By John Moore, Prowrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
Impact Wrestling on PopTV
Taped October 15-16 in New York City, New York at the Melrose Ballroom
A highlight video package aired which recapped the events of last week’s “Comda Presents” Bound for Glory. The watermark at the bottom of the screen advertised Impact’s new time next Thursday at 10pm EST. The Impact theme aired. Austin Aries was still in the video looking to the left, but they did splice together a new intro montage featuring a lot of Johnny Impact, Allie murdering Zombies, and Su Yung shooting Rasengan out of her hands…
Josh Mathews and Don Callis were on commentary. Josh Mathews said that Bound for Glory was “critically acclaimed”. Josh welcomed the viewers to the Melrose Ballroom in New York City. I think we saw EC3 jacket guy in the crowd (maybe it was just another guy wearing a crazy jacket)…
Johnny Impact made his entrance to begin the show. Oh no, he wanted to cut a promo (I kid, partially). Johnny said they did some crazy business last week and if you watched Bound for Glory you know what he’s talking about. The crowd showered Johnny with “You deserve it” chants. I couldn’t catch the other smaller chant. Johnny said the unpredictability is what drew him to professional wrestling as a kid. Johnny said he begged his dad as a kid to bring him to the Great Western Forum (the original home of the Los Angeles Lakers in Inglewood, CA).
John’s Thoughts: I’m not one to pop huge for cheap hometown pops. Like if you mention Staples Center, I will just go “eh”. That said, I couldn’t help but smile and cheer for Johnny’s Great Western Forum reference due to that place having a huge place in my childhood. To add on top of that, the guy is probably being legit of his love of watching wrestling in LA since I had this conversation at one time with him at the LU tapings back in 2015.
A few people in the crowd chanted SCU in the crowd for Johnny’s SoCal reference. Johnny said he was into some weird stuff as a kid like break dancing. Johnny said parkour wasn’t popular back then. Johnny said he’s always been that kind of guy, the person who goes after what he wants. Johnny said people told him that paying for his own movie with his own money was stupid and a Bounty Hunter movie was dumber. Johnny said Boone the Bounty Hunter is now on Netflix (My review of it HERE) and it makes him proud seeing it when shopping at Dollar General (is that the east coast 99 cent store/dollar tree?). Johnny said he also thought Survivor was cool too.
Johnny said the dream of every kid who wants to be pro wrestler is to be world champion. Johnny said people always tell him how he looks like a champ with so much potential, yet they always tell Johnny “but… tonight’s not your night”. Johnny said he heard that so many times that he almost believed it. Johnny said he now has “this” (the title). Johnny said he believes this business is what “we” make it. Johnny said he’s the guy and not the champion who hides behinds two goons, politics backstage to avoid big matches, or makes passive aggressive statements on Twitter because of being insecure. Johnny then offered anyone who wants a shot at the championship to get a title shot.
Fenix made his entrance. Josh Mathews noted that Fenix and Johnny are good friends (they’ve wrestled many times together and against each other in Lucha Underground and AAA). Josh said that Fenix attended Johnny’s wedding. Josh said Fenix must be here to congratulate a friend. Fenix congratulated Johnny for an incredible match at BFG. Fenix said he won many championships for many companies, but never in Impact Wrestling.
Fenix said it will be a great opportunity to fight for this belt. Fenix asked for the opportunity to fight for the championship next week. Johnny said after he said all that stuff earlier, he can’t say no. Johnny said even though they’re friends that doesn’t mean they’re going to hold back on kicking the crap out of each other for the title. Johnny said at the end of the night if it’s Fenix’s night, Johnny will shake Fenix’s hand because they are professionals unlike the previous champion (Austin Aries). Johnny said it’s going to be the “Mexi-king” next week against Johnny Impact and they’re going to tear the house down. Fenix said “animo” to close the segment…
John’s Thoughts: Interesting promo and I’m leaning on positive here. This is the John Hennigan that we’re starting to see in Lucha Underground where he’s starting to shed the mid-card goofball schtick for more of his quirky but relatable personality. I’m a little higher on him now as champion because I see this as an opportunity for him to grow into the role in sink or swim type of fashion. I would have him not mention Aries in upcoming weeks because this needs to be more about Johnny than Austin when it comes down to it, and Aries will just overshadow him if done wrong. What I do know at least based on their past matches in Lucha Underground, is that Johnny vs. Fenix should be very fun with crazy parkour stuff from both men along with good storytelling if given time.
Josh Mathews said that Impact is going “After Dark” next Thursday with the new start time…
Josh Mathews and Don Callis checked in from the upper deck of the Melrose Ballroom. Don Callis said Fenix vs. Johnny is a dream match. Don Callis said that Impact has had three great PPVs in a row. Josh Mathews then ran through some upcoming segments. Josh Mathews said that Allie was also “soul-less” since she went to the undead realm (I thought James Mitchell said she already lost her soul back at Redemption? They can’t even get their bad logic straight). Don Callis said he’s concerned for Allie and Kiera for having to hang out with Allie. Josh brought up Brian Cage getting pinned for the first time. Don Callis said that it took 26 kicks to the head and a pile driver to prove that the machine can be beaten…
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Tommy Dreamer about his “Unexpected appearance” and future in Impact. Tommy wore a polo House of Hardcore shirt and said to expect the unexpected. Dreamer brought up how Moose could be one of the celebrated NFL to pro wrestling crossover athletes like Wahoo McDaniel, Ernie Ladd, and Goldberg. Dreamer aid that Moose is trying to cut corners now and it led to him and Kross losing.
Dreamer said Moose should learn from his mistake. Dreamer talked about how his vision was foggy since he got slammed on his head and he had to watch Moose and Kross destroy Eddie Edwards. Dreamer said he was going to clean Moose’s ass (did I hear that right? I rewound to make sure but he was gritting his teeth). Dreamer said he might go hardcore by wrapping a chair around Moose’s dome and give moose that Concussion feeling that Dreamer felt in the 90s. Dreamer said concussions shouldn’t happen anymore but Dreamer’s not politically correct and damn proud of it… [c]
John’s Thoughts: I could do without Dreamer always wanting to make his promos about CTE to the point where it comes off as a cheap gimmick. That said, with Aries out of the picture you can argue that Dreamer might be the best talker that Impact has access too. Sami Callihan’s good, but Dreamer’s a natural. While it looks like they’re setting him up with Moose, I wouldn’t mind seeing a longer feud between Dreamer and Kross given the natural disposition of the Kross character. I’m basing this off dark segments that I’ve seen him in, but I would argue if given the chance that Kevin Kross can be a modern day “innovator of violence” because unlike Dreamer, whose violence comes from being plucky, Kross wrestles matches like he’s going to rip a person’s jaw out of their skull.
McKenzie Mitchell ran into Moose and Killer Kross randomly strolling around New York. Moose, for some reason but always awesome, was wearing an old school traditional Chinese student uniform. McKenzie wanted to know if Moose accepted Dreamer’s challenge. Moose got distracted again and called McKenzie “stunning” just like him. Moose then bragged about wearing a custom-made “Shaolin Monk Suit” (oh my lord…credit to Kross and Mitchell for holding in laughter I assume because Moose is great now).
Moose said the “you still got it” chants must have gotten to Dreamer’s head. Moose said while Dreamer’s a hardcore legend, Moose is a life legend. Kross cut off Moose’s promo and told Moose that he understands that Mr. Thomas Dreamer thinks he’s in control. Kross said Dreamer is the innovator of violence but not the arbitrator of decisions. Kross said Moose doesn’t have to accept the challenge because “we” accept the challenge. Kross said Dreamer’s preexisting brain damage is about to get worse…
Katarina made her entrance. No sign of Grado, Joe Hendry, or clowns. Her opponent is Taya Valkyrie. Taya wore a blue version of her Bound for Glory gear (which I like better since the BFG gear looked like Natalya Neidhart’s gear)…
Josh Mathews pimped next week’s Chris Jericho Cruise…
1. Taya Valkyrie vs. Katarina. The crowd chanted Wera Loca for Taya. Katarina dominated early on. Josh Mathews focused on the ring skirt being out of place being the reason Taya lost her match at Bound for Glory. Katarina got a nearfall after a backbreaker on Taya. Taya fought back with some left-hand strikes. Katarina caught Taya with a Tornado DDT. Taya fought Katarina with forearms and a thrust kick. Taya then went into her signature meteora sequence. Katarina staggered Taya with a jawbreaker. Josh noted that Katarina is a former Knockouts Champion. Taya countered into the Road to Valhalla for the victory.
Taya Valkyrie defeated Katarina via pinfall in 3:53.
John’s Thoughts: Solid enhancement match. Katarina’s a huge upgrade over Rebel or Alisha Edwards as far as enhancement wrestlers go due to her being very crisp in the ring. I always thought that Katarina should have been a decorated women’s wrestling legend but sadly her botched WWE run will forever make her the butt of pirate and incest jokes.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Taya Valkyrie about the Bound for Glory “controversy” where the referee wasn’t in position to count the visual pinfall. Taya said it’s not about complaining about Tessa messing with the ring apron. Taya argued about one of the best wrestlers in the world winning in a screwy fashion. Taya said she’s disappointed in Tessa. Taya said she respected Tessa but after that last match she doesn’t. After the promo, Don Callis said he doesn’t agree with Taya…
John’s Thoughts: Taya’s Impact Character is a complete hypocrite. I’m sorry. So, heading into Bound for Glory, they aired a Taya interview where Taya complained about Tessa being an entitled bully; yet Taya’s character throughout her career has been an entitled bully with the added “queen” attire in Impact. Now Taya said she’s not going to complain, and then complains in the same promo. Taya needs a vignette or something to make her a bit more relatable because she’s coming off as petulant while Tessa, the great heel, is coming off as the babyface. Moreover, shouldn’t Taya be more mad at the referee for taking his time making sure the Comda logo was showing at ringside? It also hurts Taya’s case in that Tessa was screwed out of a lot of early wins due to her issues with the referees.
Matt Sydal and Ethan Page were hanging out on a rooftop somewhere. Sydal was saying his random transcendental stuff. Sydal talked about how he and Page have accepted the Buddhist truth of suffering. Page said that he suffered a lot worse than before meeting Sydal. Page said that Sydal has made the suffering not so bad. Sydal said tonight Page is about to show the world his growth by beating Trevor Lee, showing Trevor Lee his third eye, and showing Lee the path to transcendence. Page said he’ll also show Lee suffering. Sydal said suffering is universal. Namaste… [c]
Back from the break, Rohit Raju was hanging out on the same rooftop as Matt Sydal for some reason. Gama Singh walks by and beats up Raju with a broom. Gama said things in Punjabi. Raju yelled that he’s in deep thought. Gama said only Gama needs to worry about that. Gama said Raju passed the first test and he has one more person to fight, “The Great Gama Singh”. Gama said Raju has one week to prepare. Raju said, “what is going on?!?”…
John’s Thoughts: Can they make this a loser leaves town match too? Gama just needs to go.
Trevor Lee made his entrance as Josh Mathews was excited about seeing Gama Singh wrestle. Don Callis said he wrestled Gama Singh at South Africa in 1992 and that Gama has a mean right hand. Ethan Page came out to Matt Sydal’s entrance theme. Sydal joined Page at ringside…
2. “All Ego” Ethan Page (w/Matt Sydal) vs. Trevor Lee. Josh Mathews said Petey Williams is looking for Scarlett Bordeaux after beating Trevor Lee last week. Josh Mathews then advertised that Scarlett has opened up her “talent search” to the general public and they even had an email address where you can send your video submissions to.
John’s Thoughts: Semi-kidding on this one, but you hear horror stories from people in Hollywood regarding sending out requests of this near-sexual nature. I fear for Impact at the amount of dick pics they are about to receive from horny Impact Wrestling fans in their inbox. Of course, it would be only in TNA!
Don Callis shared my fear about the disgusting videos that wrestling fans might send and that hopefully Bobo makes sure the videos are clean. Josh then transitioned to talking about Trevor Lee who was in the middle of beating up Ethan Page in the corners. Josh Mathews then invited Don Callis over to his house, so they can watch Titanic on PopTV together. Don Callis said it would be romantic having to men in the man cave watching Titanic together. Sydal told Trevor that he could join Ethan and him which distracted Trevor enough for Ethan to get the advantage.
Page put the boots to Lee in the corner. Trevor Lee tossed Page to the outside, so he could hit him with his apron punt kick. Sydal distracted Lee with the mask that Josh Mathews gave him. Page hit Lee with a draping shoulderbreaker. Lee caught Page with a superman punch. Lee then hit Page with a moonsault for a nearfall. Page escaped several deadlift German attempts. Page gave Lee a knife edge chop and beat Lee with a Uranage.
Ethan Page defeated Trevor Lee via pinfall in 6:24.
Ethan Page pointed at his “third eye” after the match. Trevor Lee was shown on the ground. Josh Mathews said Trevor needs guidance…
John’s Thoughts: More offense than I expected from Lee to the point where it would have helped to have Page go over in more of a squash to get over who he is and what he can do. I like that Lee played things straight for the most part, but I’m not getting my hopes up for the long overdue Lee push. Just release him already so he can thrive in Ring of Honor or New Japan (unless he has one of those sweet Dixie Carter deals, then thumbs up for Trevor for looking out for his wallet).
McKenzie interviewed Rich Swann and Willie Mack. Swann said it’s been a roller coaster in recent weeks. Swann said he went into Mack-mode. Mack said he showed up, put in work, and sent Sydal and Page somewhere to drink yerba mate. Mack said he’s going to watch Swann’s title match from the back because he knows Swann can do it by himself. Swann said he’s going in the ring against a god dag gone machine. Swann said he has charisma, athleticism, and raw talent. Swann said his spirit will not be held down and Cage will get the fight of his life… [c]
John’s Thoughts: Swann and Cage should be great, but Cage and Mack had what many call Lucha Underground Season 1’s match of the season. If Impact really wants a show stealing match between two guys with good chemistry, put Cage and Mack in the ring. That’s automatic and I’ve even seen Cage and Mack tear things down in APW, the independent promotion in San Francisco.
Impact aired an abridged version of Sunday’s “Undead Realm” segment…
John’s Thoughts: Somebody must be very proud of that lame segment from Sunday.
Kiera Hogan ran into Allie backstage as the two shared a hug. Allie now has black hair and highlights. Allie was acting oddly bubbly and defensive. Kiera said she was worried about Allie after Sunday. Kiera also said she would have Allie’s back later tonight…
Mathews did his weekly plug for the Chris Jericho Cruise… Mathews then cut to the Global Wrestling Network Match of the Week which was Nick Aldis vs. Eric Young for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on Impact back in 2014. If I remember correctly, Eric Young won two matches that night to become world champion just three nights after Daniel Bryan wrestled two matches at WrestleMania for the World Championship. This was when John Gaburick was randomly in charge of TNA creative and they were just straight up ripping off WWE poorly at this point… [c]
Petey Williams was wearing a Canadian Flag around his neck and acting like a dweeb. He met up with Scarlett and assumed that Scarlett choose him as her client. Scarlett said that Petey is cute, adorable, and impressive just like so many other people. Scarlett then reiterated Josh’s earlier point about the talent search being opened up to fans. Scarlett then said that Petey should “try again” and send her a tryout video…
Killer Kross and Moose made their entrance. Kross was wearing his usual trench coat while Moose was wearing his awesome Shaolin Monk uniform. Dreamer wore orange polka dots…
3. Killer Kross (w/Moose) vs. Tommy Dreamer. Kross ran through Dreamer early on. Dreamer came back with a knee, crossbody, and armdrag. Dreamer botched a lariat to send Kross outside. Callis covered up for it by saying that Kross tangled himself in the top rope. Dreamer hit Kross with the Dusty Bionic Elbow. Dreamer then randomly took a sip of someone’s water bottle. This allowed Kross to crotch Dreamer on the barricade and then pummel him. Moose choked on Dreamer when Kross distracted the referee. Don Callis said Kross doesn’t need help and it was more so psychological warfare. Kross crossed his arms and then hit Dreamer with a running lariat.
Dreamer blocked another lariat with a boot. Kross hit Dreamer with a suplex and then struck a pose over him. Kross nailed Dreamer with a hammerlock lariat. Dreamer staggered Kross on the top rope and hit him with a superplex. Dreamer dominated the boo-yay punches. Dreamer did more Dusty elbows on Kross and hit him with a neckbreaker. Moose distracted Dreamer so Kross could lock in the Kross Jacket. Dreamer low blowed Kross. Moose tried to run in for the DQ but Dreamer hit Kross and Moose with a one man neckbreaker and DDT combo.
Kross tried to nail Dreamer with the Doomsday Saito while he was distracted with Moose but Dreamer countered with a bite to Kross’s eye. Kross reversed the Death Valley Driver and hit Dreamer with a Doomsday Saito. Kross hit Dreamer with a second Doomsday Saito. The referee called for the bell because Dreamer couldn’t respond.
Killer Kross defeated Tommy Dreamer via ref stoppage in 7:06.
Moose and Kross put the boots to Dreamer after the match as the crowd chanted for Eddie Edwards. Kross locked Dreamer in the Kross Jacket. Moose hit Dreamer with his flip spear. Kross and Moose did their respective poses over the prone body of Dreamer… [c]
John’s Thoughts: A bit longer than I expect a Kross match to be. I kinda want to see this guy tear people apart like I saw at the Lucha Underground dark matches and his singles match against Petey Williams. Nitpick aside, that was solid. I’m a bit disappointed that this might be a tag team feud to try to get Eddie Edwards over. As I mentioned earlier, I think that of all the people in the wrestling industry, Killer Kross and his violent disposition would have the most to gain in an extended feud with Tommy Dreamer.
They aired the Hall of Fame acceptance speech of Chris “Abyss” Parks. A good speech from a deserving talent and first TNA Original in the TNA/Impact Hall of Fame…
McKenzie Mitchell segued from the Abyss speech to asking Eli Drake about getting beat up by Abyss. Drake claimed that there was a conspiracy going around in Impact. Drake said La Parka wasn’t a part of the company and this company allowed him to attack Drake with a chair. Drake then complained about Abyss bringing out a table after Drake already won his challenge. Drake than complained about how unsafe the LAX vs. OGz concrete jungle match was (Drake’s got a point there). Drake said he was suing Impact for an unsafe working environment…
It was time for this week’s LAX clubhouse cinematic. Instead of their clubhouse, they were in a bar with Ortiz playing the role of bartender. Konnan wore his Red Sox jersey (In what I’m assuming is New York). Konnan, Santana, and Ortiz then took shots of what looked like Bacardi. Konnan yelled “King ain’t here anymore!”. Right as Konnan said that, Eddie Kingston and the OGz entered the bar. Kingston was covered up in random bandages. Kingston said he was here to deliver a message from the mob bosses. Kingston said the bosses are also the reason he’s bandaged up.
Kingston said that the bosses were kind enough to let Kingston and the OGz keep a piece of New York on the condition that LAX stay on their side while the OGz stay on their side. Konnan said that Kingston was on the wrong side right now so he best get to steppin. The OGz left. Konnan said it was time to toast to the OGz…
John’s Thoughts: This was almost exactly the same way they ended the LAX vs. OVE feud where they agreed in principal to a temporary truce. That’s not a bad thing because LAX has been in this feud most of this year. Now LAX can go on to have a great program with new dance partners.
Josh Mathews said that Johnny Impact vs. Fenix should be a five star classic on Impact “After Dark”. Josh asked Don Callis how the OGz and LAX were going to peacefully stay separate. Don Callis said that’s going to be a problem for Impact Management, security, and the “po po” to contain. Callis said po po is a word they use on the streets. Don Callis then talked about how Taya tried to get in the head of Tessa with her criticisms…
Alisha Edwards made her entrance next. Allie came out next wearing what looks like Gail Kim’s gear. Josh Mathews recapped the Undead Realm segment and said that Allie is now “soul less”. Don wondered if that made Allie like Josh and Don?
4. Allie (w/Kiera Hogan) vs. Alisha Edwards. Don Callis talked about how Alisha’s marital problems might have gotten in the way of her wrestling. Don then said you can be more successful when you’re single. Josh said that Don was too much. Allie and Alisha were 50-50 for the most part to start. Josh and Don then announced that Impact is bringing in Jordynne Grace. Don talked about how Jordynne can squat heavy weights.
Alisha caught Allie with a flatliner. Alisha locked Allie in a sleeper hold. The crowd chanted “We love Kiera”. Allie escaped the sleeper and started slapping herself in the face. Allie then went into crazy mode and started attacking Alisha in a frenzy. Allie then started making animalistic movements in the ring like she’s Chelsea Green in Lucha Underground. Don said this was “Dark and disturbing Allie”. The camera showed that Kiera Hogan’s jaw dropped. Allie hit Alisha with the codebreaker for the win.
Allie defeated Alisha Edwards via pinfall in 3:59.
Allie started licking her fingers like an animal. Allie mounted Alisha and started to ground and pound her. Allie then tried to choke Alisha while having a tranced smile on her face. Kiera then stormed the ring and knocked some sense into Allie. Allie then went into regular Allie mode and acted like she didn’t know what she just did. Don Callis was distracted and said “there’s a man in the front row with bunny ears”. I think that’s the friend of EC3 jacket dude (hey! The ten Impact Zone fans drove up to New York. Good for them for also escaping the hell hole of the Impact Zone). Josh Mathews started cracking up at Don’s observation. Don Callis said he thinks we’re in the Undead Realm ourselves.
The crowd chanted Psycho Bunny. Allie then went to Kiera and said she didn’t mean to do it. Don Callis said his third wife told him that too. Josh Mathews was laughing and said “this is a dark and disturbing situation”. Don Callis said that Allie’s playing victim. Don said he wonders how Allie is “After Dark” and that she may be the nicest person in the world…
Brian Cage was shown looking jacked backstage… Rich Swann was shown outside getting hyped… [c]
John’s Thoughts: They really don’t know what direction to go with Allie. They know that they want her to be their new Gail Kim, that much is clear (complete with Gail Kim’s ring gear), but now they are trying to write up inconsistent rules regarding souls and multi-verses. What has me perplexed is Don Callis is poking fun of this stupid storyline on air just like it’s a stupid storyline.
A new red silhouette lady was “coming soon”, except this lady was more muscular than Scarlett. Impact really likes their red silhouettes…
During Rich Swann’s entrance, Josh Mathews said that Jordynne Grace was coming soon. Don Callis talked about how he’s familiar with the work of Jordynne Grace…
John’s Thoughts: If you watched All In, Jordynne Grace is the lady that wrestled in the men’s “Over the Budget” battle royal. I believe she beat up and eliminated Brian Cage from the rumble…
5. Brian Cage vs. Rich Swann for the Impact X Division Championship. Swann started the match with his usual dancing. Cage just laughed it off passively. Cage then used his power strikes on Swann. Don asked Josh what “after dark” means and if that allows them to get a little risqué. Don said he knows what he does “after dark”. Cage countered a Lethal Injection but Swann reversed a suplex into a kick. Cage then tossed Swann with a gutwrench. Don said that Cage might have a 100 pound weight advantage over Swann. Mathews said that gives Swann a speed advantage.
Swann escaped a delayed vertical and caught Cage with a thrust kick from the apron. Cage caught Swann during a cannonball and then border tossed him into the ringpost. Cage brought Swann back in the ring with his signature deadlift suplex. [c]
Cage chopped Swann and dominated him back from the commercial. Swann went for a victory roll. Cage deadlifted Swann with a chokebomb suplex. Josh Mathews went into the Titanic ad again and Don Callis talked about crying during the movie. Cage did bicep curls with the body of Swann and then back tossed him. Don Callis announced that Brian Cage appeared on the Stone Cold Podcast. Swann escaped the F5 and Tornado Claw. Cage countered another cannonball with a Suplex attempt. Swann hit Cage with a springboard sobat. Cage caught Swann again but Swann countered into a hanging DDT.
Cage dodged a Phoenix Splash and hit Swann with a superkick. Swann took down Cage with a series of Savate Kicks. Don Callis said that Swann is smart for attacking Cage with kicks to the head after what happened on Sunday. Swann took down Cage with shin kicks. Cage countered Swann into a Michinoku Driver. Cage planted Swann with a modified Burning Hammer for a two count. Cage chopped Swann on the top rope. Swann escaped. Cage dodged Swann’s Martial Law kick. Swann caught Cage with a RKO and followed up with a Lethal Injection. Swann hit Cage with a 450 for a nearfall.
Swann crashed and burned on a second Phoenix Splash attempt. Josh Mathews said that Swann might have took too much time getting to the top rope. Cage hit Swann with a power bomb, buckle bomb, and Weapon X for the victory.
Brian Cage defeated Rich Swann via pinfall in 10:17.
Mathews went into more plugs for next week’s Impact “After Dark” reschedule. Sami Callihan made his entrance to interrupt Cage’s celebration. After Callihan entered the ring, a replay aired on the big screen of the finish to the Trios match on Sunday. Callihan kicked Cage in the injured thigh but Cage fought through and hit Callihan with a lariat. Jake Crist went for a crossbody but he jumped right into the Drill Claw. Dave Crist had the look of fear in his face. Sami Callihan and Dave Crist dragged the limp body of Jake Crist out of the ring and stage. Josh Mathews threw in one more plug for Impact “After Dark” to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: Rich Swann has put on some of Impact’s best matches in 2018. The guy is the living definition of “reliable”. I still question why they put Brian Cage in a trios match at Bound for Glory. They would probably argue, “we were planning to have Cage pinned and we needed to protect the hell out of him”. The problem with protecting the hell out of him is that it marginalizes effect of his first pinfall loss. Anyway, good match and predictable but solid closing angle where Cage chews up and spits out Jake Crist to leave the crowd going home happy.
I would say this was a pretty harmless episode of Impact Wrestling. Nothing totally amazing or intriguing, but there was nothing gawd awful like some of the episodes leading up to Bound for Glory. A hidden highlight of the show was Callis and Mathews bantering over PopTV ads. They also included a ton of plugs for next week’s “After Dark” edition. Does that mean Impact can say the F word and show boob? Probably not, especially if they want to sell themselves to other networks and sponsors, but we know that there are immature fans out there that clamor for dirty words and the such. Jason Powell will be by later today with his Impact Hit List and Members Exclusive Audio Review.
Check below for the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and former NWA Champion Nick Aldis.
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