Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill

By Steve Ward

Impact Wrestling’s first pay per view of 2019 emanated from The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. After their change of networks (again) to AXS TV the show was appropriately titled Hard To Kill as that personifies the spirit of Impact. This company has overcome adversity time after time but has stuck around because they try to give fans what they want - innovative matches, storylines reminiscent of the Attitude Era, and bouts featuring veteran stars who are well beyond their prime but can certainly still go. There was no shortage of that this evening as the eight bout card featured all of the Impact titles contested, showcased ring veterans such as Rob Van Dam, Ken Shamrock, and Rhino, and included the history making main event that pit Sami Callihan defending the Impact World Championship against Tessa Blanchard. 

Ken Shamrock vs. Madman Fulton
Winner: Ken Shamrock via submission

The opening contest of the show immediately got the raucous crowd engaged as it featured a 55-yr old, absolutely shredded, UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock against former NXT Superstar Madman Fulton. Ken Shamrock systematically dismantled the much larger Fulton’s shoulder until he finally earned an impressive submission victory.

X-Division Championship
Ace Austin (c) vs. Trey Miguel
Winner: Ace Austin via pinfall

After weeks of taunting Trey by making advances towards his “mother” each time she appeared on Impact programming, tensions came to a head this evening as Atlantic City’s own Ace Austin defended his title again the Rascalz member. While this match presented some impressive displays of acrobatics, it seemed as if it lasted a few minutes too long. Overall, Austin put on a strong performance and finalized the defense of his title with The Fold which put Trey away for the 1-2-3.

Impact Knockouts Championship Triple Threat Match
Taya Valkyrie (c) w/ John E. Bravo vs. ODB vs. Jordynne Grace
Winner: Taya Valkyrie via pinfall

Taya Valkyrie entered this match riding a 370 day streak as Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion as she entered a dire situation where she needed to defend her title against the upstart (and native Texan) Jordynne Grace and 4-time Knockouts (or as she puts it “Knocked Up”) Champion ODB. Taya has maintained her standing as a bona fide champion, even after the departure of her husband Johnny Impact several months ago, by withstanding all oppostion.  After these three powerhouses brutalized each other in a very physical contest, it appeared Grace was in a prime position to win her first title after she executed the Grace Driver on ODB. Before the referee could count the pinfall, John E. Bravo distracted him also drawing Grace’s attention. This allowed an opening for Taya to slip in and steal a pinfall to retain her title.

Rob Van Dam w/ Katie Forbes vs. Brian Cage/Daga
Winner: Rob Van Dam via pinfall

This bout materialized after RVD, who’s undertaken a bit of a metamorphosis to a heel, accused Cage of stealing all of his moves - something The Machine took exception to. Cage who had already entered the match with his left bicep heavily covered in KT Tape, was surprisingly overwhelmed to the point where RVD, with an assist from Forbes holding a steel chair to Cage‘s face, executed the Vanterminator. RVD attempted to pin Cage but the referee refused to count saying The Machine was injured. This presented an opening for Konnan’s protégé Daga to make his way to ringside and step into the match. Daga presented more of a challenge for RVD but in the end, he also met his demise as the recipient of an impressive Five Star Frog Splash.

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards
Winner: Eddie Edwards

The stakes were high in this contest as the Call Your Shot Trophy hung in the balance. The trophy, which is essentially the equivalent to WWE’s Money in the Bank briefcase except that it applies to any title, landed in Elgin’s possession after he stole it from Edwards’  belongs recently on Impact - this bout was essentially Edwards’ opportunity to try and reclaim it. Michael Elgin brought a heavy dose of striking and power moves as he put on an outstanding display for the fans in attendance. One of the highlights of the match was a beautifully executed German Suplex from the top turnbuckle that propelled Edwards across the ring. After Elgin thought he had earned a submission victory following an STF, he tried to close the deal with a buckle bomb. Following the first successful buckle bomb, Edwards reversed Elgin’s second attempt into a rollup pinfall.

No Disqualification Match
Moose vs. Rhino
Winner: Moose via pinfall

This bout culminated after weeks of jawing back and forth and exchanges of Rhino’s Gore and Moose’s Spear. It appeared Rhino was going to walk out victorious from this brutal encounter when he had Moose propped up against a table in the corner in prime position to receive a Gore. Rhino successfully landed the Gore, however, it was not before Moose pulled the referee in front of him. This left the referee incapacitated so there was no one to count the pinfall. By the time another referee made his way to ringside, Moose had recovered enough to land the spear and earn the victory.

Impact Tag Team Championship
The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) (c) vs. Willie Mack
Winners: The North

Following an injury sustained at Bash at the Brewery, Rich Swann was ruled unable to compete in this match. Rather than elect not to compete or find a substitute, Willie Mack proceeded to go forward in a handicap match. Willie Mack brought his A-game but the numbers game was simply too much for the South Central L.A. native to overcome. Mack landed a phenomenal Canadian Destroyer that witnessed him launch from the top turnbuckle to take Alexander off the shoulders of his own partner and drive his skull into the canvas. In the end, it wasn’t enough as The North finished Mack with their patented tandem Death Valley Driver to retain their titles.

Impact World Heavyweight Championship
Sami Callihan (c) vs. Tessa Blanchard
Winner: Tessa Blanchard via pinfall

The long-standing rivalry between Tessa and Sami Callihan reached it’s climax this evening as she aimed to make history by taking the World Heavyweight Championship from him. This match finally came to fruition after Callihan defeated Brian Cage in a steel cage match and had his celebration cut short by Tessa making her way to the ring - something Callihan took great exception to. Callihan jumped the opening bell tonight as he delivered a pump kick followed by the Cactus Special 97 piledriver but Tessa quickly kicked out of his pinfall attempt. Tessa answered with Magnum (a code breaker delivered from the top rope) but Callihan also kicked out promptly. This set the tempo for what became a ferocious encounter. The closing moments of this contest were insane. Tessa withstood a sit-down power bomb and yet another Cactus Special 97 to deliver consecutive Canadian Destroyers and a hammerlock DDT to send the crowd into complete pandemonium as she made history and became the first female to win the top men’s title in a major pro wrestling company!!!

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Impact Wrestling Rebellion Recap

By Steve Ward

Impact Wrestling returned to pay per view this evening with Rebellion as they emanated from the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto-Ontario, Canada. The card featured four titles contested amongst the eight matches on the card. While this was an excellent show, there were some notable omissions from the card as Eli Drake, Rosemary, Su Yung, Killer Kross, and Willie Mack found themselves without a match and unfortunately, based on the timing of his new contract signing, Rob Van Dam will not appear for the company until their TV tapings this coming weekend at the legendary 2300 Arena in Philadelphia - of course this is the birthplace of extreme, the former ECW Arena.

Petey Williams vs. Aiden Prince vs. Ace Austin vs. Cousin Jake Deener vs. Jake Crist vs. Eddie Edwards

Winner: Ace Austin via pinfall

The opening contest of the card was an X-Division contest that would help sort out the landscape of the crowded division to help determine who may be in line for a future title shot. The match came to a quick conclusion after Petey Williams first executed the Canadian Destroyer on the much larger Cousin Jake only to have Ace Austin emerge from outside of the ring to unceremoniously roll up Petey with a handful of tights for the pinfall.

Rohit Raju w/ Gama Singh vs. Scarlett Bordeaux w/ Fallah Bahh

Winner: Scarlett Bordeaux via pinfall

Announced earlier in the day, the fans in attendance were treated to a rare inter-gender match between “The Smoke Show” Scarlett Bordeaux and Desi Hit Squad member Rohit Raju. Also of note, I was happy to see fan favorite and New Jersey’s own Fallah Bahh accompany Bordeaux to the ring despite not getting involved in the match. Bordeaux displayed outstanding ring presence and strength as she executed a German Suplex on Raju and finished him off with a modified Gringo Killer for the pinfall.

Six Man Tag Team Match

Moose, Ethan Page, & Josh Alexander vs. The Rascalz (Tre, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz)

Winners: Moose, Ethan Page, & Josh Alexander via pinfall

Moose recruited Josh Alexander and Ethan Page, collectively known as The North (which went over in a huge way in Canada), to exact revenge against The Rascalz after he was embarrassed by the trio on Impact. While The Rascalz did put on a good showing with a plethora of aerial maneuvers, the power of The North and Moose could not be overcome. The match reached it’s conclusion after The North propelled Dez at Moose as he speared him to set up the pinfall.

Knockouts Championship

Taya Valkyrie (c) vs. Jordynne Grace

Winner: Taya Valkyrie

Jordynne Grace earned this title shot after she defeated the returning Madison Rayne recently on Impact and came in ready to go. Grace controlled the tempo early as she took the fight to Taya on the outside of the ring and displayed her impressive strength with a powerbomb that propelled Valkyrie’s back into the edge of the ring apron. It appeared Grace would win her first title after executing a Muscle Buster but Taya was able to neutralize Grace’s strength game as she continued to work on her arm and eventually found her window to land the Road to Valhalla to retain her title.

X-Division Championship

Sami Callihan vs. Rich Swann (c)

Winner: Rich Swann via submission

Per the request of Sami Callihan, this match was contested under OVE rules - which essentially meant this was a hardcore match. It didn’t take long for the ring to become littered with chairs, a staple gun, a wet floor sign, and a cookie sheet, all of which became instruments of carnage sooner than later. Just one of the many highlights of this contest came after thousands of Legos, yes Legos, were dumped onto the ring canvas. First, Swann was able to drop Callihan onto the Lego blocks with a perfectly executed hurricanrana only to have Callihan regain the upper hand with a piledriver off the top turnbuckle that drove Swann’s head into the blocks. The conclusion of the match came after Swann was able to wrestle a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire from Callihan and raked it across his face in a modified crossface for the submission victory.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Gail Kim

Winner: Tessa Blanchard via submission

After Gail Kim cost Blanchard the Knockouts title at Homecoming, she went on a crusade to cost Kim her job in Impact Management. After the Impact Hall of Famer tendered her resignation, Gail Kim came out of retirement to challenge Blanchard this evening. Gail Kim certainly looked like she was in phenomenal shape with minimal ring rust as she took Tessa to the limit. Tessa was able to withstand a figure four leg lock with her leg twisted around the ring post, as well as, Eat Defeat to conquer Gail with a new submission she unleashed that resembled a modified LeBell Lock.

Impact World Championship

Johnny Impact (c) vs. Brian Cage

Winner: Brian Cage via pinfall

After Cage was “screwed” out of his title opportunities at Homecoming, as a result of ringside interference by Impact’s buddies from his Survivor appearance, and recently on Impact, as a result of senior official Johnny Bravo being in the pocket of the defending champ. In an attempt to even the playing ground, the legendary Lance Storm was inserted as the special guest referee. It appeared Impact was going to retain his title after he took out Lance Storm and Johnny Bravo unveiled a referee shirt under his jacket, however, Impact wasn’t able to secure the pinfall after he dropped The Machine with the title. After Cage disposed of Bravo, he executed The Drillclaw as Storm counted the 1-2-3. Cage’s celebration as new champ was short lived as the crowd was shocked with the debut of Michael Elgin! Elgin, who most recently performed for New Japan Pro Wrestling, got in the face of Cage, delivered a brutal backhand that staggered him, and hoisted him up for a spinning sit down powerbomb.

Impact World Tag Team Championship Full Metal Mayhem Match

The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) (c) vs. LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/ Konnan
Winners: LAX via pinfall

This bout marked the return match for LAX after they recently dropped their tag team titles to The Lucha Bros. It appeared that The Lucha Bros were going to walk away with their titles for the majority of this bout as they landed punishing move after punishing move. One of the many highlights in this match occurred after a table was staged on the entrance ramp just outside the ring with a ladder propped up just inside the ring ropes. Ortiz scaled the ladder, however, Pentagon Jr. ran along the top rope from the corner to meet Ortiz at the top of the ladder and launched him through the table with a beautifully executed Spanish Fly. The conclusion of this match arrived with Santana and Pentagon Jr. battling at the top of a ladder in the center of the ring with a table covered in tacks set-up just below the man with no fear. Ortiz made his way into the ring and positioned himself to attempt a powerbomb of Pentagon Jr. but he held firmly to the ladder…that is until Santana stabbed him in the forehead with a fork several times. This allowed Ortiz to powerbomb Pentagon through the table as his body sickeningly buckled in half. Ortiz covered him for the pinfall to crown new Impact World Tag Team Champions!

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IMPACT WRESTLING PRESENTS: BOUND FOR GLORY 2018 Recap

Impact Wrestling presented Bound For Glory this evening from a sold out Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. While the venue was comparable in size to the Impact Zone utilized when tapings have been done at Universal Studios in Orlando, the rabid New York wrestling fans brought an energy comparable to a much larger audience. The card boasted seven matches, with two titles contested, in addition to Allie’s trek into the “undead realm.”

Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Matt Sydal & Ethan Page

Winners: Rich Swann & Willie Mack

This bout featured the debut of Willie Mack of Lucha Underground fame and the re-branding of Ethan Page as fans may recognize him from his previous portrayal of Joseph Park’s (Abyss) cousin Chandler Park. Mack was immediately serenaded by the fans with chants of “Return of the Mack” which he obliged by putting his gravity defying agility, especially for a 280lb man, on full display.  The action was fast and furious in this contest and came to it’s conclusion as Rich Swann hit a awe-inspiring Phoenix Splash from the middle turnbuckle on Matt Sydal for the pinfall.

Eli Drake Open Challenge

Eli Drake vs. James Ellsworth

Winner: Eli Drake

The “Chinless Wonder” shocked the fans in attendance as he answered the challenge of Eli Drake. Despite Drake showering New York with insults, the crowd wasted no time greeting Ellsworth with a “F#ck you Ellsworth” chant. This match didn’t last long as Drake was able to overcome the No Chin Music to obliterate Ellsworth with the Gravy Train two times.

Drake proceeded to run his mouth after the bout insisting that he came to New York for hall of fame caliber competition. It didn’t take long for the music of the new Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer, “The Monster” Abyss to resonate throughout the venue. Abyss wasn’t finished after he hit promptly hit the Black Hole Slam on Drake as he proceeded to retrieve a table from beneath the ring and thwarted Drake’s offensive attempts with a choke slam through it.

Impact Women’s Championship

Tessa Blanchard (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

Winner: Tessa Blanchard

Tessa Blanchard was challenged this evening by the returning Taya Valkyrie (real life wife of Johnny Impact) and she was ready to bring the fight. This was easily Blanchard’s stiffest competition to date in her tenure with Impact Wrestling. Valkyrie hit the Road to Valhalla and Blanchard the Buzzsaw DDT, but these signature maneuvers were not enough to put either lady away. This match did not reach it’s culmination until Tessa landed a devastating Codebreaker that she initiated by propelling herself from the top turnbuckle to finally put away Valkyrie for the pinfall to retain her title.

Moose vs. Eddie Edwards

Winner: No contest

This “contest” didn’t last long as Killer Kross attacked Eddie Edwards from the crowd, acquiring a kendo stick from ringside, leading the referee to call for the bell. As Moose and Cross beat Edwards in the center of the ring, the crowd was shocked by the entrance of “The Innovator of Violence” Tommy Dreamer. This immediately lead us to an impromptu tag team match.

Tommy Dreamer & Eddie Edwards vs. Moose & Killer Kross

Winners: Tommy Dreamer & Eddie Edwards

Moose attempted to punish Edwards with a kendo stick strike only to have Edwards get the best of him with a Schoolboy rollup for the pinfall. There was no celebration as Moose and Kross quickly laid waste to Edwards after Dreamer had been dropped on his head by Kross. Edwards suffered a spear from Moose and then was taken to the outside of the ring to be unceremoniously power bombed on the hardest part of the ring apron.

Sami Callihan & OVE vs. Pentagon Jr., Fenix, and Brian Cage

Winners: Sami Callihan & OVE

This match was contested under OVE rules which essentially meant there were no rules.  After OVE was able to take the Lucha Bros out of the equation it left Cage in a one on three situation-for those familiar with Cage’s body of work, these are odds he would typically be comfortable with.  OVE proceeded to hit Cage with a plethora of super kicks before Callihan shocked the fans in attendance and hit him with a piledriver to become the first man to pin Cage in Impact Wrestling.

Concrete Jungle Death Match

The OGz vs. LAX

Winners: LAX

The ring itself was a true spectacle in this contest as the mat, apron, and turnbuckles were all removed leaving a stripped down squared circle. Earlier in the evening, Konnan was “taken out” changing the dynamic of this match to a handicapped bout. Just as things began to look dire for LAX, their music hit and Konnan made his way to the ring to help even the odds. Konnan turned the tides of the match as he Irish whipped  King through a table propped up in the corner of the ring. King was then set up for the Street Sweeper by Ortiz and Santana to score the pinfall for LAX.

Allie Goes to the “Undead Realm” in Search of Su Yung Vignette

This segment was just weird and looked like something out of a low budget horror film. It was also apparent that this segment was presented at this juncture of the evening to allow the crew to reassemble the ring for the main event. Essentially, Kiera Hogan was taken to the undead realm by Su Yung and Allie sought the assistance of Father James Mitchell to gain entry there so she could rescue her. Allie, with an axe in hand, proceeded to take out several undead bridesmaids until she finally found Kiera in a coffin leading to another encounter with Su Yung. As Allie and Kiera made it back to the entrance of the realm, James Mitchell wouldn’t allow them to leave. Rosemary then emerged to fend off Su Yung allowing their escape.

Impact World Championship

Austin Aries (c) vs. Johnny Impact

Winner: Johnny Impact

The fans in attendance were at a fever pitch for this encounter with the world title on the line. Johnny Impact and Austin Aries certainly were primed for this bout as they both brought their A-games to the table. One of the highlights of the match occurred on the outside of the ring as Impact leapfrogged a charging Aries, landed with one foot on the guardrail and the other on the ring apron (this was possible due to the incredibly close proximity between the ring and the crowd), and countered with a backflip. The conclusion of the match came after an incensed Johnny Impact, moments after his wife was knocked down outside the ring by a diving Aries, took down the champ and ascended to the top turnbuckle to finish him with Starship Pain for the 1-2-3! Your winner and the new Impact World Champion, Johnny Impact!

-Steve Ward

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All In Recap

The largest independent professional wrestling show in history emanated Saturday evening from a sold out Sears Centre Arena just outside of Chicago, Illinois.  The event was promoted by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, and the concept was sparked by pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer who tweeted that Ring of Honor couldn’t sell out a 10,000 seat arena. Cody Rhodes took that bet and the show proceeded to sell out in less than 30 minutes. The pay-per-view and the Zero Hour pre-show featured wrestlers from Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, the NWA, and more who competed in a stacked, 11 match card.

SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) vs. The Briscoes
Winners: SoCal Uncensored

The opening bout of the Zero Hour pre-show on WGN pitted two of the premier tag teams from Ring of Honor against each other, SCU and the nine-time ROH Tag Team Champions, The Briscoes. The match concluded as Kazarian was on the shoulders of Jay Briscoe while Mark was perched on the top turnbuckle. As Mark took flight, Kazarian amazingly caught him and power slammed him from his brother’s shoulders to the canvas to steal the upset victory.

The Over Budget Battle Royal (Winner faces Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship)
Winner: Flip Gordon

This match featured many fan favorites from the world of wrestling including Hurricane Helms, Billy Gunn, Brian Cage, Moose, Bully Ray, Colt Cabana, Punishment Martinez, and even Jimmy Jacobs. It appeared that Bully Ray won the battle royal after he eliminated Chicago’s own Colt Cabana when a masked luchador got the jump on him and threw him over the top rope. The winner unmasked himself to reveal he was Flip Gordon and earned himself a shot at the ROH World Championship.

MJF vs. Matt Cross
Winner: Matt Cross

The opening contest on the pay- per-view, officiated by Ring of Honor’s Todd Sinclair, matched 20-year independent wrestling veteran Matt Cross with 22-year old MJF who was trained by current WWE superstar Curt Hawkins. Cross finished this contest in an impressive fashion as he laid out MJF with a springboard stunner to set him up for a beautifully executed shooting star press to seal the pinfall victory.

“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. Stephen Amell
Winner: “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels

Introduced as the “Whole Reffing Show,” the special guest referee for this contest was ECW legend Jerry Lynn. The match itself featured 25 year ring veteran and SCU member Christopher Daniels as he squared off with Stephen Amell, star of the CW series Arrow, who represented The Bullet Club in the second bout of the evening. One of the many highlights of this contest was a coast to coast dropkick where fans witnessed Amell propel himself across the ring to kick The Fallen Angel in the teeth. This entertaining contest concluded as The Fallen Angel hit the BME (Best Moonsault Ever) to earn the victory.

Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Madison Rayne vs. Chelsea Green vs. Tessa Blanchard
Winner: Tessa Blanchard

This match consisted of an impressive collection of talent with former Impact Women’s Champion Madison Rayne (who will be competing in the upcoming WWE Mae Young Classic as Ashley Rayne), Chelsea Green (also known as former Impact Women’s Champion Laurel Van Ness), and current Impact Women’s Champion, and daughter of the legendary Tully Blanchard, Tessa Blanchard. Despite an impressive version of the Canadian Destroyer executed on Blanchard by Chelsea Green, Blanchard overcame adversity and nailed Green with a Hammerlock DDT for the pinfall.

NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Nick Aldis (c) vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody
Referee: Earl Hebner
Winner: Cody

The atmosphere was electric for this bout. Cody made his way to the ring accompanied by Brandi Rhodes, Diamond Dallas Page, and Tommy dreamer while Nick Aldis (formerly known as Magnus in Impact and husband of WWE Superstar Mickie James) was flanked by Jeff Jarrett and Daivari to add to the big fight feel. Cody withstood an enormous level of punishment from Aldis throughout the contest as it appeared he would retain his title. This, however, was Cody’s night to take the title once held by his father Dusty Rhodes as it celebrates its 70th anniversary. After he was able to withstand the Cross Rhodes, Aldis attempted a sunset flip only to be pinned down by Cody for the victory. Cody has certainly cemented his place as a bona fide star in the wrestling industry, a far cry from his days as Stardust.

Chicago Street Fight
Joey Janela w/ Penelope Ford vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
Winner: Hangman Page

This match featured Asbury Park’s own “Bad Boy” Joey Janela and the Bullet Club’s Hangman Page. This contest was absolutely brutal. In the end Page and Janela found themselves at the top of a ladder next to a table staged in the center of the ring. Page proceeded to pummel Janela with a phone before he hit the Rite of Passage off the top of the ladder through the table for the win. After the contest ended, the lights went out and several men in inflatable penis costumes lined the entrance ramp as Joey Ryan entered the arena! Ryan proceeded to flip Page with his penis (yes, you read that correctly) and followed that with a super kick to the face to lay him out driving the crowd into a frenzy.

ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) w/ Lanny Poffo vs. Flip Gordon w/ Brandi Rhodes
Winner: Jay Lethal

Jay Lethal was welcomed with a huge pop from the crowd as he donned Macho Man Randy Savage’s attire from his original debut in WCW. This gesture marked the resurrection of his wildly entertaining Black Machismo gimmick as he was accompanied to the ring by Lanny “The Genius” Poffo, brother of the late great Randy Savage. One of the highlights of the contest was when Lethal tapped his inner Randy Savage and landed THREE elbow drops from the top turnbuckle. This match concluded as Black Machismo first executed a cutter off of the top rope and followed that with The Lethal Injection for the victory.

After the contest, Lethal and Gordon were ambushed by Bully Ray who rushed the ring with a chain in tow. Bully even rewarded Poffo for trying to intervene with an unceremonious kick between the uprights. Just after Bully set up a table, he was attacked by Chicago’s own Colt Cabana who came to the rescue. Cabana, Lethal, and Gordon proceeded to hoist up Bully Ray and power bomb him through the table.

“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega vs. Penta El Zero
Winner: Kenny Omega

This dream match pitted Bullet Club member and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega against Penta El Zero a.k.a. Pentagon Jr. The action was fast and furious as the contest lived up to its billing. Pentagon threw everything in his arsenal at Omega-a Pentagon Driver, a devastating Fear Factor on the ring apron, and a double stomp from the top rope only to have Omega answer with his own Fear Factor. The Cleaner, after hitting the V Trigger for the umpteenth time, was able to finish Pentagon with the One Winged Angel.

After the contest, the lights went out again.  When the lights came back up, something appeared different about Pentagon. As Omega turned around, “Pentagon” jumped to his feet, ran at him, and landed the Code Breaker! “Pentagon” then removed his mask to reveal some shenanigans went on in the dark and the real Pentagon was replaced with Chris Jericho! Y2J told Omega he’d see him on the Cruise of Jericho and left through the crowd.

“The Villain” Marty Scurll vs. “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada
Referee: Tiger Hattori
Winner: Kazuchika Okada

The Bullet Club’s Marty Scurll squared off with the towering Rainmaker in this bout. It appeared late in the contest that Okada was doomed when he was pushed into Tiger Hattori “knocking him out” which lead Scurll to grab his umbrella. Unfortunately, Scurll was unable to capitalize as Okada hit two Rainmakers to solidify the victory.

Rey Mysterio, Fenix, & Bandido vs. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) and Kota Ibushi
Winners: The Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi

The main event featured six of the best high flyers in the world, including the legendary Rey Mysterio who donned ring gear that paid homage to the classic attire of Marvel’s Wolverine. The pace was frenetic from the opening bell in part due to the participants in the contest and also because they were left with less than 20 minutes before the show would be cut off of pay-per-view. This contest was full of awe inspiring aerial attacks, hurricanranas, and, of course, SUPER KICKS! The conclusion of this match came as the Young Bucks finished off Bandido with the Five Star Meltzer Driver for the 1-2-3.

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

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Impact Wrestling Slammiversary XVI Recap

Impact Wrestling presented us with Slammiversary XVI from the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Canada this evening. The card boasted eight matches with four titles contested. What has become one of the few staple pay per views that Impact presents each year far exceeded expectations and quickly made me forget (or care) that I gave Cox Cable $49.99.

Johnny Impact vs. Petey Williams vs. “Bone Soldier” Taiji Ishimori vs. Fenix
Winner: Johnny Impact

Slammiversary hit the ground running with four of the most exciting, high-flying competitors in professional wrestling today. The match was originally supposed to feature newly signed Rich Swann but unfortunately he sustained a concussion earlier in the week and was unable to compete. The Canadian crowd certainly did not object to his replacement, however, as the master of the Canadian Destroyer, Petey Williams was the first contestant introduced. This match also featured the Impact returns of Johnny Impact and Taiji Ishimori with the newly acquired moniker of the Bone Soldier after his inclusion as part of NJPW’s famed Bullet Club stable. This bout ended in a flurry as we were treated to a 450 splash from Ishimori, followed by a Canadian Destroyer by Williams, then a Fenix Springboard from Fenix, and finally Starship Pain from Johnny Impact for the win.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Allie
Winner: Tessa Blanchard

This was a late edition to the card and pleasantly surprised all who bore witness to it. Allie brought the fight to the daughter of the legendary Tully Blanchard but the Allie Valley Driver, Code Breaker, and Best Superkick Ever were not enough as Tessa hit the DDT for the win.

House of Hardcore Match
Tommy Dreamer vs. Eddie Edwards
Winner: Eddie Edwards

Sure Tommy Dreamer is 47-year- old but he came to put on a show this evening and made everyone remember why he’s known as the Innovator of Violence. On a side note, Dreamer also had a shirt that I’m going to need to find… It featured a cheese grater with blood and said “Make Wrestling Grate Again.”  This match certainly lived up to its hardcore branding as Tommy Dreamer wasted no time stealing a woman’s beer in the front row, taking a mouthful, and smashing Edwards in the face with it before he used a staple gun to bust open The Lone Wolf. The match eventually came to its conclusion as Dreamer, with his face propped against the back of a steel chair, was delivered a Boston Knee Party from Edwards who earned the victory.

X-Division Championship
Matt Sydal ( c ) vs. Brian Cage
Winner: Brian Cage

This bout, which I anticipated would be a squash match, was actually quite competitive to the point where it appeared Sydal was going to retain his title. In the final moments of the bout, Sydal scaled his way to the top turnbuckle to attempt the Shooting Star Press on a prone Brian Cage. On the way down, Sydal’s foot caught the rope and Cage got his boot up in Sydal’s face. Cage then quickly recovered and nailed Sydal with the Drill Claw to become the newly crowned X-Division Champ.

Knockouts Championship
Su Yung ( c ) vs. Madison Rayne
Winner: Su Yung

Madison Rayne overcame the distraction of the undead bridesmaids at ringside and dominated Su Yung with the Ripcord Cutter and the Raindrop only to succumb to Yung’s version of the Mandible Claw. After the match, Rayne was placed in a coffin and carried out of the arena in another disturbing display of showmanship by Su Yung.

Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship 5150 Street Fight
LAX ( c ) vs. OGz
Winners: LAX

This match pitted the latest incarnation of the Latin American Xchange, comprised of Santana and Ortiz, with their manager Konnan against the original incarnation of LAX, Homicide and Hernandez, accompanied by King. This match came about after Konnan was “taken out” backstage at the Redemption pay per view by unknown assailants. Kingston, a former member of the short-lived DCC, reemerged shortly thereafter as “King” and took Ortiz and Santana under his guidance en route to the tag team championship. Once Konnan made his return and exposed King, Homicide and Hernandez returned with the classic backstory of being forgotten when LAX was reformed. This match certainly attempted to one-up the Dreamer/Edwards match as the ring quickly became littered with tables, trash cans, brooms, and hockey sticks. It appeared the OGz were on their way to a victory after Hernandez put Ortiz through a table via the Border Toss, but leave it to Konnan to get involved. Konnan distracted Homicide as he tossed a bag of tacks to Santana. Santana tossed a handful in the face of Homicide and body slammed him onto the rest.  Santana then went to the top turnbuckle and hit the Frogsplash to retain the titles. The victory didn’t last long as the OGz jumped LAX from behind and defaced the titles by tagging them with their moniker.

Mask vs. Hair Match
Pentagon Jr. vs. Sami Callihan
Winner: Pentagon Jr.

This match was the definition of pure, unadulterated violence. Shortly after Callihan introduced some chairs to the match, he escalated the situation and acquired some railroad spikes from under the ring. Callihan proceeded to pierce the forehead of Pentagon to the point where he bled through his mask but the tables were quickly turned as Callihan got greedy and went for a baseball bat providing Pentagon with the opening he needed. Pentagon then took possession of the spikes and drove one into the forehead of Sami until he wore a crimson mask. While WWE’s Extreme Rules was an entertaining pay-per-view last weekend, this match was what one would expect to have seen on a card with that branding. In the end, Pentagon Jr. “broke” Callihan’s arm and hit the Pentagon Driver for the pinfall victory. Callihan tried to escape with the assistance of OVE, but Pentagon’s brother Fenix put an end to that, and the rabid Toronto crowd was able to witness Callihan have his head shaved.

Impact Heavyweight Championship
Austin Aries ( c ) vs. Moose
Winner: Austin Aries

Moose finally earned his shot at the title after he successfully supplanted Eli Drake from the title picture on an earlier edition of Thursday Night Impact. Moose was certainly game for the match and put his strength and size advantage into full effect, however, Aries showed what a ring general he truly is as his technical prowess showed through in the long run. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived put his freakish strength on display as he finished off Moose with the Brainbuster for the pinfall victory to retain his title.

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

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