2/22 Moore’s Impact Wrestling TV Review: Pentagon Jr. and Fenix vs. LAX for the Impact Wrestling Tag Titles, Eddie Edwards vs. Eli Drake, Killer Kross vs. Moose to become No. 1 contender, The Rascalz vs. Desi Hit Squad, Alisha Edwards vs. Delilah Doom

By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)

Impact Wrestling on Pursuit (simulcast on Twitch TV)
Taped February 15-17, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam’s Town Casino

Before the Impact Wrestling intro theme, a recap video aired of the “Uncaged” show…

Josh Mathews and Don Callis were on commentary. Josh welcomed viewers to the newest set of tapings at the Sams Town Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada…

Johnny Impact made his entrance to a pretty light reaction from the crowd. Johnny was wearing a formal shirt and vest. Johnny said it’s rare to see someone in this business do what they say they are going to do. Johnny talked about how he said he was a fighting champion and he’s proven that. Johnny said he would give anyone who deserved a title shot a title shot. Johnny then related himself to the crowd by saying that he was once a fan as a kid on the other side of the guardrail. Johnny said as a kid he wanted to see fighting champions. Johnny said this business is what we make it. Johnny talked about how he beat three other wrestlers and closed that chapter. Johnny said it was time to move on to the next contender.

Moose made his entrance to confront Johnny in the ring. Moose said the only thing he’s hearing coming from the ring is “wah wah wah… mah body is breaking down”. Moose said Johnny isn’t a fighting champion, he’s a crybaby. Moose said Johnny is the worst champion Impact Wrestling has ever had. Moose said the only reason Moose isn’t champion is because of “stupid” Brian Cage and Killer Kross. Moose said he thought Kross was his best friend. Killer Kross made his entrance to a loud reaction from the crowd. Josh noted that Las Vegas, NV is Kross’s hometown. Kross was staring and focused on Moose.

Kross called Moose a defiler, betrayer, and a son-of-a-bitch. Kross said Moose should know better than anybody that you don’t “Cross” a “Killer” (get it!). Kross said dealing with Moose is very taxing on the mind. Kross said Moose’s outfits were stupid. Moose took offense to Kross hating on his outfits. Moose retorted by telling Kross that Kross confirmed that Kross likes Jean-Paul Gaultier (a fashion designer). Kross told Moose to not bring up Jean-Paul Gaultier. Johnny said that if Jean-Paul Gaultier was here he would say that Moose’s golden sparkling boots are a bit ridiculous. Moose said that this has nothing to do with Johnny.

Moose told Kross that Moose was in the NFL for seven years. Moose said that if Tom Brady threw six interceptions, then Bill Belichick would bench Brady’s ass. Moose said that Moose benched Kross. Kross was staring a hole into Moose and seething, grinding his teeth. Moose said Kross failed twice against Johnny and it should be Moose’s turn. Johnny laughed and told Moose and Kross that it’s tough to have friends in the business. Johnny said Kross and Moose both think they’re A+, but there is always an A and a B. Johnny proposed a Kross vs. Moose match for number one contendership. This calmed Kross down. Johnny said this match will find out who’s Alpha and who’s “Bitch”. Kross said that’s cute because Johnny is taking a page out of Kross’s manipulative book. Before Kross could approach Moose, Moose decked Kross with a right hand to send him to the ground. Johnny called for a referee. The match would happen after commercial…

John’s Thoughts: A pretty good opening promo segment by all the players involved. Johnny in particular was better than usual. He was confident and didn’t stumble on his words as he does sometimes. Ultimately, he stayed away from any of his forced dorky turnoff lines like Slam Town or “douche rocket”. Johnny was very poise. Moose continues to be highly entertaining and a riot. Remember when this guy used to be the worst and most pathetic babyface in all of wrestling? Kross is next level. The guy’s a great promo, but what separates him is his body language and facial expressions. He taps into a lot of intricacies that you don’t see tapped into by a lot of wrestlers.

1. Killer Kross vs. Moose in a match for an Impact World Title shot. Johnny Impact joined the commentary table at ringside. Moose slapped Kross in the face, but all that did was make Kross fume. Kross then rallied back at Moose with punches. Kross took down Moose with a shoulder tackle. Moose got up with a kip up. Moose got knocked back down with a clean right hand from Kross. Kross rammed Moose with a few corner lariats. Moose pulled in the referee to use as a meat shield. Moose then kicked Kross in the balls when the referee was distracted. Moose got a two count.

Moose threatened to punch the referee for the slow count and Moose made the ref flinch. Since the ref was flinching, Kross took advantage by returning the favor to Moose’s balls. Kross got an inside cradle for a 2 and 3/4ths count. Moose and Kross then traded fighting spirit punches in the center of the ring. Moose send Kross outside. Kross pulled Moose to ringside. Moose and Kross brawled to in front of Mathews, Callis, and Johnny. Kross took Don Callis’s hot coffee on Johnny’s face. Moose tried to pump kick Kross, but pump kicked Johnny causing Kross to turn to the camera and grin because of the close call. Kross took Moose back in the ring to trade punches. Johnny Impact entered the ring and attacked both men so I’m guessing it’s a no contest.

Killer Kross vs. Moose ended in an apparent no contest in 4:14.

Johnny tried to overpower two men, but the two men overpowered Johnny because of the numbers. Kross locked in the rear naked choke on Johnny while Moose put the boots to Johnny. Moose and Kross then fist bumped to show that they were going to be on the same page for this beatdown. Suddenly the Terminator leitmotif played as Brian Cage ran in to run off the heels. Cage hit both opponents with two Tornado Claw lariats. Johnny and Cage hit Moose and Kross with stereo superkicks. Moose and Kross then did the usual heel backtrack thing. Cage picked up Johnny’s title in the corner. Cage then respectfully presented Johnny with the title belt. Cage then left the ring as Johnny held up his title belt with honor…

John’s Thoughts: The match only lasted about four minutes, but it was unexpectedly good for the small amount of time and I wouldn’t mind a singles match between Kross and Moose down the road. Good opening half hour to impact with a lot of strong development for their four person main event scene. Impact Wrestling is doing a really good job building Brian Cage as a sympathetic and naturally honorable babyface (I do know where this leads due to spoilers, and I like where this is going. At least in a sense that they are going in the direction that I would have booked things).

Right after that segment, Josh Mathews and Don Callis checked in from ringside. Josh recapped “Team Impact” losing last week due to Eli Drake’s cane shot. This will lead to Eli Drake vs. Eddie Edwards for this episode. Josh Mathews also advertised Lucha Bros. vs. LAX for the Impact Tag Team Championships in “the final chapter” of their feud for later in this episode (I hope this isn’t the end). Don Callis then joked about being on a “hiring spree”. Callis cut to a clip from the Keepin’ it 100 podcast where Callis “hired” Konnan’s co-host, The Disco Inferno, to Impact Wrestling to work the Vegas tapings…

Impact cut to the latest LAX clubhouse scene. Konnan was extra giddy about LAX’s upcoming match as he named off his usual LAX analogies like comparing them to a late period. Konnan added a new analogy by saying that LAX are like scarecrows standing in LAX’s field. Konnan said that the one thing they can agree on is that this is the last match between the two teams, win, lose, or draw. Konnan also said he wanted a respectful handshake between the teams after the match. Konnan hoped for a great match and he rallied his team heading into commercial… [c]

John’s Thoughts: Side twitch notes, this week on the Twitch stream, during the commercial breaks they are airing a live Skype call between Lucha Underground ring announcer Melissa Santos and Don Callis. Melissa was at home somewhere in Cali while Callis was actually driving in some snowy area. The first few commercials were a bit rough with Melissa struggling to get her audio to work, but they fixed things and Melissa is doing a pretty good job, maybe better than Josh who usually does the skype call.

Brian Cage and Johnny Impact were sitting on a couch backstage and were oddly matching (both men work black headgear, black pants, and were awkwardly shirtless). Johnny thanked Cage for helping with Kross and Moose. Johnny said he knows that Cage wants a title shot and a lot of people agree with that sentiment. Johnny said they can’t have a clean one-on-one match because the “turdcutters” (dammit John!) Kross and Moose are running around. Johnny proposed that Cage teams up with Johnny to take care of the opposition. Cage said he’s done Johnny a lot of favors already. Johnny told Cage that a title shot would be in Cage’s future.

Cage said he’s been through a lot with Johnny, so much that it’s put a strain on their real-life friendship. Cage said it’s just tough to trust Johnny because Johnny has said this so many times before. Johnny said he expected that answer. Johnny handed Cage a stack of papers. Johnny said it was a contract for a Impact title match that Cage can invoke for any time and any place. Johnny said he was just asking that Cage help him in getting rid of Moose and Kross. Cage looked a bit astonished. Johnny left as Cage looked over the contract…

John’s Thoughts: Awkward shirtlessness and dumbass Johnny catchphrases aside, this was actually a good backstage segment to further the babyface development of Cage. Johnny’s also doing a better job on the microphone than he did in Mexico where the promos were off. Cage in particular is really connecting with the audience now that he’s acting like a human being rather than the random Lucha Underground guest who would have random matches in random places, not in Impact wrestling. Like I said, they’re rally making Cage sympathetic because the only thing costing him wins these days is uncontrollable karmic forces. Johnny is doing a good job coming off as reasonable because he’s not being nefarious but rather having a hard time due to stretching himself thin trying to be both a champion and honorable hero.

Josh Mathews advertised the Impact Wrestling “United We Stand” Twitch Special which was on the Thursday of Wrestlemania Weekend. Josh announced the following matches: Lucha Bros. vs. Sabu and RVD, Team Lucha Underground (Drago, King Cuerno, Daga, and Aerostar) vs. Team Impact (Cage, Moose, Edwards, and Johnny), Eli Drake vs. Tessa Blanchard in an intergender match, and Ultimate X (including Jake Crist, Kotto Brazil, Jack Evans, and more to be announced)…

John’s Thoughts: Hmmmmm, it’s so odd to hear the words “Lucha Underground” said in a positive context these days given huge mess they are currently having in terms of contracts and network issues. Anyway, the card isn’t a bad card. It’s also interesting seeing Impact promoting other promotions because they put the Lucha Underground, MLW, and AAA logos in their ad.

It was time for the Global Wrestling Network Match of the Week. During the Twitch commercial, Melissa Santos revealed that this match of the week was picked by the fans somehow. It was Eddie Edwards vs. Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore match from Slammiversary 2018. This match was happening because Eddie thought his wife was cheating on him with Dreamer (yep, that was the storyline). I fast forwarded through over 10 minutes…

The show cut to the latest Rascalz That 70s Show smoke circle tribute (shouldn’t they move on from this since That 70s Show is one of PopTV’s signature syndicated shows?). Dezmond Xavier and Trey Miguel continued to act high while Zachary Wentz did his usual Michael Kelso impersonation. Trey bragged about beating Ethan Page in Mexico. Wentz advertised that he will beat Page in a match next week. Trey said he’s teaming with Dez against the Desi Hit Squad on this episode of Impact.

Gama Singh joined the smoke circle to hype up the Desi Hit Squad while the cheap laugh track played. Gama said he was going to teach the Rascalz how to really smoke as he pulled out a Hookah bong. Gama said this was the good stuff. Wentz took a hit and started to choke (despite him exhaling zero smoke). A “10 minutes later” card flashed on the screen leading to the Raszalz acting like Gama’s hookah caused them to get too stoned. Gama took a “hit” and then spit out some cartoon Adobe After effects smoke. Yes, they used Looney Toons smoke…

John’s Thoughts: Has Impact run out of so much money that they couldn’t afford flavored water vapor and therefore had to pantomime the act of smoking? I’m not the only person to think this is stupid because the Twitch comments are pointing out the cheapness of the segment too. Maybe Scott D’Amore saw That 70s Show for the first time and thinks this is going to print him the big bucks? I don’t know, but all in all this sucks and screams low budget. (Seriously, they were choking on breathing regular air. Maybe they should take the Matt Riddle approach by, presumably, actually smoking legal weed)…

The “oi oi oi” guys are coming back. A hype vignette aired for the return of Reno Scum, the team of Luster the Legend and Adam Thornstowe who wrestle for the Las Vegas FSW promotion and other West Coast promotions. The video said they were returning next week…

Gama Singh was in the ring cutting his usual bored ass promo for the Desi Hit Squad. Rohit Raju and Raj Singh made their entrance. The Rascalz made their entrance and were selling the effects of Gama Singh’s “weed”…

2. “The Rascalz” Dezmond Xavier and Trey Miguel vs. “The Desi Hit Squad” Raj Singh and Rohit Raju (w/Gama Singh). Raj tried to take advantage of a “dazed” Dez with a schoolboy rollup. Raj then gave Dez a Yakuza Kick. Raj took down Dez with an axe handle strike. Dez tried to fend off both opponents with punches but Raj hit Dez with a flapjack while Rohit tagged in and hit Dez with a running knee. The heels then traded quick tags to cut the ring in half on Dez. Raj hit Dez with a STO for a nerfall.

Dez used a few chops to set up a superkick on Raj. This gave Dez a window of opportunity, but Trey was distracted by the crowd (purposely). Trey tagged in and then did some fun tandem offense with Dez. Dez took down Raj. Trey hit Rohit with a driveby Yakuza kick. Trey hit Rohit with a cool looking seated springboard cutter (John Cena eat your heart out). Rohit went for a CQC combo on Trey. Trey hit Rohit with a scorpion kick. Rohit regained control as the DHS hit Trey with a double team wheelbarrow DDT. Dez broke up the subsequent pin attempt.

Dezmond took down Raj with an enzuigiri. Rohit put Trey on the top rope but Rey escaped and superkicked Rohit. Trey and Dezmond hit stereo Tiger Feint Kicks on Rohit. Trey hit Rohit with a top rope meteora for the victory.

The Rascalz defeated The Desi Hit Squad via pinfall in 6:17.

Dezmond and Trey did their hand wiggle thing after the match…

John’s Thoughts: The DHS being involved kills the suspense a bit because they have zero credibility. That said, the Rascalz continue to show that despite having a bootleg gimmick, they are three extremely talented wrestlers. I like that we’re seeing different combinations of the Rascalz as it helps build them up a bit. My money would be on making Dezmond the designated singles guy because he does have the most singles upside, but he’s also really good in tag teams. Looking forward to seeing more matches from the Rascalz and hopefully they drop the bootleg 70s show gimmick.

Melissa Santos interviewed Eli Drake. Melissa straight up told Drake that he cost Impact the “World Cup” match and now he has to face Eddie Edwards tonight. Drake made a bible allusion and justified his attack on Eddie by calling it revenge. Drake said that earlier in the match, Edwards raised a hand against him so Drake was just returning the favor. Drake said he’s not angry at Edwards, but rather he’s showing Eddie the way. Drake said he was going to show Eddie that hardcore is making Eddie a loser. Drake then ran through his usual catchphrases…

John’s Thoughts: Solid promo from Drake and aside from the ending portion, it was less Rock-lite. Drake’s criminally underutilized by Impact as he’s having these oddball and metta feuds that just aren’t compelling. Drake still has it in him to be a main event player (I got to see some of that in a mini-feud he had with Johnny Impact at the Twitch show near San Jose), but if they are going to have him anchor the midcard he needs to start having meaningful feuds. Maybe they should turn the guy babyface because the guy has been so worn down as a heel (To hopefully receive the same but converse effect they got from turning Moose heel).

Rich Swann was shown looking injured and laying down in what is presumably a hospital bed (remember last year when Impact had their cinematic money? They were able to have Sami Callihan actually lay down in a real hospital bed complete with IV and mechanical bed?). Speaking of Sami, Sami sat down next to an injured Swann. Sami said he knows that Swann’s mom and pops can’t be here. Sami said it’s tough that Rich has to sleep in a hospital bed. Sami said he was sorry for putting him there. Sami said he doesn’t hate Rich, he loves Rich.

Sami said he wants Rich to live to his full potential. Sami said he was proud that Rich stood up to Sami. Sami said he was here to support Rich as a big brother. Sami recapped his prior points about helping Rich no matter what. Sami said he even called Rich to help during hard times while Sami was in Japan. Sami said Rich Swann is the most talented human being and performer that he’s met in life. Sami said Rich is still not living up to his potential. Sami asked Rich if Rich was ready to come home. A “nurse” walked up to Sami and told Sami that only family was allowed to visit Rich at the moment. Rich stopped the nurse and told the nurse that it’s okay because Sami is “family”…

John’s Thoughts: Aside from the scene looking like it was being shot in an office, that was some intriguing stuff. Sami’s really good at playing different characters on a dime. I don’t know at all where this is headed, but I’m intrigued to see where it goes. The most predictable route is a Rich vs. Sami feud for the X title, but they are finally making me more interested in seeing what a Rich Swann turn can lead to. If anything, Rich Swann gains a bit of a serious edge from this because he is often presented as “the dancing guy”.

3. Eddie Edwards vs. Eli Drake. Drake had a hard time getting in the ring with Eddie teasing hittinghim with the kendo stick. Eli Drake took down Edwards early on with a shoulder tackle. Edwards and Drake traded wristlocks. Chain wrestling ensued as the commentators hyped up upcoming Impact live events. Drake flipped out of the corner. Edwards had a rally armdrags after a hip toss. Eli Drake tried to tell Edwards that Edwards doesn’t need a kendo stick. Edwards responted with a knife edge chop.

Edwards slammed Drake, crotch first, into the ringpost. Edwards was trying to act “crazy” for a stretch. Drake hit Edwards with a lariat. Drake initiated methodical offense on Edwards. Drake argued with the ref a bit which allowed Edwards to recover and hit a few strikes. Drake hit a running DDT on Edwards. Drake did his Eli Drake catchphrase on the top rope and missed an elbow drop. Josh pointed out that Drake took too much time on the catchphrase which allowed Edwards to recover. Drake also missed a lionsault. Josh said the only way you can see the old Eddie Edwards is by getting the Global Wrestling Network and watching old matches (or you can just watch Impact on Twitch and Pluto TV for free. Do they even still have a Pluto TV?).

Edwards gave Drake a few chops in the ring. Drake and Edwards traded a few strikes leading to the signature Edwards backpack stunner. Edwards got a nearfall off of it. Drake fought out of a Tiger Bomb attempt. Edwards chopped Drake in the back and hit him with the Blue Thunder Bomb. Eli Drake almost hit the Gravy Train but Edwards got a rollup. Drake countered into a sleeper slam for a two count. Eddie Edwards countered an Argentine Backbreaker into a Tiger Driver. Drake kicked out.

Eddie Edwards then grabbed “Kenny” the Kendo Stick. Edwards and the referee argued. This allowed Drake to sneak up and hit Eddie Edwards with the Burning Hammer. Edwards kicked out at two. Drake grabbed the kendo stick and made the referee flinch. Eddie Edwards picked up the win with a surprise jackknife pin.

Eddie Edwards defeated Eli Drake via pinfall in 10:00.

Callis noted that Eddie won with a wrestling move. Eddie got mild golf claps for his win (and a few fans giving him heat since they were Eli Drake fans)…

John’s Thoughts: A good match. Looking at the crowd, Eddie’s character problem is apparent. Aside from a few kid fans (maybe they bought Eddie’s children’s book before the show? I’m kidding), when Eddie’s on offense or getting beat up, the crowd is sitting on their hands. By comparison, most of the crowd was into what Eli Drake was doing by giving him heat and some cheers. Impact really needs to find a way to pivot Eddie away from this cartoon Tommy Dreamer act. Dreamer never acted forced crazy, even when he was in WWE and doing the weird eating thing (that Dreamer gimmick is a guilty pleasure of mine).

Tessa Blanchard was yelling into the “Impact Managment” office. Investigative reporter Rolando Melendez (Rafael Morffi) creeped up to Tessa asking her about what she was complaining about. Tessa said Impact Managment won’t give her a rematch for the Knockouts Championship. Tessa said the management is just pissed off because of Tessa beating up Gail Kim, who is a part of management. Tessa said management is protecting management. Tessa said they can’t save Gail forever and she was getting a rematch one way or another… [c]

The Disco Inferno, Glenn Gilbertti, was roaming around backstage. He was showing up for his first day on the job, even wearing formal dress attire. Disco asked a random stagehand for directions to Impact Management’s office. The person gave Disco incomprehensible directions. This caused Disco to accidently lock himself out of the Casino (in what reminded me of a throwback to Chris Jericho accidently locking himself out of the arena during his Goldberg feud). Disco slammed on the door and yelled, “Let me back in, I’m a big star!!!”…

John’s Thoughts: Simple, effective, and fun stuff from Disco (not for all. I know. But I get a kick out of cheesy comedy sometimes when done right). You don’t see Disco too much on TV so he isn’t overexposed as a lot of the nostalgia acts you see on television. Disco was the best part of the bad Turkey bowl episode. Moving along from that, I think bringing Disco along as the overconfident sad sap can be a fun part of Impact. He can be Impact’s Heath Slater in all the good ways if done right.

Alisha Edwards made her return to Impact TV. Her opponent was Delilah Doom who looked like she came straight out of an 80s teenage movie…’

4. Alisha Edwards vs. Delilah Doom. Josh said Delilah was a fan of Jazzersize. Alisha hit Doom with a drop toehold. Doom reversed with a drop toehold and Tiger Feint Kick. Doom then did some exercise knee lifts in the corner. Alisha countered on the apron and hit a high knee on Doom. Alisha slipped and hit an awkward crossbody, which Callis pointed out. Alisha hit Doom with a snug STO. Tessa Blanchard ran in and punched Alisha for the DQ.

Alisha Edwards defeated Delilah Doom via an apparent DQ in 1:51.

Tessa gave Alisha an impressive Military Press slam on the ramp. Doom tried to land a few punches on Alisha and even gave Alisha a drop toehold. Doom went for a Tiger Feint Kick but Tessa caught it. Tessa then hit Doom with a deadlift sitout powerbomb. Doom struggled to get into position, but Tessa did manage to hit Doom with the hammerlock DDT to stand tall and close the segment… [c]

John’s Thoughts: To be honest, the Doom act does nothing for me, but maybe someone got a kick out of it. Something for everyone I suppose, but to me it gave me bad memories of Simon Dean. I’m guessing the match was meant to be an afterthought so Tessa could interrupt and further her storyline with Gail Kim. Tessa is always good. Delilah being a bit awkward in the ring did slow things down a bit, but at least they got what they wanted out of the segment. Looking forward to Tessa Blanchard vs. Gail Kim. I’m guessing they build up to this for Slammiversary (if they’re feeling froggy, if built right and Gail can still go, this could be a main event).

A vignette aired hyping the debut of Ace Austin. He was shown playing with cards as he put a signed Ace of Spades in his mouth…

John’s Thoughts: Thumbs up for Impact bringing back the debut vignettes. Both WWE and Impact have overlooked the effectiveness of the introductory vignette in recent memory. It looks like Impact is jumping back on board with vignettes for Reno Scum and Ace Austin. Killer Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux really gained a lot of initial hype due to Impact producing great vignettes leading to their debut.

Delilah Doom was interviewed backstage where Doom challenged Tessa to a match next week…

A video package aired showing Impact’s partnership with the NFL Alumni Association to help up with childrens charities. Ed Norholm was shown giving a speech along with Johnny Impact…

Dark Allie and Su Yung were shown backstage doing their “creepy” mannerisms while Rosemary was rubbing Allie’s hair. Sinister Minister James Mitchell got between Rosemary and her hair rubbing. Rosemary had cool Oni (Japanese demon) facepaint. Mitchell told Rosemary to not take what doesn’t belong to her. Rosemary said that Allie doesn’t belong to James, but rather to “the shadow”. Mitchell said that possession is 9/10ths of the law. Rosemary asked for an old school agreement. Mitchell said he loves deals, especially in Sin City. Mitchell said he wants Rosemary so he can bring her back “to him” (Satan?). Mitchell proposed a match between Rosemary’s Dark Army vs. Mitchell’s Dark Army in a battle for Rosemary and Allie’s soul. Rosemary shook Mitchell’s hand and the match is on…

John’s Thoughts: I’m glad Impact ran out of their cinematic budget as it seems. As much as I dislike the undead realm and how it is keeping five talented women in meaningless purgatory, that was a pretty good promo exchange between James Mitchell and Rosemary. Heck, after that exchange, I wish this match were happening in Lucha Underground (prior to season 4) where there would be attention to detail to the supernatural stuff. Hopefully this Dark Army match will be the end of this.

Melissa Santos interview Taya Valkyrie about Tessa Blanchard going on a rampage. Taya said she’s not going to respond to Tessa because Tessa is being a child with a temper tantrum. Taya said Tessa maybe needs a nap, cuddle, a juice box, or whatever. Taya said she has better things to worry about than to worry about Tessa…

Josh Mathews and Don Callis checked in from ringside. Josh ran through the United We Stand card. Josh also hyped Lucha Bros. vs. LAX…

John’s Thoughts: The show has been solid so far, but I’m surprised they didn’t hype LAX vs. Lucha Bros. as much as they did the last two times.

5. “The Lucha Brothers” Pentagon Jr. and Fenix vs. “The Latin American XChange” Santana and Ortiz (w/Konnan) for the Impact Tag Team Championships. LAX jumped the Lucha Bros. during their entrance. Santana feigned a Plancha and paved the way for Ortiz to hit Pentagon with a cannonball Tope. FEnix caught Santana with a kick and tightrope knee. [c]

Fenix and Ortiz brawled in the center of the ring. Ortiz hit Fenix with a flip flip (and no DQ?). Santana and Pentagon grounded Ortiz and Fenix. Pentagon and Santana then cheerled dueling “Cero Miedo” and “LAX” chants. Santana dared Pentagon to pie face him. Santana caught the Cero Miedo and the two men traded strong style punches. Ortiz hit Pentagon with a Sunset Flip into a superkick by Santana. LAX hit a fun series of assisted moves on Pentagon. Fenix whipped LAX into each other. LAX then hit Fenix with splash variations for a two count.

Fenix and Ortiz slapped and scratched at each other. Josh said this match feels a bit different. Santana and Ortiz traded quick tags to isolate Fenix. Ortiz told Pentagon to suck it while they continued to isolate Fenix. Fenix hit Ortiz with a front kick and tthen chopped down both LAX members with educated feet. Pentagon tagged in for teh hot tag. He hit both opponents with a crossbody. Ortiz accidently hit Santana with a shotgun dropkick. Lucha Bros. hit Ortiz with stereo superkicks. Fenix hit Santana with a slicing sobat which Penta hit Santana with the Pentagon Driver. Ortiz broke the pin up. Fenix hit Ortiz with a cross kick. Lucha Bros. hit Ortiz with a modified What’s Up.

Fenix and Pentagon did the Cero Miedo hand sign. Santana tagged Fenix wiht a back Kick. Santana hit Pentagon with a rolling cutter while Ortiz followed up with a codebreaker. LAX hit the reverse Thunder Valley on Pentagon for the nearfall. Fenix did a springboard Rolling Sobat on Santana. The Lucha Brothers hit spike fear factor on Ortiz for the victory.

The Lucha Brothers defeated LAX via pinfall in 9:28 of TV time.

Josh wondered if the Lucha Brothers were the best tag team in the world. Callis said it’s tough to argue since the LBs are 2-1 against LAX. Konnan applauded the effort from both teams and tried to get them in the center of the ring. Pentagon did pose with the title a bit. Konnan tried to encourage both teams to shake hands. LAX threw out the hands first out of respect, Penta and Fenix didn’t honor the respect and instead did their Cero Miedo and Animo hand signs to pie face LAX. LAX responded with kicks. Pentagon and Fenix were then unmasked, and the two luchadores covered up quickly. Callis talked about how he’s never seen Pentagon and Fenix’s face (regular Lucha Underground viewers see Penta’s face every two months due to his mask ripping). This closed Impact…

John’s Thoughts: A good match, but noticibly not as good as their other two encounters. It’s tough to live up to two match of the year candidates, but this was more tame than you would expect. Either that or we’ve seen everything, but I wonder if things were less crazy from the LBs due to Fenix’s injury? But yeah, the first match was breakneck and the second match had a good storyline build around Santana taking all the finishers. Given the Lucha Brothers showing disrespect and LAX stealing the masks, I’m guessing this feud isn’t over. Fingers crossed that they save the big match for a PPV. As for the whole show, another solid episode. The show peaked at the first two segments, but the rest of the show did a decent job developing the other programs on the show.