Tag: victory road

Impact Wrestling returned Saturday with Victory Road, one of their Impact+ monthly events as Bound For Glory lies ahead.

The opening video was a recap of the ongoing feud between Impact World Champion Eric Young and Eddie Edwards. It included a new promo by Edwards talking about his injured leg at the hands of Ken Shamrock and Sami Callihan from the last Impact episode.

The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) defeated XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) 

Wentz and Romero started the match, the former using his speed advantage to get some strikes and distance. Xavier landed a dive to Romero, but on the second one, Romero got him with an elbow, caught Wentz on his dive, and slammed him on top of Xavier.

After Larry D dominated much of the match, Xavier tried to make a comeback but was stopped with a power bomb and a big clothesline. Xavier did manage to kick D before the clothesline and got the hot tag. Wentz came in with a big striking combo on Larry D, a couple of kicks, a PK, and a moonsault for a two count.

Dezmond joined Wentz for tandem running strikes, but XXXL got rid of Wentz, allowing them to double team Xavier with a double splash pancake, Romero senton, and Larry D plancha for a two count when Wentz broke it up. 

Wentz sent Romero to the floor and followed with a pescado. In the ring, Xavier caught D with a moonsault kick and a beautiful final flash for the win in a good opener.

Brian Myers defeated Tommy Dreamer

Myers worked over Dreamer’s back early with strikes, suplexes, and the occasional submission attempt. Dreamer had some hope spots with small packages for quick pin attempts. Eventually, he cut off Myers with a desperation dive and a jumping clothesline from the apron to the floor. 

Dreamer made a comeback with strikes and the bionic elbow. He landed a terrible sky high for a two count and said that “I worked for D’Lo for years.”

The end came when Dreamer went for the top rope, but Myers cut him off, hitting a big lariat for the win. This was surprisingly better than I expected, but still just ok.

– Moose approached Scott D’Amore asking why he had been given a match and he needed to go focus on EC3 and the TNA World Championship. D’Amore told Moose that he hadn’t wrestled in a long time and had to get in the ring and focus on Trey Miguel instead.

Willie Mack defeated X-Division Champion Rohit Raju by countout

They started with some headlock wrestling, some counters, and reversals that ended with Mack hitting some lucha armdrags and ranas. When he went for the early stunner, Raju dropped to the floor to regain himself.

Later, Mack went for the stunner, but Raju raked Mack’s eyes, hit a crossroads into a crossface, and as Mack was close to making the ropes, Raju rolled him back to the center of the ring. Mack had to once again power out of it, but Raju was ready with a jumping knee and a running cannonball for another near fall. 

Mack dodged a footstomp and caught Raju with a pop-up elbow and an exploder, but he kicked out. They started whipping each other and Mack stupidly clonked his head which Raju used to drop to the floor and take a countout loss. Raju was great, but Mack made this boring.  

– Gia Miller interviewed Ken Shamrock and Sami Callihan about their attack on Eddie Edwards. Callihan said that after losing their shot for the tag titles, Shamrock needed to be reminded why he was the most dangerous man and thus, he convinced him to make an impact. Callihan said that he was there to support Shamrock, but that this wasn’t his battle.

Tenille Dashwood (w/ Kaleb with a K) defeated Jordynne Grace

After some back and forth, this spilled to the outside of the ring and they started ramming each other into the guardrails and steel steps. Dashwood started to look at some photos with Kaleb and almost got herself counted out, but made it back to the ring in time for a pin attempt and regained control. 

Dashwood started going for neck submissions on Grace who eventually rolled through one to get two. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to capitalize and Dashwood was fast enough to catch Jordynne with a sliding elbow to regain control. 

Grace hit a couple of close distance lariats, but Dashwood blocked the third with a butterfly suplex for a near fall. Grace blocked a suplex, blocked the Spotlight, hit a back elbow, and sent Dashwood to the corner. She hit the Vader bomb for two. Grace locked in a sleeper, but Kaleb distracted the referee so he didn’t see the visual tap. 

Grace went for the Grace driver, but Dashwood small packaged her for two. Dashwood hit the spotlight kick to get the win in another good match in a series that keeps getting better.

– Gia Miller interviewed the Motor City Machine Guns about defending their Tag Team Titles in a four-way at Bound For Glory. Sabin said they were happy to be able to be done with all teams at the same time and move on. 

Heath & Rhino defeated Reno Scum (Luster The Legend & Adam Thornstowe) 

Rhino and Luster started off going back and forth, exchanging shoulderblocks and strikes. Heath and Thornstowe tagged in with the former getting the better of the exchange with constant armdrag takedowns, snapmares, and snapping the shoulder. Rhino and Heath kept tagging in and out until Luster got a lariat on Heath behind the referee’s back, and just like that, they changed the match in their favor.

Later, after a long beatdown, Heath caught Thornstowe with a desperation kick and tagged in Rhino, who came in on fire, hitting Luster with a belly-to-belly for a two. He sent Thornstowe to the floor, but as he went for the clothesline on Luster, they took each other out with stereo clotheslines. 

Heath tagged in, but was quickly overtaken by Reno Scum as Thornstowe snapped him on the ropes and Luster caught him with a big boot. They went for their finisher, but Rhino was there to gore Luster. Thornstowe superkicked Rhino, only for Heath to grab him from behind with the Wake Up Call for the win. Heath looked good here.

– Backstage, D’Amore told Heath and Rhino that he was impressed. He told Heath to show up on Tuesday and have a proper meeting to talk contract. 

Trey Miguel defeated Moose

Moose started aggressively, but Miguel was too quick for Moose to grab. He tried chopping Moose and going for a rana, but it was the perfect move for Moose to block and drop Miguel with one single chop. 

However, Moose had his mind on EC3 and not this match as Miguel started dodging him and attacking with quick strikes and running dropkicks. Once again, as soon as Moose had his hands on Miguel, he easily blocked him and tossed him from the top rope to the other corner. Throughout the match, he would call out EC3 while he was on offense.

Eventually, Moose went for a ripcord elbow, but Miguel managed to get him with a superkick. He landed several more kicks before going for dive after dive after dive, but at the end, Moose was still able to block him. Miguel went for a moonsault from the apron and it looked like Moose saved his life by preventing him from falling on his neck. Moose then dropped him on the apron. 

Moose set up the Lights Out and EC3’s logo appeared on the video screen, leading to Miguel rolling him up for the distraction pin and win. Moose didn’t care and rushed to the production truck where he got locked in and attacked. Moose ran out and found the TNA title belt, but unfortunately, ECIII jumped him from behind and told him that the TNA title belt dies on Tuesday.

This whole thing was way too long to just end up with a cheap win for Miguel and a loss that didn’t even bother Moose.

Josh Alexander (w/ Ethan Page) defeated Ace Austin (w/ Madman Fulton), Alex Shelley (w/ Chris Sabin), and Karl Anderson (w/ Doc Gallows) in a four way

Anderson and Shelley started out with Shelley frustrating him. Anderson tagged Austin who also got outwrestled by Shelley until he resorted to his speed advantage to get some strikes in, but at the end, Shelley was still standing tall over him after a dropkick to the face.

Later, Austin caught Shelley with an enziguri, but couldn’t follow through and instead got snapped on the ropes by Shelley who also had the bad luck of falling into Fulton who chokeslammed him on the apron. 

Now in control, Austin worked over Shelley’s hand with his card trick and stomped on his hand over and over. He went for a phoenix splash, but Shelley dodged and hit a dragon suplex. 

Alexander and Anderson tagged in, the latter getting the better of the exchange, hitting a senton on Alexander, a cutter on Austin, and a spinebuster on Alexander for a two count. Alexander got Anderson in a fireman’s carry and accidentally knocked out the referee which led to Gallows, Fulton, Sabin, and Page all taking each other out and getting involved outside the ring.

Fulton was going to toss Austin as a ragdoll on top of everyone, but the referee recovered and sent every second to the back. 

Back to the match, we got a tower of doom spot with Alexander on top. Shelley followed with a frog splash for another pin attempt, but Anderson broke it up. Austin hit a knee to Anderson, a spinning back heel to Shelley, and a springboard disaster kick on Alexander, but Anderson was there to take him out with a gun stun.

Shelley hit sliced bread on Anderson, but Alexander hit a double underhook driver on Shelley to finally got the win.

This was great as everyone looked fantastic and there were very little shenanigans. 

– Backstage, Dreamer approached Myers and thanked him for the match. Myers didn’t shake Dreamer’s hand and said that he was disappointed he had to fight a sad old man and not the innovator of violence. Dreamer told him that maybe he’ll see him on Tuesday.

Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo (w/ Kimber Lee) defeated Susie (w/ Kylie Rae)

Purrazzo started strong and pushed around Susie, not taking her seriously and laughing at her to the referee. The laughs wouldn’t last long as Susie pushed her to the corner next and enraged the champion.

Susie had a flurry of schoolgirls and roll-ups and took down Purrazzo down with a headlock, but the champ broke it up. Susie hit a bulldog for a two count and Purrazzo left the ring to regain her composure. Susie followed her with a tope suicida on both her and Lee. Lee stopped Susie for going up to the top, allowing Purrazzo to toss her and get back on the attack.

Later, Susie got the advantage went to the top rope with a crossbody, but Lee distracted the referee. Rae took out Lee, but it was too late. 

Purrazzo caught Susie with a kick, knee lift, leg sweep, and Fujiwara armbar, but Susie escaped. Susie hit a palm strike, an arachnorana, and went for the panic switch, but Purrazzo escaped. Purrazzo snapped her arm with the Pentagon armbreaker, followed with a Fujiwara armbar, and doubled it down with the other arm to get the verbal submission.

This was one of Susie’s best matches in a long time.

After the match, Lee and Purrazzo jumped Rae and stomped on her. They Pillmanized Susie’s arm and made Rae watch as Purrazzo locked in the Fujiwara armbar again. This was a great little angle that we don’t get from the women as often. 

Impact World Champion Eric Young defeated Eddie Edwards

The two started brawling from the start, going to the outside. They chopped each other, rammed each other into the guardrails, landed headbutts, and more. Young went into the ring only for Edwards to toss him outside again and hit a pescado. Young was busted up under his eye after all this. Edwards went for a tiger suplex on the ramp, but Young countered, tossing him over the head. They kept exchanging chops and ramming each other into the ringpost. 

They finally got in the ring with Young gaining control, going after Edwards’ neck with chokes, standing on top of it, and kicks and punches. 

Later, Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party, but Young managed to block it. Edwards scored a diamongiri and attempted another backpack stunner, but Young blocked him and instead, Edwards hit an ugly looking top rope blue thunder bomb for a near fall.

Edwards once again went to the top rope, but Young dropped him knee first to the canvas. Young locked in a figure four leg lock, but Edwards’ shoe came off and before Young could realize it, Edwards hit the BKP for a two count when Young got the ropes. 

Edwards went for Emerald Flowsion, but his knee buckled as Young had worked over it for a good portion of the match. He hit a dropkick, a piledriver, and locked on a kneebar for the submission win.

This was an awesome match that could have main evented any Impact show, especially with a crowd. This is a must watch. After the match, Young went to attack with a chair, but Rich Swann came down for the save to send Young running.

Final thoughts:

A lot of this show felt like anything you would see on a weekly Impact episode, but the last three matches were definitely top level performances, especially the main event.