By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
Impact Wrestling on Pursuit (simulcast on Twitch TV)
Taped July 7 in Dallas, Texas at Gilley’s
Josh Mathews and Don Callis checked in from the Impact Wrestling “studio” (which is what I’m going to call this place) in front of a Slammiversary promotional set. Josh Mathews talked about how “people” are calling Slammiversary one of the best PPVs of the year and how the “people” are calling yet another Impact PPV one of the best PPVs of the year. Callis said it’s been like that for about a year and this year’s Slammiversary took it up another notch.
Josh Mathews said this episode will air the Johnny Impact and Michael Elgin vs. Keiji Mutoh and Tommy Dreamer from the “Night You Can’t Mist” special. Josh said that this episode will also consist of Josh Mathews and Don Callis sitting down and talking with “Impact Wrestling Dignitaries” from an undisclosed location. Josh said the location is undisclosed to keep them away from dealing with “the marks”. Don Callis insinuated that Josh Mathews is a mark. Josh no sold it. Josh also hyped Jordynne Grace vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Madison Rayne in a triple threat match. Don Callis joked about him and Josh being in so many places at the same time on this show…
Highlights from Moose vs. RVD aired. They aired quick promos of both men spliced in the highlights…
John’s Thoughts: Obviously, they don’t have a lot of first run material to run so it looks like they’re going into “Best of…” mode tonight. That said, this is a technique NXT uses after their Takeover shows. Those are hit and miss. The miss ones are the ones that air replays and nothing else. The hits are the ones with good matches and good supplementary promos. With some matches advertised for this show, I’m optimistic and hopeful that we get the latter type of NXT-Fallout show in this Impact episode. Plus, I’m also a huge fan of reviewing these episodes because I barely have to pay attention to the recap videos.
They cut back to the Slammiversary set with Josh Mathews and Don Callis. They talked about how Moose is showing progression in Impact after beating RVD. Josh said Moose might be a future champion, maybe getting a shot as soon as Slammiversary. Don Callis said that all Moose has to do is move the ball pass the goal line. Callis pointed out his intentional football reference…
Highlights from the Killer Kross vs. Eddie Edwards First Blood match and feud aired…
After the highlights, Eddie Edwards said “I’m Eddie Edwards and I’m whatever I have to be”. They cut to Killer Kross who was backstage on his knees crying, covered in blood and facepaint. Kross said he knew this would happen before Edwards knew, Davey Richards knew, Moose knew, and Alisha knew. Kross said what he “knew” is that Eddie Edwards is just like Killer Kross…
Josh Mathews hyped more recaps after the commercial… [c]
Josh Mathews and Don Callis were know shown in a board room. Josh said they were doing this to “peal the onion a bit” (some people call it reavealing what’s behind the curtain). Don Callis said what people say is the more you peal the onion, the more it stinks. Callis said something was up with this. Josh Mathews talked about how this board room was being used as a post show discussion, similar to how people go to the bar or home with friends to recapitulate the show they just watched. Josh’s voice was starting to crack at this point just like it did on Sunday. Callis said this was like an NFL Draft room.
Josh Mathews said the first “Impact dignitary” to join them in the board room was Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs said he’s never been called a “dignitary” (which, in my opinion, is a better word to use that what stoned RVD used on Sunday in calling him a “writer” on the simulated sport show). Josh Mathews talked about how “crazy” Monsters Ball was. Jimmy Jacobs said he’s personally been in matches like that. Jacobs said when toys and weapons get involved you have two options: 1) To control the chaos or 2) let the chaos control you. Jacobs said he saw four women that controlled the chaos. Josh talked about how going into the match Su Yung and Jessika Havok were in an alliance due to associating with James Mitchel. Josh said maybe that alliance has been broken after Sunday.
Jacobs talked about how Taya Valkyrie would do anything to keep the title. Don Callis said he echos Jacob’s comments in saying that’s the best Monster’s Ball match he’s ever seen (which might be a true statement because Abyss’s Monster’s Ball matches were so formula and repititive). Callis talked about how Taya conquered a match she wasn’t favored in. Callis said using a boxing point system, it looked like Taya had the point lead throughout. Callis said people don’t talk about it because they don’t like Taya, but he thinks Taya is a great champion…
Highlights from Monster’s Ball aired with comments from James Mitchell. Mitchell noted that Su Yung and Havok were supposed to understand that both women shouldn’t worry about ho won the title because if either Su Yung or Havok wins the title, then he’ll set it up where the other is the “vice” champion. Mitchell called Su and Havok his “harem”. They aired clips of Taya talking up her title win. Mitchell was shown seething backstage because he took “Asian mist” to the face. Mitchell said Su Yung has gone AWOL and “The bitch is crazy”… [c]
Josh Mathews called the board room “the war room”. The next dignitary is Impact Wrestling newest full time employee, D’Lo Brown. They talked about the Tag Team Title Triple Threat at Slammiversary and how it got changed last minute. D’Lo talked about how fighters train for a match and things get tough when the match they train for is not that match any more. D’Lo said the best approach is to prepare for what you don’t expect…
John’s Thoughts: These promos aren’t bad, and I was happy I could finally understand a Jimmy Jacobs in Impact. This is harmless and could even provide context to people who didn’t shill out cash for the PPV. That said, I’m not sure if using their creative team as “dignitaries” is the best approach. Maybe I would have preferred that Josh and Don bring in the actual wrestlers into the board room to talk about their matches, kinda like how WWE did it with Talking Smack. Another problem with these videos is they’re airing background music and it’s a bit louder than it should be.
Highlights aired from the LAX vs. North vs. Rascalz match…
They cut back to D’Lo, Josh, and Don. D’Lo talked about how The North proved they are the greatest team going today in Impact Wrestling. Callis said the North isn’t a team that will flip and dive, but they do the smart things and are brutal. Callis said they are good at grounding high flying opponents and he thinks they’ll be tag team champions for the long time. Josh Mathews lost his voice again as he hyped replay of the Night You Can’t Mist match…
Josh Mathews and Scott D’Amore were on commentary for the next match. Melissa Santos was in her famous Lucha Underground role of being the ring announcer…
1. “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin and Johnny Impact (w/John E Bravo, Taya Valkyrie) vs. Tommy Dreamer and The Great Muta. Josh talked about how Muta was a head of his time in terms of pagentry. Josh noted that Muta was a four time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Impact did a quick flash edit to the beginning of the match. Johnny led the crowd in clapping for Muta. Muta and Johnny started the match with chain wrestling. Both men traded ground submissions. Johnny locked in a rear chinlock.
John’s Thoughts: While this match is happening, the crowd seems distracted at something happening off screen. Michael Elgin was even distracted.
Dreamer tagged in and both men took down Johnny with a lariat. Dreamer hit Johnny with a Muta Elbow. Muta then followed up on Johnny with his own Muta Elbow. Dreamer put on Johnny’s headband and gave Johnny a headbutt. Dreamer took a knee from Elgin which allowed his team to get the advantage. Johnny hit Dreamer with a Flying Chuck. Elgin tagged in and worked on Dreamer. Elgin held Dreamer up for nearly a minute in a delayed vertical suplex. Suddenly, Great Muta teased attacking Elgin with a plastic broom, but then jokingly acted like he was cleaning up the ring.
Elgin crashed and burned on an impressive looking Whisper of the Wind. Muta was tagged in for the hot tag. Muta hit both opponents with a Dragon Screw. Muta locked Johny in a kneebar until Elgin broke it. Elgin recovered but Muta responded with a Shotgun Dropkick. Dreamer tagged in and was about to Pile Driver Johnny but John E gave Dreamer an axe handle from behind to separate the two. Dreamer gave John E a DDT. Dreamer recovered and hit Dreamer with a running knee and standing Shooting star combo. Muta broke up the pin. [c]
John’s Thoughts: Uhm, shouldn’t Johnny and Elgin be disqualified after John E attacked Dreamer. For one, the move was effective in breaking up Dreamer’s execution. For two, the referee threatened to disqualify Great Muta earlier for trying to use a broom as a weapon.
Johnny gave Dreamer a Moonlight Drive back from the break. Dreamer kicked out. Muta prevented both opponents from hitting Dreamer with a double suplex. Dreamer worked on Johnny at ringside while Muta worked on Elgin. Dreamer gave Elgin a beeer mist. Elgin managed to turn the tables on Muta while Dreamer took an actual table from under the ring. Dreamer whipped Johnny into the barricade and staggered Elgin with the ringpost. Dreamer put Elgin on the table and was about to do a dive but he ended up eating a roundhouse kick form Johnny.
Dreamer managed to put Johnny in Fireman Carry. Dreamer gave Johnny a Death Valley Driver on top of Elgin through the table. An obligatory EC-Dub chant ensued. Dreamer was about to DVD Johnny in the ring but the referee was distracted and Taya gave Johnny a low blow. Johnny was about to hit Dreamer with his giant x. Great Muta gave Johnny red mist. Elgin was about to Elgin Bomb Dreamer but Muta hit Elgin with Green Mist and a Shining Wizard. Dreamer and Muta then surrounded Taya Valkyrie. Tommy Dreamer spit beer mist in the face of Taya. Dreamer then gave Taya a Cutter. Muta hit Johnny with The Shining Wizard for the pinfall victory.
Tommy Dreamer and Great Muta defeated Johnny Impact and Michael Elgin via pinfall in about 12:30 of TV Time.
Great Muta took one of the streamers thrown at him and started to chew on it. D’Amore said there’s over 60 years of wrestling experience standing in the ring in Muta and Dreamer. Dreamer took the mic after the match for a promo. Dreamer said when he started wrestling he did not want to go to WWF, but rather he wanted to join All Japan or New Japan because of the story telling and work ethic. Dreamer said everybody already knows his Dusty Rhodes inspiratonal story, but he has another about how Dreamer always wanted to be a combination of Muta and Sting.
Dreamer said he wanted to wear face paint, shoot acid, and call himself Tommy Acid. Dreamer said Johnny Rods told Dreamer that Dreamer was too good looking to wear facepaint. Dreamer said Johnny told Dreamer that if he didn’t come up with a better name then Dreamer would be known as Tommy Dickhead. Dreamer said Thank God “Tommy Dreamer” now exists. Dreamer said ECW took that All Japan and New Japan work ethic. After a bit more exposition Dreamer said he was proud to team with Muta and Muta is welcome to wrestle in House of Hardcore any time. Dreamer and Muta shook hands to close the Night You Can’t Mist show…
John’s Thoughts: A fairly harmless match. It wasn’t the best looking match, but it was fun for the fans in that it was a house show worthy match.
Tommy Dreamer was the latest “dignitary” in the Impact War Room. Dreamer retold the promo that he told in the ring about Tommy Acid and his All Japan dream. Josh Mathews said that Sami Callihan is most like an ECW original and used that to segue to a discussion about the Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard match. Josh wondered if that was the end of the feud. Dreamer said he thinks of it moreso as chapter 1, a beginning. Dreamer said Tessa has a chip on her shoulder to prove that she’s the best wrestler in the world while Dreamer has a negative chip. Callis said he thinks Tessa might have won by losing and he also thinks this is the beginning for Tessa.
Highlights from Tessa vs. Sami aired… [c]
An ad for Bound for Glory aired…
The show cut back to the Impact War Room. Petey Williams joined Josh and Don to talk about Rich Swann vs. Johnny Impact. Petey talked about wrestling and looking up to Johnny and Rich. Josh recapped how Johnny won Ultimate X and a chance to wrestle for the title. Josh wondered what it would take for Johnny to have won. Petey said Johnny hit Rich with everything including Starship Pain. They showed a clip of one of Johnny’s not-so-good looking Starship Pains which he did during that match. Josh Mathews asked Don Callis who invented Ultimate X. Don Callis said it was “a genus” (this is an inside joke that Callis and Disco Inferno talk about on their respective podcasts). The three men then talked about how the X Division Title match at Slammiversary was an instant classic…
Highlights from Rich Swann vs. Johnny Impact for the X Title aired…
Johnny Impact was shown ranting backstage. He blamed the referees, the loud “turd cutter” fans, the bad ring condition, but ultimately Johnny said the most common denominator in all of Johnny’s woes in recent months is John E Bravo. Johnny said it was all John E’s fault. Johnny left the building and said he was going “away”. Taya walked up to John E and asked John E where Johnny was going. John E said he didn’t know. Taya also said this was all John E’s fault… [c]
Josh and Don brought Scott D’Amore in to talk about the Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin match. Josh wondered if D’Amore was afraid that they would end up with Michael Elgin as champion. D’Amore talked about how Elgin’s goal was to put people in the hospital and Elgin has delivered on that to several people. Josh pointed out that Cage wasn’t 100% on Sunday. D’Amore talked about how Cage has a lot of fighting spirit to challenge Elgin at less than 100%. Josh wondered if that makes Cage the best. Callis brought up Cage leaving less than perfect at Rebellion and proved all the detractors wrong. Callis credited Cage for winning the match with a basic wrestling move, not something high Impact. Josh wondered who the guy in the mask was? Callis sarcastically said they can’t fool people because the “smart marks” out there figured it out…
John’s Thoughts: So the masked person was Jordynne Grace all along because Callis has called her a female Rhyno in the past. I kid. One thing that surprised me over the weekend was Impact ran an injury angle with Brian Cage at their Bash at the Brewery special, but for some reason there were “rumors” floating all over the internet about Cage’s medical status being in question after said worked injury angle. What was that all about?
Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin highlights aired. Elgin said he thinks Don Callis sent the masked man (who does Rhino’s Rhino Pose)…
Josh Mathews hyped the women’s triple threat for after the break… [c]
Josh Mathews and Don Callis checked in from ringside. Josh Mathews hyped next week’s Impact “Fallout” show which will feature all “Mash-Up” matches where random people would be forced to tag team with each other (so this is the old TNA “Joker’s Wild” concept). A Mortal Kombat-like character select screen popped up and Tessa Blanchard and Sami Callihan were “randomly” chosen as the first tag team (ugh)…
John’s Thoughts: That one got a chuckle out of me. Random? I’m facepalming. Random question. So if you’re forced to team up with someone you don’t like, what’s stopping you from having alligator arms and just not tagging in? What’s the incentive to wrestle these “mash-up” matches? This sounds like an “Only in TNA” concept, which it is and it was known as “Joker’s Wild”.
2. Jordynne Grace vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Madison Rayne. Josh Mathews said that Kiera Hogan wants to be called the “Girl on Fi-Yaaaaah” (which Clalis comically pronounced). Triple threat madness ensued. Grace took down both opponents with a lariat. More triple threat madness ensued with Grace wheelbarrowing Rayne on Kiera. Kiera kicked out at two. Grace worked on Kiera’s lower back. Callis noticed that Grace has the size and power advantage over both opponents. Josh tried to mock WWE’s terminology but Callis used that to mock Josh. Kiera blocked a Grace Driver from Grace. Kiera and Rayne tried to double suplex Grace but Grace double suplexed both oppoents with her shoulders. [c]
Grace missed Vader Bomb on Kiera. Rayne hit Grace with a crossbody. Grace and Rayne tried to pin Grace but both pulled each other off of Grace. Kiera and Madison then went at it. Rayne got a few rollups on Kiera. Josh noted that Rayne is trying to quickly end the match because Grace is the strongest person in the match and is currently stunned. Kiera hit Madison with a nice straightjacket backstabber. Kiera put the boots to Madison in the corner. After getting pummeled a bit Rayne managed to gain control.
Rayne tossed Kiera around the ring a bit. Kiera used a low kick to trip Rayne off the apron. Kiera gave Rayne a suicide dive (which actually missed wide right, but thankfully Rayne adjusted and caught Kiera to prevent her head from crashing into the barricade without protection. Callis noted that Grace has been away for an odd amount of time and may be injured. Kiera went for a suicide dive Grace but was caught by Grace. Grace and Kiera prevented Rayne from doing a suicide dive (which also looked a bit awkward).
Rayne dropkicked Grace and Kiera off the apron. Josh was surprised at how long this match is going. Callis said that Grace might have been recovering at ringside. Rayne choped both opponents. Kiera manipulated Rayne into Stunning Grace. Kiera gave Rayne a superkick. Kiera went for quick pin attempts on both women and Callis noted the aggression. Grace no sold a punch. Grace gave Kiera a twisting and aggressive body slam. Kiera no sold the slam. Grace gave Kiera a release body slam.
All three women then did a fun German Suplex pinning predicament. Everybody kicked out of the pin attempts in there. Kiera put Grace in a second rope Tree of Woe while Rayne was on the top rope. Rayne got Kiera off and hit Grace (barely) with a Del Rio stomp. Kiera prevented Rayne from giveing Grace Cross Rayne. Kiera used her boots to prevent a Cross Rayne. Grace threw Rayne outside. Kiera slapped Grace in the face which fired up Grace. Kiera staggered Grace with a superkick. Grace countered and hit Kiera with a Grace Driver for a win.
Jordynne Grace defeated Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne via pinfall in 12:29 of TV Time.
Rayne was arguing with Grace after the match, I guess for tossing Rayne to ringside, or something. Rayne reluctantly accepted Grace’s handshake. Rayne teased attacking Grace but Grace intimidated Rayne to cause Rayne to back down. When Grace turned her back on Rayne is when Rayne attacked Grace from behind with clubbing blows. Kiera Hogan joined in on the beatdown. Josh thought is was uncharacteristic of Rayne to be unsportsmanlike. Kiera gave Grace a Paige Turner. Josh and Don said that due to how coordinated this seems, it might have been a plan from the beginning. Kiera and Rayne stared at each other for a bit until Kiera decided to leave up the ramp first. Impact closed just as Rayne was leaving and doing her signature beauty queen wave…
John’s Thoughts: Color me surprised, that was actually a good match with a lot of hard work put in it. That said, the women were trying a bunch of unsafe spots and there were some slip ups which thankfully weren’t vital. This felt like an X Division Style spotfest which I’ve grown tired of over the years, but we don’t see it too often in the Women’s division. You can also couple that with the Anthem Impact really doing a decent job not overexposing the spotfest matches like the Dixie Impact did.
As for the potential heel turn of Rayne, let’s see where it goes. Will they stil protect her as strong as they were before turn (I think the only women they protect more than Rayne is Tessa and even Tessa has lost to Rayne in the last few months). One positive they can get from a Rayne heel turn is that Madison Rayne did her best work in Imapct Wrestling as the “Queen Bee” character. Overall, this felt like one of those “good” NXT Fallout episodes that follow up takeovers, but also a bit long. I’m not too much of a fan of using their creative team to analyze the matches and would have liked to have seen the wrestlers do it “Talking Smack” style. The show also ended on a good match. So all is good and they got past a week without fresh material.
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