Impact Wrestling results: Callihan and Edwards face off in the woods

Impact Tag Team Champions DJ Z & Andrew Everett defeated Aerostar & Drago to retain their titles

The match featured some quality chain wrestling and several high spots from the high-flyers. It kicked off with Aerostar performing several flips and somersaults in the ring, only to have Everett match them — to the delight of the crowd. Aerostar’s moveset resembled Rey Mysterio Jr.

Everett hit a hurricanrana against Drago to slow down the pace of the match. Aerostar and Drago then cut off the ring well with frequent tags and a double team before Everett broke free and made the hot tag to Z. 

The match ended with several high-flying moves, including Drago back body dropping Z over the top rope. Everett later hit a corkscrew moonsault, jumping from the back of Z, who then executed a dive through the legs of Everett and the second and third rope onto Aerostar on the outside. Everett than did a springboard moonsault onto Drago. 

Everett hit a 720 flip off the top rope to pin Aerostar to retain the Tag Team titles. 

Back in the studio, Don Callis and Josh Mathews hyped the upcoming unsanctioned fight between Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards. Callis said he would never participate in an unsanctioned fight because there’s no health insurance for that kind of battle. They also showed a video package of new Knockouts Champion Su Yung, looking evil and maniacal.

 The show then featured a long flashback match between RVD and Tommy Dreamer, a match that looked slow by comparison to the fast-paced action of the episode’s opener. RVD won with the frog splash off the top rope. 

LAX defeated The Cult of Lee (Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley)

King is now managing Santana and Ortiz. With his brawling style and long, curly hair, Trevor Lee looks like a skinnier version of Bruiser Brody. The match featured some good back-and-forth, tag team wrestling. Lee hit a belly-to-back suplex, setting up Conley for a cover, but Ortiz kicked out.

Lee went for a powerbomb, but Ortiz flipped him over, then crotched Conley on the top rope. Ortiz hit a rolling cutter, allowing Santana to get the pin on Conley. 

Eli Drake Fact of Life segment

Eli Drake showed a lot of charisma in this segment, where he listed the five Impact Dummies:

  • 5. The fans of Impact Wrestling
  • 4. Austin Aries
  • 3. Impact Wrestling management
  • 2. The fans of Impact Wrestling (again)
  • 1. Moose

Drake hit a buzzer every time he called someone a dummy, while a dummy icon showed up simultaneously on the TV screen. 

Moose came out to interrupt Drake. \ Mathews called Moose “the best pure athlete in Impact Wrestling.”

Moose called Drake a loser.  “I don’t need gold because I am gold,” he barked, before Drake punched Moose.  Moose kicked him, but Drake gave him a low blow and the Gravy Train. Drake then threw the microphone stand onto Moose. 

Brian Cage defeated Rohit Raju

Raju tried some flying moves off the chest of Cage, but he was too strong, and Cage quickly overwhelmed him with his power. Cage pinned Raju with the Weapon X.. 

X-Division Champion Matt Sydal came out and tried to convince Cage to join forces.

Sydal told him “you’re jacked, you’re tan, and you can throw just about anyone around.”

Still, Cage has even more potential. “I can open your third eye,” Sydal told Cage. Sydal said “inner strength separates challengers and champions,” before Sydal asked him to forgo his title shot.

Cage then grabbed him and gave him an F5.

Mathews interviewed a shirtless Austin Aries via satellite.

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards (unsanctioned match in the woods) 

This was a bizarre match, looking like a combination of The Final Deletion and the 2016 WWE outdoor match between The New Day and the Wyatt Family. 

Under a full moon, Edwards spent most of the jump-cut match screaming for “Sami!” and walking through the nighttime dark forest. He took out OVE first, choking one out with a two-by-four. 

When Callihan finally appeared, the match involved a bull’s horns, a baseball bat, and even a collar-and-elbow tie-up, amid a forest of trees. After some brawling and a sunset flip on the dirt, there was a moment of blood when Edwards used a broken horn to mangle Callihan’s face.

Just as Edwards seemed to subdue Callihan, Tommy Dreamer and Alisha arrived in a car. Edwards attacked Dreamer, hitting him with some kind of rod in the stomach, before screaming in the woods to end the show.

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan I Quit match set for New Orleans

The first match between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan since Callihan accidentally injured Edwards in a baseball bat spot gone wrong will be taking place next month.

Impact Wrestling announced today that Edwards will face Callihan in an I Quit match at their Impact vs. Lucha Underground show in New Orleans on April 6th.

Edwards will be returning to the ring at an indie show this week for the first time since he was injured after his match with Callihan at Impact’s television tapings in January. Callihan meant to hit a steel chair with a baseball bat, but the spot went wrong and he accidentally hit Edwards in the face with the bat. Edwards suffered a broken nose and broken bones in his face due to the incident.

Things have since been turned into a storyline, with Callihan acting unrepentant about what happened. He also got into a Twitter feud with Jim Cornette over the spot earlier this month.

Impact vs. Lucha Underground is part of WrestleCon’s weekend of events in New Orleans and will stream live on Impact’s Twitch channel at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier & DJZ vs. King Cuerno, Drago & Aerostar is the only other match that’s been announced as of now.

UPDATE: Though he wasn’t billed under the name at first, Callihan will be wrestling as his “Jeremiah Crane” character from Lucha Underground at the show.

Impact Wrestling scores biggest viewership since July

Eddie Edwards being brutalized with a baseball bat by Sami Callihan caused Impact Wrestling’s viewership to rise substantially from last week’s numbers, which were the lowest of 2018.

The show scored 365,000 viewers, way up from last week’s 262,000 and the highest it’s been since the July 13th, 2017 episode of the program. It ranked #123 for the night on cable, with NBA games winning the night overall.

Edwards had just beaten Callihan in a match in the main event when Callihan jumped him. He grabbed a chair and put it on Edwards’ waist. He meant to strike the chair with the bat, but slipped and instead smashed Edward’s eye, causing Edwards to immediately roll out of the ring in pain. Footage was shown on Impact Wrestling’s YouTube page of Edwards being taken backstage to an ambulance.

As a result, Edwards suffered a broken eye socket and orbital bone. Regardless, he will be a part of Impact’s first PPV of 2018, Redemption, on April 22nd.

You can see footage of the attack and the aftermath below:

Impact Wrestling results: Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan

Previously: Johnny Impact defeated Ethan Carter III in a number one contender’s match.

Tonight: Eddie Edwards takes on Callahan in the main event.

Show Recap —

Tyrus defeated Ethan Carter III

Tyrus was firmly in control and nothing EC3 did hurt him. EC3 kept stalling by going to the floor and finally gained the advantage and knocked Tyrus down.

Tyrus made a comeback and used the Tongan Death Grip slam for the win.

– Backstage, Sami Callihan promised to defeat Eddie Edwards later in the main event.

El Hijo Del Fantasma defeated Braxton Sutter

Fantasma was on fire early until Sutter cut him off. Fantasma fought back and hit a suicide dive, then Sutter scored a near fall with his feet on the ropes. Fantasma hit the Thrill of the Hunt for the win.

After the match, Sutter cut a heel promo and pointed out that Allie wasn’t there because she ruins lives. He claimed he’s the biggest star in the company but didn’t even get an entrance tonight.

Brian Cage came down to the ring and beat down Sutter. Cage then gave him the Drill Claw.

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Matt Sydal before Taiji Ishimori interrupted. He challenged Sydal to put the Grand Championship on the line next week against his X Division Championship.

Kongo Kong (w/ Jimmy Jacobs) defeated Joseph Park

Kong completely dominated Park and won easily with a splash off the top.

Following the match, Jacobs asked one more time for Abyss. Kong choked out Park with a scarf. Jacobs told Park they’re just getting started.

– Caleb Konley threw a party, but Trevor Lee wasn’t impressed. They celebrated stealing LAX’s bandanas. The only guests were the Mumbai Cats, with Lee apologizing for attacking them a few weeks ago.

Konnan approached and mocked the heels. The Cats removed their masks to reveal Santana and Ortiz. They beat down Lee and Konley and threw them in a pool.

Rosemary defeated Hania

Hania was briefly in control before Rosemary gained the advantage. Rosemary used the upside down, a missile drop kick, and a spear. She then hit the Red Wedding for the win.

Rosemary promised to win the Knockouts Championship. The returning Taya Valkyrie interrupted her. Valkyrie attacked Rosemary from behind and beat her down, giving Rosemary the Road to Valhalla on the ramp.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eddie Edwards defeated Bobby Lashley to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

The story of the match was that Lashley had picked Edwards because he wanted the easy win. Edwards hit two suicide dives, but he missed the third and crashed hard into the guardrail.

Lashley attempted the spear, but Edwards countered with the Boston Knee Party to win the championship.

– Laurel Van Ness had a commitment ceremony with the Knockouts Championship. KM was the minister and the belt had a blue bow tie. KM asked if anyone had any objections — and Braxton Sutter came out in a neck brace.

Sutter told Van Ness that he made a mistake by picking Allie. He tried to propose to Van Ness, but she kicked him out of the ring. Van Ness made KM ask if anyone had any objections again. Allie snuck up from behind in a disguise and jumped her.

Eddie Edwards defeated Sami Callihan (w/ OVE)

They started out hitting each other with suicide dives. Edwards had the upper hand as they brawled around ringside. OVE tried interfering, but the referee sent them to the back. Callihan took advantage and kicked Edwards in the face.

Edwards made a brief comeback until Callihan gave him a piledriver on the apron. Edwards made a fiery comeback and executed a superplex. They exchanged stiff shots in the middle of the ring, then Edwards rolled up Callihan for the win.

After the match, Callihan grabbed his baseball bat but Edwards tried fighting back. OVE jumped Bobby Lashley in the back.

Callihan placed a chair on Edwards and hit the chair with the bat, but it ricocheted and hit Edwards in the face. Edwards was injured and rolled out of the ring.

Next Week: Impact presents Crossroads featuring a loaded lineup:

  • Impact World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries defending against Johnny Impact
  • Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness defending against Allie
  • Grand Champion Matt Sydal vs. X Division Champion Taiji Ishimori
  • Impact World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions LAX defending against Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley
  • Bobby Lashley & Eddie Edwards vs. OVE

NJPW World Tag League: Results, standings & analysis four shows in

By Ethan Renner

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s World Tag League is underway, and the story of the tournament so far is how the newcomers have fared.

Sami Callihan, paired with Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb, partnered with Michael Elgin, and Chuck Taylor, teaming with Beretta, have all tasted victory in their opening matches. 

In Callihan’s case, it was difficult for me to believe that he was the same performer that I saw in WWE in 2015. Particularly when in the ring with EVIL, Callihan displayed a confidence as a performer that I thought he was lacking in his NXT tenure. Robinson played well off his over-the-top intensity, and the duo held up their end of the main event spot on night one of the tournament. 

Taylor might have a tougher road, as his reactions in the early going of his opening match were tepid at best. But as illustrated by the great response to some of his flying work late in the match, his stuff will play here, and he will eventually get over. 

Cobb was born to wrestle in NJPW. His powerhouse frame and intensity are pluses, and to top it off, he got to work with Tomohiro Ishii, both in a six-man on night one, and in a tournament match on night three. Any time Ishii sold for Cobb it gave him instant credibility, and coupled with his ability, it is easy to predict singles stardom for Cobb here in the future.

Night one results —

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka (A Block)

They did lots of crowd brawling early. I am of the opinion that the next time a crowd brawl looks good in modern wrestling will be the first time. Suzuki and Iizuka used chairs as they fought all over the building, but no disqualifications were called.

This was fine, maybe even good when Goto and Suzuki were in together, but ranged from middling to poor otherwise. The finish saw YOSHI-HASHI break up a guillotine attempt by Suzuki on Goto, who recovered and nailed Suzuki with his finisher for the pin.

Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan defeated SANADA & EVIL (A Block)

Robinson and SANADA did some nice mat work early. Callihan and EVIL did some power stuff, and Callihan hit a sick dive through the middle and bottom ropes to the outside.

SANADA and EVIL worked over Robinson before it broke down into a four-way. Callihan kissed Robinson at one point to try to fire him up. He saved Robinson as EVIL went to finish him, and Robinson recovered and hit the Pulp Friction for the pin. 

Night two results —

Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (B Block)

A couple of nice spots early highlighted Taylor’s agility. This was all about establishing Taylor and Beretta’s friendship and teamwork. After some flying and crowd brawling early on, this settled down into your basic tag match, with the Guerillas working over Beretta.

The match wasn’t getting over to a great degree until Taylor hit a beautiful tope. Beretta eventually hit a Dudebuster for the win.

Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (B Block)

Cobb and Ishii started off. They pounded away at each other, no-sold each other, and the crowd ate it up. When Ishii eventually left his feet and bumped for a Cobb shoulder block, the place loved it. Elgin and Yano did some comedy. Ishii and Yano double-teamed Cobb, then Elgin got a tag and ran wild.

Elgin and Ishii did some of their trademark power stuff before it broke down. Cobb saved Elgin from a near fall with rolling German suplexes on Ishii. Cobb and Elgin got a great near fall with a double team move, and Elgin hit Ishii with a buckle bomb and a sit-out powerbomb for the pin. This was good stuff. 

Night three results —

Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page defeated Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi (A Block)

They kept it simple and tried to milk the crowd early on. The Bullet Club got the heat on Nakanishi with a low blow while the referee was distracted. Page and Takahashi then worked over Nakanishi forever with chops, kicks, and eye gouging.

Nagata got a tag and looked pretty good in working with Page, but Takahashi ended up hitting Nakanishi with the Pimp Juice DDT for the pin.

Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (A Block)

A battle of the Bullet Club and the Bread Club. Tenzan and Kojima worked over Owens in the early going. He recovered and all four guys brawled outside and into the crowd. Back inside, Owens worked on Kojima with punches and elbows.

Fale tagged in for the occasional power spot, but this was largely Owens doing the bulk of the work and keeping it very simple. Fale hit the Bad Luck Fall on Kojima for the pin.

Night four results —

This show took place in Yamanashi on Tuesday and was recently uploaded to NJPW World. Here are quick results from the two tournament matches:

Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) defeated David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (B Block)

Smith Jr. pinned Kitamura after a double-team powerbomb.

War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) defeated Togi Makabe & Henare (B Block)

Rowe got the pin on Henare after War Machine hit Fallout (a diving leg drop/belly-to-back suplex combo).

Current standings —

A Block

  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI — 2
  • Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan — 2
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens — 2
  • Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page — 2
  • SANADA & EVIL — 0
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 0
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata — 0
  • Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka — 0

B Block

  • Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) — 2
  • Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb — 2
  • Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) — 2
  • War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) — 2
  • David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura — 0
  • Togi Makabe & Henare — 0
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) — 0
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano — 0

NJPW reveals full World Tag League 2017 lineup

Some familiar faces to fans in the United States will be debuting for New Japan Pro Wrestling as part of this year’s World Tag League tour.

NJPW announced that Jeff Cobb, Chuck Taylor, and Sami Callihan would all be debuting in the tournament. Cobb, who was originally scheduled to team with Matt Riddle before plans changed, will partner with Michael Elgin, Taylor will be paired with usual partner Trent Barreta, and Callihan will team with Juice Robinson.

In a change from recent years, wrestlers who already have matches announced for Wrestle Kingdom 12 (including top stars like Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kenny Omega) won’t be participating in World Tag League.

Whichever team wins will likely challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4th. Killer Elite Squad, the team that currently holds the titles, will also be in the tournament.

World Tag League 2017 begins on November 18th in Tokyo. The finals will take place on December 11th in Fukuoka, with the winners of the A Block facing the winners of the B Block. Here’s the full list of teams for the tournament.

A Block —

  • Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
  • Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka
  • EVIL & SANADA

B Block —

  • Togi Makabe & Henare
  • Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb
  • David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura
  • War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson)
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
  • Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa)
  • Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)

Cody Rhodes battles Sami Callihan in BOLA preview for Northeast Wrestling

Submitted by Patrick Tobin from Bethany, CT, at the NEW Arena

– Chuck “Cold Steel” O’Neil defeated Clutch Adams and Rex Lawless in a three-way via a Michinoku Driver into an armbar on Adams. This was a pre-show match for the “Shot for the Spot” tournament. O’Neil is the former UFC fighter from years ago.

– They did a 10 bell salute for the late Mr. Fuji.

– American Destroyers (Mikey Webb and ROH’s Donovan Dijak) defeated Adrenaline Rush (Daniel Evans and Keith Youngblood)

Dijak pinned Youngblood after a great double team move where Dijak did a sunset flip on both Webb and Youngblood so that it landed with Webb hitting a piledriver. 

– Wrecking Ball Legursky defeated Jake Manning via gorilla press slam.

– Dan De Man (w/ Kenny Bengal) defeated Ron Zombie via RKO.

– The Mac defeated Dexter Lou with a Sky High.

– Vinny Marseglia defeated Caleb Konley with a double underhook backbreaker.

NEW Tag Team champions So Over (Mark Shurman and Jimmy Preston) defeated the Battle Brothers (Anthony and Chris) with a doomsday dropkick.

NEW Heavyweight champion War King Hanson (ROH’s Hanson) defeated Kamaitachi in a non title match via roundhouse kick

– Brian Anthony and TK O’Ryan went to a no contest in a match to decide the #1 Contender when Hanson interfered.

– Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Travis “Flip” Gordon with a roll-up after kicking out of a 450 Splash. Gordon had previously kicked out of a Shotei and a Liger Bomb. Liger got a standing ovation after the match, and hugged and put over Gordon to the crowd. It was announced that Gordon will face Ricochet at NEW Destiny on 9/10.

– Cody Rhodes defeated Sami Callihan via submission with the American Nightmare. These two are first round opponents in BOLA and did a toned down kind of PWG match with dives and brawling in the front row.

Evolve 57 iPPV results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Drew Gulak; Matt Riddle vs. Chris Hero

From Brooklyn NY, and via iPPV 

Ethan Page beat Fred Yehi

During the match, Page would offer to shake Yehi’s hand, yet would end up being chopped. Ethan Page wins with the Package Piledriver, Page and Yehi do end up shaking hands post match before Anthony Nese comes out and attacks Page from behind with a chair.Nese says fat guys like Page don’t belong in a wrestling ring. Caleb Konley joins Nese in the ring while Page is carried out by the refs. Konley says he’s wrestling Thatcher tonight finally after a year. 

TJ Perkins beat Tommaso Ciampa

“F TNA” chants to start the match as Perkins laughs. Ciampa hits the Project Ciampa, but TJP kicks out at two, Ciampa goes for a second one yet TJP escapes to put Ciampa in his Figure Four Deathlock to get the win.

Matt Riddle beat Chris Hero

Hero hit a spike piledriver, pulls off his elbow pad and strikes Riddle right in the temple yet Riddle kicks out. Hero goes for another piledriver yet Riddle counters with a triangle submission forcing Hero to tap.

– EVOLVE tag title match is supposed to be up next but Gargano comes out and tells the crowd that Galloway’s flight from Orlando has been delayed and ask for more time. Caleb Konley attacks Gargano from behind and demands for Thatcher to come out so they can have their match right now. Thatcher is on his way out but Sami Callihan cheap shots him from behind. 

EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher beat Caleb Konley for The Evolve Championship

A lot of interference from Andrea during this match before Thatcher got her out of the way. The finish saw Thatcher putting Konley in a armbar to retain the title. 

– Matt Riddle is out to tell Thatcher at least he didn’t have to cheat tonight. He calls Thatcher trash and wants a rematch for the title April 1st in Dallas. Thatcher agrees and Riddle says he’s not gonna cheap shot Thatcher, instead he hits him with a jumping knee and knocks Thatcher out. 

Sami Callihan beat Tracy Williams

Callihan wins with the Cinderblock Forearm to the back of the neck.

Zack Sabre Jr. beat Drew Gulak

Sabre’s boot came undone so he just took it off, Gulak capitalized by body slamming Sabres ankle into the ropes 5 times. Sabre and Gulak exchange roll-ups, Sabre counters the wins with a unique submission. 

– Chris Hero is out to say when he hears Best In The World he doesn’t think about Zack Sabre Jr. He thinks about Bryan Danielson, who he’s beat. He thinks about CM Punk, who he’s beat. Hero says Sabre can’t claim to be the best unless he has beaten him, which he hasn’t. Sabre says he’ll see him in Dallas. Gulak wants the mic and tells Hero that he shouldn’t be worried about Sabre he should be worried about Catchpoint. 

Evolve Tag Team Champions Drew Galloway and Johnny Gargano beat Team Tremendous

Some great action here as expected, and the finish saw Galloway hitting the Future Shock DDT on Dan Berry to retain the titles in their first defense.