By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
Impact Wrestling TV (Episode 997)
Taped in Cicero, Illinois at Cicero Stadium
Aired August 24, 2023 on AXS TV
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt were on commentary. Dave Penzer was the ring announcer…
No intro this week. The show cut to the end of Before the Impact where PCO was making his entrance to confront Champagne Singh and Mahabali Shera. PCO caught Singh and Shera with front kicks to send them to ringside. PCO hit both opponents with a Suicide Cannonball. PCO gave Singha Reverse DDT. PCO attacked two random stagehands while he set up a table. PCO got on the top rope and gave Singh a De-animator through the table.
Bully Ray called PCO from the big screen. Bully pointed out PCO doing dives and putting people through tables, but that’s not the guy that PCO wanted to put through a table. Bully said PCO won’t get a chance to put him through a table because he’s staying at his hotel room. Bully said the reason is because Impact can’t guarantee him his safety.
Bully said he’s still shocked that PCO is still alive after being lit on fire. Bully said PCO can look all he wants, but he’ll never get to him. Bully promised to get to PCO again and PCO will never forget that Bully Ray is the man who takes out Perfect Creation One. PCO yelled Bully in the ring and marched to the back…
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt checked in from the commentary table. The show cut to the proper “we own the night” intro…
John’s Thoughts: While I appreciate the episodic recap videos, it’s sometimes good for a change of pace every once in a while. A little bit of chaos helps keep weekly viewers invested. I feel like PCO’s act is a bit repetitive, and has been for years going to his pre-ROH stint. Maybe the guy needs to inject some of his history as Pierre Carl Oullet in there to give him some layers. Bully is, as usual, doing a solid job selling the fear of PCO though. Bully is one of the best heels of all time, so you can always count on him to put all his effort into a program.
Entrances for the opening match took place…
1. Impact Knockouts Champion Trinity vs. Jody Threat in a non-title match. Threat got an armbar in off a standing switch. Trinity did her signature sliding matrix to dodge a lariat. Trinity hit Threat with a standing split leg drop for the two count. After a shoving match, Threat tossed Trinity into the corner. Threat hit Trinity with rapid lariats for a two count. Both women traded strong style forearms in the center of the ring. Threat hit Trinity with a nice chop to the throat.
Trinity came back with an enzuigiri. Trinity hit Threat with a Bulldog into the 2nd buckle. Threat dodged a dive and hit Trinity with a lariat for a moment of respite. Trinity held on to the ropes to block a German Suplex. Trinity hit Jody with a back elbow. Jody hit Trinity with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Trinity reversed a F5 into an X Factor for a good nearfall.
Jody rolled up Trinity for a two count. Trinity reversed another F5 attempt into a Full Nelson Atomic Drop for the victory.
Trinity defeated Jody Threat via pinfall in 5:34.
Deonna Purrazzo was shown watching the match on a monitor…
John’s Thoughts: A good match with Threat looking good in defeat. Threat still suffers from extremely tepid crowd reactions when she’s outside of Canada. Again, who is Jody Threat and why should we care about her? She has good energy and moveset, she just needs an identity. It didn’t help here that it was babyface vs. babyface with the main babyface being such a huge crowd favorite.
A Jake Something promo and hype package aired. Jake talked about how he is going to face one of the best wrestlers in the world in the IWGP Champion Sanada. Jake said you may not know Jake Something now, but you will. Jake said he’s 262 pounds and he’ll use every bit of that to take Sanada down. Jake said he’s the heaviest hitter in the game, and Sanada will find that out at Emergence. Jake said his name will be branded on Sanada’s brain for the rest of his life. Jake ended the promo with his usual “What’s my name?” catchphrase…[c]
An “in memory of” graphic aired for the late and great Terry Funk…
John’s Thoughts: Damn man. Two legends from two far away generations passed on. A sad day in pro wrestling to loose a man who helped define pro wrestling, and another who was just starting to change pro wrestling for the better. Rest in Heaven, Terry! Rest in Heaven, Windham!
A recap video package aired, recapping last week’s Multiverse show. (This was probably the video package they would have aired if they didn’t cut to the show en media res)…
John’s Thoughts: Quick takeaway. Giulia is someone I can see being a big time player in pro wrestling. She’s getting a lot of hype in Japan now. She’s good in the ring. She has a very marketable look, being half Italian, half Japanese (though, I think her English Language might not be the best since she moved from England as a baby and grew up in Japan). Impact should definitely bring her in, but if Paul Levesque and Tony Khan got a good look at her, I’d see them swooping her up.
Gia Miller interviewed Josh Alexander and asked him about his journey back to pro wrestling. Josh said it has been five months; and while that may not seem like a lot of time for everyone else, it was a lifetime to him. Josh said he had to sit on all those thoughts on leaving, having to give up that thing he worked so hard to get and keep, the Impact World Title.
Josh said it’s been five months of nerves, five months of doubt, of whether he’ll be able to come back the same or better than he was before. Josh said that doubt ended at the Multiverse show where he was able to be back where he belongs, is most comfortable, in the ring. Josh said he’s going to be keeping tabs on the Alex Shelley vs. Brian Myers match to see who he has to face for the world title…
Entrances for the next match took place…
2. Deaner (w/Kon) vs. Laredo Kid. Kid wanted a handshake, but Deaner pie faced him instead. Both men traded grounded chain wrestling. Kid dominated with lucha flips and an armdrag. Kid planted Deaner with a huracanrana and backbreaker. Kon got in Kid’s face at ringside which allowed Deaner to nail Kid with a lariat of the distraction. Deaner hit Kid with a neck snapper in the center of the ring.
Deaner dropkicked the back of Kid’s neck into the 2nd buckle. Deaner gave Kid trash talk and a paintbrush slap. Kid recovered and planted Deaner with a body slam. Kid hit Kon at ringside with a top rope Senton Bomb. As Kid rolled back in the ring, he walked right into Deaner’s Deaner DDT to give Deaner the pinfall win.
Deaner defeated Laredo Kid via pinfall in 4:24.
Deaner took a mic. Deaner talked about how Eric Young was the author and designer who created Deaner in his own image. Deaner said that led to Eric Young on the floor with a knife in his heart, left for dead. Deaner talked about how Young rose again to return and finish his story.
Deaner said in this story, Young is no longer the author and in control. Deaner said he’s now in control, the new designer, and the design. Deaner said it’s up to him to say how this story ends. Deaner said it ends at Emergence. Deaner challenged Young to a No-DQ match at Emergence…
John’s Thoughts: A good match for what little time given. I actually think Deaner is one of Impact’s underrated bell-to-bell workrate guys and I always enjoy him getting a chance to show off his skill. Sucks that we rarely see him wrestle while he’s in the role of ineffective cult leader. Just end The Design, but for some reason Impact keeps this dead end faction on life support. Meanwhile, Laredo Kid, who’s talented, and gets pushed like a star in Mexico, continues to be Impact’s designated enhancement guy. He’s Impact’s Taka Michinoku (Circa WWF), where the guy is so talented, that it’s almost criminal that they do nothing with that talent.
An (intentionally) bad edited video package aired to hype up Kenny King vs. Johnny Swinger for the Digital Media Championship at Emergence. The poor editing is presumably to imply that Johnny Swinger just learned how to use Windows 95 and that he made this video package…[c]
PCO was walking backstage yelling “BULLY”. Gia Miller tried to interview him, but he just ignored her and continued to wander around yelling “BULLY!!!”…
Entrances for the next match took place. As usual, The Good Hands cut a pre match promo. Skyler said that ABC think that The Good Hands got paid off as “Good Hands for Hire” by The Rascalz. He said that’s false and like saying that Chicago is clean and safe. Skyler said he understands why Michael Jordan left Chicago and never came back. Skyler said he and Hotch are gonna leave too after the referee raises “these two good hands”…
3. “ABC” Chris Bey and Ace Austin vs. “The Good Hands” John Skyler and Jason Hotch. Ace and Skyler traded hammerlocks. Ace dominated the chain wrestling. Skyler managed to get a hand to the face of Ace to drag him to his corner. Ace fought off both Good Hands from the apron and was able to tag in Bey. Bey and Ace hit both opponents with alternating strikes. Bey hit Hotch with a corkscrew elbow drop for a two count.
Ace and Bey hit Hotch with a stereo Leg Drop and Standing Moonsault. Ace and Bey used quick tags to cut the ring in half on Hotch.[c]
Skyler tossed Ace into the ringpost to turn the tables on Ace. The Good Hands then used their tags to cut the ring in half on Ace. The heels dominated for a few minutes off the isolation offense. Ace managed to get a window of opportunity off a Savate Kick on Hotch. Bey and Skyler tagged in with Bey having the hot hand. Bey hit Hotch and Skyler at the same time with a DDT and Flatliner. Bey hit Skyler with One Final Beat for a nearfall.
Bey went for his assisted cutter, but Ace’s arm gave out on him. The Good Hands dumped Bey from the ring. The Good Hands focused their attack on Ace’s arm. The Good Hands hit a Samoan Drop Blockbuster on Ace. Bey broke up the pin. Bey hit Hotch with a springboard Fameasser. Bey hit Skyler with a dive at ringside. Bey hit Hotch with a Springboard Cutter, and Ace followed up immediately with The Fold to give Bey the pinfall win over Hotch.
Chris Bey and Ace Austin defeated The Good Hands via pinfall in 10:00 of on-air time.
John’s Thoughts: Way more competitive than I expected, and in that it was a good match. It’s tough to shake off the fact that The Good Hands are back in the role of being just Good Hands. That aside, Ace and Bey gave a lot here to make the Good Hands look good. Ace and Bey continue to show why they are one of the best young tag teams in the world. They’re just still running around looking like Bullet Club fanboys.
A promo aired from the Subculture trio of Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews, and Dani Luna. They continue to use the black and white graphics that they used since NXT UK. Flash talked about how they’ve been busy defending the Impact Tag Team Champions around the world. Andrews talked about how their first title defense was tainted due to The Rascalz interfering. Andrews said they will wipe the slate clean at Emergence to prove why they’re the Tag Team Champions. Dani said they are also going to prove why Subculture conquers everything…
An ad aired to hype the Emergence pre-show. It was done in the style of a movie trailer, and featured Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura training for whatever match they were having on Sunday…
Samuray Del Sol (a.k.a. Kalisto) made his entrance for his Impact television debut. Dave Penzer announced Samuray as being the hometown guy, born in Chicago. Samuray still does his “Lucha” thing. His opponent is Chris Sabin. Hannifan noted that both men were done dirty by Lio Rush in recent months and both want to get their hands on him…
4. Chris Sabin vs. Samuray Del Sol. Sabin dominated the early wristlock sequence. Samuray sent Sabin to ringside with a snapmare. Samuray hit Sabin with a tightrope hop armdrag. Sabin tripped Samuray with a basement dropkick to the calf. Sabin put Samuray in a reverse Indian Deathlock. Samuray got a rope break. Sabin focused his offense on weakening the luchador’s legs to prevent him from high flying.
Sabin dominated for a few minutes, focusing on Samuray’s knees. Samuray managed to land a huracanrana on Samuray. Sabin came back with a dropkick to Samuray.[c]
Sabin was dominating back from the break. Samuray managed to turn the tables with a Listo Kick and Frankendriver. Samuray hyped the crowd with a lucha chant. He hit Sabin with a slingshot crossbody for a two count. Sabin blocked a Salida Del Sol attempt and hit Kalisto with a reverse DDT. Sabin power bombed Samuray for a one count, but immediately floated into a STF. Sabin hit Samuray with a Bridged Butterfly Suplex for a two count.
Sabin tried to follow up, but Samuray managed to nail Sabin with his Salida Del Sol finisher. Sabin rolled to ringside to prevent the pin. Samuray hit Sabin with a Slingshot Molly Go Round to ringside. Sabin caught Samuray with a leg lariat. Sabin planted Samuray with the Cradle Shock for the win.
Chris Sabin defeated Samuray Del Sol via pinfall in 13:01 of on-air time.
John’s Thoughts: A fun bout with Samuray looking very good. One small detail, Samuray used to wear a open mouth mask in WWE, but because he was always so happy and smiley, it undercut his seriousness in the ring. I always said he should be more stoic and the full face mask helped that here. Samuray got to look good, even hitting his finisher on Sabin. You had to know Sabin was going over because he’s the Impact regular and presumably deep in a feud with Lio Rush. My guess is Samuray is just in for the Chicago taping. Just a hunch.
Tom Hannifan sent the show to Part 3 of his interview series with Crazzy Steve (Steven Scott). Hannifan prefaced the interview by saying that this week’s interview was “disturbing”. Hannifan talked about how Steve divulged so much to the world and wondered what Steve wants to address about his future. Steve reiterated that he asked specifically for the voice of Impact Wrestling, Tom Hannifan, to use the weight of his voice to help him.
Steve said not only was his sight taken away from him, but also his voice. Steve said he needs Tom to help him carry his message. Tom nervously said he could help. Steve grabbed Tom’s hand and said he’s tired of being abandoned, tired of being forgotten, tired of being on the receiving end of evil. Steve said if he can’t be the antidote to evil, perhaps he needs to be the plague. Tom asked Steve to stop hurting his hand.
Steve yelled that Tom doesn’t understand! He said that mankind’s greatest cruelty is the casual blindness for the despair of others. Steve said there is nothing casual about this specific brand of blindness. Steve yelled at Tom to help deliver his message. Tom continued to beg Steve to stop hurting his hand.
Steve kept crying as Tom called for security to pull Steve away. Steve shoved the a guard to the ground and threw a fit as he tossed chairs and stuff around. Steve kept yelling for Tom to “Tell them”. Steve mounted the security guard and drooled green goo on his face. Steve got in the camera and yelled “Tell them I’m comfortable with violence, tell them I am comfortable with evil. I am comfortable being the Psychopath in Your story, but make sure to include the chapter where you f—ing made me!”. Steve walked away…
John’s Thoughts: A strong finale to the interview series to put Steve in this new layered and unhinged direction. I’m curious to see how high up the card this new push gets him. One criticism. This was billed as recorded over a month ago, but in recent weeks, Hannifan has been selling the interviews like he wasn’t even attacked. He should have acted a bit more disturbed and nervous when cutting to the interviews these past few weeks to plant the seed of darkness in Steve to the viewers. He did manage to do that this week, but it would have been a nice attention to detail if it was consistent over the past few weeks.
A Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly promo vignette aired where they hyped up their four team tag title defense at Emergence. Masha was speaking in Russian (but for some reason, they didn’t subtitle the pre-tape. They’re usually good with subtitles in the past)…
A hype package aired for the upcoming Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian match happening at the Killer Kowalski’s School of Pro Wrestling in Boston, Massachusetts…[c]
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt checked in on commentary. They ran through the advertised Impact Plus Emergence card…
The camera followed PCO, who wandered into a hotel lobby. He’s still yelling “Bully!”. He stumbled upon the interview set where Bully cut his promo earlier, and you can tell this because there were stage lights set up. Bully was nowhere to be found…
A Tale of the Tape graphic aired for the two wrestlers in the main event. Hannifan recommended that the viewers buy the Multiverse replay to see Alex Shelley successfully defend his title against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Hannifan also plugged Shelley’s new “Yep” t-shirt…[c]
Dave Penzer handled the formal in-ring introductions for the championship match. One added touch, was Penzer actually introduced the referee by name…
5. Alex Shelley vs. Brian Myers for the Impact World Championship. Myers quickly used the ropes to stall. Shelley used a crucifix pin to get a quick one count early on. Shelley worked on Brian’s arm with methodical offense. Shelley used another crucifix pin for a two count. Myers quickly grabbed the bottom rope to break a crossface. Shelley continued to focus his offense on the arms of Brian.
Shelley hit Myers with a Strait Jacket Lungblower. Myers tripped off Shelley from the top rope. For some reason, there was a loud group of fans cheering for Myers (who’s from New York, not Chicago). Myers managed to get a moment of respite after shoving Shelley’s back into the ring apron.[c]
Myers was dominating the match back from break, focusing on Shelley’s lower back. Shelley got a moment of respite after sending Myers into the steel post due to a sidestep. Both men traded fatigued right hands. Both men took turns with punch flurries. Shelley dropped Myers with a flying axe handle. Shelley hit Myers with a knee and STO into the buckle. Shelley teased a pin, but went right into a Crossface.
Myers used a rollup to break the pin. Myers shook up Shelley with an enzuigiri. Myers hit Shelley with the Edgeucution for a nearfall. Myers followed up with another Edge move, The Spear, for the nearfall. Shelley reversed a Roster Cut into Sliced Bread. Shelley transitioned the pin right into a Border City Stretch. Myers rolled around, but couldn’t get to the rope. Myers tapped out.
Alex Shelley defeated Brian Myers via Submission in 10:17 of on-air time.
Bully Ray and Moose immediately ran out to put the boots to Alex Shelley. Hannifan assumed that Bully lured PCO away to give him the numbers advantage in this situation. Kushida and Josh Alexander ran out to even the numbers. A brawl ensued. The camera cut to backstage to show Chris Sabin laid out next to stairs as security separated Lio Rush from him.
They cut back to the ring where both teams were still brawling. The show closed with Josh Alexander biting the head of Bully Ray…
John’s Thoughts: A good tuneup match for Shelley as he needs to be kept strong as world champ. Typical show closing angle to set up the 8 person tag on Sunday. Can’t say I’m looking forward to the 8 person tag as it feels like a regular television main event, meant to warm up existing feuds. I believe Rush worked the Multiverse show, but in a tag match. Of course he’s coming off an injury, so I like them using these stairwell attacks to put heat on him, while not having him get actually physical while recovering.
A good show, but not noteworthy show. That’s because there aren’t any strong feuds built going into Emergence. At least they treated Multiverse as an exhibition show, but at the same time it looks like they’re looking past Emergence to maybe a show like Bound for Glory because all the feuds are lining up for that event.
Disappointed in the payoff for the Crazzy Steve interview trilogy.