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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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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