NJPW Never Openweight Champion Jay White made his Impact Wrestling debut during the Slammiversary PPV last Sunday. The company has now confirmed the date for his in ring debut as well.
This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling saw the Bullet Club leader offering Impact Wrestling star Chris Bey a spot in the nefarious faction. Though Bey initially declined the offer.
White called out the Elite later in the show claiming that they were not relevant anymore. The segment led to The Good Brothers attacking White and delivering a nasty beatdown.
This was until Chris Bey came out to help the NJPW star. The former X Division champion helped make things even. The duo then sent the team of Gallows and Anderson retreating.
Impact Wrestling announced after this that Jay White will return to the show next week. He will make his in ring debut for the promotion and team up with Bey to take on The Good Brothers in a tag team match.
There is no word yet on who could be Kenny Omega’s next challenger but the recent interactions between him and Jay White are suggesting that we are gonna see a rematch between these two sooner rather than later.
Impact Wrestling has been focusing on Kenny Omega and other visiting stars for their top storylines in recent months. Many have wondered how the company will fare once these names leave and Gail Kim recently discussed this.
The Impact veteran recently appeared on Busted Open Radio where she opened up about the current AEW champion being the focus of their top stories.
Kim was asked about the company’s future once stars such as Omega and Jey White stop making appearances for the promotion. Replying to it, the former Knockouts champion showed faith in the Impact management:
“I think if they do things right, and I do trust the creative and management process right now, I think they’ve done a really good job. Just a couple years ago, people hated us. For years! It was very hard to get that stink off, we’ll call it. And we’re getting viewers back; we’re getting people talking about it.
I just recently talked to a guy who has a store, a wrestling store. And he was talking about how he could see the difference in sales and people asking for Impact merchandise. We’re making those steps and I think it’s been so positive.”
Gail Kim went on to claim that she trusts the creative team. The TNA Hall Of Famer explained that they will be fine even after the big stars leave as long as they intertwine all the stories:
“I think as long as they intertwine all of these stories, and like I said, I trust the creative team. They’re great. Any person that’s on our roster is used. That’s what I love about this company. If you have a contract with our company, you’re being used.
So I think, ultimately, I would trust this management team right now, the creative team. And I think we’re making the moves in the right direction.”
Kenny Omega made his return to Impact Wrestling on December 8 last year. This relationship has since developed into a full-blown partnership between not only Impact and AEW, but companies like NJPW and NWA as well.
Former Knockouts tag team champion Kiera Hogan has announced that she is leaving Impact Wrestling. The 26-year-old took to her OnlyFans account to announce the news.
“What’s up babies! I’m in Nashville for tapings and you guys will be the first to know that this is my last IMPACT tapings and I’m going to see what else is out there for me I’m so excited and scared but I know whatever I choose to do I’m gonna be the best and that’s on periodt,” she wrote.
Hogan formed a team with Tasha Steelz known as Fire N Flava last year. In January, Hogan and Steelz won an 8-team single-elimination tournament to win the Knockouts tag team championships. The titles were brought out of retirement for the first time since 2013.
Hogan and Steelz lost the titles to Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering at Rebellion in April. They regained the belts at Under Siege the following month, however. Recently at Slammiversary, Havok & Rosemary defeated Fire N Flava to become the new Knockouts tag team champions.
Hogan made her pro-debut in 2015 on independents near Atlanta. She was trained by Curtis “Mr.” Hughes. She signed with Impact in the summer of 2017.
Kenny Omega retained the Impact World Championship over Sami Calihan this past weekend at Slammiversary.
The next challenger to Omega Impact title was determined at Monday night’s television tapings from Nashville, TN. (Spoilers)
In the final match of the second set of tapings, Brian Myers won a #1 contender’s battle royal to earn the championship opportunity. This episode of Impact is expected to air Thursday, August 12th on AXS TV.
Kenny Omega vs. Brian Myers will headline Impact Wrestling’s next special event, Emergence. Impact has not yet confirmed the date(s) for Emergence, which took place over two weeks last year.
The conclusion of the Impact Wrestling Slammiversary show featured “Switchblade” Jay White confront Kenny Omega. The camera cut away before fans could see if White would give The Elite the 2 Sweet hand signal, however.
Spoilers for the last two days of Impact Wrestling tapings have leaked and we now know what White’s role in the promotion will be over the next month.
Jay White Denies The Good Brothers Re-Entry Into Bullet Club
7/18 tapings:
On the shows taped on the 18th, White cut a promo on facing David Finlay at NJPW Resurgence for the NEVER Openweight title. He also said that he was not letting the Good Brothers back into Bullet Club. This led to Anderson and Gallows coming out to attack White but Chris Bey ended up making the save. The Good Brothers would then pick up a win over White and Bey in tag action later in the tapings.
Chris Bey Added To Bullet Club
7/19 tapings:
While White won’t let the Good Brothers back in Bullet Club, he did add a new member to the faction from the Impact roster. Impact posted a clip recently featuring Chris Bey finding a Bullet Club shirt near his locker.
On the second night of Impact’s tapings, Bey formally joined the group after being offered a spot by White himself. This occurred after Bey defeated Juice Robinson in singles action.
Later in the tapings, Bey and White would face FinJuice in tag-team action. The match ended in a disqualification after White hit Robinson with a chair.
The episodes filmed will take Impact up until mid-August. White will face David Finlay at NJPW Resurgence on August 14th.
Jay White In Impact Wrestling
White’s involvement with Impact Wrestling was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer radio.
“It’s part of the deal for getting the New Japan talent. Jay White and Finlay is the co-main event for the Los Angeles New Japan Show,” said Dave Meltzer. “So, I’m sure that we’ll see this on New Japan World, and perhaps part of the deal to get some of these guys on the show, especially Jay White, is that they get to shoot that angle for their own show.”
“Switchblade” Jay White arrived in Impact Wrestling at the conclusion of the Slammiversary PPV this weekend. White also took part in the recent Impact television tapings in Nashville. During the tapings, the leader of Bullet Club added a new member to his faction.
Recently Impact Tweeted out a short clip featuring Chris Bey discovering that someone left a Bullet Club shirt by his locker. Live reports from the recent Impact tapings are stating that White formally invited Bey into the group and Bey accepted by throwing up the 2 Sweet hand signal.
The 25-year-old Bey is a highly-touted up-and-comer. He was trained by the Future Stars of Wrestling promotion in Las Vegas and made his pro-debut in 2017. In 2020, he ranked at #202 in the PWI Top-500. Last year, Impact Wrestling viewers voted Bey the “One to Watch in 2021.” He’s also a former X-Division Champion.
The faction he just joined was formed 4 years before Bey made his pro-debut in 2013. The 4 founding members of the faction are Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Karl Anderson. Bey is the first new member of the group in over a year since Dick Togo was added to the faction last summer.
Impact Wrestling held another round of television tapings on Monday night from Nashville, TN. They now have four weeks of TV recorded, so we have a good look at how storylines will play out through mid-August.
You can find results from Sunday night’s Impact on AXS tapings here. Those shows will air this Thursday (7/22) and next Thursday (7/29).
Here are the results from Monday’s tapings, courtesy of Darryn Simmons and Impact Asylum:
Impact on AXS Tapings Results Airing 8/5
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Drama King defeated Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona in a Homecoming tournament match.
Decay defeated Rachel Ellering and Tommy Dreamer in a Homecoming tournament match.
Eddie Edwards defeated W. Morrissey in a Hardcore Match.
Sam Adonis defeated Joessa.
Jake Something defeated Daivari, Rohit Raju and Trey Miguel in a 4-Way Match.
Chris Bey w/Jay White defeated Juice Robinson w/David Finlay. Afterwards, Jay White presented Bey a Bullet Club shirt and gave him a “too sweet” salute.
Taylor Wilde defeated Kaleb.
Moose defeated Chris Sabin. There was a big brawl to end the show.
Impact on AXS Tapings Results Airing 8/12
Chris Bey joins Bullet Club
Deonna Purrazzo and Drama King defeated Decay in the Homecoming tournament finals to be crowned Homecoming King and Queen.
Tenille Dashwood defeated Taylor Wilde. Dashwood got help from the returning Madison Rayne.
Maclin destroys Jah-C.
Josh Alexander defeated Daivari.
FinJuice picked up a DQ win over Bullet Club’s Jay White and Chris Bey after White hit Robinson with a chair.
John Skyler defeated Matt Cardona after a distraction from Rohit Raju and Mahabali Shera.
Homecoming Queen and King Deonna Purrazzo and Drama King came out for a promote. They were interrupted by Mickie James, who has a contract for Deonna Purrazzo to work the upcoming NWA Empowerrr all-women’s PPV. Deonna refuses to sign it unless she knows her opponent. Mickie then introduces Melina. They signed the contract and the match is on.
Brian Myers won a battle royal to earn a World title shot at Kenny Omega at Emergence.
The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV tapings that took place on Sunday, July 18 in Nashville, Tennessee’s Skyline Studios are out.
These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on AXS TV. You can read the results here, courtesy of Impact Asylum:
Impact Wrestling TV Tapings Results
Taping 1
Chris Bey defeated Rohit Raju.
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Decay (Havok and Rosemary) defeated Fire N’ Flava in a title rematch.
FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) defeated Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. Post-match, Raju and Shera laid out FinJuice.
Jay White cut a promo about how he came to Impact for Finlay and said the Good Brothers’ attempt to rejoin the Bullet Club is denied. Don Callis came out to do an exchange until the Good Brothers came out to attack. Bey made the save.
Matt Cardona, Jake Something and Chelsea Green defeated Brian Myers, Sam Beale and Tenille Dashwood. Also, Taylor Wilde returned to attack Dashwood and Kaleb.
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, Mickie James and Gail Kim did an in-ring promo. Purrazzo accepted James’ invitation to compete at the all-women’s NWA Empowerrr PPV.
Trey Miguel vs. Maclin for BTI went to a double countout as Petey Williams came out to save Miguel from an attack and all three men had to be pulled apart.
Willie Mack and Rich Swann defeated Violent by Design (Rhino and Deaner).
Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering defeated Fire N’ Flava. Post-match, Savannah Evans made her debut by laying out Kiera Hogan. Tasha Steelz then stood over her partner.
Good Brothers beat Jay White and Chris Bey in a non-title match.
Taping 2
FinJuice, Fallah Bahh and No Way (the former No Way Jose) defeated Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Rohit Raju and Shera.
Don Callis and The Elite did an in-ring promo. They announced a no. 1 contender’s battle royal to determine World Champion Kenny Omega at the newly-announced Emergence. Sami Callihan said he’ll be in it, but challenged Omega and the Good Brothers to a six-man tag team match. AEW’s Frankie Kazarian got in the ring to attack The Elite.
X-Division Champion Josh Alexander defeated Black Taurus to retain the title in a match taped for Homecoming.
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Drama King defeated Alisha Edwards and Hernandez to advance in a mixed tag team tournament match at Homecoming.
Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green defeated The Pump Family (Petey Williams and Jordynne Grace) in a mixed tag team tournament match at Homecoming. Post-match, Maclin came out and attacked Williams.
Tommy Dreamer and Rachael Ellering (dressed as the Road Warriors) defeated Brian Myers and Missy Hyatt in a mixed tag team tournament match at Homecoming. Hyatt was picked by Sam Beale to be Myers’ partner.
Crazzy Steve and Rosemary defeated Fallah Flava (Fallah Bahh and Tasha Steelz) in a mixed tag team tournament match at Homecoming.
Kiera Hogan did an in-ring promo calling out Steelz and Evans. Su Yung and a zombie version of Kimber Lee came out instead to drag Hogan away.
Sami Callihan, Eddie Edwards and Kazarian defeated World Champion Kenny Omega and Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers. Post-match, W. Morrissey came out to lay out Edwards and then had a staredown with Callihan.
Edwards challenged Morrissey to fight him out in the parking lot. It ended when Edwards ran him off Eddie eventually ran him off with kendo sticks.
Impact Wrestling’s next PPV will be Bound For Glory on October 23rd from Las Vegas. This news was announced during the Slammiversary show on Saturday night. The video Impact released to promote the PPV features the logos for AEW, NJPW, and AAA.
The video begins with flashes of the Las Vegas cityscape interspersed with images of wrestlers from Impact’s roster. Then beginning at the 24 second mark of the below video, flashes of AEW’s logo, NJPW’s logo, and AAA’s logo are shown.
Perhaps no other promotion in wrestling right now is diving in deeper through the forbidden door than Impact. Slammiversary on Saturday closed with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and leader of Bullet Club, Jay White confronting Impact World Champion Kenny Omega. The camera cut away before fans could see if White would “2 Sweet” members of the Elite.
Impact has brought in talent from all 3 promotions featured in the video teaser in recent months. Black Taurus from AAA has joined the Decay faction along with Crazzy Steve, Rosemary, and now Havok. NJPW has sent FinJuice, Satoshi Kojima, El Phantasmo, and now Jay White. AEW has sent Kenny Omega, Private Party, Matt Hardy, and others.
Although the NWA logo is not shown in the video, Impact and Billy Corgan’s company appear to have established a relationship. Former NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa wrestled Deonna Purrazzo at Slammiversary. Mickie James then invited Purrazzo to NWA Empowerrr next month in St. Louis. Ring of Honor has also had some online interactions with Purrazzo recently. Chelsea Green also appeared as a surprise on both an ROH and Impact PPV over the last two weekends.
Last night at Slammiversary, Jay White came out at the end of the night and stood in the ring with Kenny Omega, Don Callis, and the Good Brothers. The show would go off the air before fans could see if White was aligning with the Elite, however.
While it might have felt as though the show cut out early before fans had a chance to see the angle, this was the intention all along.
What happened after the show went off the air was addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“I was told it went off exactly as planned,” said Dave Meltzer regarding the finish of the PPV.
Bryan Alvarez then detailed what happened after the show went off the air.
“FinJuice hit the ring and Jay White laid them out,” said Alvarez. “And apparently I guess we can watch that on TV this coming week.”
Meltzer then detailed how the angle came together.
“It’s part of the deal for getting the New Japan talent. Jay White and Finlay is the co-main event for the Los Angeles New Japan Show. So, I’m sure that we’ll see this on New Japan World, and perhaps part of the deal to get some of these guys on the show, especially Jay White, is that they get to shoot that angle for their own show.”
“It certainly would appear that there is a Kenny Omega and Jay White match coming somewhere in Impact,” Meltzer continued. “Perhaps at Bound for Glory and that’s a really interesting match.”
Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary PPV was once again built around the intrigue of who could show up. Between WWE releases that are free of their 90-day no-compete windows to wrestlers walking through the forbidden door, the show was filled with surprises, teases, and new roster additions. Every surprise from the show is listed below:
After Kenny Omega defeated Sami Callihan in the main event, he was celebrating in the ring with the Good Brothers and Doc Gallows. Then Bullet Club music hit and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and current NEVER Openweight Champion Jay White entered.
White and Omega’s history in Bullet Club runs deep. White actually turned down an offer to join the faction from Omega himself, instead siding with CHAOS. It would be White who would defeat Omega for the IWGP United States Championship in 2018. Later that year, White would join Bullet Club but only after the Elite was established as being a separate group. Has the Bullet Club civil war started up again?
The camera cut away before fans could see if White put up the 2 Sweet sign for the Elite. Fans will just have to wait until Thursday night to find out.
Thunder Rosa was the surprise opponent for Deonna Purrazzo at Slammiversary. She put up a solid outing against the Knockouts Champion but Purrazzo came out the victor with the Queen’s Gambit in the end. Today is the 1 year anniversary of Purrazzo first winning the title. She lost it briefly to Su Yung for a period of 3 weeks but then won it back. She’s been Knockouts champion 49 out of the last 52 weeks.
Mickie James Invites Deonna Purrazzo To NWA Empowerrr
After Deonna Purrazzo had defeated the former NWA Women’s World Champion, Thunder Rosa, Mickie James came to the ring. James invited Purrazzo to be part of the NWA Empowerrr PPV next month in St. Louis. Purrazzo was more upset that James stole her moment, however. The Knockouts Champion told Mickie to grab her trash bag and get out of there.
Chelsea Green was a surprise at the Ring of Honor PPV last weekend, and now has done the same for Impact this weekend. She was Matt Cardona’s surprise partner against Brian Myers and Tenille Dashwood. Green had teased she would not be there due to her arm, but she found a way to use her injury to her advantage as she hit Dashwood with her cast. Green finished off Dashwood with the UnPrettyHer to cap off her return.
No Way Jose was released by WWE last year. After Tommy Dreamer referencing the guy on occasion for the last year, he finally actually arrived on the show. Just wrestling under the name “No Way”, he was Fallah Bah’s surprise partner for the 4-way tag title match.
The former Aiden English was teased in a vignette on Slammiversary. “The Drama King” was revealed to be on his way to the promotion. The former Vaudevillian and Rusev Day member didn’t appear on camera and wasn’t on the show, but appears to be coming to the promotion soon.
FinJuice Returns!
FinJuice are at Slammiversary!
IMPACT fans get an extra treat tonight from the former IWGP Tag Team Champions!
Former Impact Tag Team Champions, Juice Robinson and David Finlay, are back in the promotion. In an impromptu unadvertised match, FinJuice defeated Madman Fulton and Shera. The last time they were in Impact, they defeated the Good Brothers for the tag titles. The Good Brothers just won those titles back.
AEW champion Kenny Omega had a confrontation with the NJPW’s Never Openweight Champion Jay White during tonight’s Slammiversary PPV event.
The Cleaner defended his title against Sami Callihan in a NO DQ main event during tonight’s PPV. Omega managed to pick up the victory in the bout after delivering a one winged angel to Callihan over thumbtacks.
The world champion was celebrating with his partners in Impact tag champs The Good Brothers and Don Callis when the lights went out. The Bullet Club leader Jay White then made his entrance.
As White got in the ring, the other wrestlers offered up the ‘Too Sweet’ hand gesture. The NJPW champion was still considering his next move when the cameras stopped rolling and the show came to a close.
People in attendance noted that after the cameras went out, the team of David Finlay and Juice Robinson collectively known as FinJuice came out and tried to attack Jay White.
However, the Bullet Club member managed to hit his finisher on Robinson before heading back. FinJuice had made their surprise return to Impact Wrestling earlier in the night.
There is no word yet on whether White will feud with Omega or join forces with him. We will have to wait and see what the officials have planned for the two.
Impact Wrestling has announced a change to tonight’s Slammiversary PPV. It’s a change that opens up another potential mystery spot on the show. Impact has announced that TJP is off tonight’s show but the match he was involved in will still go ahead as scheduled, just without him in it.
“TJP is unable to participate in tomorrow’s IMPACT Wrestling Pay-Per-View event, Slammiversary,” Impact’s update reads. ” The match-up will still go ahead as a four-way attraction.”
TJP was scheduled to team with Fallah Bah in the 4-way match for the Impact tag titles. The other teams were the champions Violent By Design, The Good Brothers Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows, and the team of Rich Swann & Willie Mack. Impact has not revealed if Fallah Bah will be getting a new partner. It’s possible a mystery person could be slotted into the position.
BREAKING: @MegaTJP is unable to participate in tomorrow’s IMPACT Wrestling #Slammiversary PPV.
He was scheduled to team with @FALLAH1 in the huge 4-way collision for the IMPACT Tag Team Championship.
Impact Wrestling is interested in signing one former WWE star and that’s Buddy Murphy.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Impact is making a “major play” for Murphy.
Murphy was thought of highly in WWE among his peers for being an excellent worker and someone who wasn’t used to his full potential while with the company.
WWE did have plans last year to give him another push, but it was nixed. This was around the time that Murphy was involved in a storyline with the Mysterio family and Seth Rollins then was paired with Aalyah Mysterio.
The former WWE star recently did an interview with Chris Van Vliet where he talked about a wide range of topics including Bruce Prichard telling him that plans for this storyline were dropped cold only for a few months to pass with WWE teasing going back to Murphy being paired with Rollins and them being back on good terms. However, that was dropped and eventually, Murphy got released by WWE.
Murphy’s non-compete clause expires on August 31st. Thus, while some former WWE stars are expected at Slammiversary on Saturday night, Murphy won’t be one of them.
Impact Wrestling has added a second match with a mystery participant to Slammiversary on Saturday.
On Thursday’s go-home edition of Impact on AXS TV, Tenille Dashwood hit Cardona with a low blow and appears to have aligned with Brian Myers. Scott D’Amore later announced a new match for Slammiversary that will see Myers and Dashwood against Cardona and a mystery partner of his choosing.
Chelsea Green might be the obvious choice for Cardona. It’s not clear if she will be medically fit come Saturday, however.
The other match with a mystery participant for Slammiversary is the Knockouts title match. 2 weeks ago, Gail Kim informed Purrazzo that she will not know who her Slammiversary opponent is ahead of time. Scott D’Amore teased several names for Purrazzo’s possible opponent in a backstage segment this week.
Josh Alexander, Chris Bey, Trey Miguel & Petey Williams defeated Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Rohit Raju & Shera
Moose defeated Hernandez
Joe Doering w/ Violent By Design defeated Willie Mack w/ Rich Swann, Fallah Bahh w/ TJP & Doc Gallows w/ Karl Anderson
Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering Pick Up Measure Of Revenge On Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFXgd7SwiZ0
The team of Jordynne Grace and Rachel Ellering appear to be back on the same page. Last week on Impact, Tennille Dashwood attacked Jazz on the “All About Me” show. This led to the former knockouts tag team champions challenging her and her personal photographer to a match this week.
Ellering and Grace didn’t show any signs of the dissension that had previously broken up their team and got the victory after a double team assisted slam on Kaleb.
Havok Defeats Tasha Steelz Before Slammiversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_gFv6ZQvAE
At Slammiversary on Saturday, Havok and Rosemary will challenge Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz for the Knockouts tag titles. Ahead of the title clash on PPV, Havok picked up a win over Steelz this week, finishing her off with a tombstone pilediver.
Later in the show, Rosemary spoke with James Mitchell about making Havok a full-fledged member of Decay before Slammiversary.
Was it Su Yung all along? Kimber Lee had previously sought out Father James Mitchell to assist in bringing Su Yung back out of Susan. This week, Kimber ran into Susan in the back and the frequently disgruntled woman revealed that she’s known about Su Yung all along. Susan then grabbed Kimber by the hair and tossed her into a room when the segment ended.
Steve Maclin Picks Up Another Win
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNK3HA1AIuk
Steve Maclin picked up another win in squash match style this week. He then cut a promo about “being done waiting” after.
Chris Bey Is Back To Not Having Picked A Side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LE4fOJFxPs
For weeks, Chris Bey has been refusing to choose a side between the babyfaces and heels in the X-Division. He finally sided with the babyfaces last week but that wouldn’t last long. Bey picked up the win this week for the good guys after scoring a roll-up on Shera. After the match, however, Bey made it clear there will be no sides on Saturday at Slammiversary. it will be every man for himself in Ultimate X. Bey demonstrated this by attacked Trey and Alexander with a chair.
Tenille Dashwood Helps Brian Myers In Beatdown of Matt Cardona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y-AgXNFMFk
Someone Matt Cardona has a history with, Tenille Dashwood, helped Brian Myers attack Matt Cardona this week. Myers and Sam Beale were out to adhere to the stipulation of the match last week and refer to Something as “a professional.” Myers said that Something might be professional but he’s not a star. Things then got physical between the 4 men when Tenille Dashwood appeared and gave a low blow to Cardona.
Following this, Cardona cut a promo in the back on Myers. Scott D’Amore then cut in and announced a match at Slammiversary pitting Myers and Dashwood against Cardona and a mystery female wrestler.
Chris Sabin Saves Hernandez From Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR3140UWQyc
Moose defeated Hernandez in singles action this week. After the match, he wrapped Super Mex’s leg in a steel chair but Moose’s Slammiversary opponent Chris Sabin made the save. Sabin then wrapped Moose’s leg in a chair but Moose was able to escape.
Joe Doering and Violent By Design Build Momentum For Slammiversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMAHlQ4a4ko
In a 4-way match this week, Joe Doering pinned Fallah Bah, giving Violent By Design the edge leading to the tag title match at Slammiversary on Saturday. Eric Young’s faction stood tall to end the show.
Slammiversary Lineup
Impact World Championship No Disqualification Kenny Omega (c) vs Sami Callihan
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs A Mystery Opponent
Impact Tag Team Championships Violent By Design (c) vs The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann vs TJP & Fallah Bah
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Rosemary & Havok
X-Division Championship Ultimate-X Josh Alexander (c) vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Ace Austin vs Petey Williams
Moose vs Chris Sabin
Eddie Edwards vs W. Morrissey
Matt Cardona & ??? vs Brian Myers & Tenille Dashwood
Several wrestling companies are now walking through wrestling’s “Forbidden Door.” The term used recently to describe talent exchanges between promotions was coined shortly after “Winter is Coming” in December. Kenny Omega won the AEW World Championship and Don Callis promptly announced he would be taking the title with him to Impact’s weekly show.
Promotions such as Impact, the NWA, and Ring of Honor have all been teasing new forbidden door type exchanges online.
AEW’s FTR and The NWA
As for the NWA and AEW’s “forbidden door” relationship, the NWA recently took part in a Twitter exchange with FTR.
If Purrazzo didn’t have enough on her plate, the AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker appears motivated to face her as well. Scott D’Amore recently mentioned on Vickie Guerrero’s podcast that Baker cornered him regarding a match with the Knockouts Champ.
“I got cornered by Britt Baker down in Jacksonville a few weeks ago and she’s like, ‘When do I get Deonna?’ I said, ‘Hey, Britt oh, come on. We’ve always said we have an open-door policy and we’re open to doing it,’” D’Amore said on the show.
Impact, the NWA, and Kylie Rae
According to a report from Fightful, Pat Kenney was a key person in the deal that allowed Kylie Rae out of her Impact contract in order to sign with the NWA. The former Simon Diamond was employed by TNA/Impact from 2003 to 2017 and keeps a good relationship with Scott D’Amore. Additionally, Impact is said to be planning further talent-hopping relationships with other promotions in the future.
ROH, NWA, and Impact All Tweeting At Each Other
ROH’s Ian Riccaboni pointed out that upcoming shows in St. Louis (NWA), Baltimore (ROH), and Nashville (Impact) can fit tidily into one road trip.
SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay recently spoke with Impact Wrestling star Willie Mack to promote this weekend’s Slammiversary PPV. Mack and Rich Swann are competing in the Tag Title Fatal 4-Way match at the event.
You can order Impact Wrestling Slammiversary at FITE.TV now for $39.99.
Willie Mack SEScoops Interview
Topics discussed during this 17+ minute discussion include:
His strategy for the to win the tag titles at Slammiversary: “Just look around and start swinging! Whatever hits, hits.”
His partnership with Rich Swann, how they linked up and how their styles mesh
How they plan to celebrate if they win the Impact tag titles this weekend
The wildest match he’s ever participated in
His pick to win the Ultimate X match at Slammiversary (“As long as I’m not in it, I’m happy.”)
Summer movie picks & more
Check out Ella Jay’s full interview with Willie Mack:
Impact Wrestling executive Scott D’Amore appeared on Vickie Guerrero’s Excuse Me podcast yesterday. During the discussion, D’Amore mentioned that he was cornered by AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker for a match against Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo.
“I got cornered by Britt Baker down in Jacksonville a few weeks ago and she’s like, ‘When do I get Deonna?’ I said, ‘Hey, Britt oh, come on. We’ve always said we have an open-door policy and we’re open to doing it,’” D’Amore said on the show.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of hurdles to jump through but I think the relationship with AEW has been fantastic,” he continued.
Baker has made no secret of the fact that she would like to face Purrazzo. She’s posted to social media about the potential match multiple times.
— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) June 3, 2021
Britt Baker Wants To Face Deonna Purrazzo
Baker also discussed possibly facing Purrazzo during an interview with TV Insider.
“Personally, I would love to see Deonna Purrazzo come through the forbidden door. She is one of my best friends and arguably one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. She is amazing.. When she was released from WWE, she was told in a roundabout way she wasn’t good enough. Now she is one of the faces in Impact Wrestling. I was similar in that I was told I wasn’t ready, and now I’m the face of All Elite Wrestling. Our paths are paralleling, so it would be amazing to be in the ring with her.”
D’Amore continued to talk about his relationship with AEW’s Tony Khan.
“We share our vision for a world like that and I love to see it because I mean whether it’s Nyla Rose or whether it’s some of the many other talents that you have there. Imagine if Nyla came in and hid the ring on Deonna and just laid her lying there and picked up the title, right?”
Purrazzo is scheduled to face a “Mystery Opponent” this Saturday at Slammiversary. Gail Kim revealed to the Knockouts Champ last week that her opponent will not be named ahead of time.
Matt Cardona is a wrestler making headlines these days, going after GCW champion Nick Gage. He is also celebrating his first six months with IMPACT wrestling. A lot can happen in such a short time, and Matt was all too happy to talk with Steel Chair about his change in fortunes.
“It’s been a lot of fun, I’ve got a lot of opportunities, and I thank the Impact Wrestling management for those opportunities. That’s why I came to Impact Wrestling.”
Matt Cardona is known primarily from his days in WWE, and many might feel he was never allowed to reach his full potential. His Wrestlemania moment was kept to just that, dropping the title the very next day. If any run could summarize a career with WWE, then that would be it.
However, Cardona is looking to the future, and he has his eyes firmly set on the big prize. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Kenny or Sami Callihan or Moose. It doesn’t matter to me, if you have that Impact title, I want it.”
When asked about who he would love to wrestle on the IMPACT roster, Matt Cardona wasted no time in reeling off two names. “Tommy Dreamer, who’s still around. I thought I retired him over 10 years ago (December 2009 in WWE), but he’s still kicking. If I need to retire him for good, one last hardcore match, I would love to do that. Eddie Edwards, I’ve teamed with, but I’ve never wrestled him. I love his style, I love what he’s done with himself over the past couple of years, more violent style and again. Someone I’d love to get in the ring with, maybe a hardcore match with him.”
Matt Cardona Enjoys the Creative Freedom Offered by IMPACT
After working in an environment that took creative control away from its talent, Matt Cardona is relishing the creativity afforded to him by IMPACT.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRFf4OYKT0X/
“We’re all artists, and we have this blank canvas now to just draw whatever we want, and that’s the best part about Impact, all this creative freedom and all these opportunities, and I think the sky is the limit with Impact. I think it’s on the up and up. All the wrestlers there in that locker room are hungry, they all want Impact to keep getting better and better.”
Matt Cardona is only 36 years old. He has a long future ahead of him. His recent change in attitude including his feud with Nick Gage has made him one of the stars to watch.
Impact Wrestling continues to build up the idea that anyone could show up at Slammiversary. This week on Impact Wrestling, Gail Kim informed Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo that she will not know who her opponent on the PPV will be ahead of time. She’ll be defending her title against a mystery opponent.
This has led many people to speculate as to who could be brought in to face the champion on the PPV. There is no shortage of possible options.
BREAKING: @DeonnaPurrazzo will defend the Knockouts Championship against a MYSTERY OPPONENT at #Slammiversary on July 17th LIVE on PPV and @FiteTV!
Former Knockouts Champion, Chelsea Green, is heavily rumored to return to her former promotion. Green returning to Impact was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Chelsea Green has been heavily talked of as coming back here of late and even hinted herself about the idea of bringing back Laurel Van Ness, which was her Impact name,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Impact Wrestling on 7/8 featured a show-long storyline of Sami Callihan being arrested for assaulting Don Callis. The promotion also continued the build to Slammiversary in less than two weeks.
Impact Wrestling 7/8 Quick Results:
Jake Something defeated Brian Myers w/ Sam Beale
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo defeated Lady Frost
W. Morrissey defeated Jason Page, Manny Smith & Deonte Evans
Rosemary & Havok defeated Susan & Kimber Lee
Karl Anderson w/ Doc Gallows defeated Deaner w/ Violent By Design, TJP w/ Fallah Bahh & Rich Swann w/ Willie Mack
Matt Cardona Returns!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv_8NFTMfwg
Jake Something picked up a big victory in this week’s opening contest. He defeated Brian Myers with a Black Hole Slam. The stipulation in this match was that the loser had to acknowledge the other as a true “professional” but Myers’ protege, Sam Beale, jumped Something from behind before Myers adhered to the stipulation.
Something was then saved from a 2-on-1 beatdown by a returning Matt Cardona, however. Cardona cleared the ring of the heels, leaving him and Something in the ring to close the segment.
As Sami Callihan is being interviewed in the back, several security officers approach him to say they have a warrant out for his arrest. Later we would see that footage exists of Callihan having punched Don Callis, although the footage only seemed to show Callihan from behind…
With Callihan arrested it is not clear if he will be able to make it to the contract signing later.
Deonna Purrazzo Will Face A Mystery Opponent At Slammiversary
Lady Frost made her debut in Impact Wrestling by answering Deonna Purrazzo’s open challenge this week. She’d drop the match via submission when the champion locked in a Fujiwara arm-bar, however.
After the match, Gail Kim came to the ring and confronted the champion. At first, Purrazzo thought that Kim was there to issue a challenge to her for Slammiversary. Kim confirmed she’s retired but was out there to announce that at Slammiversary, Purrazzo won’t know who her opponent is ahead of time. It will be the champion versus a mystery contender on the PPV.
Chris Sabin was just settling in for a relaxing time at Swinger’s Palace this week when he was attacked from behind by Moose. Sabin was left fairly brutalized as Moose effectively softened up his Slammiversary opponent.
W. Morrissey Sends A Message To Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-Rvd4ZE9E
W. Morrissey attacked Eddie Edwards before he was scheduled to face Satoshi Kojima last week. The big man who is still undefeated in Impact will face Edwards at Slammiversary. He sent a message to his upcoming opponent this week by dominating 3 opponents in a handicap match.
Kimber Lee Enlists James Mitchell’s Help After Loss To Havok & Rosemary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUPDGdE4KVc
Havok & Rosemary have joined forces as of late and this week they picked up a win over Kimber Lee and Susan. They will now move on to face the champions at Slammiversary.
After the match, Kimber Lee was distraught at suffering another loss. She approached Father James Mitchell in the back to ask for help. Susan, the former Su Yung, then left with Mitchell. Could the more devious version of her character be returning?
Tenille Dashwood Attacks Jazz
It’s not my fault @Phenom_Jazz put me in that situation. I just did what I had to do… Like any reasonable person would. I am only human. https://t.co/O5AFHdrcFK
— Tenille Dashwood (@TenilleDashwood) July 9, 2021
On Dashwood’s “All About Me” reverse-talk show this week, she berated Jazz and said that she’s the reason Dashwood and Rachael Ellering didn’t become a team. Jazz went to leave but was attacked from behind by Dashwood.
Later in the show, Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace would challenge Dashwood and Kaleb to a match for next week.
Multi-Team Tag Team Title Match Announced For Slammiversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtZgPKtzDI4
Rich Swann and Willie Mack came out for a promo and said they want a shot at Violent By Design, but then so did several other teams. This brought out Tommy Dreamer who announced a 4-way match at Slammiversary featuring Mack & Swann, TJP & Fallah Bah, The Good Brothers, and the champions Violent By Design.
This then led to a four way match with each team sending one representative. Anderson would pick up the win with a Gun Stun on 1/2 of the champs, Deaner.
Sami Callihan and Kenny Omega Contract Signing
Kenny Omega and Don Callis come out for the official Slammiversary contract signing with Scott D’Amore. With Callihan arrested, it was just them. Omega signed the contract but then the lights in the building went out. The video of “Callihan” assaulting Callis is shown on the screen but this time the footage continues to show that it was actually John E Bravo dressed up as Callihan. When the lights come back on Callihan is in the ring. He delivers a piledriver to the champion before signing the contract. The challenger then put the champion through a table to end the show.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next Week
Doc Gallows vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Joe Doering vs. Willie Mack
Josh Alexander, Chris Bey, Trey Miguel & Petey Williams vs Rohit Raju, Ace Austin, Madman Fulton & Shera
Havok vs Tasha Steelz
Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering vs Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb
Slammivesary:
Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Sami Callihan
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs A Mystery Opponent
Impact Tag Team Championships Violent By Design (c) vs The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann vs TJP & Fallah Bah
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Rosemary & Havok
X-Division Championship Ultimate-X Josh Alexander (c) vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Ace Austin vs Petey Williams
Eddie Edwards is a man who has faced them all in his career. He has held titles in many promotions the world over, including 9 inside an Impact ring. This includes the TNA years.
However, despite everything he has achieved, there is one many still on Eddie Edwards’s hit list. Talking in a recent Sports Illustrated interview, Eddie spoke about the one man he would still love to face in the ring. His recent appendectomy scare may have cost him a dream match with Satoshi Kojima. However, there is a new name he wants to fight.
Eddie Edwards is healthy enough to get back in the ring after an emergency appendectomy, but he’s still angry that the surgery cost him a dream match against Satoshi Kojima https://t.co/UgHh2UBWUp
“I want to be in the ring against the best, and, right now, Kenny is one of the best. He’s also our champ, and I’d love to be the guy to bring that title back to Impact. The stars haven’t aligned yet, but hopefully, that match will happen.”
Career Parallels Can Be Drawn Between Eddie Edwards and Kenny Omega
Both men have wrestled in Japan for several years, as well as for different promotions in the US. It’s both strange and a shame that they are yet to face each other in singles competition. A fact that is not lost of Eddie Edwards.
“We’ve been on some of the same shows together, but we’ve never wrestled each other in a singles match. In a lot of ways, we took a similar path. We tried to do our thing in the indies, we both went to Japan. I got a chance to thrive in Pro Wrestling NOAH, which is what he did in DDT, and then later in New Japan. He went on to win the IWGP title. I won the GHC title. To me, it’s hard to deny that we have career similarities.”
There is no denying that a match between the two would be quite a show. Eddie Edwards is only 37, despite everything he has already achieved in his career. Long-time IMPACT fans have an affinity with Eddie Edwards that runs deep. Few would grumble if he was the man to eventually dethrone Kenny Omega.
Impact Wrestling this week continued the build to Slammiversary. Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers took on Tommy Dreamer’s team of Moose, Chris Sabin, and Sami Callihan in the main event.
Impact wrestling 7/1 Quick Results:
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Kimber Lee (Before the Impact)
Satoshi Kojima & Jake Something defeated Brian Myers & Sam Beale
Satoshi Kojima was scheduled to face Eddie Edwards this week on Impact. The match didn’t happen, however. After Kojima made his entrance, W. Morrissey appeared on the big screen and said that he had attacked Edwards in the parking lot. Morrissey believes there is no such thing as friends in wrestling and he wanted to show Kojima that he is all alone, just like everyone else.
Kojima would end up wrestling in the night’s first match, however.
Satoshi Kojima & Jake Something Defeat Brian Myers & Sam Beale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXYkauAx5g
Brian Myers has been mentoring Sam Beale on how to be “the most professional” wrestler he can be. Myers came out while Kojima was still in the ring. Myers and Beale then jumped Kojima leading to Jake Something making the save. An impromptu tag-team match between the two sides was then made official. Kojima would then pick up the win for his team by pinning Beale after a big Lariat.
Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace Reconcile?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77wMAk_x9Fg
Rachael Ellering didn’t have Jordynne Grace with her at ringside of this match as the former tag champs seem to be headed in separate directions but she did have Jazz. Kaleb kept attempting to interfere during the match. All of his interference wasn’t enough, however, as Ellering got the victory with a pinning combination.
After the match, Dashwood attacked Ellering. Kaleb and Dashwood had Jazz and Ellering where they wanted them but then Grace made the save. Are the former tag champs back together?
Violent By Design Bring Chaos To Tag Team Division
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6poPX7CoLy0
Two of the division’s top teams faced off this week when Rich Swann and Willie Mack took on TJP and Fallah Bah. Violent By Design ruined the contest for everyone, however, when they caused a No Contest by attacking all four wrestlers.
Chris Bey Picks A Side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gk888uq7l4
Chris Bey’s plan to regain the X-Division title is to not pick sides with the feuding factions of babyfaces and heels in the division. This week, he took on X-Division veteran Petey Williams in singles competition. Bey would pick up the win after countering a Canadian Destroyer attempt into the Art of Finesse.
After the match, the two feuding sides of the X-Division started a melee. After weeks of not doing so, Bey then finally picked a team and sided with the babyfaces. They cleared the ring of the heels to end the segment but what does any of this mean for the Ultimate X match at Slammiversary?
Steve Maclin Wins A Squash Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf2hzv4o_Gk
Steve Maclin showed off his new intense character again this week, this time picking up a dominant victory over Manny Smith. It’s his second straight victory in the promotion but eventually, he’ll be in for stiffer competition.
The Elite Pick Up Victory As Team Dreamer Implodes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ziJnFmhAr8
The wrestlers Tommy Dreamer chose to take on the Elite this week just couldn’t seem to get along. Moose in particular showed little desire to get along with his teammates throughout the match. Finally, the finish of the match saw the trio implode when Moose mistakenly thought that Tommy Dreamer had attacked him. Moose was on the ramp and had just turned his back to Dreamer when Callis pushed Dreamer into Moose, making Moose thing Dreamer attacked him. Moose then took Dreamer out with a clothesline and Sabin then hit Moose with a suicide dive. As Sabin got back in the ring, however, he was met by Omega and the Good Brothers, who finished him off with the Magic Killer for the win.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next Week:
Kenny Omega and Sami Callihan contract signing
Knockouts Tag Titles #1 Contendership Havok & Rosemary vs Susan & Kimber Lee
Jake Something vs Brian Myers
Slammiversary (July 17th)
Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Sami Callihan
X-Division Championship Ultimate-X Josh Alexander (c) vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Ace Austin vs Petey Williams
Impact Wrestling on 6/24 featured a tag-team title match and Tommy Dreamer receiving a new role in the company. The promotion is continuing to build to Slammiversary on July 17th.
Impact 6/24 Quick Results:
Rosemary defeated Tasha Steelz
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Susan
Rohit Raju & Shera defeated Petey Williams & Trey Miguel
Jake Something defeated Sam Beale
Impact Tag Team Championships Violent By Design (Deaner & Joe Doering) defeated Satoshi Kojima & Eddie Edwards
Rosemary and Havok Move Closer To Tag Title Shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nSdGwJt_Zw
After Rosemary and Havok dumped Fire N Flava in the trash last week (where they discovered a bag labelled “Mickie James”) Rosemary took on Tasha Steelz in singles action to kick off this week’s show. After Kiera Hogan attempted to get involved from the outside, Havok came to ringside in support of Rosemary. Rosemary then picked up a victory with her double-underhook slam finish she’s titled “As Above So Below.”
Josh Matthews noted on commentary that this result moves Havok and Rosemary closer to a title shot.
Tommy Dreamer To Serve As An Impact Consultant For Anthem
Last week on Impact, Anthem sent a representative to deal with the Don Callis situation. That representative turned out to be Tommy Dreamer. This week, it was revealed by Dreamer himself that Anthem has asked him to stay on as a consultant and he will oversee operations in the wrestling promotion. How this will impact Scott D’Amore’s role is not immediately clear.
Deonna Purrazzo is Done With Susan & Kimber Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL2_6VvCOCI
The Knockouts Champion said she was done with Kimber Lee and Susan last week and this week she faced Susan in singles competition. Purrazzo picked up the win with the Fujiwara armbar and then continued the assault after the match. She left the ring area shouting at both Kimber Lee and Susan that she was done with them.
Don Callis and Tommy Dreamer Agree To Huge Main Event Next Week
Don Callis visited with Tommy Dreamer in a backstage segment and said there were no hard feelings over his firing last week. Callis then issued a challenge for next week with Tommy Dreamer fielding a team of guys to go up against Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers. As the show would go on, Moose, Sami Callihan, and Chris Sabin would be revealed as the members of Team Dreamer.
Sides Being Taken In The X-Division
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPItR3OSurE
The return of Ultimate-X at Slammiversary has the X-Division all at odds with each other. Chris Bey said in a backstage segment this week that he’s not going to choose sides and that’s what’s going to help him become a 2x X-Division Champion. Petey Williams and Trey Miguel told him he better pick a side before a side picks him.
Later in the show, Rohit Raju and Shera would defeat Williams and Miguel following a distraction form the outside by Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. The heels continued the assault after the match but this brought out X-Division Champion Josh Alexander for the save. He succumbed to the numbers disadvantage as well, however. Meanwhile, Chris Bey watched from the ramp but chose not to get involved.
Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace Hash Things Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rpf-IuagLY
After winning but then losing the Knockouts Tag Team titles in quick succession, Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace have had their problems in recent weeks. This week, Ellering opened up to Grace about their string of losses and problems with Tenille Dashwood. Jazz came out to help settle things between the two. Grace eventually said she needed time to think and headed to the back. Then Dashwood and Kaleb came out but Ellering was not in the mood this week. She challenged Dashwood to a singles match and then her and Jazz cleared the heels out of the ring.
Jake Something Defeats Sam Beale Despite Brian Myers’ Coaching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3z9my6qVdY
Brian Myers is serving as something of a mentor for Sam Beale at the moment. It didn’t help Beale much this week, however, as he was defeated by Jake Something. After the match, Myers’ lesson to Beale was that in order for him to be a success, he must do the opposite of what Something does.
Violent By Design Retain Tag Titles Over Satoshi Kojima & Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjth2H5fia8
Eddie Edwards teamed with NJPW’s Satoshi Kojima this week and challenged the tag champions from Violent By Design. Eric Young’s stable uses the Freebird rule to defend the titles and this week it was Deaner and Joe Doering who did so.
After a back and forth title clash, it seemed as though Edwards and Kojima had VBD right where they wanted them. Edwards charged out of the corner to hit Doering with the Boston Knee Party but the big man countered it into a sit down power-bomb for the 3-count. It was a convincing win for Violent By Design. They closed the show by celebrating on the stage with the belts.
