By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling TV
Taped in Nashville, Tennessee at Skyway Studios
Aired November 17, 2020 on AXS TV
Impact opened with a recap of matches held at the Turning Point special on Impact Plus, which featured The Good Brothers beating The North to win the Impact Tag Titles, and Deonna Purrazzo beating Su Yung to win the Knockouts Title… The Impact opening aired.. Josh Mathews and Madison Rayne were on commentary…
Powell’s POV: This week’s review will be more streamlined than usual. I watched the majority of the show and then learned that John Moore had an internet outage in his area. So in order to avoid watching the show a second time, I’ll just hit on the basics. We’ll get back to normal next week.
1. Moose vs. Willie Mack in a No DQ match. Mack used a Stunner on Moose, who remained on his feet, backed into the ropes, and then speared Mack. Moose mounted Mack and threw punches and forearms at him until the referee stepped in and stopped the match. Moose continued to fire away at Mack afterward…
Moose defeated Willie Mack in a No DQ match.
Powell’s POV: I like the mean streak that Moose has been showing. Now if only they would do away with the defunct TNA Championship that makes him look like a delusional flake.
The broadcast team spoke about how unhinged Moose has become, then spoke briefly about the brackets for the Knockouts Tag Title tournament and hyped The Rascalz farewell in the main event…
The Rascalz were in their “treehouse” and were bummed about being evicted. They strolled down memory lane. One Rascal would list something that happened with another Rascal and that footage would be shown, but the Rascal involved didn’t remember…
Powell’s POV: They should be showing highlights of The Rascalz tag title wins and other in-ring high points. Unfortunately, they never won the tag titles and it felt like they lost as many matches as they won, so we’re left with the treehouse comedy clips. In other words, Impact didn’t get everything they should have out of The Rascalz.
An Impact Plus ad aired…
Tommy Dreamer spoke with Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake as part of his investigation into who shot John E Bravo. Deaner told Dreamer that he should check Johnny Swinger’s fanny pack…
2. Suicide vs. Gio. The match was just getting started when Eric Young and Joe Doering walked out. Doering attacked Suicide and Gio and left them lying while Young played cheerleader.
Suicide fought Gio to a no-contest.
After the match, Young delivered a promo and said that Doering will be the reason that you can’t sleep at night. Young said this world doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to him and Doering…
Powell’s POV: A solid introduction to Doering. Young’s act needed a boost coming off his Impact World Title loss and the quick loss in the rematch.
Gia Miller interviewed Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee inside a dressing room. Purrazzo spoke about how good it felt to be Knockouts Champion again. Purrazzo and Lee agreed that two titles are better than one. The cheap special effects kicked in with some video flashing. When things returned to normal, there was a message written in lipstick on a mirror that warned, “Your time has come” (only with intentional misspellings)…
Powell’s POV: Pull the plug on the bad special effects. It’s unnecessary and turns off more viewers than it turns on.
Backstage, Heath told Rhino that Rich Swann gave him the number of his physical therapist. Rhino told him to make the call. Rhino left the room and ran into Young and Doering. Rhino said he saw what they did earlier and it wasn’t going to happen in Impact. Young punched Rhino, then he and Doering put the boots to him. The heel duo entered Heath’s room and closed the door behind them…
Powell’s POV: Depending on the severity of Heath’s injury, this could be used to write him off of television. But I would actually enjoy the idea of Young and Doering recruiting Heath to join them on the heel side.
3. Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve. Mathews hyped that Chris Bey and TJP will be in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Super J Cup tournament, and a graphic hyped the tournament as being available via New Japan World and FITE TV. Myers appeared to poke the eyes of Steve while the referee’s view was blocked. While Steve acted blinded, Myers dropped him with a lariat clothesline and scored the pin…
Brian Myers defeated Crazzy Steve.
Powell’s POV: It’s nice to see Myers’ losing ways from his Curt Hawkins days have not carried over to Impact. He’s gaining more credibility with each win in Impact.
The Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week featured Madison Rayne and Gail Kim beating Brooke Tessmacher and Tara to win the Knockouts Tag Titles on November 3, 2011…
Mathews hyped the Knockouts tag tournament and the main event… An Impact Plus ad aired…
Tommy Dreamer questioned Johnny Swinger, who pulled a gun out of his fanny pack. Swinger said you never know when Billy Robinson would stretch him on Verne’s (Gagne) farm. Dreamer said Swinger was holding the smoking gun and would go to wrestler’s court next week…
4. Alisha Edwards and Tenille Dashwood (w/Kaleb) vs. Havok and Nevaeh in a Knockouts Tag Title tournament first-round match. Edwards went for a wheelbarrow move that she used earlier in the match. Havok blocked the move and held up Edwards while Nevaeh performed a cutter, which led to Havok pinning Edwards…
Havok and Nevaeh defeated Alisha Edwards and Tenille Dashwood to advance in the Knockouts Tag Title tournament.
Powell’s POV: Which team did they want fans to pull for? Angry Alisha is a babyface, Dashwood is a heel, and I’m still not sure if Havok and Nevaeh were babyfaces or heels when they feuded with Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz.
Mathews discussed the updated tournament brackets…
Backstage, Jordynne Grace told her mystery partner that the competition in the tournament was tough. She said she heard the mystery person was retiring and she had to give it a shot, and she’s grateful that she agreed to team with her. Grace said she would see the mystery person next week…
Powell’s POV: Interesting. They showed Tara in the Flashback clip and she talked about retiring, but that’s just a shot in the dark guess.
5. Hernandez vs. Fallah Bahh. Bahh picked up a near fall and barked at the referee that it should have been a three count. Bahh hoisted up Hernandez for a Samoan Drop, but Hernandez fought his way free. Hernandez put Bahh down, then perfomred a top rope splash and scored the pin…
Hernandez defeated Fallah Bahh.
Powell’s POV: This match was all about Bahh stealing the wad of cash that belongs to Hernandez, which Bahh then lost to Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz. Apparently, none of these people want to actually spend the money or deposit it into their bank accounts.
Backstage, Rohit Raju boasted to Impact executive Scott D’Amore about being a mega star and asked if he worked on getting him first class flights. “I miss the Austin Aries days,” D’Amore said after Raju left the scene. TJP showed up. D’Amore said he was pulling for him in the match that he lost to Raju, which came with the stipulation that TJP can’t challenge for the X Division Title while Raju holds it. D’Amore questioned what Dusty Rhodes would do and emphasized that anyone not named TJP could get a title shot…
Powell’s POV: We saw Suicide get his ass kicked by Joe Doering earlier, so I assume they will be going back to the Manik gimmick based on the Midnight Rider approach that D’Amore was hinting at.
Highlights aired of The North winning the Impact Tag Titles at Bound For Glory, then losing the straps to The Good Brothers at Turning Point…
D’Amore was shown talking with Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson backstage when Ethan Page showed up. Page asked for a rematch for the tag titles. Anderson suggested that Page has to go through “a Phenomenal opponent.” Page said he would beat the “Phenomenal wrestler” and get the tag title rematch for him and Josh Alexander…
Powell’s POV: A strange comedic tease of AJ Styles that they obviously won’t make good on.
Mathews and Rayne spent a moment wondering what the Good Brothers were talking about. They shifted to hyping next week’s show, which features another Knockouts Tag Title tournament match, and Rich Swann vs. Ken Shamrock for the Impact World Championship. Finally, the duo set up the Rascalz farewell match and said it was an emotional moment…
“The Rascalz” Dez, Wentz, and Trey Miguel made their entrance together. Rich Swann made his entrance. Mathews thanked Dez, Wentz, and Swann on commentary while the trio joined Swann in doing his dance in the ring. Wentz did the splits portion and acted like he was hurt in a comical way going into a break…
6. Dez and Wentz vs. Trey Miguel and Rich Swann. After some great back and forth action, Swann delivered a kick to the back of Dez’s head and then pinned him to win the match. Miguel sat on the mat and cried while Dez and Wentz sold.
Trey Miguel and Rich Swann defeated Dez and Wentz.
An emotional Wentz put his head on the shoulder of Miguel, who kissed Wentz’s head. Swann and Miguel helped Dez and Wentz to their feet while Mathews thanked The Rascalz. All four men raised their arms. The hugs continued and then concluded with a group hug in the middle of the ring. The Rascalz draped their ring jackets over the top rope and then left the ring together. The trio stopped on the stage where they waved and made their hand gesture before heading to the back.
The camera followed the Rascalz backstage where they were joined by Swann for more hugs. Suddenly, a trashcan was thrown at the group. Ken Shamrock and Sami Callihan attacked the group and left them lying. Shamrock punched Swann, then told him that he would tear every limb from his body next week…
Powell’s POV: A really fun main event and a good show overall. There were a couple of silly and contrived moments during the tag main event, but the silliness was fitting of the personalities of the Rascalz. More importantly, there was some strong action with incredible athleticism. The backstage angle was a nice addition to help set up next week’s main event of Swann vs. Shamrock for the Impact World Championship.
While I’m sure it was a legitimately emotional moment for the trio, I actually couldn’t be happier to see the Rascalz leave the company. Impact never never did right by them from a push standpoint. Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz, and Trey Miguel should have been real players in the company. Instead, they were mid-card comedy wrestlers who were never booked up to their potential. Can you think of a signature win that the trio had during their run together in Impact? Again, though, their final match was entertaining and I applaud the way that Impact is willing to acknowledge when certain wrestlers leave the company. I will have more to say in my Hit List and audio review coming up on Wednesday.
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