1/6 Impact Wrestling TV results: Powell’s review of Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mercedes Martinez, Karl Anderson vs. Heath for the advantage in the Hardcore War match, Tasha Steelz, Lady Frost, and Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace, Rosemary, and Rachael Ellering, final hype for the Hard To Kill pay-per-view

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By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Impact Wrestling TV
Taped in Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam’s Town Live

Aired January 6, 2022 on AXS TV

[Hour One] Impact opened with a recap of the contract signing between Moose, Matt Cardona, and W Morrissey for the Impact World Championship match at the Hard To Kill pay-per-view. The angle saw Cardona swing a chair at Moose, who moved, leading to Chelsea Green being struck by the chair… The Impact opening aired… Matt Striker and D-Lo Brown were on commentary, and Dave Penzer was the ring announcer…

Powell’s POV: I was hoping that Impact would get a new coat of paint for the first show of the year. I’m ready for a new theme song. No, I don’t have Dolph Ziggler entrance theme hate for the song. The song is fine, but Impact plays it so many times throughout the show that it’s been run into the ground. Perhaps they will make some production changes coming out of the pay-per-view, as we know they will be introducing a new play-by-play voice.

1. Tasha Steelz (w/Savannah Evans), Lady Frost, and Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace, Rosemary (w/Havok), and Rachael Ellering. Rosemary put Steelz in a Tarantula style over the ropes and then dropped to ringside once she released the hold. Evans hit Rosemary with a big boot on the floor while the referee was checking on Steelz.

Later, Green performed a big dive onto a group of wrestlers at ringside. Frost went up top and moonsaulted onto the pile of wrestlers. Back inside the ring, Ellering rolled up Green for a two count. They both stood up and jockeyed for position before Green hit an Unprettier and scored the pin…

Tasha Steelz, Lady Frost, and Chelsea Green beat Jordynne Grace, Rosemary, and Rachael Ellering.

Powell’s POV: A solid opening match involving all of the Ultimate X match entrants.

A video package aired on the Impact World Championship match to push Hard To Kill…

Moose spoke while looking into the camera. He said he’s done despicable things in the past, and told viewers to imagine what he would do to keep the Impact World Championship. Moose said he was looking forward to the Triple Threat because he would prove to the world why he’s the most dangerous man in the locker room and the greatest world champion in all of pro wrestling… [C]

The broadcast team ran through the Hard To Kill lineup. The show is sponsored by the movie Free Fall, so they showed a trailer for the film…

2. Jonah vs. Jake Something. They cut to an early break at a point when neither man had taken offensive control. [C] Jonah put Something down with a big clothesline and then followed up with a senton splash. Jonah went up top and performed a splash and then scored the clean pin.

Jonah defeated Jake Something.

After the match, Josh Alexander ran out and fought with Jonah. Security arrived and they had a pull apart brawl. Jonah took out the security guards and then slammed Alexander to the mat. Jonah performed a senton while Striker reminded viewers that Alexander suffered internal injuries when Jonah arrived in Impact and attacked him. Jonah performed another senton and then pulled a table out from underneath the ring and set it up in the ring. Jonah placed Alexander top of the table and then went up top and splashed him through the table… [C]

Powell’s POV: A win for Jonah heading into his match with Alexander. I’m not sure why Impact doesn’t do more with Something, but he’s a big guy with some in-ring credibility despite lack of a push, so it felt like a good win for Jonah. The post match angle was strong. I thought they would be going with a basic pull apart with neither man getting a real advantage, but they opted to put more heat on Jonah while also making Alexander look more sympathetic.

Striker spoke about the upcoming Road to Rebellion shows with Impact making stops in Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, Louisville, and Philadelphia…

Powell’s POV: It’s good to see Impact taking the show on the road again. Here’s hoping the pandemic cooperates.

A video package spotlighted the Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo match for the pay-per-view…

3. Masha Slamovich vs. Sandra Moone. Moone’s entrance was not televised. Striker said he felt bad for her having to go up against Slamovich, who dominated the match and scored a clean pin to win a brief match…

Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone.

Powell’s POV: An impressive squash match win for Slamovich. The broadcast team also did a nice job of putting over her dominance.

Steve Maclin delivered a backstage promo about finally getting a singles match with Trey Miguel for a shot at the X Division Championship at Hard To Kill. Maclin said Gail Kim made a mistake in granting Miguel’s request for a match. Kim showed up and said the match would have a winner and a loser, and if Maclin fails to get the job done then he’ll never get another shot at Miguel while he’s X Division Champion… [C]

Gia Miller conducted a sit-down interview with Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green. Miller asked about the chair shot. Green said she’s fine. She said she’s a wrestler and it’s not the first time she’s been hit. Green said Moose engineered the whole thing and got exactly what he wanted, and she fears what it will make Cardona do. Green said Moose engineered the whole thing because he knows Cardona is a threat. Green said Cardona doesn’t get bothered by what critics say, but it does bother her because people don’t know how much time and hard work he puts into this. She predicted that he will win the Impact World Championship at Hard To Kill…

Knockouts Champion Mickie James made her entrance and joined the broadcast team.

[Hour Two] Entrances for the Knockouts match took place…

4. Deonna Purrazzo (w/Matthew Rehwoldt) vs. Mercedes Martinez. Mickie James sat in on commentary for the match. After some back and forth action, the wrestlers ended up on the apron. Martinez speared Purrazzo and they both tumbled to ringside. [C] Late in the match, Martinez put Purrazzo down with a side slam, but Purrazzo immediately hooked her into a submission hold and got the win.

Deonna Purrazzo defeated Mercedes Martinez.

After the match, James entered the ring and had a staredown with Purrazzo. James goaded Purrazzo while encouraging her to hit her, but Rehwoldt kept Purrazzo from losing her temper…

Powell’s POV: A good, competitive match between two pros. Sure, the outcome was predictable with Purrazzo challenging for the title on Saturday. Even so, it was a good win for her over the always credible Martinez, who was presumably in for this set of tapings only given that she has since signed with AEW. If so, Impact played this right by getting what they could out of Martinez and having her put over Purrazzo on her way out.

The IInspiration duo of Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee hosted a talkshow segment and had a sidekick named Jay, who recently lost a match on television. Tenille Dashwood, Madison Rayne, and Kaleb showed up and accused them of stealing their talkshow gimmick. The teams bickered and then McKay, Lee, and Jay left. Dashwood and Rayne sat down and closed out the talkshow…

The broadcast team recapped the Jonah and Josh Alexander brawl from earlier in the show… Alexander was shown receiving medical treatment in the backstage area while he iced his neck. Striker said there was no way that Alexander could be 100 percent heading into his match with Jonah…

5. Ace Austin and Madman Fulton vs. Johnny Swinger and Hernandez. Late in the match, Hernandez had an offensive flurry on both opponents. Austin cut him off. Fulton put Hernandez down with a flatliner, then Austin performed a step-up splash off the back of his own partner. Fulton covered Hernandez and pinned him.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton beat Johnny Swinger and Hernandez.

After the match, Fulton grabbed a chair. Swinger pleaded with him not to use it. Swinger went to the stage rather than help Hernandez, who had his arm wrapped in a chair, which Austin then hit with another chair…

W Morrissey was interviewed by Gia Miller in the backstage area. Morrissey said he didn’t have any friends or fans when he started in Impact. He said everyone wants to be on your side when you’re on top of the industry, but he was alone when he hit rock bottom. Morrissey said there are fans who want to hop on his bandwagon now that he’s back on top, but he doesn’t need fair weather fans, friends, or Moose. Morrissey said he would enter the match alone and win the Impact World Championship alone, just how he likes it…

Striker hyped the main event… [C]

Powell’s POV: Impact creative can’t find something better for Austin to do?

Striker ran through the pay-per-view lineup… Entrances for the main event took place…

6. Heath (w/Rhino, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Eddie Edwards) vs. Karl Anderson (w/Doc Gallows, Eric Young, Joe Doering, Deaner) for the man advantage in the Hardcore War match. Gallows tried to trip Heath as he was running the ropes. The wrestlers at ringside squared off. The referee ejected them all from ringside. [C]

Late in the match, Heath put Anderson down with a kick and got a two count. Anderson used the referee as a shield and then wrenched the arm of Heath, who rolled him up for another two count. Heath charged Anderson, who moved, causing Heath to crash into the corner. Anderson put Heath down with the Gun Stun and then scored the clean pin.

Karl Anderson defeated Heath to give his team the man advantage in the Hardcore War at Hard To Kill.

After the match, Anderson had a bloody nose. Gallows joined his partner in the ring and then took some cheap shots at Heath. Rhino ran out and helped Heath. Young, Doering, and Deaner came out with a trashcan that they used as a weapon. Finally, Swann, Mack, and Edwards arrived with weapons. The teams fought in and around the ring while Striker delivered a final push for Hard To Kill to close the show…

Powell’s POV: The show offered solid hype for a number of the Hard To Kill matches, but I wish the final segment had been dedicated to the Impact World Championship match instead. We heard from the three entrants in the Triple Threat, but the final push for the match was nothing special. Heath for Anderson was fine, but it just felt out of place in the main event slot. John Moore will be by later today with the Impact Wrestling Hit List and the Dot Net Members’ exclusive audio review of this episode. Join us on Saturday night for live coverage of the Hard To Kill pay-per-view.

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