The Scottish Sun published an article on Drew McIntyre (Drew Galloway) and his return to WWE. The publication had previously covered McIntyre’s decision to turn down an offer from Impact Wrestling earlier this year.
In the article Drew talks about how leaving WWE allowed him to develop his wrestling persona.
“I’ve been very fortunate — not many people have left WWE and then had the chance to reinvent themselves.”
Drew Galloway Career Resurgence
Since his release from WWE in 2014, Galloway has been wrestling in the UK and for Impact, though he left the promotion earlier this year. His final WWE run was as a member of comedy act “3MB”, but Galloway developed a more serious persona outside the company.
Galloway had been a top prospect for WWE, signing with the promotion at only 21 years of age. He won the Intercontinental championship and was once called a future world champion by Vince McMahon. His signing with NXT, leaves room for that prediction to still come true.
“I remember The Rock saying if you’re the hardest worker in the room anything is possible and my motto is work harder than everyone else.”
It was a night of debuts for Impact Wrestling, as they continue to rebrand under new ownership. The show centered around Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash picking teams for an 8-Man tag team match next week. Borash’s team includes a few new roster additions.
Continue below for a complete recap of last night’s Impact Wrestling:
Impact Wrestling
April 6th 2017
Orlando, FL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jShUhS5tdEc
1. Eli Drake w/Tyrus vs. Caleb Konley
Konley seemed like he had things in control, but then got distracted by Tyrus on the outside. Drake picked up the victory after hitting a white noise-esque move. Winner: Eli Drake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuGiL-471ls
2. Gauntlet Battle Royal for Knockouts Division#1 Contender
This was Royal Rumble rules until the final two competitions, and at that point pins and submissions come into play. Madison Rayne and ODD were the final two. ODB used the TKO to get the pin on Rayne, and she earns a title match against Rosemary. She is a former 4x “Knocked Up Champ”. Winner: ODB
James Storm DCC Town Hall Meeting
Eddie Kingston and James Storm had a heated exchange here. Storm is now babyface with the rest of the DCC going heel. Bram went to hit Storm with a chair but was countered. Storm said his catch phrase and the segment ended.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p8GBQff6gw
3. Andrew Everett vs. Suicide vs. Marshe Rockett
Last week we learned that Everett would be given a chance to earn an X-division title match tonight, and this was his opportunity. Everett hit a shooting star press on Rockett for the win. Commentary only mentioned that he had “stayed in contention” for an X-division title match, though it seems likely he will be granted one at some point. Winner: Andrew Everett
4. Last Man Standing Match Davey Richards w/Angeline Love vs. Eddie Edwards
The wives of both Eddie and Davey got involved here. The end of the match came when Angelina Love was holding Edwards and Richards had second thoughts about delivering the final blow. Love then told him to “do it for me” and he kicked his former partner in the head. Edwards was out for the 10 count. Winner: Davey Richards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUjwUR98P6M
5. Alberto El Patron vs. *Local Talent*
Squash match showcase for Alberto El Patron. He got on the mic after the match and said he was coming for Bobby Lashley. Winner: Alberto El Patron
Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash Pick Their Teams
Earlier in the night Bruce Pritchard announced that Borash and Mathews would each select a team to represent them in a match against each other next week.
Team Borash: Alberto El Patron, Chris Adonis (Chris Masters), Matt Morgan, and Magnus Team Mathews: Bobby Lashley, Eli Drake, Tyrus, Bram
Vince McMahon made a surprise appearance on Monday’s post-WrestleMania RAW and dropped the bombshell that we’ll see a Superstar Shake-Up next week.
The RAW and SmackDown rosters will look very different come next Tuesday, with RAW General Manager Kurt Angle and SmackDown General Manager vying to beef up their respective rosters.
On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed several names that are expected to be switching brands. It should be noted that Meltzer’s info is believed to be based on backstage sources speaking on condition of anonymity. He said,
“When I first heard about the plan, the key moves were to be Roman Reigns and AJ Styles, but I’ve been told that Roman Reigns isn’t moving but AJ Styles is moving.”
AJ moving to Raw would unite him with fellow Club members Gallows, Anderson and Finn Balor.
More Names Moving?
Meltzer continued that Raw would probably have to give up a big name to Smackdown to make up for losing AJ. He also speculated that Alexa Bliss and Charlotte will switch places, though he has not heard that is the plan.
“I’ve heard the New Day moving, which makes sense” – Dave Meltzer
Smackdown’s tag division could use a boost, considering the SD tag titles were the only main roster belts not defended at WrestleMania. Meltzer noted that that Andrade “Cien” Almas and Elias Samson are both expected to be called up to the main roster.
It should be noted that this Superstar Shake-Up is not being promoted as the official ‘2017 WWE Draft.’ AJ Styles and Roman Reigns would certainly create a number of fresh match-ups (and alliances), but we might have to wait until this summer to see a more dramatic reshuffling.
Discussion: Which WWE Superstars do you want to see switch brands next week during the Superstar Shake-Up?
Impact Wrestling X-Division star DJ Z was taken to a Mexico City hospital late last night following a match. He had been wrestling for the Crash lucha libre promotion.
Update: A Facebook post by wrestler Charlie Santos states that Michael Paris (DJ Z) has gone in for surgery to repair internal bleeding.
30 year-old Michael Paris explained that after his match he “puked his guts out” and was turning pale. He believes the injury occurred when he took a 450 splash. At the time he felt he had only injured a rib. The video was shot just before 2AM this morning and there have been no further updates.
Crash is a new Lucha Libre promotion that features many luchadors who defected from AAA. Konnan is heavily involved with the group, and they currently have a talent sharing agreement with Impact Wrestling in place.
DJ Z has been wrestling with Impact since 2011 and is a 2x X-division champion. He has previously wrestled under the name Shiima Xion and Zema Ion as well.
UPDATE: Wrestler Charlie Santo mentioned on his Facebook page that Paris is undergoing surgery for internal bleeding. You can read the full post here.
Aliyah started the match strong, but interference from Billie Kay on the outside turned the tide of the match. Royce went on offence but Aliyah battled back and landed a series of nice arm-drags. She was looking to go for some type of leg lock but Royce countered, kicked her in the face, and gave her the bridging fishermen suplex for the win. Winner: Peyton Royce
Heavy Machinery vs. the Bollywood Boys
For the second week in a row Heavy Machinery is showcased in a squash match. The Bollywood Boys did get in a small amount of offence, but for the most part this was a Heavy Machinery showcase bout. With the Revival getting a call up there is room for another team in the NXT tag team title picture. Winners: Heavy Machinery.
a backstage interview with Drew McIntyre is shown. Drew says his aim is the NXT championship. Commentary mentions he will be in action on next week’s show.
Oney Lorcan vs. El Vagabundo
El Vagabundo was Elias Samson under a mask. Samson lost a “Loser Leaves NXT” match last week to Kassius Ohno. The crowd in Orlando loved Vagabundo, which was clearly not expected. After getting cheered he sang a song about how the fans should shut up. Lorcan stopped him and got booed for his efforts.
Oney Lorcan un-masked Samson during the match, then hit a running blockbuster for the pin. After the match security once again escorted Samson out of the building. Winner: Oney Lorcan
Charlotte Flair made quite an impression with her WrestleMania entrance. Her feathered robe caught the attention of some of wrestling’s more notable peacock enthusiasts as well.
Dalton Castle’s “boys” offered to be a part of her next WrestleMania entrance. The offer did not sit well with Castle however.
For those unfamiliar with Dalton Castle, his entrance is very peacock-themed in ROH. He is also often “fanned down” by his boys at ringside with peacock-feathered fans. He has been given the nicknames “the Party Peacock” and “the Peacock of Professional Wrestling” previously.
Castle was not impressed his boys were showing attention to another peacock-ing wrestler. He responded to both via Twitter.
28-year-old Trevor Mann is one of the most talented high-flyers in wrestling today. As Ricochet, Mann has has won over fans in NJPW as part of the junior heavyweight division. He’s also performed for top indies such as PWG, Evolve and Dragon Gate USA.
Additionally, Ricochet performs as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground. He was the promotion’s top star for much of the first two seasons. Unfortunately it is his contract with LU that Ricochet seems to be implying is holding him back.
Judging by the “thumbs down emoji”, it is safe to say Ricochet is not happy with his current predicament.
Ricochet had been rumoured to be leaving the company in the past. He was even “killed” by Mil Muertes in storyline, although he would return from the dead later. It looks as though the company still has him locked up however, and he won’t be going anywhere soon.
Some believe all original LU talents were locked up to 7 season contracts, but Ricochet denies this is the case.
A civil war might be brewing within the Bullet Club. Dissension between Adam Cole and Kenny Omega has started to build in NJPW and ROH as of late. The two were shown arguing in the ring together recently after a tag match on NJPW World.
Then the Elite’s YouTube channel (the Elite is Omega and the Young Bucks) posted a fan captured video of Adam Cole attempting to fire the Young Bucks at a recent set of TV tapings.
Adam Cole also sent out an ominous tweet earlier today
This week’s edition of ROH TV began by showing the footage of Adam Cole trying to fire the Young Bucks at the last set of TV tapings. Cole cut a backstage promo afterwards, but he only talked about Kazarian and Christopher Daniels screwing him out of the ROH world title, with no mention of the Young Bucks.
1. Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Ray Rowe
Smith took the offence early, working on the leg of Rowe. He did Bret Hart’s old figure four around the ring post move too. Despite Smith working Rowe’s leg the entire first half of the match, Rowe battled back and hit his “Death Row”, a variation of a GTS, for the win. Winner: Ray Rowe
2. ROH Top Prospect Tournament Semi-Final #1 Brian Milonas vs. Josh “the Goods” Woods
They announced Milonas is the largest competitor ever to compete in the tournament. His opponent, Josh Woods, has an MMA gimmick. This match was similar to an old style UFC bout with a jiu-jitsu guy going against a big powerful giant. Milonas hit various slams and power moves while Woods went for submissions. Woods finally grabbed a hold of a leg lock and didn’t let go until Milonas tapped. Winner: Josh Woods via submission (advances to tournament finals)
The Briscoes announced in a backstage promo that they will team with Bully Ray to take on the Kingdom next week with the 6-man tag titles on the line.
3. ROH TV Championship Kenny King (Rebellion) vs. Marty Scurll (c)
Kazarian was on commentary as he earned a TV title shot against the winner. He won a 6-man match on the same set of TV tapings where he joined the Bullet Club and then swerved them to help Christopher Daniels win the ROH world title. It was an eventful set of tapings for him.
A very technical bout between the two here, with Scurll setting him up for his finish most of the way. Finish of this match was Scurll making King tap to the chickenwing. Winner: Marty Scurll
“I don’t know if this is it for me, because I’m no longer with Impact.” – Aron Rex
This past weekend at the WrestleCon event from Orlando, former WWE Superstar Damien Sandow (Aaron Stevens) announced that he’s done with Impact Wrestling.
Aron Stevens Wrestling Career
Real name Aron Steven Haddad, the former Damien Sandow was signed to WWE developmental in 2002 just two years after beginning his career. He wrestled with Ohio Valley Wrestling until 2007 when he was released. He worked on the indies and in Puerto Rico before once again signing with WWE developmental in 2010. After 2 years wrestling in Florida, Damien Sandow was finally called up to the main roster in 2012, 10 years after signing his first developmental deal.
He was released by WWE in 2016, despite having amassed some popularity after having been the Miz’s comical side kick for a period. He competed as Aron Rex briefly in TNA, including debuting a brand new version of his character in the video below.
On Talking Smack last night, Smackdown Live General Manager Shane McMahon announced that if both teams are still on the Smackdown roster net week, American Alpha will face the Usos.
The match, should it occur, will be a rematch from the March 21st Smackdown, when the Usos won the Smackdown tag team championships.
Will Either Team Switch Brands?
The Usos were the last guests to join Talking Smack this week. The pair were upset with Shane McMahon about not being able to defend their titles at WrestleMania. The Usos have never wrestled on the WrestleMania main card.
Shane then said that if the Usos are still on Smackdown next week, they’ll face American Alpha.
Tozawa started the match by chasing Kendrick and going on offence. Kendrick got some offence in too but his normal tricks weren’t working this match. In fact, Tozawa would use one of Kendrick’s lessons against him by faking an injury and then rolling up Kendrick for the 3-count. After the match he let Kendrick know that Tozawa was now the one teaching the lessons. Winner: Akira Tozawa
2. Oney Lorcan vs. Rich Swann
Lorcan charged right out from the beginning and spend the majority of the match on offence. Swann wasn’t able to sustain any kind of attack until the very end when he hit some kicks and a phoenix splash for the win. After the match Swann admitted he is the one who has been sending Alicia Fox gifts every week. Noam Dar was unable to respond as he is currently out with an injury. Winner: Rich Swann
UK Division Receives the Spotlight
Competitors from the United Kingdom tournament were introduced, paving the way for an upcoming UK brand show to air on the Network.
3. #1 Contenders Fatal 4-Way Match Austin Aries vs. Mustapha Ali vs. Gentleman Jack Gallagher vs. TJ Perkins
The cruiserweight division seems to always hand out title shots to the winner of a multi-person contenders match. This is the third time in the short history of the brand, that such a match is how a new contender is determined. It would once again be Aries earning the title match this time around. He defeated TJ Perkins with a discuss forearm. Aries will now get his rematch with Neville. Winner: Austin Aries (pinned TJ Perkins)
It’s official: Matt Hardy has been #FIXED. During an appearance on “Raw Talk” last night Matt dropped many of the “Broken” mannerisms his character had been using.
Multiple Hardy family members have offered storyline explanations for his reverting back to his old self. It should be noted that Matt has left room for a return of the character at some point however.
The sheer NIRVANA of coming home to that DEAFENING ovation at #Wrestlemania seems to have contained my CONDISHTION.
It appears both Reby and Matt are trying to communicate that Matt’s successful expedition of gold has temporarily fixed his condition. Both are leaving plenty of room for the return of the characters in their tweets.
Why Not Use the #BROKEN Gimmick?
There are two possible scenarios as to why WWE is not going to run with the gimmick immediately despite its popularity. The first, and most plausible scenario, is that Vince would rather just bring back the old Hardys, as they did with the Dudleys last year. The second scenario is that Anthem’s legal challenge on the gimmick has WWE afraid to down that route.
Once the nostalgia factor wears off for the Hardys in WWE, it will be interesting to see where the company goes with both Matt and Jeff.
Raw Talk was delayed last night, as WWE cameras kept their focus on the ring area. Bill Goldberg, who lost the Universal championship to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, cut an in-ring promo, addressing his return to WWE these last few months.
Will Goldberg Ever Return to the WWE?
It is believed that Goldberg’s WWE contract has run out, though both sides are leaving the door open for a possible return. Goldberg’s return did great ratings for WWE, which led to his inclusion at WrestleMania 33. With both sides seemingly happy with how things faired this time around, it is safe to assume Goldberg and WWE will look to work together again in the future.
Should Goldberg continue to wrestle a few matches/minutes a year, he would join the company’s expanding roster of part-time attractions.
Fans of Matt and Jeff Hardy who are hoping the brothers will be performing their #BROKEN gimmicks in WWE had their hopes dealt a blow last night. After defeating Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to retain their Raw tag team championships, the iconic tag team were Renee Young’s guests on Raw Talk.
The Hardy Boyz in WWE?
Despite the undeniable chants of “Delete! Delete!” throughout Amway Arena in Orlando, it appears as though WWE is only bringing back the old “Team Xtreme” version of the Hardys. This could change of course, but Matt had definitely reverted back to his old self in the interview.
On where the Hardys Have Been: “We’ve been everywhere. Truly everywhere. One thing we were doing is we were on an expedition of gold. Where we were going to every federation or promotion that was worthwhile and win the tag team championship. And we did, we won every tag team championship that we went to a promotion and worked for. And to home back and win these, obviously the most prestigious championships there are just concluded our expedition of gold.” – Matt Hardy
“The perfect story. The perfect ending. I’ve got the Hardy girls now and Matt’s about to have the Hardy boys. . I’ve been a father for the last six years and it is the best thing thing ever to happen to me.”- Jeff Hardy
Both brothers would continue to talk about the other tag teams on Raw before concluding their brief appearance on the show.
After WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross returned to the announcer’s booth to call the main event of WrestleMania 33, it appears we could be seeing more of good old JR in the future.
Dave Meltzer appeared on the Live Audio Wrestling radio show last night and expressed his understanding that Jim Ross is negotiating a full-time return to WWE.
Jim Ross’ WWE Role
According to Meltzer the contract negotiations are for a full time gig, but he still doesn’t believe Ross would be on either Raw or Smackdown. It could be that Ross comes in for PPVs, or perhaps just the big four PPVs.
Meltzer also believes a big part of Ross’ deal with WWE comes by way of the company not wanting Ross to be involved with the World of Sport project in the UK. It was also reported by Meltzer that Ross’ current WWE deal should not impact his role broadcasting NJPW on AXS TV.
Several fans in attendance last night at WrestleMania are sending in videos of the stage catching fire. It appears as though the fire started during the pyro for Undertaker’s curtain-call.
It is also being reported that Undertaker’s gloves, hat and coat were all still neatly folded in the ring 30min after the show had ended.
More than 30 minutes after the end of #WrestleMania 33, Undertaker's iconic trench coat and hat remain in the ring. Photo: Steve Argintaru pic.twitter.com/OEHkYQ2QTp
In the last few weeks Matt and Jeff Hardy have played a major role in TNA, ROH and now WWE. The legendary tag team made their return to the company last night after 7 years. The WrestleMania win comes 23 years after Matt first appeared on WWE programming.
WWE posted the following to their YouTube channel after the match:
Will Matt Hardy Be Using the #BROKEN Gimmick?
Judging by the above video Matt Hardy still plans on using elements of his BROKEN character. This could mean they have reached a deal with Anthem, or more likely the case is that WWE isn’t worried about any legal action from TNA’s new owners. A third option is that these were just videos which went out on YouTube, and Matt and Jeff probably just did whatever they wanted.
WWE also posted video of the Hardy brothers before the show.
German wrestling fans will be sad to learn that former national team goalkeeper Tim Wiese is putting his professional wrestling career on hold to return to football.
The 35-year old former Bundesliga star had only recently made his in-ring debut with the company at a November house show in Munich. German media is now reporting that Wiese plans on leaving WWE developmental to return to European football.
Tim Wiese and WWE
At 6ft4in and 260lbs, Wiese has an imposing presence. He claims he received an offer from WWE shortly after retiring from football in 2014. Wiese wouldn’t sign with WWE until 2016 however.
Despite his popularity in Europe, Wiese has opted to return to football. He recently signed with minor league football club SSV Dillingen. While he is only saying he is putting his pro-wrestling ambitions “on hold”, he is already in his mid-30s. A return to WWE developmental down the line seems unlikely considering his age.
Paul Heyman appeared at Axxess yesterday, and as per usual he had plenty to say on a variety of topics. Perhaps the most notable opinion expressed by Brock Lesnar’s advocate was his belief that Charlotte Flair will one day be in the main event of WrestleMania.
Heyman even suggested that Charlotte’s opponent at that WrestleMania could be Ronda Rousey.
Women in the main event of WrestleMania is something which will happen eventually. The goal is, or at least should be, to provide a division for the women which allows them to get over to the same degree the men do. This is what occurred in the UFC, when the company put Ronda Rousey’s first fight with the promotion in the main event of a PPV. The women’s divisions were seen as immediately on par with the mens’.
One of the frequently cited reasons for the Raw women’s division lacking momentum, is it’s small roster. It’s hard for a title to feel important when only a handful of women compete for it. Not to mention with the belt changing hands so frequently, fans of the Raw women’s division have become habituated to seeing new champions crowned.
Dana Brooke is earning praise amongst fans who have had a chance to watch a viral video of her at Axxess. The 28-year-old Brooke was unaware a phone camera was capturing her conversation with a special needs wrestling fan.
Before debuting in NXT in 2013, Dana Brooke was a competitive bodybuilder. From 2011-12 she competed on the IFBB circuit, and has been a competitor in 3 different Arnold Classic bodybuilding competitions.
In NXT she formed an alliance with Emma, before being called up to the main roster in 2016. She had been performing as Charlotte’s protege before recently turning against her mentor in March.
It is rumoured that Brooke and Dolph Ziggler are an item, and they were spotted together at the Hall of Fame on Friday. Ziggler and Brooke were drafted to different shows during the brand-split, through this did not appear to impact them as much as it did Alberto and Paige.
They did not start things slow here. Galloway took the mic away from the ring announcer and cut a promo about how WrestleMania weekend is really “wrestling weekend”.
This match spilled to the floor early and they spent most of their time out there. Eventually Galloway managed to piledrive Riddle through a table. He rolled him back in the ring, gave him a double arm DDT then another piledriver and pinned him. After the match Galloway looked to attack Riddle some more but Chris Dickinson and Jaka came in for the save. Riddle had to be helped to the back. Possibly the reason why Riddle was on first was because he was wrestling 58 year-old Dan Severn on a GCW show later the same evening. Winner: Drew Galloway
2. Chris Dickinson (Catch Point) vs. Timothy Thatcher
During the ring introduction the announcer did a worked flub by almost referring to Thatcher as the champion. This enraged Hathley.
This was Thatcher’s first match in Evolve since losing the title to Zach Sabre Jr. at Evolve 79. He had previously held the championship for 596 days.
Finish of the match came when Thatcher kicked Dickinson in the face and locked in his Thatcher stretch for the tapout. Winner: Thatcher via submission
3. Jaka (Catch Point) vs. Jason Kincaid vs. Lio Rush
Rush wasn’t originally announced as being in the match, but the ring announcer simply stated that Rush couldn’t wait to return to Evolve, so this match was now a 3-way.
Rush will wrestle Galloway at Evolve 81. It was a successful return to Evolve for Rush, he picked up the pin over Kincaid after a frog splash. After the match Kincaid stayed in the ring and meditated and chanted a little. Winner: Lio Rush (pinned Kincaid)
4. “All Ego” Ethan Page w/the Gatekeepers vs. Austin Theory
Page cuts a promo beforehand, basically just saying he demands to be in the Evolve title picture. Finish of the match came when Page hit a series of front kicks and then a Rock Bottom-like side slam for the 3 count.
After the match Priscilla Kelly sauntered down to ringside and just kind of wandered around Page in the ring. Then the camera cut to a large smoky area in the audience, which was never explained. After that, a bunch of people dressed as zombie like medics carried a bodybag, with a body in it, into the ring. Page ordered his two Gatekeepers to slam and beat up the bag until the body stopped moving. They finally unzipped the bag and inside was Darby Allin, who then spontaneously recovered and started hitting everyone with some type of pipe. Afterwards he got on the mic and said there would never be an “era of ego” while his heart was still beating. Winner: Ethan Page
5. Keith Lee vs. King Ricochet
Very good giant vs high flyer match. They did a great job of playing up the power difference between the two, with Ricochet not able to gain an inch in a lock up. Lee dominated early with power moves, but Ricochet fought back into it with kicks, a hurricanrana and even a 619-esque move.
The beginning of the end here was when Lee attempted, but missed, a moonsault. Ricochet then hit a springboard 450 for a 2 count. Then he hit a shooting star press for another 2 count. Ricochet then hit yet another shooting star press but Lee grabbed him by the throat this time and picked him up. Ricochet countered with a series of strikes however, and that set up the 630 senton to give him the win. Winner: King Ricochet
6. Evolve Tag Team Championship Match
Michael Elgin and Donovan Dijak vs. Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams (Catch Point)
Dijak really got to shine early in this match, with commentary putting over his athleticism. Finish of the match started when Yehi gave Michael Elgin the Code Red(Canadian Destroyer for the Petey Williams fans), then Tracy Williams locked Dijak in a crossface for the tapout.
After the match Larry Dallas came out and talked about how Catch Point allowed Riddle to get injured earlier. He tried to stir up trouble and mentioned how 3 members of Catch Point are all entered into the elimination match to crown the first ever WWN champion on Sunday. Tough to tell whether there was dissension or not there with the members of Catch Point. Winners Catch Point (Dijak tapped out to Williams’ crossface)
7. Evolve Championship Match Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. ACH
This was Sabre Jr’s first title defence since defeating Timothy Thatcher for the belt. After Zack won the title it was ACH who ran to the ring to defend him against Ethan Page, who attacked the new champion after the match. Not surprisingly there was a healthy amount of technical wrestling here. Sabre Jr. kicked out from ACH’s brainbuster and then countered a 450 splash into a triangle. He then transitioned from the triangle to a modified octopus stretch and ACH tapped.
The two opponents shook hands after and were all sportsmanlike about everything. Sabre Jr. cut a promo after the match thanking the fans when Michael Elgin got in the ring. Elgin sort of implied he would like a title shot and then dropped Zack with a backfist. Bit of a heel-ish move from Elgin there. Sabre Jr faces Elgin at Evolve 81. Winner: Sabre Jr. (1st title defence)
MVP was Sean Waltman’s guest this week on his 12360 podcast. The 43-year old Hassan Hamin Assad shared many stories of his career, including training with the Miz and working as Kimbo Slice’s bodyguard.
Sean speaks about a conversation he had with Kevin Sullivan at a PCW event this passed weekend about John Morrison being involved in the main event of RVD VS MVP: “Well, Kevin came up to me, Joey, and forget who else, but they were telling me ‘Should John Morrison come out before the match starts or after’ you know, after the match finishes to challenge the winner…and you know, my intial react, like “they were asking me,” cause Kevin thinks they should do it before hand.”
MVP Talks about being in WWE developmental with the Miz: “I think it’s weird…umm. I’ll give you an example of the Miz. Very successful, very talented has reached of the highest highs, and I have the upmost respect for him. Cause when we were in developmental down in deep south, you had guys that been around, been a few places who were moaning and complaining about the training. I never heard Mike Mizanin complain not once. Ever. He ran the miles, the squats, the bumps never complained about anything.”
MVP on where he was during the earthquake that happened in Toyko, Japan: “I was in Sinbad but it was in Tokyo and uh 200 hundred miles away but even in Tokyo, Dude that shit was fucking insane, watching building rock and cracks open up in the side of the wall. I was in the shrine. My friend Acvio took me there to give me a tour and what not and we went to this under corner, went to this little kya and I had a big tank of beer. We’re eating and talking and like this is my dream come true, like “ I’m in japan, this is amazing”, and quake starts and at first I started smiling like oh shit my first Japanese earthquake this is cool. And then like shit just started falling off the wall, shit was crashing and Japan is like the third most scientifically active country.”
MVP Talks about how he became a bouncer with Kimbo Slice: “Yeah, that was my first job on South Beach(Miami-Florida)… Kimbo was the first guy that walked up and I saw him and he looked a lot different then too though but… I was like, ‘Hey man you guys hiring?’ and he said, ‘hold on let me check.’ I heard him say, ‘he’s a big dude we could probably use him.’ Then the head guy came out and said, ‘yeah come back tomorrow night in a black suit.'”
Waltman does a good job with these shows. You can also subscribe and download the shows on iTunes here.
In what appears to be a publicity stunt for Impact Wrestling, the promotion’s revamped LAX faction is aiming to disrupt non-WWE events throughout the weekend. Jeremy Borash announced the move on Twitter:
Konnan’s LAX stable had previously been a fixture on TNA programming from 2006-08. That version of the stable consisted of Konnan, Hernandez, Homicide and for a period Shelly Martinez. The new stable consists of Konnan, Homicide, Diamante, Angel Ortiz and Mike Draztik.
LAX recently won Impact Wrestling’s tag team championships in a match that aired on last night’s show.
Posted March 31st, 2017 in News, TNA. Tagged: LAX.
Ring of Honor’ “Supercard of Honor XI” takes place Saturday at 630pm in Lakeland, FL. With over 3000 tickets already sold, the event is officially the biggest in the history of the promotion (in terms of live gate).
The main event will be the first title defence for Christopher Daniels, as he defends against Dalton Castle. It will be interesting to see who the fans cheer for between the loveable veteran, and the cult favourite Dalton Castle.
Cody Rhodes and Jay Lethal’s feud will come to a conclusion in a Texas Bull Rope match as well. In the most talked about match of the evening however, the Hardys will take on the Young Bucks in a ladder match. Could this be the last appearance by the Hardys before they show up in WWE?
Impact Wrestling
March 30th 2017
Universal Studios
Orlando, FL
Karen Jarrett Segment
Karen Jarrett opens the show by cutting a promo on Sienna. Jarrett says she hears Sienna is a bully and she doesn’t like bullies. She then bullies Sienna to leave the ring area. This brings out Sienna’s cousin KM who cuts a promo on Karen. That brought out Allie and Braxton Sutter and a match between KM and Sutter is made for later in the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiPklHiu1x8
1. Andrew Everett vs. DJ Z
First match of the show was in the X-division. The finish of the match came when DJ Z went for a DDT but was countered into a rollup by Everett for a 3 count. Speaking of 3-counts, after the match Gregory Helms and Lee came out and cut a promo on Everett. Helms says that next week Everett will have a chance to earn an X-division title match, though he is not told how. Winner: Andrew Everett
Rosemary “Knockouts Burial Celebration”
Member of Decay, Rosemary, also known on the indies as Courtney Rush, has been knockouts champ for 5 months now. She mentioned how many knockouts she has disposed of. This brought out pretty much everyone in the division, starting with ODB. A few more knockouts spoke and then everything broke down into a brawl. The long and the short of it is that there are many potential challengers for Rosemary’s title. Later we find out that next week the knockouts will have a gauntlet battle royal to determine the new #1 contender.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKUc721rgWU
EC3 and James Storm Segment
EC3 cuts a promo and apologizes for his attitude towards Karen Jarrett last week. For some reason, this brings out James Storm, who was without his DCC teammates.
Storm says he built this company while EC3 was in high school or getting up to no good with his fraternity. Finally the two of them decide that the fans should decide who challenges for Bobby Lashley’s championship.
2. Impact Grand Championship Match Moose (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Before the start of round 3, Brandi Rhodes gives it to Cody and walks out on the match. The judges awarded a split decision to Moose, and he retains his championship. Somehow, I don’t think this match will end the rivalry between the two. Winner: Moose (1st title defence)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INmfxjtxhfM
3. KM w/Sienna vs. Braxton Sutter w/Allie
We get our first look at Sienna’s cousin KM in this match. He came up with an impressive looking win here with a power bomb converted into a backbreaker for the pin.
KM is Kevin Matthews, a 35-year-old independent wrestler who generally competes on indies in the New York/New Jersey area.
After the match Laurel Van Ness, who looks more zombie than distraught bride now, came onto the entrance ramp. She stayed there and looked crazy for a bit until the segment ended. Winner: KM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozbQfaS3c5Y
Before the main event we get an inside look inside LAX. The faction are seen drinking and playing cards. They appear to have made some money marketing 5150 tequila.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djkpGETqMSA
4. Impact Tag Team Championships Decay vs. Reno Scum vs. Graza Jr & Laredo Kid vs. LAX
LAX (Santana and Ortiz) became the new Impact tag team champions by pinning Laredo Kid here. Rosemary attempted to get involved but she was thwarted by Diamante. Finish of the match came when LAX used a powerbomb/flying neck breaker combo to get the pin. Afterwards LAX celebrated in the ring. Winners: LAX (new champions)