Tag: Tessa Blanchard

Impact Wrestling results: Two title matches at ReDefined

Posted on by Josh Molina

The show opened with a new video and musical vignette. The special episode was named “Impact ReDefined,” with lots of news and new directions coming out of the show.

X Division Champion Brian Cage defeated Fenix to retain his title

Solid match. Commentator Josh Mathews said of Cage, “He’s never been pinned. He’s never been submitted. He is the machine. He is the X Division Champion. He is Brian Cage.”

At 275 pounds, Cage somehow works like a small guy. He hit a 619 early on Fenix.

Fenix tried everything he could to take out the big champ. He hit several spinning kicks. Despite Fenix’s high-flying moves, this was a showcase match for Cage. He hit a delayed vertical superplex. Cage threw Fenix over the top rope onto the ramp. Fenix hit a rolling cutter on the ramp. The crowd chanted “fight forever.”

Fenix dove through the ropes, but Cage caught him in a suplex position and suplexed him on the floor. Cage hit a flying DDT. He then powerbombed Fenix from the top rope for the win.

After the match, oVe (Sami Callihan and the Crist brothers) attacked Fenix and Pentagon, who were saved by Cage. He cleaned house on oVe.

There was another advertisement for Chris Jericho’s wrestling cruise.

In the GWN Flashback Moment of the Week, Grado pinned Al Snow inside the hexagon after a kick to the head. Following the match, Low Ki, Kenny King, and Samoa Joe attacked Grado and Snow. Drew Galloway ran into the ring to make the save.

They showed several backstage segments, including ones with LAX and Tessa Blanchard.

Wearing street clothes, Eli Drake went to the ring and introduced hometown wrestlers Mr. Atlantis and Brandon Tidwell, who surprisingly defeated Caleb Konley & Trevor Lee a week ago.

Drake challenged one of them to step up and fight Drake. Mr. Atlantis volunteered — so Drake picked Tidwell. He pinned Tidwell in seconds with his sideways slam Gravy Train finisher.

Mathews said “Eli Drake sending a message to everyone.” Drake then hit the Gravy Train on Mr. Atlantis.

Impact’s Alicia Atout interviewed Moose and Eddie Edwards. Edwards said he values Moose more than his kendo stick.

Tessa Blanchard defeated Su Yung and Allie to win the Knockouts Championship

Mathews said Blanchard is “next level good.” Yung has a great entrance, led to the ring by her undead zombie bridesmaids.

Blanchard was very vocal in the ring. Allie was noticeably more aggressive in the match. Blanchard threw Yung from the top rope outside the ring onto her bridesmaids. Yung went for her patented four-fingers-in-the-mouth choke hold on Blanchard, but Allie made the save with a superkick.

Yung then applied the move on Allie, but she broke it with a codebreaker. Blanchard took advantage of the moment and rolled up Yung for the victory. The crowd didn’t really pop for the win, probably because the finish was abrupt and there was no build to it.

Commentator Don Callis said of Blanchard, “she’s the best women’s wrestler in the world and one of the best wrestlers in the world period.” Blanchard gave an interview backstage and said she exposed Allie and took Yung’s title and there was nothing she could do about it.

“I am the measuring stick and if anyone wants to see how tough a diamond is, be my guest,” Blanchard said.

Gama Singh attacked members of his Desi Hit Squad because they lost a week ago.

There was another interview segment with Atout, Killer Kross, and Impact World Champion Austin Aries.

Another LAX backstage segment. They hyped the Impact tapings in Mexico City on September 13 and 14.

The Smokeshow with Grado, Katarina, and Joe Hendry

These “Smokeshow” segments featuring Scarlett Bordeaux are probably the worst thing on Impact. Bordeaux whispered into Grado’s ear and Grado squirted water out of a water bottle. Grado was so nervous he left the set. Hendry tried to promote their match with the Desi Hit Squad next week. Hendry chased Grado. Bordeaux tried to offer Katarina a “secret about men,” but Katarina cut her off and told her to stay away from her “boys.”

Odd segment.

Rich Swann defeated Petey Williams

Surprisingly subpar match between the two high-flyers. Williams hit an early codebreaker, which by far is the most overused move on Impact. Swann missed a flip off the apron and landed on his back outside the ring. Williams applied a Sharpshooter on Swann, an homage to Bret “Hitman” Hart, from one Canadian to another.

Swann went for a Phoenix Splash but missed. He recovered, and then Swann hit a standing Shooting Star Press for the win.

Swann gave a backstage interview but was interrupted by Matt Sydal. Sydal said he could help Swann open his third eye. Nearby, a woman was screaming over Moose, who had been laid out minutes before his main event match.

Impact World Champion Austin Aries & Killer Kross defeated Eddie Edwards

Edwards took them on by himself after Moose was injured. Aries oozes arrogance and portrays himself as a big star. Edwards hit several chops. He pushed Aries off the apron into the ringside barrier. He went for a splash through the ropes, but Kross hit him with a knee as he was sliding through the ropes.

Kross hit a fallaway suplex on Edwards outside of the ring. Aries went for a brainbuster, but Edwards countered and hit a double underhook suplex. Moose then ran into the ring to join the match. He went after Aries, but then turned around and speared his partner Edwards.

He then hit him with several right hands. Later, Moose hit Edwards with a steel chair. Edwards’ wife Alisha Edwards ran to the ring and slapped Moose.

“Moose has turned his back on Eddie,” Mathews screamed. The crowd chanted “you sold out,” like it was the 1990s.

“I am shocked at the behavior of Moose,” said Callis. “This is a tandem that scares the hell out of me and should scare the hell out of everyone at Impact Wrestling.”

Impact TV taping spoilers: Two title matches, Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr.

Posted on by F4W Staff

Results: @loosejonnyt

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.

Explosion tapings —

– Joe Hendry defeated Tyson Dux

– LAX defeated Tarik & Banks

Tessa Blanchard signs ‘long-term’ contract with Impact Wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Tessa Blanchard has officially signed with Impact Wrestling.

Impact announced the news via Twitter this afternoon: “BREAKING: @Tess_Blanchard will continue to prove she’s undeniable in the Knockouts Division as she has signed a long-term contract with IMPACT Wrestling.”

Aside from it being a “long-term” deal, the exact length of the contract wasn’t disclosed.

Blanchard debuted for Impact at their Redemption pay-per-view this past April and has been feuding with Madison Rayne since. On the most recent episode of Impact, she tried to interfere during Rayne & Allie vs. Knockouts Champion Su Yung & Yung’s Undead Maid of Honor but was fought off by Allie.

The 22-year-old Blanchard is a third-generation wrestler and began her in-ring career in 2014. She appeared in WWE’s inaugural Mae Young Classic last summer, losing to Kairi Sane in the first round.

Impact also announced last month that Eli Drake had signed a contract to stay with the company. Dave Meltzer reported that Drake’s new deal is for multiple years.

Impact Wrestling results: Rich Swann debuts, Rayne vs. Blanchard

Posted on by Josh Molina

Impact took place this week from Windsor, Ontario, Canada and the St. Clair College Sports Complex.

Madison Rayne kicked off the show in the ring, declaring that she wants to become a six-time Knockouts Champion. 

Rayne said she told her daughter not to be afraid of monsters — so what kind of inspiration would she be if she couldn’t challenge Su Yung, the Knockouts Champion.

Tessa Blanchard interrupted the speech and came to the ring. 

“It’s not 2011 anymore,” Blanchard said. “You are not the best anymore — because I am.”

Blanchard reminded everyone that she is a third-generation wrestler. “I have been in this business since before I was born,” she said. 

Rayne interrupted and reminded Blanchard she defeated her in the past. 

The lights flickered and laughter played through the PA system, hinting that Yung and her Undead Bridesmaids were near, but instead Blanchard smacked Rayne with a forearm. 

Rich Swann defeated Trevor Lee

Swann, who was making his Impact debut, swaggered to the ring doing a dancing gimmick. His head was shaved on the top with longer hair in the back than during his WWE run. 

Announcer Josh Mathews said Swann “has been on one of the biggest stages in the world.”

Swann delivered several stiff kicks, prompting Mathews to say: “with kicks like that I am surprised Rich Swann isn’t playing in the World Cup right now.”

Swann showcased several of his aerial moves, including a tilt-a-whirl into a huricanrana, then an impressive dive over the top rope onto Lee. He pinned Lee with a 720 moonsault splash, landing on his thigh area. 

They showed clips of Sami Callihan attacking Pentagon Jr. after a match inside a steel cage at PCW Ultra in Los Angeles. In the clip, Callihan and the Crist brothers triple teamed Pentagon, and actually removed his mask, sending Pentagon crashing to the ring face forward in shame. 

Slammiversary moment: Raven defeated AJ Styles, X-Pac, Abyss, and Monty Brown in a King of the Mountain match to win the NWA World Championship (2005)

It’s always remarkable to see Styles in TNA, with his short hair. Who knew he’d rule WWE SmackDown 13 years later as champion?

The match took place inside the six-sided ring, with trash cans, tables, ladders and chairs. 

The purpose of this match is to hang the championship above the ladder on a hook, sort of the opposite of Money in the Bank. In one of the several high spots of the match, X-Pac hit Styles with an X-Factor off the top of the ladder. Later, Abyss pushed Styles and X-Pac off the top of a ladder onto a table. Raven got the win, capturing the NWA World Championship. 

The Desi Hit Squad defeated DJ Z & Andrew Everett

Gama Singh introduced Rohit Raju and Gursinder Singh as “the future of tag team wrestling.”

Z&E were fresh off of losing their Tag Team titles against LAX last week. This match was a showcase for Everett’s high flying moves. Z&E hit double moonsaults on Singh and appeared poised for the win, but Gama Singh jumped on the apron and distracted the ref, allowing Singh to roll up Everett in a schoolboy for the victory. 

In a video, Pentagon challenged Callihan to a mask vs. hair match at Slammiversary

They aired a long video package of Quinn “Moose” Ojinnaka, chronicling his family and football career leading into Slammiversary, where he will challenge Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship. 

We then got filmed footage from Philadelphia and a House of Hardcore show where Eddie Edwards pummeled a bloodied Tommy Dreamer with a kendo stick. Edwards had a look of euphoria on his face every time he beat Dreamer.

Moose followed Edwards outside of the arena and Edwards screamed “Leave me the f*ck alone.”

X Division Champion Matt Sydal defeated Dezmond Xavier

Sydal worked a mostly slow-paced match against the high-flying Xavier. He worked Xavier’s knee for most of the match, but Xavier was able to break free, hitting a diving splash over the top rope outside of the ring on Sydal. Announcers Don Callis and Mathews made note that Xavier was attempting high-flying moves, but lacked the ring psychology of Sydal in the match. 

Sydal pushed the referee into the ropes, forcing the top-rope climbing Xavier to fall. Sydal hit a pumphandle slam for the three count. 

Brian Cage then lumbered out to the ring looking to attack Sydal, but was blindsided by Kongo Kong. Jimmy Jacobs walked out to the ring and ordered the nearly 400-pound Kong to deliver a splash from the top rope onto Cage.

Aries in an interview said Moose “failed in his first career” of football and that he would fail again at Slammiversary. “I know when I am looking in a desperate man’s eyes,” Aries said. “You are desperate.”

Madison Rayne defeated Tessa Blanchard

This was a good match, worked tight. Blanchard displayed some incredible angry facials during it. She dominated most of the match, hitting several clotheslines and power moves on Rayne. The two engaged in a good back-and-forth elbow display. 

The finish came after Rayne hit a tornado punch on Blanchard and then a running boot, but Blanchard recovered and countered with a quick kick to the ribs. Blanchard pounded on her with right hands and then went for a standing full nelson. Rayne countered the move into a crucifix for the win. 

After the match, Blanchard attacked Rayne from behind and laid her out in the middle of the ring. 

Blanchard was about to hit Rayne with a chair when champion Su Yung interrupted and came out with her zombie-ish undead brides, covered in bloody dresses.

The group surrounded Rayne in the ring and they all started swinging at her. Suddenly, former Knockouts Champion Allie reappeared, running in to scare the creepy group away.

Tessa Blanchard appears at Impact Redemption

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tessa Blanchard has made her Impact debut.

Blanchard appeared at tonight’s Impact Redemption event during a match between Taya Valkyrie and Kiera Hogan, joining the commentary team. She said that she had beaten everyone in the independent scene and now has come to Impact to face their talent, and argued with Don Callis and Josh Matthews during the second half of the bout. After Valkyrie beat Hogan, Blanchard said on commentary that Valkyrie can bring it, indicating a future feud between the two.

She has been wrestling on the independent scene since 2014, regularly wrestling for the Shine and Stardom promotions. She also competed in last year’s Mae Young Classic under the WWE banner, where she was eliminated in the first round by eventual winner Kairi Sane. She has also appeared in a few matches for NXT as an enhancement talent.

Blanchard is the daughter of Tully Blanchard, granddaughter of Joe Blanchard and the stepdaughter of Magnum TA. Both her father and stepfather trained her before entering professional wrestling.

Tessa Blanchard, four others confirmed for WWE Mae Young Classic

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has confirmed five more wrestlers who will be participating in this summer’s Mae Young Classic.

In an announcement that was made by ESPN, it was noted that Tessa Blanchard, Abbey Laith, Taynara Conti, Kavita Devi, and Jazzy Gabert would be taking part in the women’s tournament. They join Toni Storm, Princesa Sugehit, Lacey Evans, and Sarah Logan as names already confirmed for the 32-competitor field.

Blanchard is the daughter of Tully Blanchard and the stepdaughter of “Magnum T.A.” Terry Allen. She is only 21 years old but has been wrestling since 2014. She debuted for Stardom last year and has continued to appear for the promotion.

Dave Meltzer previously reported that Blanchard was a name that had been mentioned for the tournament.

With her getting a new in-ring name yesterday, Laith seemed like a lock for the Mae Young Classic. She wrestled as Kimber Lee and was a standout on the indies before being signed by WWE. She had been using her real name (Kimberly Frankele) in NXT before the name change.

Conti is also a fairly recent WWE signing who has been given a new name. The Brazilian (named Taynara Melo) debuted in a battle royal at an NXT house show earlier this year. She has a background in judo and jiu-jitsu.

Devi is from India and attended WWE’s tryouts in Dubai this past April. She has trained with The Great Khali and has participated in weightlifting. Her being in the tournament was first revealed by the Times of India this morning.

Rounding out the list, Gabert (also known as Alpha Female) is a veteran pro wrestler from Germany. She has wrestled for wXw, Stardom, and has done a few matches for TNA. She has also competed in MMA.

The Mae Young Classic will begin taping on July 13th and 14th at Full Sail University.

Stardom Five Star Grand Prix tournament finals are set

Posted on by Chris Aiken

World Wonder Ring Stardom, the women’s wrestling promotion in Japan more commonly known as Stardom, determined the finalists for their annual singles tournament at a recent show in Tokyo.

The Five Star (stylized as “5☆”) Grand Prix tournament began in late August and wraps up later this week with American Tessa Blanchard and Japanese native Yoko Bito meeting in the finals after winning their respective blocks.

Similar to the annual G1 Climax in NJPW, the yearly Five Star Grand Prix is a round-robin style tournament divided into two blocks. Seven wrestlers in each block combine for fourteen entrants overall. Unlike the designation of the “A” and “B” blocks of the G1, Stardom’s Grand Prix has a “Red” and “Blue” block.

Matches from both blocks appear on the same Stardom cards, unlike with G1 shows. A points system determines the winner of each block. All tournament matches have 15 minute time limits except for the championship final having a 30 minute time limit.

The final card for the tournament takes place on 9/22 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with Blanchard vs. Bito to determine the Grand Prix winner. Also on that card, Kay Lee Ray challenges Io Shirai for the World of Stardom title.

Heading into the finals, the last round of tournament matches from the 9/11 card in Tokyo are now available on Stardom World.

The last stop before the finals took place at Shinkiba 1st Ring. The venue is famous for hosting various promotions and indie shows in Japan. Shinkiba 1st Ring is also the original venue for Stardom, hosting its inaugural event in 2011 and once serving as its dojo where many of the promotion’s early stars trained. Stardom returned there once again for this show.

Tessa Blanchard & Arisu Nanase defeated Blue Nikita & Eimi Nishina

In pre-match promos, Blanchard arrogantly claimed Arisu was lucky to have her as a partner. Tessa also vowed to somehow be in the tourney final. Arisu just wanted to win a match over Eimi. Same for Eimi, as she just wanted to win too. Blue Nikita said she had no idea what Eimi said but she agreed with her.

This was two younger wrestlers each teaming with an established star. Blanchard and Nikita would do more intricate spots and moves, whereas Arisu and Eimi did simpler things.

When Arisu squared off against Nikita, she had no luck at first but did get a near fall moments later. Blanchard was squaring off with Eimi and Emi got a near fall. Blanchard eventually dispatched Eimi with a combination finisher where she applied a choke and fell back into a codebreaker of sorts.

Nikita attacked her partner, Eimi, afterwards and Blanchard made the save.

Natsumi Maki defeated Hiromi Mimura in a Blue block match

This match determined last place in the tournament. Both had zero points coming into this match, and a determined Maki vowed to beat Mimura in a pre-match promo. She concluded by saying, “I’ll do my best!” That statement was a constant theme echoed throughout the show.

In her promo, Mimura said she would be known as the “Actress Killer” after this night. Mimura previously won a match over Mika using a la magistral cradle. That would play a part in a false finish during this match.

Image: Natsumi Maki sailing through the air in Shinkiba.

Mimura played the role of antagonist and Maki was the protagonist fighting from underneath. Mimura went for the la magistral cradle and Maki kicked out at two. Maki countered with a nearfall following a swinging fisherman’s buster with a bridge. Maki also did a flying crossbody off the top for a nearfall. Mimura went for a flying crossbody and Maki floated over to cover Mimura for the pinfall.

In losing, Mimura finds herself last place the tournament standings. She refused to shake Maki’s hand afterwards even, though Mimura did respectfully bow to the crowd.

Momo Watanabe defeated Jungle Kyona in a Red block match

The backstory here is they are tag team partners. Before the match, Momo said because they knew each other so well as friends they will make great rivals. She also said, “I’ll do my best!”

Jungle said in a promo she was looking to get back a win after losing to Momo on another promotion’s show.

What started out as catch-as-catch can soon turned into heated exchanges with kicks and strikes. Jungle charged down the entrance ramp to deliver a lariat with Momo tangled in the ropes. Jungle applied Jesse Ventura’s Body Breaker, but Momo escaped to hit a missile dropkick. They traded near falls. Jungle missed a splash off the top and Momo used a running somato into a cover. Jungle grabbed the ropes to break up the pin. Momo then jumped off the top with flying somato and covered Jungle to win.

Io Shirai vs. Kris Wolf ended with a double countout in a Red block match

Shirai is the current ace in Stardom, similar to Hiroshi Tanahashi in NJPW. She needed a win here to advance to the finals. Wolf played spoiler and purposely got them both counted out. The match was heated and opened just like Chas Shelly vs. Maximo Blanco from UFC Fight Night last Saturday, except this bout went much longer.

Sharai with a running start charged towards Wolf and dropkicked her right as the bell sounded. The match only got wilder from there as Wolf turned it into a brawl, channeling the spirit of Bruiser Brody. She hit Sharai with a sign. Back in the ring, Wolf applied a Black Widow but Sharai countered into a tombstone followed by a crossface.

Blue Nikita interfered in the match several times as she kept attacking Sharai. After a springboard into a missile dropkick and a delayed German suplex, Sharai got the closest nearfall of the match before it broke down into a brawl.

They brawled outside the building, with Wolf pummeling Sharai then running back inside and locking the door behind her. Sharai tried running to another door but Wolf kept her from breaking the count, costing Sharai the match and keeping her from winning the Red block. Therefore, Blanchard won the Red block and advances to the finals.

Toni Storm vs. Mayu Iwatani ended with a double knockout in a Blue block match

Storm needed a win to advance while Iwatani admitted she had no chance of qualifying for the finals. Still, Iwatani said she wanted to finish the tournament with a win and vowed, “I’ll do my best!”

During the match, Storm was dominating until she leapt off the top and missed a flying legdrop. Iwatani fired up, leading to a flying crossbody off the top to the floor. A slugfest developed. Storm delivered Kryptonite Krunch. Iwatani countered with a full-nelson suplex. Both were down and neither could answer the ten count for a double TKO.

Blue Nikita entered the scene to challenge Storm to a match for Storm’s SWA undisputed title. Nikita had beaten her in a match during the tournament. An angry Storm accepted the challenge and their title match is set for the 9/22 card at Korakuen.

Yoko Bito defeated Kay Lee Ray to win the Blue block and advance to the finals

Heading into this match, KLR had nine points while Bito had seven points, so Bito needed a win here to gain two more points for a tie with KLR. Bito would then advance because she would also have a win here over KLR for the tiebreaker.

Bito proclaimed, “I’ll do my best!”

They started with chain wrestling and grappling that led into them exchanging strikes and hard kicks in a match with all action. They went back to mat work later on as the match progressed with Bito working a leg. KLR took over to get a near fall. KLR did a tope suicida and followed that with a senton off the top rope to the floor. Bito superplexed KLR back into the ring where they traded near falls. KLR executed a shining wizard and went for a senton bomb off the top. Bito got her knees up to block it. Moments later, Bito hit a roundhouse kick and covered KLR for the pin.

Bito advances from the Blue block to meet Tessa Blanchard from the Red block in the finals of the 2016 Five Star Grand Prix.