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 Presents: Bound For Glory 2019

By Steve Ward

Impact Wrestling’s biggest event of the year emanated from Chicago this evening for the 15^th incarnation of Bound For Glory. This event held significance on a multitude of levels for Impact Wrestling as they continue to push to remain relevant in what is becoming an ever crowded pro wrestling landscape with the emergence of AEW. Additionally, this was Impact’s final event before their debut on AXS TV after spending the past year on Pursuit Channel. While I’m happy to see they continue to maintain a network deal, this move will make it more difficult for their fan base to access their weekly program as it is mostly limited to satellite TV providers. The card was stacked this evening as it provided a healthy mix of young, lesser known talent, some WWE outcasts, and several ECW originals while all titles were contested.

Call Your Shot 20-Person Gauntlet Match
Winner: Eddie Edwards

This match began with Eddie Edwards and Adam Thornstowe of Reno Scum. Every minute another competitor entered and would need to be thrown over the top rope in order to be eliminated. The final competitor would have the opportunity at the title of his or her choice. In addition to many Impact Wrestling regulars, there were many surprises including Swoggle (who made his entrance as he chased Johnny Swinger, another blast from the past, from below the ring), Sabu, Tommy Dreamer (not really a surprise but the Innovator of Violence needed a mention in the article), former AEW star Kylie Rae, and the newly signed Joey Ryan. The exhilarating opening contest came down to a final four of  Madman Fulton, Mahabali Shera, Eddie Edwards, and Fallah Bahh. Bahh was quickly eliminated by Shera and then Edwards caught Fulton off guard and knocked him over the top rope to bring us to the last two men standing. Once this occurred the match became a standard one on one contest. Edwards made short work of Shera as he executed the Boston Knee Party for the pinfall victory.

Knockouts Championship
Tenille Dashwood vs. Taya Valkyrie (c) w/ John E. Bravo
Winner: Taya Valkyrie via pinfall

Despite the noticeable and unexplained departure of her husband Johnny Impact amid rumors he’s signed with WWE, Valkyrie has continued her reign of dominance with former referee John E. Bravo (Johnny Bravo) in tow. This evening she defended her title against Tenille Dashwood (formerly known as Emma in WWE) who made her surprising debut recently instead of signing with AEW. In the closing moments, Dashwood hit the Spotlight, however, her pinfall attempt was thwarted by Bravo who dragged the champ to the ropes for the break. After Bravo was ejected from ringside, Dashwood attempted another Spotlight to no avail as Valkyrie was able to trap her in the Road to Valhalla for the pinfall.

Impact Tag Team Championship
Rob Van Dam & Rhino vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page)
Winners: The North

As this frenetically paced match began to wind down, RVD and Rhino seemed poised to solidify a victory. Rhino was squared up in the corner prepared to execute a Gore as RVD shocked the crowd and super kicked him in the face. RVD then laid waste to Mack and Swann as he delivered super kicks to them as well and proceeded to exit the arena. This allowed Alexander to hoist Swann up in a fireman’s carry and propelled him into the arms of Page who power bombed him to set up the pinfall.

Marufugi vs. Michael Elgin
Winner: Michael Elgin

Japanese legend Marufugi of Pro Wrestling NOAH squared off with Michael Elgin who made a name for himself in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor. Michael Elgin greatly impressed in this bout with his surprising high flying ability mixed in with the strong style focus of the match. Marufugi displayed great resilience as he withstood multiple buckle bombs and a Splash Mountain Bomb to answer with several onslaughts of vicious knee strikes. The conclusion of this match arrived after Elgin executed yet another buckle bomb followed by an inverted Death Valley Driver for the victory.

5-person X-Division Ladder Match
Tessa Blanchard vs. Ace Austin vs. Acey Romero vs. Daga vs. Jake Crist (c)
Winner: Ace Austin

Yes, you read that participant list correctly, Tessa Blanchard after weeks of feuding with OVE, was a contestant in this bout. In the closing moments, Tessa and Jake Crist scaled the ladder simultaneously. As the two jockeyed for position at the top of the ladder, Tessa propelled Crist off of the ladder and through a table. As Tessa had the belt at her fingertips, Ace Austin jumped to the ladder from the ropes with his baton in hand and struck Tessa in the head causing her to fall from the ladder. This action left Austin unopposed as he retrieved the title to become the new X-Division Champion.

Ken Shamrock vs. Moose
Winner: Moose via pinfall

55-year old Ken Shamrock came out absolutely shredded and did not look anywhere near his age physique-wise. Shamrock was in line to finish off Moose several times, however, Frank Trigg who was in Moose’s corner proved to be the difference. Trigg drew the attention of Shamrock and the referee several times and even removed one of the turnbuckle covers exposing the dreaded steel beneath. Moose managed to withstand multiple ankle lock submission attempts and finally drove Shamrock into the exposed turnbuckle busting him open. This supplied Moose the opening he needed to land the spear and cover The World’s Most Dangerous Man for a hollow victory.

Impact World Championship
Brian Cage (c) vs. Sami Callihan
Winner: Brian Cage via pinfall

There were plenty of narratives leading into this contest. After months injured at home, Cage made his return to Impact several weeks ago to propose to and subsequently marry Melissa Santos. On the edition of Impact where the two tied the knot, Callihan struck Santos in the head with a champagne bottle intended for Cage. Then to make matters worse, Callihan and OVE handcuffed Cage to the ropes on the most recent episode of Impact and let him watch as his wife was the recipient of a Cactus Special. Needless to say, this bout was full of pure, unadulterated violence. The bout reached it’s conclusion shortly after Callihan introduced a bag of tacks to the fray. Callihan delivered a Cactus Special that Cage kicked out of following a one count and proceeded to destroy “The Draw.” First, he power bombed Callihan onto the tacks and immediately followed up with a Drill Claw for the pinfall.

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Slammiversary XVII Recap

By Steve Ward

The seventeenth installment of Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary emanated from a sold out Gilley’s Complex in Dallas, TX this evening. The stacked card featured eight matches and was headlined by Tessa Blanchard battling Sami Callihan in an intergender match. Impact Wrestling continues to put forth a solid product as they have shown true perseverance after several years of turmoil within their ownership structure that had them on the brink of disaster and they needed to deliver again this evening with the quickly evolving landscape of professional wrestling. Impact did just that but only time will tell how things shape up with AEW coming on strong as their weekly tv program debuts on TNT in October, Ring of Honor is maintaining their foothold with their partnership with NJPW, and of course WWE -despite their stale writing and booking- is still the standard bearer in sports entertainment.

TJP vs. Trey Miguel (of the Rascalz) vs. Jake Crist (of OVE) vs. Willie Mack

Winner: Willie Mack via pinfall

The opening contest of Slammiversary was an X-Division fatal four way attraction featuring TJP (T.J. Perkins) in his first pay per view appearance since his return from being buried in WWE on 205 Live. The action was fast and furious and certainly set the tempo for the evening. The body flying action culminated with the 285 lb Willie Mack executing a frog splash on Jake Crist to solidify the pinfall victory.

Impact Tag Team Championship

The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) vs. LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/ Konnan vs. The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) (c)

Winners: The North via pinfall

After shockingly losing their tag team titles to The North Friday night at Bash at the Brewery - an Impact Plus event that literally looked like it was in front of a crowd of 100 people at a brewery - LAX entered as the challengers. Unfortunately for The North, the retention of their titles was overshadowed in this one by a bad landing Santana took that required him to be helped out of the arena after the contest.

First Blood Match

Killer Kross vs. Eddie Edwards

Winner: Eddie Edwards

After weeks of mind games initiated by Killer Kross including the destruction of Edwards’ best friend Kenny - the kendo stick - Edwards achieved retribution this evening as he made Kross bleed by raking the splintered edge of a kendo stick across his mouth.

RVD vs. Moose

Winner: Moose

For several weeks, Moose proclaimed that the old legends needed to retire and go away. This generated a brief feud between Moose and The North and ECW originals RVD, Tommy Dreamer, and Sabu. This short lived program seemingly reached it’s climax this evening in Dallas as Rob Van Dam stood toe to toe with Moose. First things first, RVD may be 48 but he certainly can still keep up with the best of them and has aged pretty well considering the wars he’s been in as he doesn’t look much different than the last time he had a significant run in WWE - with the exception of appearing to enjoy a few beers here and there. It appeared RVD would walk out victorious as he had Moose laid out on top of a chair as he scaled to the top rope for the Five Star Frogsplash. As Van Dam took flight, Moose rolled out of the way leaving nothing but unforgiving steel for RVD to land on. Moose jumped to his feet and nailed RVD with the spear for the pinfall.

Impact Knockouts Championship Monster’s Ball Match

Taya Valkyrie (c) vs. Rosemary vs. Su Yung w/ Father James Mitchell vs. Havoc

Winner: Taya Valkyrie

These ladies wasted no time after the opening bell as they rapidly transformed the ring into a visceral playground littered with chairs, ladders, tables, and eventually thumb tacks. Havoc seemed poised to solidify a dominating victory after she Tombstoned Su Yung from the top rope - yes you read that correctly - onto a bed of tacks but Taya Valkyrie returned to the ring and greeted Havoc with a chair to the face. As Havoc rolled out of the ring, Valkyrie covered Su Yung to retain her title.

X Division Championship

Rich Swann (c) vs. Johnny Impact w/ Johnny Bravo

Winner: Rich Swann

Two of the best high-fliers in not only Impact, but potentially all of pro wrestling, squared off for the storied X Division Title this evening. After a fairly even bout where neither man was really able to create much momentum, Rich Swann was able to persevere. In the closing moments of the match, Swann withstood a series of Spanish Flys (the first from the top rope), Starship Pain, and the antics of Johnny Bravo at ringside to answer with two springboard cutters and the Phoenix Splash to retain his title.

Impact World Championship

Brian Cage (c) vs. Michael Elgin

Winner: Brian Cage

Former Ring of Honor and New Japan star Michael Elgin made his in-ring pay per view debut this evening as he challenged “The Machine” Brian Cage for the Impact Heavyweight Championship. Cage wasted no time bringing the fight to Elgin as the first time Elgin rolled to the outside of the ring, Cage ensured there would be no reprieve for him as he ran and vaulted straight over the top rope to the arena floor taking out Elgin and landing on his feet in the process. In the final minutes of the contest, Cage attempted the Drill Claw but his back “went out” and he dropped Elgin. Elgin answered with a buckle bomb and as he hoisted Cage up for the Elgin Bomb, The Machine slipped out and rolled Elgin up for the pinfall. After the match, Elgin assaulted Cage with the title and then dragged Don Callis into the ring from his commentary position. Just before Elgin was going to lay waste to Callis, a masked man entered the ring from the crowd, executed a spear that looked a lot like a Gore (wink wink), and escaped through the crowd.

Intergender Match

Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan

Winner: Sami Callihan

A rarity in pro wrestling today, at least in televised matches and never in WWE, Impact decided to push the envelope and headlined this pay per view with an intergender match between Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard, the daughter of former Four Horsemen member Tully Blanchard. Blanchard made another huge step this evening as she continued her ascension from barely gaining air time in NXT towards becoming a bona fide superstar as she more than hung in with “The Draw.” Blanchard displayed her grit as she took some huge bumps in this bout but also demonstrated her impressive strength as she hoisted Callihan up for a Samoan Drop at one point. In the closing moments, Callihan escaped a crossface submission to finish Blanchard off with a Cactus Special piledriver allowing him to earn the pinfall.

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