By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Impact Wrestling No Surrender
Streamed February 24, 2023 on Impact Plus and FITE.TV
Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam’s Town Live
Impact Wrestling No Surrender Pre-Show
1. Gisele Shaw (w/Jai Vidal) beat Deonna Purrazzo at 9:05. Jai tripped Deonna early on. Deonna hit a huracanrana. They hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down at 6:00. Deonna slapped on a Fujiwara Armbar. Gisele hit a backbreaker and spinning faceplant combo for a nearfall. Deonna applied the Fujiwara Armbar again, with Gisele reaching the ropes. Vidal distracted the ref. Savannah Evans ran to ringside and she hit a full nelson slam on Purrazzo! Shaw immediately hit a running knee to the jaw to score the pin.
2. Jonathan Gresham over Mike Bailey at 10:58. These two have fought three times in Game Changer Wrestling recently, including just two weeks ago in the J Cup, with Bailey getting the tie-breaking win. An intense lockup to begin, and they opened it up with some hard chops. Gresham chopped Bailey on the thigh, and Mike immediately began selling it caused an injury. Bailey hit his speedball kicks to the ribs and thighs, then his corner moonsault to the floor at 2:30. In the ring, Bailey went for a Helluva kick, but Gresham blocked it.
Gresham hit a dropkick. Bailey hit a series of kicks, but missed his running Shooting Star Press. Gresham began working over the left leg, slamming the knee repeatedly in the mat at 5:00. Gresham appied a Figure Four Leglock, with Bailey eventually reaching the ropes. Bailey hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Gresham went for a German Suplex, but Bailey rotated and landed on his feet. Gresham hit a diving forearm to the jaw, and they were both down at 7:30.
They got up and traded chops, and Bailey landed some spin kicks. Gresham hit a second-rope moonsault then a dive between the ropes. Bailey hit a springboard moonsault to the floor. In the ring, Bailey tried to hit his tornado kick, but he collapsed; Gresham immediately hit a diving forearm for a nearfall. Bailey hit a Poison Rana. Bailey hit the tornado kick, but he missed the Ultimo Weapon. Gresham immediately rolled up Bailey for the clean pin. A really good match, certainly on par with their other (longer) matches.
Impact Wrestling No Surrender Main Card
* Director of authority Santino Marella hit the ring to welcome us to the show. He introduced Frankie Kazarian, who hit the ring. Santino joined commentary.
1. Frankie Kazarian defeated Kon (w/The Design) at 9:22. Kazarian clotheslined Kon over the top rope, with Kon landing on his feet. In the ring, Kon hit a running elbow drop to the chest for a nearfall at 2:30. Kon nailed a spinebuster for a nearfall, and he was dominating the action. Frankie hit a springboard legdrop across Kon’s neck at 6:00, then a Scorpion Death Drop reverse DDT for a nearfall. He applied a Crossface Chickenwing, but Kon blocked it.
Kon missed a top-rope diving headbutt. Frankie again applied the Crossface Chickenwing. Angels hopped on the ring apron to distract the referee, so Frankie hit him. Sami Callihan grabbed a chair but he accidentally (?) hit Kon with it. Frankie hit his catapult stunner move for the pin. Decent match. Deaner yelled at Callihan for (accidentally?) hitting Kon.
* Backstage interview with Brian Myers, who vowed to win later. We head to a recap video showing Allysin Kay and Marti Belle returning to Impact Wrestling. We had some sound issues in the next match, but no problem with video.
2. “Death Dollz” Jessika Havok and Taya Valkyrie (w/Rosemary) defeated “The Hex” Allysin Kay and Marti Belle to retain the Impact Women’s Tag Team Titles at 8:56. No James Mitchell as the match begins. Kay and Taya started. Havok hit some jab punches on Marti. The Hex began working over Havok in their corner with some basic stomps. Havok hit a running headbutt on Marti, and they were both down at 5:30. Taya made the hot tag, and she unloaded some kicks and a clothesline on Alyssin, then a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall.
Taya hit a Stomp. Allysin hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Alyssin hit a sit-out powerbomb. Taya hit a spear. Havok hit her chokeslam powerbomb on Kay, then her Rikishi Driver sit-out piledriver for the pin on Marti Belle. An alright match.
* A video package of the history between Joe Hendry vs. Moose.
3. Joe Hendry defeated Moose in a Dot Combat match to retain the Digital Media Title at 12:24. This is a hardcore match/street fight with a cute name. Moose attacked him before the bell. Hendry hit him across the back with a keyboard. On the floor, Moose hit a uranage onto a table. Hendry went under the ring and got a remote controlled car and drove it at Moose. This is silly. Hendry slammed Moose. Hendry got another remote control car, but he couldn’t get it to work, so he just tossed it at Moose’s groin at 6:00. This is eye-rolling dumb.
Moose hit his chokeslam powerslam for a nearfall. He went under the ring and grabbed a bag; he dumbed what he thought would be thumbacks, but it was keyboard keys. He hit a uranage. Hendry hit a top-rope superplex onto the pile of keyboard keys for a nearfall at 9:00. Hendry brought a ‘gaming chair’ into the ring and whipped it at Moose to get a nearfall. (I’d call it an office chair; it isn’t a metal folding chair.)
Hendry put VR glasses on Moose’s head, and Moose sold that he was entertained by what he was watching. Hendry hit a stunner onto the pile of keyboard keys for a nearfall. Moose hit a low blow punt kick for a believable nearfall at 12:00. Hendry avoided a spear. They traded rollups, with Hendry getting a handful of tights to score the pin. Blah blah blah.
* Backstage interview with Mickie James. She’s ready for the next chapter now that she’s women’s champion again. A video clip aired of Bully Ray beating up Josh Alexander, and Ray’s war of words with Tommy Dreamer. (On Thursday, they fought over who gets to speak first. Wouldn’t you want to fight over who gets in the last word, not the first???)
* Dave LaGreca of Busted Open radio hit the ring. Bully Ray had 60 seconds to speak; after 80 seconds, he finally said, “I’m sorry.” Dreamer was irate and demanded more answers. Bully Ray said he “agrees with you that this has gone too far.” Ray said the things he said about Dreamer’s mother was wrong. Ray talked about watching Kevin Nash start to cry while talking about the NWO, now that Scott Hall has died.
“It’s better to work it out than look at their dead lifeless body lying in a coffin,” Bully Ray said. Ray said that if something happened to Dreamer, he’d be at Tommy’s funeral and would probably carry his casket. Suddenly, Bully Ray threw hot coffee in Dreamer’s face and the crowd began chanting, “Asshole!” He hit Dreamer with the coffee pot. This ended exactly as you knew it would.
* Backstage, Rich Swann is excited to try and regain his Impact World Championship he lost two years ago. Steve Maclin walked up to him and said he’s cheering for Rich to win so they can fight for the title.
4. Steve Maclin defeated Brian Myers, PCO, and Heath (Slater) in a four-way to become No. 1 contender to the Impact World Championship at 9:16. Everyone jumped on PCO at the bell, who fought them off. Heath hit a running summersault from the ring apron to the floor. PCO (age 55!!) hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor on all three at 2:00. Myers gave PCO a sunset flip from the apron to the floor, and they brawled up the ramp. Myers and Maclin shoved PCO under the ring. Back in the ring, Myers and Maclin worked over Heath and this looked like a handicap match. Maclin hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 5:00.
Myers hit a Flatliner on Heath. PCO re-emerged. “He’s alive, baby!” Rehwoldt said. PCO hit a flip dive through the ropes on Myers. In the ring, Heath hit a powerslam on Maclin for a nearfall at 7:00. PCO hit a top-rope summersault onto Maclin, who was lying on the ring apron. In the ring, Myers hit a spear on Heath for a believable nearfall. PCO nailed a top-rope moonsault on Myers for a nearfall, but Eddie Edwards hit the ring and hit PCO across the back with a shovel. They brawled to the floor. In the ring, Heath hit a Russian Legsweep on Myers. However, Maclin hit a double-arm DDT on Heath for the pin.
* Trey Miguel appeared on the top of the ramp and complained about how he, the X Division champion, isn’t on the show. He said if AJ Styles or Samoa Joe were still X Division champions, they definitely would have been on the show. He walked to ringside, where PCO stood up and chokeslammed Trey onto the ring apron, then clotheslined him.
* A video package setting up the next match.
5. “The Bullet Club” Ace Austin, Chris Bey, and Kenta defeated “Time Machine” Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, and Kushida at 19:03. Kushda and Kenta opened and Rehwoldt called this a dream match. Kushida went for a cross-armbreaker, and they traded quick reversals, ending in a standoff. Bey entered at 2:00. Shelley made a blind tag and he worked over Bey. Ace got in and gave Shelley a paper cut between his fingers. Sabin entered and battled Ace Austin. TM did some nice team offense first on Ace, then on Kenta. There was an extended beatdown of Ace for several minutes here.
Ace finally hit his Fosbury Flop to the floor at 9:30. Bey then hit a flip dive and celebrated, getting a nice pop from his hometown crowd, and for the first time, I’m wondering who is supposed to be the heels and faces in this match. The BC backed Kushida into their corner and began working him over. Kushida it a Pele Kick on Kenta, and they were both down at 12:30. Sabin made the hot tag and he cleaned house. He hit a top-rope crossbody block on two opponents. Sabin dove between the ropes onto Kenta.
In the ring, the TM took turns hitting running splashes in the corner on Bey. Sabin accidentally hit a Helluva Kick on Kushida! Kenta hit a top-rope doublestomp on Sabin’s chest for a believable nearfall at 15:30. Sabin hit a brainbuster on Kenta, and they were both down. Bey hit a neckbreaker on Sabin for a nearfall. Sabin hit a tornado DDT on Ace. Kushida entered and hit a series of kicks, then a handspring-back-elbow on Ace. Kushida hit a moonsault. Out of nowhere, Ace Austin got a rollup to pin Sabin.
* A video package aired for the next match. Subtitles on the screen for Masha speaking.
6. Mickie James defeated Masha Slamovich to retain the Knockouts Title at 12:20. Intense mat reversals at the bell, with Mickie working over the left arm. Masha dropped Mickie throat-first on the top rope and began working her over. Masha licked Micke’s cheek; Mickie bit her tongue at 4:00! Never seen that before. Masha hit a shotgun dropkick, sending Mickie to the floor. Masha dove between the ropes onto Mickie; in the ring, she got a nearfall at 7:00.
Mickie went for her jumping DDT but Masha blocked it. Mickie hit her spin kick to the face for a nearfall at 9:30. Masha put Mickie along her back and hit a slam for a believable nearfall. Masha hit a spinning back fist. Mickie applied a half-crab. Masha applied a sleeperhold in the ropes; the referee stepped in to break it up. Masha hit a Helluva Kick, then a second one. Masha went for a monkey flip, but Mickie blocked it and got a rollup for the pinfall out of nowhere. Really good match with a nice finish; I really thought Masha was going to get DQ’d moments earlier with the sleeper hold in the ropes.
7. Josh Alexander defeated Rich Swann to retain the Impact World Championship at 25:12. Swann refused a handshake. Josh hit a bodyslam early on, and they traded intense lockups. Swann suddenly slapped him in the face, drawing a reaction from the crowd, at 3:00. Swann hit a huracanrana and applied an armbar. In a nice spot, Alexander went for a chop block to the back of the knee, but Swann did a standing backflip to avoid it. They stood toe to toe and Josh slapped him in the face, a receipt for the earlier slap. Swann hit an enzuigiri. Swann hit a running summersault off the ring apron to the floor at 6:00.
In the ring, Alexander hit a suplex but was hobbling. He hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall, and Josh was in control. He hit a hard back elbow at 9:30, and the crowd began chanting, “Swann!” Swann finally hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Swann hit a spinning back fist and a spin kick to the head. He clotheslined them both over the top rope to the floor. Swann hit a second-rope twisting splash onto Alexander on the floor, and they were both down at 13:00.
In the ring, Swann hit an RVD-style rolling splash for a nearfall. (Right on cue, Hannifan called it a ‘Rolling Thunder.’) Alexander hit some rolling German suplexes. Alexander went for a German Suplex out of the corner, but Swann rotated and landed on his feet. Swann hit a Poison Rana for a nearfall, and both men were down at 15:30. Swann went for a handspring-back-move, but Josh hit a crossbody block as Swann was upside down. Nice.
Alexander missed a top-rope moonsault. They fought in the corner; Swann went for a Frankensteiner, but as they came down, Josh had turned it into an anklelock. Nice reversal! Swann fought free. Swann went for another Poison Rana, but Josh blocked it and hit a faceplant. Swann hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall at 18:30, and they were both down again. Josh nailed the C4 spike piledriver, but Swann rolled out of the ring to avoid getting pinned. They fought on the ring apron, and Josh slammed him on the apron.
In the ring, Swann hit a series of spin kicks, and he was fired up. He nailed a second-rope Phoenix Splash for a believable nearfall. He missed a second one, and Alexander immediately applied an anklelock, and he sat down for pressure. Swann hit some punches to Josh’s head to free himself at 23:30, with Alexander’s headgear coming off. They got up and traded hard slaps to the face, and it turned into stiff forearm shots. Swann nailed the handspring-back-stunner for a believable nearfall. He went for a second one, but Josh caught him, hit a piledriver, then a second C4 Spike piledriver for the pin. Wow, what a match.
Final Thoughts: Three really good matches to conclude the show, with each better than the one before it. We knew Alexander-Swann would be really good, but they were given time to make it absolutely great. It was hampered by the fact I never once thought Swann was winning, but we had a few nice believable nearfalls. Masha-Mickie had a very good match, and while I’m not surprised Mickie retained, I am surprised it was a clean pinfall. Masha wasn’t really hurt by the loss, as it was a fluke rollup. The six-man battle was fun and had a nice build to it.
The undercard had more misses than hits. Maclin was the logical choice to win that four-way, and you knew Eddie Edwards was getting involved before it was over. Strange to set up the beginnings of a PCO-Trey Miguel feud when PCO clearly has unfinished business first with Eddie Edwards. The Vince McMahon ha-ha of the Moose-Hendry match really didn’t work for me at all. If nothing else, go watch Gresham-Bailey on the pre-show, especially if you haven’t seen their GCW matchups and this is new to you.
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