing in pain, face covered in blood, and dollar bills stapled to his shoulders and forehead. Callihan screamed at him to quit, but he didn’t. He hulked up, ripped the money off, eye poked Callihan, and chokeslammed him into the trash can for a two count.
Callihan then brought out a wooden sheet from under the ring and set it up between two chairs. He went to the top rope, but Callihan grabbed him in the groin, went up to join him, and then hit a piledriver from the top rope through the wooden board. A “holy sh*t” chant broke out, but amazingly Warner kicked out at two and the match continued.
Callihan brought out a wooden board of his own and launched it into the ring, right onto Warner’s knee. He took too much time shouting his “thumbs up, thumbs down” and got speared through the board he set up in the corner. Callihan also kicked out at two.
They sat on chairs and faced one another. They took turns swinging right hands before Callihan spat in Warner’s face but, of course, Warner retaliated with a globular mouthful of his own. They exchanged some more and the next devastating maneuver (that didn’t end the fight) was a Callihan tombstone piledriver onto a seated chair, which Warner again kicked out of.
Callihan then took the stapling to a whole other level. He grabbed Warner’s tongue out of his mouth and yes, you guessed it, stapled it to a piece of the wooden board. This backfired though as it only woke Warner up. He hulked up again, yanked his stapled tongue off the wood, and battered Callihan over the head with it time and time again.
Cornette was going bananas on commentary shouting for Warner to beat him and finish the match. Warner hit Callihan with his knee pad up/down running knee to the face but Callihan kicked out at one. Warner then lay a piece of the broken wood against a prone Callihan and hit a second running knee through the wood and into Callihan’s face for the win and the fall that will sent Callihan out of MLW.
Next week:
Tornado Six-Man Tag: “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Marshall & Ross Von Erich vs Contra Unit: Josef Samael, Jacob Fatu and Simon Gotch
Impact Wrestling and House of Glory joined forces for Code Red on Sunday night, the first live stream on Impact Plus. The show took place at the NYC Arena in Jamaica, Queens.
The main event pit Sami Callihan against Tommy Dreamer in a oVe rules street fight, plus two of Impact’s titles were on the line in matches.
Impact X-Division Champion Rich Swann defeated Evander James, Smiley, Trey Miguel, Ace Austin, and HOG Crown Jewel Champion Mantequilla in a six-man scramble to retain his title
Swann and Mantequilla’s titles were on the line if either were pinned. This was the quintessential X-Division multi-man match with fast action, dives, and big spots.
The wrestlers started with an Impact vs. HOG face-off and brawl. We saw several pair-ups in the ring to do short sequences of counters and big moves. They all hit dives one after the other. They did a Tower of Doom spot, and then went into hitting their signature moves and breaking up each other’s pin attempts.
At the end, it was Austin hitting The Fold on James but getting the pin stolen by Swann after a 450. There’s a similar story being told between Austin and Petey Williams, so it seems Austin is finally going to start chasing Swann on Impact. The HOG guys looked impressive, especially Mantequilla. Smiley showed a lot of athleticism for his size.
– Sami Callihan cut a promo on video, talking trash about Tommy Dreamer and about the older ECW guys that keep coming back for the spotlight.
HOG World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Gangone defeated Moose and Ken Broadway to retain his title
Gangone has the longest combined HOG Championship reigns in the promotion’s history and was the smallest of the three men in the ring here. Being the bigger men, Moose and Broadway were just tossing each other all over the place with bombs and dives. Gangone’s approach was more of a speed one, trying to only take on one man at a time.
The finish saw Moose prepare to hit the No Jackhammer Needed, but then he stopped, flipped off the fans, and left to the back. In the ring, Gangone and Broadway traded a couple of near falls until Gangone hit Dreams by the Waterfall to retain. The crowd died out towards the end. Moose’s walkout was a weak way to get him out of the match.
The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz)
This started out as a fast-paced match, but Wentz got distracted playing to the fans and The North cut the ring in half on him. Xavier came in for the hot tag, which didn’t last long. The Rascalz went for their Hot Fire Flame move too early — Alexander pulled out Xavier, leaving Wentz to moonsault and crash.
The Rascalz recovered and worked as a team. They got a near fall after a second Hot Fire Flame, with Page pulling the referee out of the ring. Wentz and Page brawled outside the ring, with the latter hitting a uranage on the apron.
Back in the ring, Page hit a Razor’s Edge and the Tornado of the North on Xavier to seal the deal and pick up the win. The North are establishing themselves as a top team, and if we had quarterly “Most Improved” awards, Josh Alexander would get a nomination. Great match.
– Matt Striker interviewed Michael Elgin backstage. Elgin talked about sending a message to Brian Cage and sending him to the hospital. Elgin discussed defeating Johnny Impact and Pentagon Jr. on this week’s episode, and Elgin said he’s now going to send Willie Mack to the hospital. It seems like Striker has joined Impact Wrestling — just keep him away from the commentary table.
Blanchard paired up with Strong for a quick sequence of reversals and counters. Violette and Bordeaux came in and low blowed each other, and I had never asked myself if low blows in women’s matches count as DQs.
Violette and Bordeaux actually went on to have a good run with each other, with Bordeaux going for corner hip attacks and a stinkface early, but Violette cut her off as she and Blanchard worked over Bordeaux for a while. Blanchard showed off her submission offense. Josh Mathews and Don Callis speculated whether Blanchard vs. Bordeaux was a tease of the future of the Knockouts division.
Bordeaux made a good comeback and tagged in Strong. She went against both women, but had a couple hiccups when working with Violette. Bordeaux hit a big top rope plancha to the floor.
Blanchard went for a Dudebuster, but Bordeaux reversed it into a Canadian Destroyer. Strong hit a dragon suplex on Violette. She went for a suplex on Blanchard, but wasn’t strong enough to properly execute it. Blanchard hit the corner Magnum and the Buzzsaw DDT for the pin.
This match really exposed how Blanchard and Bordeaux were just on a whole other level compared to the HOG women.
– Melissa Santos interviewed Willie Mack about his feelings about fighting Michael Elgin. Mack just said something about Code Blue and walking out with the W.
Michael Elgin defeated Willie Mack
Really good back-and-forth match that made both look like juggernauts in the ring. It started off as a hoss fight with shoulder tackles and strikes, and as the match went on, it got more athletic and had high impact moves and slams.
They both did fighting spirit spots at one point that built to a clash of clotheslines in the middle of the ring — just two huge behemoths clashing. There were near falls when Elgin hit a Falcon Arrow and when Mack hit his Samoan drop and moonsault combination.
The finish saw Elgin hit a huge lariat and Celtic Bomb, followed by a Buckle Bomb and the Elgin Bomb to finally put down Mack. Best match so far on the show.
After the match, Elgin cut off a turnbuckle with a pair of scissors. He hit a backfist on the ref who tried to stop him. Elgin went to hit a Buckle Bomb into the exposed turnbuckle, but Mack reversed into a slingshot and a stunner.
Mack has a big tag match against oVe on this week’s Impact, so it’s good that he didn’t get laid out, but it also served little purpose for Elgin to take a stunner here. Completely unnecessary post-match angle.
– Striker interviewed Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie. Johnny was just arguing and venting over having to deal with meatheads Cage and Elgin, and now having to deal with a crazy Eddie Edwards.
Valkyrie told Johnny that he should rest — because she would take out Alisha Edwards and they’d win the match. They made fun of Eddie and Alisha for being from Boston. Johnny and Valkyrie are so good together.
Johnny Impact & Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie (w/ Johnny Bravo) defeated Eddie & Alisha Edwards
This match had intergender rules, which are different from mixed tag rules. The men and women could fight each other. Johnny and Taya teased Eddie and Alisha for Johnny and Taya being a far sexier couple, with Johnny Bravo applauding. In response, Eddie and Alisha showed they were a fighting couple and started the attack.
The match mostly saw Eddie get the better of Johnny, while Taya would get the better of Alisha, and thus they traded momentum as they tagged in and out. A near fall came when Johnny hit a top rope Spanish Fly and a shining wizard for a two count.
At one point, Eddie hit a dive on Johnny while Alisha hit a top rope plancha to the floor on both Johnny and Taya. The teams traded blows in the ring, ending with both men superkicking their opponent’s spouses before kicking each other down. The fans chanted “This is Impact.”
Eddie and Alisha hit a double DDT on Johnny and Valkyrie for a near fall. Johnny went for the Countdown to Impact on Alisha, but she moved away. Alisha hit a tornado DDT on Johnny, but Bravo pulled the referee out.
Eddie took out Bravo, but Johnny baseball kicked him. In the ring, Valkyrie hit Alisha with Johnny’s Ultimate X cross, leaving Alisha ready for Johnny to pin. This was a really fun match.
Impact Tag Team Champions & HOG Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defeated oVe (Dave & Jake Crist) & The New York Wrecking Krew (Chris Seaton & Smooth Blackmon) in a triple threat match to retain their titles
There were lucha tag rules in this match. It started with the wrestlers pairing up for quick sequences before each team had a chance to work on someone in particular and get some of their tag moves in. oVe worked on Santana, who they cut the ring in half on. LAX and NYWK mostly came in and out until the end when they had a good run against each other.
There was a spot with Dave Crist doing a top rope moonsault onto the floor, but his foot landed straight on the metal guardrail and seemed stuck for a second. A minute later, LAX took out Jake Crist in the ring to retain the titles. The referees were looking over Dave right when they cut the camera shot to the announce table, so I wasn’t able to see if he was helped out to the back.
Good match overall except for that scary spot with Dave. NY Wrecking Krew looked good — they have potential and reminded me of something between the Dark City Fight Club and BLK-OUT.
– Tommy Dreamer cut a promo backstage. He said he decides when his career will end and not Callihan. He talked about Callihan being just a kid, while Dreamer has been all over the place. Dreamer said that they’re both going to go all out and never be the same again.
Sami Callihan defeated Tommy Dreamer in an oVe rules street fight match
Callihan jumped Dreamer during his entrance and thus started the brawl at the ramp. They made their way to the ring, where Dreamer got time to recover. They brought out weapons early, trading shots with the actual trash cans from the show. At one point, Dreamer ate something from the garbage.
They used the ring bell, an old ECW Championship replica belt, chairs, water bottles, turnbuckle hooks, and a puppet, among other weapons.
As they started chasing the finish, Dreamer brought out a bunch of Legos, where he hit Callihan with a cutter. Dreamer brought out a door while Callihan got his bat, which Dreamer got straight to his gut before taking the Cactus Special through the door for the loss. Okay match — a lot of weapon spots, but it had a considerably slower pace than the previous match.
Dreamer seemed hurt at the end. Callis and the doctor were looking over him as the show went off the air.
Final thoughts —
This was an okay show. The Impact talent looked strong all around, especially when paired up with the HOG wrestlers, who for the most part looked like indie talent. The production was great — proof that the United We Stand show’s issues were out of Impact’s hands.
Elgin vs. Mack and the tag team triple threat are the two matches I’d recommend checking out.
Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr.) defeated Air Wolf and Rey Horus
Josef Samael defeated Ace Romero
Gringo Loco defeated Pum King
Mance Warner defeated Sami Callihan by disqualification
Full review:
Rich Bocchini and Jim Cornette welcome us to this week’s MLW Fusion taped over WrestleMania weekend in New York City.
Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr.) defeated Air Wolf and Rey Horus (7:41)
This was action all over the place as you would expect with these four. Amazingly, the only in-ring to outside dive came as the bell rang for the pinfall. Air Wolf held his own and they gave Horus quite a lot of offense, and it seemed to hint at a future singles match between he and one of the Lucha Bros.
Chain wrestling started us off but Horus soon hit a big crossbody then a round the world headscissors takedown on Pentagon Jr. A Horus and Wolf double dive attempt was thwarted by a couple of step up kicks through the ropes. The Lucha Bros. then chopped Horus and Wolf round the ring to the “whooos” from the New York crowd.
Wolf hit Fenix with a 619 and got a nearfall when Pentagon made the save. Penta then hit Wolf with a pump handle driver but Horus broke up the pinfall attempt at the last minute. With Penta hung across the middle rope, Horus baseball slid to the outside and hit an enzugiri knocking him back into the center. He then attempted a springboard crossbody but was stopped with a side kick to the gut. That didn’t stop him for long though as he caught Penta running off the ropes and hit a standing Spanish fly for another two count when Fenix made the springboard basement dropkick save this time.
Fenix came close with another two count when he hit Horus with his spike sit down tombestone (think Rikishi driver from ~2000), called the Fire Thunder Driver by Bocchini. The Lucha Bros were plotting their next attack when Air Wolf tried to springboard sneak attack, only for him to eat a double superkick mid-air for his trouble. Horus then ate one for good measure too. They then hit their double foot stomped spike package piledriver combo for Pentagon to pick up the win over Wolf, just as Fenix launched, amazingly, the only dive to the outside of the whole match as he wiped out Horus.
— Contra Unit recorded a message for MLW officials. They said Chicago was the first lesson, Battle Riot was the second, and asked MLW if they are really ready for another lesson. Jacob Fatu said that the NYPD handcuffs couldn’t hold him and issued a warning to MLW champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor.
— We saw highlights from Salina de la Renta’s news conference. She was asked when LA Park will cash in his title shot but he has not told her yet. She was asked her opinion of both Sami Callihan and Mance Warner but before she could start going into detail, Callihan stormed in and the confrontation was broken up by a security guard.
Josef Samael defeated Ace Romero (3:15)
This was a short but impactful match which continued Contra Unit’s crazed anarchistic tirade throughout MLW.
Romero met Samael on the ramp as he made his entrance. They brawled around the ring before Samael kicked the middle rope into Romero’s groin as he was getting back in. Samael was on Romero’s back with a sleeper when Acey Baby fought to his feet, fell back, and squashed him.
Romero then made his way to the top rope but Samael cut him off and slammed the 400 pounder off the top. Samael then hit a big DDT, loaded up his toe curled boot, and kicked Romero right in the face for the win.
The rest of Contra Unit (Simon Gotch and Jacob Fatu) joined Samael after the match for the 3-on-1 beatdown, but Barrington Hughes came out for the save and went toe-to-toe with Fatu. Eventually the numbers game gave Contra the advantage and Fatu hit a big splash on Hughes as the officials finally fought back control and split them up.
— We caught up with the World champion. He said that for weeks now, Contra Unit have been teaming up on people, and trying to make a name for themselves at their expense. He said they haven’t tried to make themselves famous against him, so what he wants is 1-on-1, 2-on-2, or 3-on-3. He said they will find out soon enough how “filthy” Tom Lawlor can get, and they will find out…as soon as his friends get here.
— We go backstage with Ricky Martinez when he met Sami Callihan and they soon began brawling.
— H2tv was next and we were taping from inside MJF’s car that he had stupidly left his keys in. Davey Both Smith said MJF tried to set Teddy Hart up with the fake car attack a few weeks ago, but he said the cops would definitely be interested to see what is in MJF’s glove box. The announcers let us know that the Hart Foundation have challenged the Dynasty to a tables match.
Gringo Loco defeated Puma King (6:53)
The mach immediately began with arm drags, cartwheels, leg trips, rolls and double kip ups which got the crowd’s approval. Puma hit a flying hurricanrana which knocked Loco to the outside and he followed up with a springboard crossbody. Loco soon fought back and hit a springboard cutter for a close two count.
Loco missed a second rope reverse corkscrew splash and Puma hit a pop-up powerbomb and went to the top rope but Loco got to his feet and crotched him on the top, went up to join him, and hit a Spanish Fly from the top for another close two count.
King hit a suplex from the middle rope, held on for two of the Three Amigos but Loco eventually caught him in his own pop-up powerbomb then quickly rolled him through for a sit-out powerbomb for the win.
— Salina de la Renta then met Mance Warner backstage. She started flirting and offered him him a proposition: If he can take out Sami Callihan, she will get him whatever he wants. Warner wasn’t having any of it and told Salina that his grandaddy, Mad Dog, told him that if you lay down with women like Salina, you end up with fleas. This obviously didn’t go down well with Salina as she took her frustrations out on the cameraman.
— We are with Dynasty: MJF, Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone. MJF took control “as the captain” and said they had not been firing on all cylinders recently and needed to re-group to take down the Hart Foundation. Hammerstone looked disinterested throughout and didn’t seem pleased when MJF called himself the captain. I smell some dissension in the ranks of the Dynasty as it looks like Holliday is caught in the middle of a power struggle.
Mance Warner defeated Sami Callihan by disqualification (10:06)
This was a wid weapon filled brawl that had Jim Cornette laying into Callihan whenever he could throughout the match. This is defintely building to something in the future between the two so keep your eyes on that developing over the next few weeks.
They brawled around the ring, smashing beer cans into each other. Callihan used a steel chair to drive it into Warner’s throat before spitting into the air and catching it back in his mouth which Cornette found delightful. They traded suplex attempts before Callihan got Warner up and over on the concrete floor. He then dropped Warner onto the chair with a hip toss.
Back in the ring, Callihan used a chair on Warner as referee Frank Gastineau called for the bell in an apparent disqualification but it was quickly waved off and Warner returned the chair shot as the match continued.
Callihan put Warner’s head through the chair, tied his arms up in his own suspenders, and began chopping Warner’s back. Warner fought to his feet with his head still stuck in the chair, but Callihan hit a drop toe hold to regain control and managed to flip Cornette the middle finger.
Warner got a little control back as he connected with some headbutts, but Callihan caught him running off the ropes and tombetoned him on top of the seated chair, which amazingly Warner kicked out of.
Callihan brought a table into the ring as we cut to Cornette who was seething at Callihan and willing Warner on to both win the match and put Callihan out of wrestling. Warner eventually speared Callihan through the table but Callihan kicked out at one, hulked up, spat in Warner’s face, ate a clothesline and a running knee, but he kicked out at two.
Warner was about to hit another running knee to finish off Callihan but the referee called for the bell for real this time when Hijo de la Park and Ricky Martinez ran in and attacked Warner.
Callihan saved Warner and pulled Martinez off. They then met momentarily in the center of the ring before disposing of Hijo and Martinez. They shook hands then went outside and brawled with Promociones Dorado as Fusion went off the air.
Next week: The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman Jr.) battle The Dynasty (MJF, Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone) in a six-man tables match.
Myron Reed & Rich Swann defeated Jimmy Yuta & Lance Anoa’i
LA Park defeated Sami Callihan
Full recap —
– We opened this week’s episode with a recap from last week’s Battle Riot from New York City over WrestleMania week.
Highlights included MJF smashing a champagne bottle over Teddy Hart’s head, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor being staple gunned in the forehead before retaining his title against Jimmy Havoc, a Dan Severn suplex, Myron Reed gloriously failing to crossbody both Ace Romero and Barrington Hughes at the same time, Contra Unit’s attempt at a human bonfire, LAX showing up, Alexander Hammerstone using Ariel Dominguez as a barbell for his shoulder press workout before being dumped out by Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Sami Callihan then eliminating Smith before being chopped out himself by eventual winner and new number one contender LA Park.
– Jim Cornette and Rich Bocchini welcomed us to New York and hyped up an appearance from MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor.
Brian Pillman Jr. defeated MJF (w/ Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone) (7:53)
A good match to progress the Dynasty vs. Hart Foundation feud and also the ascension of both wrestlers. The story of the match was Pillman’s shoulder injury, with MJF focusing his attack on it. Pillman withstood the arm-based attacks to get the win out of nowhere to the shock of MJF and the Dynasty.
We learned that Teddy Hart was not there with Pillman due to the champagne attack last week. The referee was quick to eject Holliday and Hammerstone after they got involved one time too many early on. MJF took Pillman down with a shoulder drop in what Cornette called the “Divorce court.” He continued his assault on the shoulder until Pillman hit a crossbody off the top, a running forearm, chops, a superkick, and a powerslam for a two count.
MJF pulled the referee in front of him, eye poked Pillman, hit a double foot stomp to the injured shoulder, and still only got a two count after a schoolboy. MJF took too much time and let Pillman roll him up in a small package for the three count.
– Kaci Lennox tried to grab a word with MJF after the match, but he cut her off, called her a bimbo, and said that the result was a fluke before storming off. Charming.
– Salina de la Renta held a press event earlier on where we found out that on May 4 she will be the first female executive producer in wrestling history. She told us to stay tuned to find out when LA Park will be cashing in his title shot.
– Sami Callihan was backstage, telling us he has been around the world and has finally found out who he is. He is the Death Machine, the Worldwide Desperado, and the Draw in MLW. He is going to cause chaos, piss people off, and beat LA Park tonight. He challenged Mance Warner to a match next week on Fusion too.
– Cameras caught up with Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone. Hammerstone wanted to get his hands on the Hart Foundation, but Holliday wanted to leave and make their reservation at the 21 Club instead. They eventually noticed the camera and chased it away.
Myron Reed & Rich Swann defeated Jimmy Yuta & Lance Anoa’i (8:42)
A really good tag match filled with great athleticism and aerial maneuvers. Reed and Swann still had “justice” taped over their mouths in their attempt to show their disdain against the officials in MLW. They feel officials are being biased against them. Referee Doug Markham checked Reed and Swann for foreign objects.
A chop from Yuta fired up Swann as he turned up the aggression with some chops of his own, then tagged in Reed for him to hit a springboard leg drop and his own running senton double-team combination.
Anoa’i got the hot tag and hit a dropkick to Reed with Swann on his shoulders, with Swann being dropped with a Samoan drop. Anoa’i’s momentum was soon halted as he went up top and missed a 450 splash. Then, out of nowhere, Reed hit a cutter when he ran from the stage and jumped from the ramp over the top rope and into the ring.
Yuta had to make the save and then tried to take out Swann with a dive to the outside, but Swann caught him with a mid-air low blow to render him speaking high pitched for the rest of the night. Inside the ring, both Swann and Reed went to the (same) top rope. Swann hit a middle rope 450 double knees to the chest and Reed hit a traditional 450 splash for the win.
– Mance Warner was backstage with Kaci Lennox. He accepted Sami Callihan’s challenge and said he will take Callihan’s head off when his knee pad goes up….then down.
– Tom Lawlor then told us that for 22 years he has been putting everything on the line because he wanted to call himself a champion. He talked us through the injuries he has suffered throughout his career but told us none of that compares to Jacob Fatu’s splash off the top of the steel cage. He warned Contra Unit that he is going to put them unconscious.
LA Park defeated Sami Callihan (7:16)
A wild brawl ensued from the get-go as they brawled outside with beer cans, umbrellas, and VIP rope posts. Park crotched Callihan on the ring post and then hit him with a replica championship belt before they eventually made their way into the ring.
Park hit a clothesline and went for the pin — as Callihan kicked out, he pushed Park right on top of referee Frank Gastineau. The referee was helped up by Park but ate a big boot to the face by Callihan as Park just moved out of the way in time.
Park went for a spear on Callihan but missed and hit the middle turnbuckle, breaking it in the process. Callihan hit Park with a baseball bat and went for the cover. He got the visual three count, but there was no referee there to count the pin.
Ricky Martinez and El Hijo de LA Park came out and started putting the boots to Callihan, but Mance Warner quickly ran out and made the save. Low Ki was out next and then he, Hijo, and Martinez began a three-on-one attack on Warner.
Daga then ran out and made the save and kicked Low Ki, Hijo, and Martinez to the outside. He then took out the four other additions to the match with a tope con hilo. But back in the ring, Park took Callihan out with a spear and picked up the victory.
After the match, Promociones Dorado beat down Warner, Daga, and Callihan four-on-three.
Before we went off the air, the cameras were out in the parking lot and caught up with Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone looking for their car. They saw it alright, and a lot more than they bargained for. MJF’s car rolled past them, windows down, with Teddy Hart driving, Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the passenger seat, and Brian Pillman Jr.’s butt sticking out of the back seat window.
Impact Wrestling returned from Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada this week.
The opening video touched on all ongoing feuds as we head into next week’s Against All Odds special episode — with an emphasis on Johnny Impact’s turn and what he has to say about it tonight.
The Twitch stream was hosted by Melissa Santos. She was live from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, where Impact is taping their next set of shows. There was a St. Clair E-Sports Team vs. Team Impact Wrestling competition going on, with Santos interviewing some of the players from both teams. At one point, Melissa played games while Kid Ref hosted the show.
Moose defeated Trey Miguel
The story of the match was that Trey had to overcome Moose’s size, which helped Moose block most of Trey’s offense. They started with Trey going after Moose’s legs with kicks. When Moose stopped him, Trey went for quick moves and ranas, managing to toss Moose outside the ring. But as he went for a dive, Moose cut him off.
Trey got himself a second chance and hit two suicide dives. But on the third dive, Moose caught him in the middle of the air and hit an apron bomb. Trey seemed like he wasn’t making the count, but Moose stopped it and went for another apron bomb, waking up Miguel. Miguel went for yet another dive. Moose caught him again — but this time he swung Trey into the steps.
Back in the ring, Moose worked over Trey for a bit before he reversed Moose’s Go To Hell into a pinning attempt. Moose seemed to regain control by hitting a huge lariat, but Trey finally got an opening and hit a top rope dropkick and a springboard dive to get Moose down for a frog splash.
Moose hit a pop-up powerbomb for a two count. They traded a few kicks before Trey hit a reverse rana for two. Moose blocked a codebreaker, then tossed Trey into the ring post twice before hitting the spear for the win. The match had several spots that were botched, or looked botched, but aside from that, it was good action.
Sami Callihan cut a promo in their oVe TV. Callihan gave Rich Swann one final threat that he will take the X-Division Championship tonight. Okay promo.
Back from commercial, Santos interviewed Tessa Blanchard about Gail Kim being suspended. Blanchard said that Kim being suspended is not enough for her and said that if Impact doesn’t want to be sued, they’ll send Kim to the ring to publicly apologize to her and then fire Kim for good.
Josh Mathews made the announcement that Johnny Impact defending his World Championship against Brian Cage will be the main event of next month’s Rebellion pay-per-view.
Eddie Edwards & Eli Drake defeated KM & Fallah Bahh
Drake and Bahh started the match, with Bahh using his size to counter Drake going for a shoulder block and a crossbody. KM and Edwards came in, with Edwards gaining control. With quick tags, Edwards and Drake started working over KM’s arms until he got away to tag Bahh. They traded control of the match for a bit with quick tags, mostly when KM and Bahh tagged in and out.
Drake hit a fantastic superplex on KM. Bahh came in and took out Drake with a crossbody. Edwards hit a tope suicida to Bahh, completely wiping him out. Edwards went to get Kenny the Kendo Stick, the most famous Kenny in the world according to Don Callis. The referee tried to stop Edwards, but he tossed the kendo stick to Drake, who hit KM and set him up for Eddie’s Boston Knee Party for the win.
The match wasn’t much, but the chemistry between Edwards and Drake is really good.
Rolando Melendez, investigative reporter, tried to interview Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie outside the venue as they arrived, asking about them turning against Brian Cage. Johnny just blew him off and told him he’ll find out with the “rest of the marks.”
The GWN Flashback Moment of the Week was Cage vs. Fenix from last year’s ReDefined special episode.
Melendez once again tried to interview Johnny Impact — but this time, Valkyrie literally pushed him into a trash can.
Backstage, Rich Swann was with Willie Mack, who told Swann that he has his back tonight when Swann takes on Callihan. Ethan Page walked up and told Mack that he won’t get a chance to go fight oVe because Page is what Mack needs to worry about.
Ace Austin defeated Damian Hyde
Austin started the match by hitting several kicks from complicated positions, ending with a Space Flying Tiger Drop. Back in the ring, Hyde tried to get some offense in, but Austin easily dodged him and hit a springboard boot.
Austin hit a senton, a kick combo, a two-foot Curb Stomp, and finally The Fold for the win. Total squash — Hyde had no offense. Austin has a basic moveset, but he makes everything look incredibly complicated.
We got a vignette for Madison Rayne’s return.
We also got a video package going over the story between Swann and Callihan.
In the ring, Mathews brought out Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie. Johnny said that he turned because of the fans. He said that even though he came out and defended the title against everyone, fans didn’t care about him, they only wanted to see crash TV and see him get hurt.
Impact said that as soon as a new big meathead came up, they all turned to the new flavor of the month — except Brian Cage actually believes the fans like him. Johnny said he can’t be loyal to the fans because the fans were never loyal to him.
Mathews then asked Valkyrie about facing Jordynne Grace next week for the title. Valkyrie just kind of blew off the question and also went into attacking the fans and defending her husband. Valkyrie said that once she is done with Grace, she won’t allow Impact to decide for her who she faces and when she defends.
Finally, Mathews asked Johnny about the Rebellion match with Cage. Johnny said that Cage will get his match, one-on-one, and he’ll once again defeat Cage. He threatened that Cage may not make it to Rebellion, implying that accidents happen.
Johnny closed the promo by saying he used to care for all the fans, but now he just cares about Valkyrie and the World Championship. Overall, a good interview — Johnny was great.
Somewhere in the realm of the living, Rosemary met with Father James Mitchell. Rosemary confronted Mitchell about getting the empty vessel that Dark Allie is, but not her actual soul. Mitchell told Rosemary if she wants Allie back, she needs to go talk to his boss. Rosemary hinted she will go talk to “him” in the realm of the undead and get Allie’s soul back. Interesting turn of events.
Willie Mack defeated Ethan Page
Page jumped Mack before the bell. Page manage to keep the momentum for a while until Mack countered a shoulder tackle into a Samoan drop and moonsault combination. Page left the ring, but Mack followed and they exchanged a few shots, ending with Page having the advantage.
Back in the ring, Page worked over Mack, cutting off any chance for a comeback. Page locked in a sleeper, but Mack managed to escape and turned the match with a couple of running strikes and an atomic drop.
Mack hit a shotgun dropkick and the running cannonball to the corner for a two count. Mack then hit a DDT for another two count. Page hit a flying elbow for two after tossing Mack from the top rope. They traded a few kicks before Mack hit the stunner for the win. Okay match — nothing special.
Backstage, Melendez tried to interview Johnny and Valkyrie one last time, but up walked Killer Kross, who said something in Johnny’s ear that seemed to benefit him. Johnny walked away while Kross gave the camera a mad look.
We got a video package hyping up next week’s Disco Inferno vs. Scarlett Bordeaux match. Melendez interviewed Disco, who was just drinking. Disco said he doesn’t need to train since he’s fighting a girl and he is going to prove to Bordeaux she doesn’t belong in the ring.
Santos interviewed Gail Kim, who was coming out of a meeting with Impact management. She said that management was taking things seriously. Suddenly, the camera turned to the back where LAX and the Lucha Bros were brawling until security pulled them apart. Konnan came out and said that this is what the Lucha Bros wanted — LAX just wanted a rematch.
Willie Mack was making his way back to the locker room, but he was followed by Jake and Dave Crist. They closed the door and we heard a brawl go on inside before Mack walked out and locked the door.
X-Division Champion Rich Swann defeated Sami Callihan to retain his title
They started quick, with both men trading fists and a quick cutter from Swann to set up Callihan receiving a tornillo dive on the outside. Swann and Callihan then brawled outside the ring — and within a minute, they made their way to the steel steps. Callihan went for a piledriver, but Swann escaped and used the steps instead to hit a flying elbow.
The brawl outside continued with both trading strikes. Callihan dropped Swann with an exploder on the ramp.
Back from commercial, Callihan was choking out Swann in the middle of the ring, while also working on Swann’s back with knee strikes. Callihan did his spit chops and hit a big scoop slam before going back to working on Swann’s head — this time twisting the neck.
Callihan got a second sleeper, but Swann reversed it into a stunner and finally got an opening to strike down Callihan and build momentum to take down Callihan with a headscissors.
Swann and Callihan traded strikes until Swann got another headscissors takedown for a two count. Callihan hit a powerbomb, a knee to the jaw, and the Get Outta Here for a close near fall.
Callihan finally chased the piledriver, but Swann escaped and superkicked Callihan. After a few more kicks, Swann hit a second rope 450 for a two count. Swann went for another, but Callihan recovered. Swann went for Checkmate, but Callihan countered and hit a top rope powerbomb, and after a two count, transitioned into a crossface and into an STF. Swann escaped by reaching the ropes.
Callihan spat on Swann, finally pushing him to the limit. Swann hit a Lethal Injection for a two count. Swann went for the Phoenix Splash. Callihan dodged and went for the piledriver, but because he had to do his taunt, he got distracted and Swann rolled him up to retain the X-Division title.
After the match, Callihan went to attack Swann with a chair, but Swann stopped him. Swann had the opportunity to take out Callihan with the chair, but suddenly, Mad Man Fulton, formerly Sawyer Fulton in NXT, debuted and took out Swann with a one-handed chokeslam.
Mack came out for the save, but Fulton hit an End of Days to take him out too. Callihan hit Swann with a bat to the jaw to finish the job and close out the show. oVe just got a bit stronger.
Overall, this was a good show — mostly when it comes to storyline development heading into next week’s Against All Odds special episode and the upcoming Rebellion PPV.
– Sami Callihan has signed a new contract with Impact Wrestling.
Impact confirmed the news after it was reported by Wrestling Inc today. Wrestling Inc’s report noted that it’s a multi-year deal.
Callihan and Jake & Dave Crist have been in a program with Rich Swann and Willie Mack in Impact, with their storyline playing up history between Callihan and Swann as Callihan has tried to get Swann to join his oVe group.
– Impact also announced that — after premiering on Fridays — episodes of Impact will replay on Twitch at 6 p.m. Eastern on Mondays going forward. The show will be available on demand on the Global Wrestling Network on Tuesdays: “You asked for more ways to catch up on IMPACT. We’re listening, and we’re giving it to you. Beginning today, IMPACT replays on Twitch at 6 PM ET every Monday, and it’s available to everyone on demand on Global Wrestling Network every Tuesday.”
– Two more wrestlers have been added to the Ultimate X match at Impact’s United We Stand show in Rahway, New Jersey during WrestleMania week. AR Fox (as his character Dante Fox) will represent Lucha Underground. Pat Buck will represent WrestlePro.
Fox and Buck join Jake Crist (Impact), Kotto Brazil (MLW), and Jack Evans (AAA) in the Ultimate X match. Impact is hyping that the final wrestler in Ultimate X will be a “mystery opponent.”
United We Stand is in partnership with WrestlePro. It’s taking place at the Rahway Recreation Center at 11 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, April 4 and will air as a pay-per-view on Fite TV.
A Monster’s Ball match has been added to Impact Wrestling’s WrestleMania week show in Rahway, New Jersey.
Impact announced today that Sami Callihan will face Jimmy Havoc in a Monster’s Ball match at United We Stand. The show is taking place at the Rahway Recreation Center and will begin at 11 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, April 4.
Callihan vs. Havoc is a rematch from Impact Wrestling vs. The UK from September 2018, where Callihan defeated Havoc in a barbed wire baseball bat deathmatch. Callihan also defeated Havoc in a “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal” match for MLW in October.
Havoc is a non-exclusive member of the All Elite Wrestling roster.
The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) vs. Rob Van Dam & Sabu and an Ultimate X match are also set for United We Stand, with Impact noting that the Ultimate X participants will be revealed in the coming weeks.
United We Stand is in partnership with WrestlePro.
Kotto Brazil made his return, but Ricky Reyes is not done with him. Barrington Hughes and Ace Romero were supposed to face off against each other, but ended up being a new tag team. Teddy Hart booped his cat’s nose. The build to the Low Ki and Tom Lawlor MLW title match continued as Low Ki cut a great promo on Lawlor. LA Park and Sami Callihan had a wild brawl that was a ton of fun.
The Recap—
The show opened with a memoriam for Rex Bacchus. A recap aired about all the events leading to LA Park vs. Sami Callihan, as Callihan failed to take out Tom Lawlor.
Kotto Brazil defeated Vandal Ortagun
Brazil made his return from injury, but was sent to the floor quickly by Ortagun. Brazil was wearing a patch over his eye, but has not slowed down as he managed to drag Ortagun to the outside and hit two suicide dives and then a tope con hilo. Brazil went for a Destino, but Ortagun managed to avoid it. Ortagun pulled the eyepatch way out and snapped it back into Kotto’s eye which had to suck.
Vandal nailed a big chop and then sent Brazil to the corner. Vandal got the heat for the next few minutes with some classic heel offense, including rope chokes. After a chop, Brazil fired back with a few, but Vandal went for the eyes and cut him off. Brazil hit an Eat Da Feet and then a few German suplexes, and ended with one with a bridge after a few counters. Brazil used a springboard to hit a headbutt, and then nailed a series of strikes.
Vandal went for a powerbomb, but Brazil countered into a hurricanrana and then hit a Code Red, but Vandal kicked out. Brazil hit a cutter and then a Destino and got the pinfall. This probably went a little too long, but it was a good match. Ricky Martinez attacked Brazil after the match and took his eyepatch.
— A recap aired of Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Pillman Jr. Dreamer was on the phone, cutting a promo about how Pillman was crazy to let Dreamer choose the match when it was going to be in the 2300 Arena.
Barrington Hughes and Ace Romero went to a no contest
Romero started with some forearms and big strikes. Hughes hit a Vader-like attack, and then Romero did a running dropkick. As both men were getting ready to keep going, Col. Rob Parker came out and cut a promo on both guys about their size. The Dirty Blondes ran out and attacked, and the referee decided it was time for a tag team match.
Barrington Hughes and Ace Romero defeated The Dirty Blondes
Romero and Hughes immediately responded to the Blondes by squashing them, literally and figuratively, when they hit stereo powerslams. It seems there is a new tag team in MLW.
— A video aired hyping Mance Warner coming to MLW.
— H2tv interrupted Tony Schiavone. Pillman Jr. and Teddy Hart cut a promo on Pentagon and Fenix where they called them cowardly for hiding behind their masks. Hart forced Pillman to drink a protein drink and run down the hallway. The segment ended with Hart booping his cat on the nose.
— Matt Striker ran down the rest of the MLW Superfight card, a significant downgrade from Schiavone.
— Sami Callihan cut a promo about how LA Park was going to leave in a body bag.
— Low Ki cut a promo against ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor, applauding him in a very sarcastic manner for overcoming all of Low Ki’s associates. This was a really good promo.
LA Park (w/ Salina de la Renta) defeated Sami Callihan in a falls count anywhere match
LA Park lives up to his name of being the chairman as he brought a chair into the ring. Both men started exchanging chops and Park pointed at Callihan’s protective vest and asked him to remove it. Callihan did and begged Park to chop him. Park chopped him so hard it brought tears to Callihan’s eyes. Park then hit a clothesline and they went to ringside. Park nailed Callihan with a trash can lid after setting him on a chair. Park then hit a suicide dive, knocking Sami off the chair.
Park removed his belt and started beating Callihan with it. Park went for another suicide dive, but Callihan destroyed him with a garbage can and then hit him a second time once on the outside. Callihan hit Park with a pylon, and then with Park’s own belt. Callihan chopped Park, grabbed a beer, and smashed it into Park’s head. Callihan ran at Park, but Park dumped him into the front row and then nailed Callihan with a garbage can. Park took apart a guardrail and set the garbage can on it. Park suplexed him on the garbage can and the guardrail.
Park grabbed several chairs from the front row and threw them into the ring. Park nailed Callihan with a chair and a cookie sheet, but Callihan kicked out of a pin attempt. Park and Callihan brawled out into the lobby, and outside of the building onto the street. After brawling on the outside, they made their way back in a different door and the entire ringside area was torn apart.
Callihan was rolled back into the ring by Park, but Callihan accidentally took out the ref’s leg while rolling in. Park tried to pin Callihan, but Callihan kicked out. After Park hit a powerslam, the ref couldn’t complete the count. Park hit the ref with a cookie sheet. Callihan hit a low blow, and the ref went to make the pin, but Park kicked out. Callihan went to powerbomb Park on a series of chairs, but Park countered and ran to the corner. Callihan charged, but Park dodged and then speared Callihan into all the setup chairs and he pinned Callihan.
That was fantastic. A five star classic? Definitely not, but it was a great, fun brawl.
It will now be LA Park vs. Sami Callihan in a “falls count anywhere in Miami” match at MLW’s television tapings in Miami, Florida on Thursday, December 13. MLW is holding tapings at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami on both December 13 and December 14, with the latter show including a live special on beIN Sports.
In storyline, LA Park vs. Callihan was made because of “rumblings about a falling out between Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado and their hired mercenary Sami Callihan.” MLW also explained PCO’s departure by saying that he’s withdrawn from the LA Park match and “has suspiciously vanished from the league.”
As noted yesterday, Brody King is also headed to ROH after signing a deal with the promotion.
This was the first episode from Impact’s tapings in Las Vegas, Nevada. The in-ring action on the show was strong, with several stories kicking off towards January’s Homecoming pay-per-view.
The cold open recapped Brian Cage going to Rockstar Pro to find Sami Callihan and getting taken out by Callihan’s crew. It also touched on Moose defeating Eddie Edwards last week and covered Johnny Impact defending the World Championship against Killer Kross.
Knockouts Champion Tessa Blanchard defeated Ray Lyn in a non-title match
Lyn is a Pittsburgh-area indie wrestler. Blanchard started the match by pushing in Lyn with a lock-up, but Lynn showed some speed and managed to get some offense in. Blanchard quickly cut her off, dropping her with a military press and a cutter.
Blanchard continued working Lyn’s back with a kick. Lyn made a comeback and hit a top rope hurricanrana, but Blanchard was able to regain control of the match. The finish saw Blanchard hit a turnbuckle bomb and the Buzzsaw DDT for the win. This was good for the time it got. Lyn didn’t get to do much, but what she did, it looked great.
After the match, Blanchard cut a promo on Taya Valkyrie. She said that Valkyrie just keeps coming up with excuses because she can’t win the title. Blanchard said she is a better Knockouts Champion than Valkyrie could ever be and that Valkyrie won’t be more than Johnny Impact’s wife.
Valkyrie came out to confront Blanchard, but she ran away.
Valkyrie got the mic. She defended being Johnny Impact’s wife, saying she is also the Guera Loca and La Perra del Mal. Valkyrie said she spoke with Impact Wrestling’s management and they have signed a title match between Blanchard and Valkyrie for Homecoming.
Fallah Bahh and KM talked about needing to win something tonight. KM told Bahh that they got a match with LAX tonight, and if they win, they get a title match and will be one step closer to being with Scarlett Bordeaux.
The Rascalz did a That 70’s Show/stoner-style segment and were talking about what their name should be. Dezmond Xavier got a text that they have a match in two weeks. There was a laugh track here for some reason. This came out looking good, but let’s see how a stoner gimmick gets over.
Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (w/ Konnan) defeated Fallah Bahh & KM in a non-title match
This was all back and forth, with Bahh and KM getting a lot of good offense — but coming short at the end. Bahh and Santana started the match. Santana used his speed to try and headlock Bahh, but Bahh busted out some quickness himself and, thanks to his size, completely blocked Santana’s attempt at a shoulder block.
They traded arm drags, and Bahh actually got the upper hand on this lucha exchange. Santana dodged a Banzai Drop and went for a moonsault, but Bahh rolled out of it. Don Callis put him over as moving like a junior heavyweight. Santana offered to shake Bahh’s hand, then snuck an enzuigiri to finally gain control.
Ortiz came in and they double teamed Bahh a bit, but Bahh turned it around on both of them and got KM in for the Steam Rollers. Bahh and KM started working on Ortiz with quick tags, but Ortiz managed to get out and drop them with a DDT/dropkick combo before tagging in Santana.
LAX started working over KM, but once again they traded control when KM dropped them with a double suplex. Bahh came in and took it to both of them with butt thrusts to the corners. KM and Bahh hit an assisted Samoan drop for a near fall and prepped for a second rope Banzai Drop, but once again, Santana got out of it and took out Bahh.
Ortiz came in and LAX hit a moonsault/leg drop combo on KM for the win. This had a lot of fast-paced action.
Heather Monroe, from The Killer Baes, was interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell. Monroe is debuting tonight vs. Su Yung. Monroe introduced herself and sounded confident. Kiera Hogan interrupted her and warned her that Yung is not like anyone else on the roster. She told Monroe to be careful out there.
Bordeaux was arriving to the arena. Some guy wanted a picture with her, but some other random guy defended her. Bordeaux claimed she recognized this person and took him with her.
Konnan and company headed to the back and were making fun of Santana for getting out-wrestled by Bahh. They talked about the OGz and about not seeing them for a while. Konnan said that Pentagon Jr. and Fenix took them out for good. Santana and Ortiz told Konnan that they want to give Pentagon and Fenix a title shot at Homecoming. Konnan told them not right now and walked out.
The GWN Flashback Moment of the Week was Sami Callihan’s debut during LAX vs. oVe at Bound for Glory 2017.
Matt Sydal and Ethan Page were seemingly outside the building. Sydal said that everything is again on their side as he gets a match with Johnny Impact tonight and he’ll show that his third eye makes him better.
It was announced that Homecoming PPV tickets are going on sale on Monday.
The Desi Hit Squad were all relaxing at a hotel and talking about food. Gama Singh talked about Indian food, then Rohit Raju brought up Thanksgiving food. Gama Singh talked him down about there being nothing to be thankful about. Next week, they’re going to ruin Thanksgiving.
Eli Drake came down to the ring. He cut his promo about being the “Last of a Dying Breed” and said that he has dropped the lawsuit since it was all a plan to lure in Joseph Park and Abyss. He ran down wrestling by saying that it’s full of skinny kids and fat slobs, but all the fans want is Eli Drake.
Drake blamed Abyss for all the new guys thinking that taking crazy bumps is what it takes to be a superstar in wrestling today. He claimed that he will get rid of all the stunts and garbage and bring back wrestling. Tommy Dreamer came out and interrupted Drake as he was finishing up.
Drake ran down Dreamer, calling Dreamer the prime example of what he is trying to get rid of. Dreamer went with the skinny jeans millennial diss on Dreamer. Dreamer put over hardcore wrestling and put over Konnan for introducing Eddie Guerrero to ECW and thus all the lucha revolution started.
Dreamer brought up Sabu, Mick Foley, and finally put over Abyss for being hardcore. Dreamer said that the most hardcore are actually the fans who pay to come to the shows.
Drake came back by saying that Dreamer is just jealous that he could never touch what Drake can do with the mic and in the ring, to which Dreamer got heated and said he would rather fight. They teased wrestling, but Drake walked out. What’s with wrestlers going after millennials this week?
Josh Mathews mentioned that next week, we’re getting another Turkey suit match between Team Eli Drake and Team Fallah Bahh.
Alisha Edwards confronted Moose. She told Moose that Eddie Edwards is on his way and that for the best of everyone, Moose should leave. Moose, looking like a million dollars, told Alisha that if Eddie comes in, he’ll simply call 911 and get rid of him, so she doesn’t have to worry.
The referees were talking backstage saying that they can’t allow what happened with Tessa Blanchard to happen again and they agreed that this may be an unsafe working environment. Bordeaux walked by, hypnotized them, and tried to show off.
Bordeaux told them that what she likes the most is power and authority, and a man that can impose that authority. This is the perfect type of small comment that would be great to become something in the ring. She still had that random guy from outside, but he was shirtless and all drawn on.
Impact World Champion Johnny Impact defeated Matt Sydal (w/ Ethan Page) in a non-title match
The match started with both men measuring each other and chain wrestling for control. They did the usual junior heavyweight opening that ended with Sydal kicking Impact out of the ring and finally taking control of the match. Inside the ring, Sydal worked over Impact’s left leg via submissions and kicks. Sydal hyper extended Impact’s knee and hit a quick dropkick for a two count.
Impact started to make a comeback by dropping Sydal with a backbreaker. Impact’s offense was mostly strikes and kicks, earning a two count after a knee to the face. Impact hit a sliding German suplex and set up Starship Pain, but he got distracted with Page, so Sydal rolled him up for two.
Impact blocked Sydal and once again went for Starship Pain, but Page pulled Sydal out of the ring, so Impact jumped over the turnbuckle and took out Page.
Sydal used the distraction to take control of Impact. He dropped Impact with a kick and was preparing for the Shooting Star Press. Impact blocked him and went for a Spanish Fly, Sydal blocked it and countered with a Meteora, but he couldn’t capitalize. Sydal went for the Here We Go Driver, but Impact countered and finally managed to hit Starship Pain to pick up the win. Great match, if only they could get more time.
Killer Kross then came down to the ring. Kross was over with the crowd tonight, this being his hometown, saying this is the voice of Sin City. He told Impact that tonight he won’t rip his head off. Instead, he accepts his defeat from last week’s match. The fans chanted for another match.
Kross realizes that perhaps he may not be the catalyst of change, and maybe Johnny Impact is. Kross said if he can’t make things change, he can make sure Impact can.
Kross put over Impact as a role model. He told Impact that everyone is out there chasing Impact, except him. And when Impact needs help, Impact can call him. Kross offered a handshake, but Impact instead turned it down and told Kross that he doesn’t trust Kross and wants nothing to do with him.
In any other city, this would had made Impact a big babyface. But being in Kross’ hometown, it made Impact look like a jerk. It gives Kross a good reason to keep chasing Impact though.
Katarina walked in on Jordynne Grace training. She tried to recruit Grace as a team and was talking nice until she casually said that on a different night, she could have won their match. Grace responded by telling Katarina that they may as well fight again in two weeks and find out.
As Alisha threatened, Eddie Edwards indeed got to the arena and went after Moose, but Eddie got taken by bunch of psychiatric nurses. Eddie is off to a mental hospital.
Su Yung defeated Heather Monroe
Even after getting an interview, Monroe didn’t get her entrance. Yung started the match with control. She set Monroe up in a Tree of Woe and hit a neckbreaker from it for a near fall. Yung immediately went for the glove. Monroe got a small hope spot with a series of strikes and kicks, but Yung dodged one of her kicks, slapped Monroe, and hit the Panic Switch. Yung locked the Mandible Claw on for the submission win.
Yung kept the claw locked in after, but Kiera Hogan came out for the save. Suddenly, we got the “Psycho Bunny” Allie out. She was wearing all black and half of her face was painted like Rosemary. She has a new song too. Hogan was distracted by Allie, and Yung attacked her from behind with the Panic Switch.
Yung and Allie walked to the back together arm-and-arm, confirming that Su Yung owns Allie’s soul.
X Division Champion Brian Cage defeated Sami Callihan (w/ oVe) to retain his title
Callihan tried to jump Cage, but Cage dropped him with a clothesline first. Cage started tossing Callihan around the ring. Callihan hit a hurricanrana, so Cage showed off with a rana and a dropkick. Cage went for a powerbomb, but Callihan blocked it — only to be taken out again with a series of kicks.
Cage went for a running lariat, but Dave Crist held his leg from the apron, causing the referee to impose his authority and kick both Crists out to the back. Cage was still on the floor and Callihan went for a senton from the apron, but Cage caught him in mid-air and dropped him with a suplex to the floor.
Back from commercial, we saw that Callihan dropped Cage with a piledriver on the apron, rammed Cage’s knee into the steps, and with a submission hold, tweaked Cage’s knee. A limping Cage got a near fall with a powerbomb on Callihan. He went for another, but Cage countered into a guillotine lock.
Callihan hit a running DVD into the turnbuckle that looked terrible for Cage’s neck. Callihan went for a piledriver, Cage countered into a German, and Callihan countered into an ankle lock that Cage easily escaped. Cage hit a deadlift suplex from the apron and the F5 for a near fall as Callihan got his foot on the rope.
Callihan started hitting Cage like in their Bound For Glory match, then followed up with a piledriver for a near fall. He transitioned into the ankle lock again, dropping to the mat, but Cage actually dragged him to the rope for the break. Callihan got to the second rope, going for the Canadian Destroyer, but Cage blocked it — only to take a Code Red for a near fall.
Cage no sold and got up. He dropped Callihan with a powerbomb and the Drill Claw for the win. It seemed like we missed a lot during the commercial and the finish felt rushed, but from what we got, this seemed like a good match.
After the match, Cage took the mic and said that at Homecoming, he is cashing in Option C and wants a shot at Johnny Impact’s World Championship. I didn’t know that was still a thing or that it could be used outside of Destination X, but we got ourselves a main event for Homecoming. I do believe that the X Division Championship is now officially vacated and Cage and Callihan’s feud is done for now.
At Wrestling MediaCon in Manchester, England yesterday, the stars of Impact Wrestling took on local British talent.
One interesting thing to note is that this was clearly an important show for the promotion, with their president Ed Nordholm in attendance and the show having streamed on Impact’s Twitch channel. In terms of attendance, it seemed to be a similar sized crowd to the Revolution Pro Wrestling event earlier in the day.
– Rich Swann defeated Matt Sydal and Trevor Lee in a triple threat match
A fun triple threat to open the show, although not to the standard set by RevPro’s British Super J-Cup. This very much stuck to the usual triple-threat formula with guys taking turns to disappear so the two men in the ring could fight one-on-one. It did however start with a fun exchange, as Lee and Swann complained about the smoke used in Sydal’s entrance not clearing quickly enough. Likewise, Lee became irate at Swann refusing to lock-up and instead dance in the center of the ring.
The finish came out of nowhere with Swann rolling up Sydal for the victory. Given the abruptness of the finish and Swann’s interactions with the referee, there was more than a hint that maybe Lee was late with a planned interruption.
– Adam Maxted & Robbie X defeated Lucas Steel & Jake McCluskey
This was a really fun tag team match that played to the babyface/heel formula really well, as the WOS Wrestling regulars (Maxted & Robbie X) made for a good little man-big man team. Maxted began by roughhousing his opponents, and given his level of experience, looked really good here. He then tagged in Robbie X, who used his quickness and balance to run rings around his opponents.
Steel and McCluskey would rally, successfully isolating Robbie X. The Scot ultimately made the tag, with Maxted sending the heels flying. His flying neckbreaker looked particularly good. The finish came with Robbie X hitting a running Shooting Star Press on McCluskey while Maxted held Steel on the outside.
– Su Yung defeated Lana Austin
A surprisingly even match that saw Yung throw a chair into the ring to create the distraction so she could spit mist into Austin’s eyes before hitting the Panic Switch. Austin is a Manchester native, and so despite not being affiliated with a major promotion, she was pretty over throughout the match. She started strong, but Yung would gain the upper hand whenever they brawled outside the ring.
Midway through the match, Yung placed Austin on a chair outside, took her dress off, and then did a cannonball off the ring apron onto her. Strangely after this point, there was no more brawling. Austin dominated the match until the finish. While that may have been odd storytelling, the action was good with Austin looking very impressive in defeat.
– Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defeated Jody Fleisch & Johnny Storm to retain their titles
This was a great match as the veteran team of Fleisch and Storm put on an incredible performance before falling to the Street Sweeper. The match started fast, with both Brits turning back the clock with incredible high spots. For example, when LAX moved out of the way of Fleisch, Storm would tag in and dive over the top rope onto them.
The Impact Tag Team Champions established control, isolating Fleisch, who did a terrific job of playing babyface in peril. However, all hell broke loose when he tagged in Storm, as the Brits went crazy in the finishing stretch. Not only did Fleisch hit an Asai moonsault on LAX, but Storm came up with all sorts of innovative ways to throw him onto their opponents.
Terrific match. By the end it was getting the best reactions of the day. Afterwards, Storm and Fleisch teased dissension with LAX — before endorsing them.
– Joe Hendry defeated Eli Drake
The crowd reactions were interesting, with Hendry getting by far the louder negative reaction from a divided crowd and Drake having a loud cheering section. It’s worth noting that Hendry frequently appeared in Manchester as a heel for What Culture Pro Wrestling.
After the craziness of the previous contest, this was a pretty basic match, but it was fine for what it was. The story was very much Drake controlling Hendry, save for the occasional hope spot (such as Hendry going for the Hendry Lock), but Drake ultimately losing due to a lapse in concentration. Drake went to pick Hendry up, but Hendry countered into a cradle for the win.
Edwards and Sysum secured the win after Edwards laid out the opposition with a kendo stick.
– Sami Callihan defeated Jimmy Havoc in a barbed wire baseball bat deathmatch
Havoc was easily the most over person on the entire show, with loud chants for him from the second he entered. This had one violent weapons spot after another, although there wasn’t the high-impact stunt falls you sometimes get in these matches. There was, however, a fair amount of blood shed, particularly from Havoc.
Indeed, there was relatively little brawling on the outside, which was a positive considering they weren’t putting the match on the big screen. They both used chairs, including several nasty spots where they threw them at each other’s head. A fun exchange saw Callihan stapling paper to Havoc’s body, only for Havoc to return the favor by using the paper to give Callihan paper cuts, including one on his tongue. Both then made the cuts worse by pouring lemon juice on each other.
While Callihan was first to retrieve the baseball bat, Havoc got to use it first. He quickly took it apart, wrapping the barbwire around his arm as he teased several Rainmakers. By the time the finish came, Havoc was barefoot, with Callihan having taken his boots off in an attempt to force him to stand on the thumbtacks that were in the ring.
There was a fun spot where Havoc managed to jump over the thumbtacks despite being whipped in their direction. However, he was less lucky when he went for a double-foot stomp from the top rope, jumping feet first into the thumbtacks. Callihan quickly capitalized with a piledriver for the victory.
Fun match that probably ended before it reached a crescendo, but given the number of people who left during the match, they probably took it as far as they could. Given Impact Wrestling’s current direction, Havoc would be worth using on a more regular basis.
Final thoughts —
A fun show that, with a running time of less than three hours, just flew by. All the action was good, with the less experienced British talent clearly motivated to make the most of the opportunity. However, the veterans Storm, Fleisch, and Havoc stole the show, with the Tag Team title match and the main event both being spectacular in very different ways.
This show was marked by lots of silliness, strange events, and subpar wrestling. The main event featured four pinatas, a staple gun, a baseball bat, and Legos.
Eddie Edwards opened the episode. He was wearing a Rocky shirt underneath a black leather jacket. He was carrying a kendo stick. He called out Impact World Champion Austin Aries, who took the bait and came out to the ring with his bodyguard and tag team partner, Killer Kross.
Aries, carrying his own microphone, while walking the ramp said: “I am the greatest professional wrestler walking the planet.”
After some back-and-forth, Edwards hit Aries with his microphone. Kross nailed Edwards with the kendo stick and then put him in a rear naked choke while Aries slapped on the figure four leglock. Aries then put Edwards’ head inside a steel chair and grabbed another chair. As Aries was about to swing the chair to hit Edwards, former number one contender Moose ran to the ring.
Moose grabbed his own chair and cleaned house on Aries and Kross, chasing them out of the ring. It was Moose’s first appearance since his Slammiversary loss to Aries.
Matt Sydal defeated Zachary Wentz
Wentz, who Josh Mathews called an “Independent darling,” looked good, hitting a corkscrew crossbody block and a big dive over the top rope to the outside on Sydal. Sydal ran under the ring and then came out on the other side. He ran sneakily around the ring and clubbed an unsuspecting Wentz.
Wentz hit a standing moonsault but hit Sydal’s knees when he tried a running Shooting Star Press. Sydal hit a knee, a kick, and then a reverse swinging neckbreaker for the win.
They promoted Impact’s first television tapings in Mexico City on September 13 and 14. Then they showed a promo for Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager cruise, where Mathews said it would be Ring of Honor vs. Impact, advertising Marty Scurll vs. Sami Callihan and LAX vs. The Young Bucks.
In the flashback match of the week, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, dressed like the Road Warriors, called out James Storm. In a singles match, Storm pinned Daniels, but AJ Styles, with short hair, came to the ring and clotheslined Storm.
Fallah Bahh was walking backstage and gave a gift back to his partner KM.
Fallah Bahh & KM defeated The Desi Hit Squad (Gursinder Singh & Rohit Raju)
What was in the bag? New ring attire for KM. KM wore blue wrestling pants underneath a white thong, like Bahh wears. KM also took off his shoes and wrestled barefoot.
Last week, Scarlett Bordeaux, during her “Smokeshow” segment, told KM to follow Bahh’s lead more often, so this was KM’s attempt to listen to her.
This was a joke match, with KM painfully trying to wrestle barefoot and get used to his new ring gear.
Bahh threw his typical hand thrusts and chops, and he and KM did their patented roll over both members of the Desi Hit Squad. Bahh got the pin on Raju after a Yokozuna splash in the corner.
Grado ran into Bordeaux in the back and told her that he feels inadequate and can’t impress his girlfriend Katarina, who seems enthralled with Grado’s tag team partner, Joe Hendry. Bordeaux told him that she would help him next week if he joined her for an interview, but first he had to do something for her.
They then cut to clips of Grado, dancing shirtless, at a strip club, with Bordeaux and her doting assistant watching. Grado will be a guest on Bordeaux’s “Smokeshow” next week.
Kiera Hogan (w /Allie) defeated Alisha Edwards
This was a back-and-forth match. Hogan hit a running splash, a knee, and kick in the corner on Edwards. Hogan, who has red and yellow hair, won with a swinging neckbreaker.
After the match, Allie grabbed the microphone and called out Knockouts Champion Su Yung. She promised revenge against Yung, who defeated her friends Madison Rayne and Rosemary.
She said that every time she is about to pin Yung, Tessa Blanchard makes an appearance — so she challenged Blanchard and Yung to a triple threat match next week.
They showed Johnny Impact at a swimming pool talking about how he was going to defeat Kongo Kong, when out of nowhere, Kong attacked him. They fought back-and-forth, but the fight was spliced, and not continuous, looking like it was heavily edited. Kong tried to spear Impact into the pool, but he moved and Kong crashed into the pool.
Backstage, Blanchard accepted Allie’s challenge, but asked that the match be for the championship.
Rich Swann did an interview where he said he joined Impact because it was the buzz of the pro wrestling world and that he wants to be the X Division Champion.
Brandon Tidwell & Mr. Atlantis defeated Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley (w/ Eli Drake)
For some reason, Mr. Atlantis pinned Konley with a roll-up in a quick match. The highlight of the match was Drake on commentary. Don Callis at one point asked if Drake could replace Mathews, and Drake said yes — if someone wants to give him a second paycheck.
OGz (w/ King) run over young LAX fan
Konnan and LAX were celebrating after winning their street fight a week ago against King and the OGz. They showed them, at night, at some sort of house party, talking about how the feud was over. As they were leaving to go to Konnan’s car with a group, including a young kid wearing a championship belt, King and the OGz raced across the street in an attempt to hit the group. Everyone else got away, except for the kid.
In a poorly-filmed segment, the group turned around and saw the boy laying out in the middle of the street. The group ran over to him and looked down on the boy to end the segment.
Sami Callihan defeated Pentagon Jr. in a Mexican Death Match
This was essentially a falls count anywhere, no disqualification match, with lots of pinatas. The match started with both men swinging steel chairs at one another. Mathews said the moment was a “big fight feel,” which is the most overused phrase by wrestlers in the Impact and the WWE.
There were of tough spots in this match. Callihan powerbombed Pentagon onto two chairs inside the ring, but only hit one of the chairs.
They used four pinatas in the match, all of which contained some type of weapon. One of them included a staple gun. Pentagon stapled Callihan’s arms and crotch and then his hat to his head. He then ripped that hat off.
Hair clippers were inside another pinata. Pentagon attempted to shave Callihan’s beard, but Callihan fought him and threw the clippers outside the ring. A third pinata contained a baseball bat that Callihan used a few times. He put a garbage can over Pentagon’s head and then hit the trash can. A fourth pinata contained Legos.
Callihan piledrived Pentagon on the Legos for the near fall. Pentagon hit a low block, then piledrived Callihan on the Legos, but Callihan kicked out.
Pentagon brought a table into the ring. Callihan took control and eventually piledrived Pentagon onto the table for the win.
Fenix defeated Sami Callihan (w/ Jake and Dave Crist)
They saved the best for first on this week’s show. Fenix lived up to his namesake in this match, hitting a series of high-flying aerial moves that had the crowd on their feet. Both guys worked hard.
The crowd at times chanted “Ohio sucks” at Callihan and the Crist brothers and “This is awesome” after Fenix’s aerial moves.
Fenix hit several impressive aerial moves, including a springboard cutter from on the outside, laying out Callihan on the ramp. He landed a hurricanrana. Callihan also worked his part of the match strong. He plays a great heel — and although he overacts at times, shows good ring psychology.
The Crist brothers tried to interfere, but Pentagon Jr. came out to help his brother, allowing Fenix to hit a spinning Muscle Buster suplex on Callihan for the win, in the show’s highlight.
They showed a long series of vignettes featuring the LAX vs. OGz street fight later in the show and then an advertisement for Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise.
The TNA flashback match this week from 2009 was Team 3D vs. Beer Money Inc. vs. The Main Event Mafia vs. The British Invasion.
Then, in an interview segment, Allie said she was going to defeat Su Yung later in the show for Madison Rayne and Rosemary.
“This is for my soul,” Allie said.
Johnny Impact defeated Jimmy Jacobs by DQ
Don Callis reminded everyone that Jacobs used to be a very good wrestler. Kongo Kong attacked Impact from behind before the match started as Impact was walking to the ring. Kong kicked him in the face and threw him into the ring. Jacobs tried to cover him for the pin, but Impact kicked out.
Kong then ran in and hit Impact, forcing a disqualification. Kong tried to powerbomb Impact, but he slipped out, countering with a DDT on the stage. Impact then hit Jacobs with the steel steps, knocking him out on the stage and leaving his head dangling on the bottom rope.
Scarlett Bordeaux’s “Smokeshow” debuted, and it wasn’t pretty.
Apparently, both Fallah Bahh and KM thought they would be guests on her show and they ran into each other in the hall. They were both carrying wine. Bordeaux ended up interviewing both of them, where KM said he was frustrated with Bahh because he couldn’t control him.
Bordeaux told him to consider a different way and pretended like she was going to kiss him, but then pulled back. KM, in a trance, walked off the set and then Bordeaux slapped Bahh.
Weird segment.
Impact World Champion Austin Aries introduced Killer Kross as his new insurance policy.
Eddie Edwards then came out and hit Aries with a kendo stick. Kross held Edwards down and choked him out. Aries put his foot on Edwards and posed with the belt.
Eli Drake (w/ Caleb Konley and Trevor Lee) defeated Joe Hendry (Grado and Katarina)
Katarina and Hendry are clearly attracted to each other and Grado keeps doing dumb things to push his girlfriend towards Hendry, in this neverending storyline.
Grado messed up again this week, jumping on the apron while Hendry had the upper hand, distracting Hendry. Drake then rolled up Hendry for the pin.
After the match, Grado, Hendry, and Katarina all argued in the ring before Hendry walked out and Katarina followed him.
They showed Matt Sydal meditating on the beach, and a graphic revealed his third eye.
Allie defeated Knockouts Champion Su Yung by DQ in a non-title match
Yung and her undead bridesmaids have a great ring presence. Allie beat up on Yung for most of the match, firing up the crowd, but Tessa Blanchard ran in the ring and hammered on Allie to cause the disqualification. Initially it looked like a double-team, but Yung applied the mandible claw on Blanchard. Allie made the save, hitting a codebreaker on Yung. This seemed to set up a Blanchard vs. Yung match.
They advertised a Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr. Mexican Death Match for next week with the Crist Brothers banned from ringside.
LAX (w/ Konnan) defeated The OGz (w/ King) in a street fight
This was hard to follow, with no commentary for a match that took place in a parking lot. A few weeks ago, The OGz stole LAX’s title belts from ringside without winning them.
LAX took the titles that already belonged to them back after they beat The OGz down in the parking lot. King then went to Konnan and screamed “this isn’t over.” He told Konnan that he was old and needed to be put down, then begged LAX to take Konnan out and side with the new blood. After they refused, King said “I spit on your soul. I spit on your family” to Konnan.
King got on one knee and begged Konnan to hit him, suggesting he was too scared to do it.
Konnan then seemed to hit him in the head, but the show ended, leaving the audience guessing.
Impact Wrestling returned to the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto on Sunday for their first of two nights of television tapings.
Impact tapings —
– X Division Champion Brian Cage defeated Fenix (w/ Pentagon Jr.) to retain his title
oVe and Sami Callihan attacked Fenix and Pentagon after the match until Cage made the save.
– Eddie Edwards came out with a kendo stick. He mentioned being beaten down by Austin Aries and Killer Kross, but he said he’s again looking for a fight and called either of them out or he’s going to come find them. He said a lot of people call him crazy, but he loves what he’s become.
Aries and Kross entered. Edwards punched Aries, Kross took Edwards out, and Aries and Kross beat Edwards down before Moose made the save.
– Kiera Hogan (w/ Allie) defeated Alisha Edwards
Allie said she was proud of Hogan for winning and cut a promo setting up her triple threat Knockouts Championship match against Su Yung and Tessa Blanchard for later.
– Brandon Tidwell & Mr. Atlantis defeated The Cult of Lee (Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley) w/ Eli Drake
Tidwell rolled up Konley for the pin while Lee was distracted outside of the ring.
– Fallah Bahh & KM defeated The Desi Hit Squad
Gama Singh cut a heel promo on Toronto before this started.
– Matt Sydal defeated Zachary Wentz
– Rich Swann defeated Petey Williams
– Eli Drake defeated Brandon Tidwell
Drake got on the mic and mentioned that he never said he was friends with the Cult of Lee. He brought up this being one more test for Tidwell and Mr. Atlantis, then defeated Tidwell quickly after Atlantis was the one to accept his challenge.
– Tessa Blanchard defeated Su Yung (w/ the Undead Bridesmaids) and Allie (w/ Kiera Hogan) in a triple threat match to win the Knockouts Championship
Blanchard rolled up Allie to win the title. Yung will get her rematch against Blanchard at tonight’s tapings.
– A video aired showing that Moose had been attacked by Killer Kross backstage.
– Impact World Champion Austin Aries & Killer Kross vs. Eddie Edwards & Moose
Moose came out with a bandage on his head during the match. He turned heel on Edwards, joining Aries and Kross in beating him down. Alisha Edwards came down and slapped Moose.
– Sami Callihan defeated Pentagon Jr. in a Mexican Death Match
After Pentagon defeated him at Slammiversary XVI, Callihan won their rematch by hitting a top rope piledriver through a table.
