Moose picked up a big win at Under Siege this weekend. He is now the #1 contender to Kenny Omega’s Impact World Championship. He noted on Twitter recently that he is hoping to win the title before he becomes a free agent next month.
Moose recently teased that he could show up in NXT:
Moose and Kenny Omega came face-to-face last night on Impact. Sami Callihan surprisingly made the save for Moose when he appeared to be outnumbered. Moose teased that he could show up at Double or Nothing to confront Omega as well.
Moose has been with Impact Wrestling for close to 5 years now. In that time, he’s yet to win the Impact World Championship despite being in the title picture for years. He’s been the TNA World Heavyweight Champion and the Impact Grand Champion but never the Impact World Champion. He was defeated by Rich Swann in a TNA World Champion vs Impact World Champion title for title match at Sacrifice 2021.
Moose spoke with Sportskeeda earlier this year about his progression as a pro-wrestler.
“I still feel like I have a lot to learn, in growing every day as a performer. I’m going to keep doing it. Right now, I’m still working on my in-ring and my promos, my body. Hopefully, soon, you guys will see close to a finished product,” Moose said during the interview.
Impact Wrestling was back this week with their first show since Saturday’s Under Siege event. The tag-team titles were on the line in the main event….twice.
Impact Wrestling 5/20 Quick Results
Rohit Raju defeated Jake Something
Tenille Dashwood defeated Kiera Hogan
Petey Williams defeated VSK
Rachael Ellering defeated Jordynne Grace
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Impact Tag Team Championships Rhino & Joe Doering (Violent By Design) defeated FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) – New Champions
Shera Helps Rohit Raju Defeat Jake Something
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiTi5bW68dg
Rohit Raju was able to defeat Jake Something in this week’s opening contest. It was not without help from Shera on the outside, however. Shera grabbed at Jake Something’s foot during a suplex attempt, causing Raju to land on top of his opponent. Shera then held Something’s boot down as Raju got the 3-count.
After the match, Something turned his attention to Shera and assaulted him after the match. Raju did not appear interested in helping his ally. Something put Shera through a table and then stared down Raju to end the segment.
Taylor Wilde Still Definitely Not Interested In Teaming With Tenille Dashwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqLv8Ba-0Aw
Tenille Dashwood has been attempting to form a tag-team with Taylor Wilde as of late but Wilde has expressed quite clearly that she is not interested in this. This week, Dashwood pulled off the victory over Kiera Hogan with a roll-up before being assaulted post-match.
Tasha Steelz hit the ring and went after Dashwood, as did Deonna Purrazzo, Susan and Kimber Lee. Dashwood was badly outnumbered but eventually, Taylor Wilde came out to stop the beat down. The heels still had the numbers advantage and took out Wilde as well. Then Havok came out and cleared the ring for the babyface side to close the segment.
Petey Williams Picks Up A Win Over VSK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq4ue1lI844
Petey Williams picked up a win this week in singles action. He defeated VSK with a Canadian Destroyer Piledriver.
After defeating Willie Mack at Under Siege, W. Morrissey picked a new target this week. While Rich Swann was being interviewed in the back, Morrissey attacked, leaving the former World Champion laying to end the segment.
Moose and Kenny Omega Come Face To Face
Moose came away from Under Siege the new #1 contender to Kenny Omega’s Impact World Championship. Moose was cutting a promo on Omega when Callis and the champion made their way to the ring. Callis talked about how Moose never won a Super Bowl, couldn’t even win a world title in ROH, and more.
Moose wanted to get at Omega tonight but Omega instead backed away as Doc Gallows made his way to the ring. It looked as though the Elite were about to have the numbers advantage against Moose when the lights went out and Sami Callihan appeared in the ring to even up the odds.
Later in the back, Callihan told Moose that he doesn’t care who wins between him and Omega, he’s got next.
Former Tag Champs Collide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyKkybB3QZM
Former tag-team champions Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering went one-on-one this week. In what was a good natured sporting contest between the two, Ellering scored the victory on a pinning combination. The match ended with one of those multiple near fall pinning combination spots, only Ellering was able to hold Grace’s shoulders down for the 3 to pick up the win. How will this impact the team moving forward?
In the scheduled main event this week on Impact, Juice Robinson and David Finlay retained over Ace Austin and Madman Fulton after Robinson hit the Pulp Friction on Fulton. FinJuice would be surprised as the members of Violent By Design then made their way to the ring.
New Tag Team Champions Crowned!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In0Yxexn_GE
At Slammiversary last year, Rhino won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match which earned him a title shot at a time of his choosing. Many thought he’d wait for his partner Heath to return but now that he’s a member of VOD, he decided to cash in along with Joe Doering at the end of this week’s show.
The match wouldn’t take long, as FinJuice was already worn down from their match with Austin and Fulton. Rhino gored Finlay and Joe Doering finished off Juice Robinson with a lariat for the win. Rhino and Joe Doering from Violent By Design are your new Impact World Tag Team Champions.
Recently released WWE star Chelsea Green is reportedly in talks with Impact Wrestling officials for a return to the company in near future.
Dave Meltzer talked about the future of the female star on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter and he reports that green has been in talks with Impact officials this past week.
Though while they have been in negotiation, Meltzer noted that an agreement has not yet been reached for Green’s return to Impact wrestling.
The former NXT star was signed by WWE after a tryout in August 2018. Before this, She also competed in the sixth season of Tough Enough finishing at fourth place for the females.
After a stint in NXT, Chelsea Green made her SmackDown debut in November last year. However, she broke her wrist in her debut match, causing original plans that saw her winning the bout to be changed.
After months of inactivity, the company finally made the decision to let the former champion go. She was released from her contract in April earlier this year.
Chelsea’s previous run with Impact wrestling started in 2016 which ended in Janaury 2018. She even won the knockouts title one time during her run.
The former WWE star has been released with a standard 90 days non-compete clause which means that she will only be able to join Impact after July 14, once an agreement is reached.
Slammiversary is the biggest event on the IMPACT Wrestling calendar. Scheduled to take place on July 17th, it is an event that has a lot of people talking following a recent promo video.
The video, which gives nothing away in terms of scheduled matches, was full of excitement generating teases for potentially huge names.
As seen below, the teaser is full of hidden cryptic references to various former WWE Superstars who would be free agents by 7/17.
Some of the hints include the Iconics and the Forgotten Sons. Both teams were recently released by WWE. The July date of Slammiversary would coincide nicely with the end of the obligatory 90-day release clause.
The video also teases the return of two previously successful IMPACT stars in Samoa Joe and NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito. With the recent exchange of talent including now ex-tag team champions FinJuice and the legendary Satoshi Kojima, this feels like a very likely possibility.
However, the name that has set the IMPACT fan base abuzz is that of Daniel Bryan. The man behind the yes movement let his WWE contract run out last month. No work has been given on where Bryan will head, or if it is all a work by WWE creative. However, eagle-eyed fans spotted the YES! sign in the Slammiversary video package.
Daniel Bryan is a huge name and would be an incredible draw for the Slammiversary event. Especially as IMPACT look to continue their brand after being a huge part of the Forbidden Door movement.
Even if just one or two of the teased names actually make an appearance, Impact could make some significant additions to their roster.
Don Callis is no longer an Impact Wrestling executive and he has been relieved of his backstage duties with the company according to latest reports.
The former NJPW commentator was present for the latest Impact tapings. However, he only stayed around to film his content with Kenny Omega and left after day one of the four day taping schedule.
This made many wonder if Callis is no longer working in a backstage capacity for the promotion and a latest report from PWinsider confirms these speculations.
According to reports, the Impact star had been preparing for his exit for a while and he had slowly been decreasing his responsibilities outside of the Impact creative team in the past year.
Don Callis finally left the creative team in April as well, marking the end of his tenure as an executive for the company. He is now only working as an on-screen personality for the promotion.
Though this exit was not dramatic and he remains on friendly terms with Impact officials. The former WWF star is expected to continue his on-screen role as the manager for Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers.
Impact wrestling has streamlined their creative team since his exit. The team of Scott D’Amore, Tommy Dreamer, RD Evans and Jimmy Jacobs are overlooking creative process now. There is no plan to replace Don Callis as of now.
Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling saw a title change as Rhino and Joe Doering from Violent By Design defeated FinJuice to become the new Impact Wrestling tag team champions.
The main event of this week’s episode of the weekly show saw the team of Juice Robinson & David Finlay successfully defending their title against the duo of Ace Austin and Madman Fulton.
However, after the bout, VBD leader Eric Young announced that they were going to cash in Rhino’s Call Your Shot Trophy, leading to the champions defending their titles the second time in the night.
The ending to this match saw Doering hitting Robinson with a massive lariat while Rhino crushed Finlay with a Gore. Doering then picked up a pin fall victory for his team, making them the new champions.
FinJuice had won the tag team titles in March earlier this year. They had defeated Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson, The Good Brothers at the Sacrifice PPV.
Rhino had won the Call Your Shot Trophy in a 20-wrestler intergender gauntlet match at last year’s Bound For Glory event in October. He had last eliminated Sami Callihan to win the match.
This wasn’t the only big news coming out of the show and the company also announced the arrival of a former IWGP heavyweight champion for next week. You can check out their announcement here.
NJPW veteran and former IWGP heavyweight champion Satoshi Kojima will be coming to Impact Wrestling and making his debut next week as part of the two company’s partnership.
The company revealed the news during the latest episode of Impact Wrestling and they aired a promo hyping up the NJPW star’s arrival during the show.
They announced that Kojima will be making his Impact debut during the May 27 episode of the show and he will challenge an opponent that has yet to be named:
— 小島 聡【SATOSHI KOJIMA】 (@cozy_lariat) May 21, 2021
The wrestling veteran has had a couple of stints with NJPW with a combined time of more than two decades with the promotion. His current run started in 2010 when he returned to the company.
Satoshi Kojima has wrestled in United States before. He most notably had a stint with Major League Wrestling in 2002-2003 where he won the MLW world heavyweight championship once.
Apart from being a two-time IWGP heavyweight champion, the NJPW star has had seven reigns with the company’s tag team championship with different partners and won several other accolades as well.
Whether his Impact Wrestling appearance will be a one off thing or he will stick around for a longer program is not known yet. It would be interesting to see if Satoshi Kojima gets involved in a feud.
Eddie Edwards picked up the win for his team on Saturday night at Under Siege. Edwards was teaming with David Finlay & Juice Robinson and defeated Kenny Omega, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson. Many who watched the show noted that it seemed as though the match could be leading to a potential Eddie Edwards vs Kenny Omega title bout.
According to a report from Wrestling Observer Radio, however, Edwards could be forced to miss time with what appears to be appendicitis.
“I’d heard appendicitis, kind of checked, and basically what I was told is it looks like appendicitis, which is not a good thing at all,” said Dave Meltzer. “But I don’t have details as far as if he’s having his appendix out right now or what is the situation but that probably went down yesterday or today.”
Moose won the #1 Contendership 6-way scramble at Under Siege. He earned a shot at Kenny Omega and the Impact World title but with Edwards picking up the win for his team against the Elite on the show as well, it seems as though Edwards could be being groomed for a shot against Omega either before or after Moose gets his.
“It looked like Eddie Edwards was the one being groomed for the next shot (against Omega),” Meltzer continued. “So, this could very well affect that.”
The working relationship between IMPACT Wrestling and NJPW is not a new thing. It was revealed back in February that the two promotions were working together. Since then, we have seen FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) show up – and claim the IMPACT Wrestling tag titles, and El Phantasmo debuted last week.
However, that does not appear to be the end of the exchange. According to Tommy Dreamer, there are more NJPW stars heading towards an IMPACT Wrestling ring. With Slammiversary not far down the road, the mouths of IMPACT fans are watering at the prospect.
FinJuice once again victorious with Eddie Edwards at their side, while El Phantasmo comes close, but taps out in X Division contest at @IMPACTWRESTLING 's #undersiege
There are already a host of names linked to a spell on IMPACT, and they are not mid-carders either. Former heavyweight champions Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada have been used in Slammiversary promos recently. Another name linked is former IMPACT X-Division Champion Sanada.
The open relationship shared between IMPACT Wrestling, NJPW and AEW are bound to give rise to a number of interesting feuds and fights. Could we even see a title from one promotion defended on the show of another against an opponent from a third?
Tommy Dreamer currently serves as a creative writer and producer for IMPACT Wrestling. Their borrowed NJPW talent has been booked strong thus far. It’s easy to foresee some of these former IMPACT stars return for a short stint.
The wrestling landscape is changing fast right now. The previously staunch boundary lines fading to dust, it is a very exciting time to watch professional wrestling. Whether it is now or later, we are bound to see some very big names stepping between the IMPACT wrestling ropes.
The company now known as Impact Wrestling started off as Total Nonstop Action or TNA. The transition of the branding began in 2010 and Eric Bischoff recently revealed who was responsible for it.
The former Impact executive discussed the company during the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast and explained how the name was a bad idea from the start.
Speaking about the rebranding of the company from TNA to Impact, Bischoff revealed that Spike TV and Viacom who were the TV partners of the company at the time were the ones who pushed for the change:
“Spike pumped the brakes and said sorry, if we’re going to continue with this show and try to sell it, we have to rebrand it. It was a tough battle, there was a lot of push back internally, mostly from the people who didn’t have anything to do with running the business on a day to day basis from Texas, that being Panda Energy.
Mommy and Daddy, mostly mommy, didn’t want to spend the money so Spike did! Spike paid for the rebranding, Spike paid for the research, these are things the company should have been doing for themselves” said Eric Bischoff, “But they didn’t and wouldn’t so Spike said alright if you won’t, we will.”
The former Impact official also revealed that Spike was paying the contract money for some of the high profile talent signed to the company at the time as a separate budget item, outside of the TV license agreement.
Though despite the money spent on it, the TNA name continued to be associated with the promotion until 2017, when Anthem bought the company and rebranded it as Impact Wrestling officially.
Moose has become the new #1 contender for Kenny Omega’s Impact world championship and he will now challenge the cleaner for his title at the upcoming Against All Odds event on June 12.
Impact Wrestling had announced a six-way match for tonight’s Under Siege event to determine the next challenger for their current champion and the AEW star.
Along with Moose, the opportunity was given to Chris Bey, Matt Cardona, Sami Callihan, Chris Sabin, and Trey Miguel. The bout was the main event of the show.
The former Impact grand champion came out victorious in this match and he defeated the other five contenders to become the next challenger for the title:
Moose has previously crossed paths with Omega when he teamed up with Rich Swann and Chris Sabin to take on the Impact world champion and the Good Brothers in a six men tag at Hard To Kill. Though they lost the bout.
The event also featured some other interesting matches. The other notable result coming out of the show was Fire ‘n Flava defeating Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering to become the new Knockouts tag team champions.
It would now be interesting to see how the company builds the feud between these two and if Moose ends up being the star to defeat Omega for the title.
Impact Wrestling presented the go-home show for this weekend’s Under Siege event last night on AXS TV and Twitch.
Impact Wrestling 5/13 Quick Results:
Knockouts Title #1 Contendership Havok defeated Rosemary
X-Division Title #1 Contendership 6-Way Scramble El Phantasmo defeated Ace Austin vs TJP vs Acey Romero vs Rohit Raju vs Petey Wiliams
Willie Mack defeated Sam Beale
David Finlay defeated Karl Anderson via DQ
Brian Myers defeated Crazzy Steve
Sami Callihan, Moose, & Chris Bey defeated Matt Cardona, Chris Sabin & Trey Miguel
Havok To Face Deonna Purrazzo For Knockouts Title At Under Siege
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ExYgbg4zI
Former Knockouts champions Rosemary and Havok met in singles action to kick off the show this week. The winner of this match would move on to face current Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo at Under Siege. Havok knocked off Rosemary with a tombstone piledriver in what could be considered a mild upset.
After the match, Purrazzo hit the ring and tried to soften up her challenger for Under Siege. Havok fought back, however, and forced Purrazzo to retreat. As she did so she ran into Rosemary and the other members of Decay who promptly tossed her back into the ring. Kimber Lee and Susan tried to help but Taurus growled at them and they ran away. Back in the ring, Havok gave Purrazzo a tombstone and stood tall to end the segment.
El Phantasmo To Challenge For The X-Division Title At Under Siege
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sltxmjZQKWU
The newly arrived 2x Super J-Cup winner, El Phantasmo wrestled in just his second match in Impact Wrestling this week, and qualified for an X-Division title shot in the process. ELP came out of this 6-way scramble match the winner and will now face Josh Alexander for the title at Under Siege. Earlier in the match, ELP was hit with a Canadian Destroyer from Williams but later in the match, he would reverse that same move into a double-underhook slam that I believe he calls the CR II or Canadian Revolution II for the win.
W. Morrissey Attacks Willie Mack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zGH5jCEcUo
Willie Mack put away Sam Beale with a frog splash in the night’s 3rd contest. After the match, however, he was attacked by his opponent at Under Siege, W. Morrissey, the former Big Cass. He took him out with a short-arm clothesline followed by a big boot. Morrissey then stood tall to end the segment.
Tenille Dashwood Doesn’t Understand How Talk Shows Work
Tenille Dashwood hosted her “All About Me” segment this week with Taylor Wilde as her guest. Dashwood seems to believe that her guests should ask her questions during these interviews, however. Instead, Wilde just explained that she will team with Dashwood at Under Siege to get even with Kimber Lee and Susan but her ultimate goal is to get the Knockouts title. Dashwood comically misunderstood all of this and still couldn’t understand why Wilde wasn’t asking her any questions.
Kenny Omega Interferes In Karl Anderson vs David Finlay Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gjRVVSmmg4
Karl Anderson and David Finlay faced off in singles action this week. The match came after Doc Gallows defeated Juice Robinson in singles competition on last week’s show. This week, however, Omega decided to break up the match as Finlay had Anderson locked in a deathlock submission hold. The two trios teams that will face off at Under Siege then brawled inside the ring with Eddie Edwards clearing the Elite away with his kendo stick.
Brian Myers Defeats Crazzy Steve, Gored By Taurus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGQAD3dea6A
After getting into a backstage altercation with the members of Decay last week, “The Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers faced Crazzy Steve in singles action this week. Myers would pick up the victory by using the ropes for leverage during a pin attempt. After the match, however, Myers would be gored by Black Taurus (who he’ll face at Under Siege) and left laying in the ring as the members of Decay stood over him. Rosemary then placed the “card of death” on top of Myers to end the segment.
Sami Callihan Picks Up Victory For Heel Team Ahead of Under Siege 6-Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmOMBTlV6HQ
At Under Siege this weekend, Kenny Omega’s next challenger will be determined in a 6-way match between Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel. In a trios tag match that main event’ed this week’s Impact, Callihan picked up the victory for his team with a package piledriver on Trey Miguel. The Elite were shown in the back and Don Callis seemed concerned at the threat that Callihan might pose to Omega should he win the 6-way at Under Siege.
Under Siege Lineup
Below are the matches scheduled for Saturday’s Under Siege event:
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson)
#1 Contendership – Impact World Championship Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel
X-Division Championship Josh Alexander (c) vs El Phantasmo
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) vs Fire N Flava
Brian Myers vs Taurus
W. Morrisey vs. Willie Mack
Susan & Kimber Lee vs Tenille Dashwood & Taylor Wilde
#1 Contendership to the Impact Tag Team Titles Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs TJP & Petey Williams vs Team XXXL vs Rohit Raju & Shera
Impact Wrestling has announced that this year’s Slammiversary will take place Saturday, July 17th from Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The event will air live on pay-per-view.
This will be the 17th installment of Impact’s annual anniversary event. The event trailer, seen below, features flashes of former Impact stars such as Samoa Joe, Mickie James, Chelsea Green, Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and The Great Muta.
The show’s tagline reads, “Our world changes again.”
Impact will begin promoting Slammiversary next week, after this weekend’s Under Siege special event on Impact Plus.
Here is the lineup for Impact Under Siege:
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice
#1 Contender’s Match: Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel. The winner of this match earns the right to challenge Kenny Omega for the Impact World Championship.
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering vs. Fire N’ Flava.
Jordynne Grace has signed a new multi-year contract Impact Wrestling. The former Knockouts Champion (and reigning Knockouts tag-team champion) revealed the news to Pro Wrestling Illustrated this week.
“Honestly, I have no idea what’s going to happen when my contract is up with IMPACT in May. I have no idea, I can’t foresee the future, and who knows who’s going to offer me something or if I’m going to stay here. I truly have no idea.”
“I love the opportunity that IMPACT has given me, but obviously it’s going to be a lot less money than WWE would give me if I were to go there and they would give me a lot less input on my character. So it just kind of depends on if I get older and I’m feeling like I need to be stacking some money for retirement, then I think that’s a place I would probably go.”
Jordynne Grace In Impact Wrestling
Grace held the Knockouts title for 6 months last year. She defeated Taya Valkyrie for the belt on January 18th, 2020. She held it for 182 days and 5 title defences. She successfully retained the belt against Lacey Ryan, Miranda Alize, Havok, Taya Valkyrie, and Kimber Lee during her reign.
Grace will face Tasha Steelz in singles action next week on Impact. Her team with Rachael Ellering will then defend the Knockouts tag-team titles against Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) on May 15th at Under Siege.
Moose recently stated on Twitter that it is his goal to win the Impact World title before his contract expires. That puts a tight deadline on him as he also revealed his contract expires next month.
Moose was victorious last night on Impact Wrestling in a match that moves him one step closer to facing Kenny Omega for the world title. The 37-year-old has been with Impact since 2016. While he hasn’t won the Impact World Championship, he has held the Impact Grand Championship and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship during this run. Prior to his run in Impact, Moose had spent from 2014 to 2016 with Ring of Honor.
Moose’s victory over James Storm qualified him for the #1 contendership 6-way at Under Siege. The updated lineup for the show is below:
#1 Contendership – Impact World Championship Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) vs Fire N Flava
Brian Myers vs Taurus
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice
W. Morrisey vs. Willie Mack
Deonna Purrazzo will also defend the Knockouts belt against either Rosemary or Havok. Josh Alexander will defend the X-Division title against a challenger determined next week.
Impact Wrestling continued to build to Under Siege this week. 3 more qualifying matches for the 6-person #1 contendership match on the PPV took place as well as El Phantasmo making his debut. Juice Robinson and Doc Gallows also went one-on-one.
Impact Wrestling 5/6 Quick Results:
Under Seige Qualifier Chris Sabin defeated Rhino
Taylor Wilde defeated Susan
Under Seige Qualifier Trey Miguel defeated Rohit Raju
Doc Gallows defeated Juice Robinson
El Phantasmo defeated VSK
Rachael Ellering defeated Kiera Hogan
Under Seige Qualifier Moose defeated James Storm
Moose Moves One Step Closer To Facing Kenny Omega
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKMSytLwiwk
This week’s main event was a qualifying match for the #1 contendership 6-way at Under Siege. Before the match, Don Callis visited Moose in the back and appeared to be buttering him up for something. Callis said that Moose shouldn’t have to qualify for the match and that Impact management isn’t treating him fairly. Moose didn’t appear to be falling for Callis’ disingenuous routine, however.
Moose focussed on Storm’s leg for much of the match and this played into the finish. Storm was unable to deliver a crucifix bomb due to his injured leg, Moose was then almost able to hit his Lights Out Spear as a result but Storm countered with a superkick. The move cost Storm, however, who favored his leg heavily after and was unable to make the pin. Moose then got up, delivered the spear and got the win.
After the match, Moose wrapped Storm’s leg in a chair and stomped on it. Chris Sabin ran out to help his partner but the damage had been done.
Doc Gallows Defeated Juice Robinson, “Coach Kenny” Helps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsnLw0DDBs
Kenny Omega agreed to come out and be at ringside for Doc Gallows’ match against Juice Robinson this week. The finish of the match came when Robinson was setting Gallows up for his Pulp Friction finisher but was distracted by Anderson who had gotten up on the ring apron. He then turned his attention to Omega and Callis who did the same. The distraction allowed Gallows to recover, counter the Pulp Friction, hit a bicycle kick followed by a slam for the win.
After the match, Omega and the Good Brothers kept up the assault on Finjuice. Eddie Edwards attempted to make the save but the Elite still had the numbers advantage and took him out too. They then celebrated in the ring to end the segment.
El Phantasmo Makes His Impact Debut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV_tVJqeLI
2x Super J-Cup winner and 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag champ El Phantasmo made his official debut for Impact Wrestling this week. He defeated VSK, who has worked a fair bit on episodes of AEW Dark. VSK got a surprising amount of offence in this match but in the end, ELP was able to finish off his opponent with a super kick. It did look as though ELP may have loaded up his boot before delivering the kick, however.
Chris Sabin Qualifies For Under Siege
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzOMw-A4SW8
Two former world champions faced off in the night’s opening match with a spot in the Under Siege #1 contendership match on the line. Sabin’s speed and technical ability gave him the advantage at numerous points during the match, but Rhino’s stablemates from Violent By Design always did something underhanded to give their guy the advantage. It looked like Rhino had the match won when he was setting up his opponent for the Gore but Sabin avoided it and rolled him up in a cradle and got the 3-count.
Brian Myers ran into Rosemary and the members of Decay backstage this week. Myers was upset he wasn’t given another chance to qualify for Under Siege when Rosemary attempted to tell him what the cards had in store for him. Myers tried to flee the situation but promptly got headbutted by Taurus for his trouble. Decay then laughed over top of him to end the scene. Myers vs Taurus was later announced for Under Siege.
Taylor Wilde Does Not Want Tenille Dashwood’s Help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwXZxRAZVVA
Taylor Wilde faced Susan this week on Impact. Wilde would have to contend with Susan’s ally, Kimber Lee on the outside as well. Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb sauntered out to the ring area during the match as Dashwood has been lobbying to form a tag-team with Wilde. The finish of the match came when Kimber Lee grabbed Wilde’s leg from the outside prompting Kaleb to pick her up in a fireman’s carry to prevent further interference. While the ref was distracted with that, Dashwood gave Susan a neck breaker along the ring ropes just before Wilde delivered a German Suplex for the win.
After the match, Dashwood wanted to celebrate with Wilde but she was having none of it. Wilde bailed out of the ring before Kaleb could get a photo of the two posing together.
W. Morrissey Is No Longer “One-Half of a Catchphrase”
"You associate this face with one half of a catchphrase…so it was entirely up to me to rebuild myself after I was shattered into pieces." @TheCaZXL is here to make everybody else feel the agony he felt. #IMPACTonAXSTVpic.twitter.com/E4JFI0mCuX
W. Morrissey is not kidding around. He cut an intense promo over top of a video package this week. He’s not happy with how fans and the industry itself has treated him.
“You were the first to criticize, you were the first to say ‘he’s done’ and it isn’t just the fans, it’s every member of this rotten industry.”
Morrissey pinned Willie Mack in tag-team action at Rebellion. Mack then challenged Morrissey to a match at Under Siege. Morrissey more or less accepted the challenge in this video package.
Trey Miguel Qualifies For Under Siege
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQVYagl0KjA
Trey Miguel moved one step closer to achieving his goal of winning the Impact World Championship this week. He locked in his hour-glass submission and got Rohit Raju to tap.
As Trey walked back up the ramp, Jake Something walked passed him with his eyes glued on Shera and Raju. Last week, Raju interfered in Something’s qualifying match for Under Siege and cost him the opportunity. He then took out both Shera and Raju to end the segment.
Rachael Ellering Defeats Kiera Hogan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYKNxHlKng8
Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering will have to defend their newly won belts against the former champs at Under Siege. This week, Ellering and Kiera Hogan went one-on-one in a little preview for the upcoming title clash. Ellering picked up the victory with a sideslam as her and Grace continue to have the edge over the duo from Fire N Flava.
Later on in the show, the two teams met up backstage and Jordynne Grace and Tasha Steelz agreed to a match next week.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next week:
Jordynne Grace vs Tasha Steelz
Karl Anderson vs David Finlay
#1 Contendership – Knockouts Title Rosemary vs Havok
#1 Contendership – X-Division Championship Petey Williams vs ELP vs Rohit Raju vs Ace Austin vs Acey Romero vs TJP
Under Siege Lineup (May 15th):
#1 Contendership – Impact World Championship Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) vs Fire N Flava
Brian Myers vs Taurus
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice
Impact Under Siege is the next special event from Impact Wrestling. The show takes place next Saturday, May 15th. It will be presented live on the Impact Plus streaming service.
Following this week’s AXS TV broadcast, here’s the updated match listing for Impact Under Siege:
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice
#1 Contender’s Match: Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel. The winner of this match earns the right to challenge Kenny Omega for the Impact World Championship.
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering vs. Fire N’ Flava.
W. Morrisey vs. Willie Mack
Brian Myers vs. Black Taurus
Impact published a video of the 6 competitors in the #1 contender’s match talking about their desire to be the person who dethrones Kenny Omega:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVbVQ2TSm6Y
Impact Under Siege Go-Home Preview
Matches confirmed for next week’s “go home” edition of Impact on AXS TV include:
Knockouts Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Rosemary vs. Havok
#1 Contender’s X-Division Scramble Mach: Petey Williams vs. Acey Romero vs. Ace Austin vs. TJP vs. Rohit Raju vs. El Phantasmo
Tommy Dreamer recently revealed on his House of Hardcore podcast that he contracted COVID-19 while on a tour of Alaska. Unfortunately, the 50-year-old has had a real tough time battling the virus. He spoke about his 24-day experience with COVID during the podcast.
“This is day 24 since I’ve been exposed to COVID. I’ve never been sicker in my life. I went to Alaska and was exposed on that Friday. The company I went for, Wrestle Pro, everyone tested negative. They were there about a week before I came in and someone tested positive,” Dreamer said (transcriptions via Fightful).
“The company did everything and told the wrestlers and fans. Nobody asked for refunds or anything,” he continued.
Dreamer continued to say that he agreed to continue working the tour but upon seeing the unmasked crowd in attendance realized he made a mistake.
“I did it for selfish reasons and wanted to check Alaska off my bucket list to say I wrestled in every state and financial reasons. There was a good financial deal for me. It’s going to have long-term effects on my health,” he continued.
Tommy Dreamer Describes COVID-19 Symptoms
Dreamer continued to talk about his experience with the virus. Unfortunately, he would also reveal that his wife and daughter were exposed to the virus as well.
“It felt like I had a massive concussion and I had a non-stop throbbing pain in my head for 17 days. Then came the fever. It was going up to 102, 102.4, and I had that for about seven days. The chills, at one point I had four winter blankets on me and I still felt like I was outside naked in the snow. That was about four days. Sweats, I would be freezing for two to three hours and then came the sweats and having to change the sheets daily. That lasted about 16 to 17 days. Weakness and fatigue were next level.”
“I’m on day 24 and I’ve had three good days. It feels like you overcome and then it hits you all over again. I tested positive on Thursday and had already exposed my family. Thursday night, I was in so much physical pain that I literally said, ‘I’m going to pee myself because I can’t get up to walk to the bathroom.’ One night, I woke up crying and in pain. My elbows and hips felt like they were on fire, and I’ve been on fire. It was a raging pain, burning in both my elbows and hips. No matter which way I turned, I lost use of both my arms. They were just hanging. I couldn’t lay in bed. I had to stand for two hours against the wall.”
Impact Wrestling is back tonight with an all-new episode of Impact on AXS TV. With less than two weeks until Impact Under Siege, the company is hyping the following items for the broadcast:
Doc Gallows (w/ Karl Anderson) vs. Juice Robinson (w/ David Finlay)
Knockouts Champion Rachel Ellering vs. Kiera Hogan
Taylor Wilde vs. Susan
The debut of New Japan Pro Wrestling star El Phantasmo.
El Phantasmo
We will also see three qualifying matches for the 6-Way #1 Contender’s Match taking place at Under Siege.
James Storm vs. Moose
Rhin vs. Chris Sabin
Trey Miguel vs. Rohit Raju
As of this writing, Chris Bey, Sami Callihan and Matt Cardona have qualified. Following Impact, we will know all six competitors. The winner of the 6-Way #1 Contender’s Match will earn the right to challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship.
Check back Friday morning for our Impact on AXS TV Results and Takeaways.
Chris Jericho recently spoke with Comicbook.com to promote Wednesday’s Blood and Guts match on AEW Dynamite. Jericho’s Inner Circle will go to war against MJF’s Pinnacle faction in the first Blood and Guts match in AEW history.
During his discussion with Connor Casey, Jericho spoke about the “forbidden door” and AEW’s ongoing partnerships with Impact and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
AEW currently has a working relationship with Impact, but Jericho does not think they should do a full-blown invasion storyline with the Toronto-based promotion.
“Our roster is jam packed as it is,” Jericho said. “And I think our involvement with Impact has been pretty much what it should be. I’m not saying this in an egotistical way, but AEW is at a completely different level than Impact is. So anything that we’re doing with them benefits them a lot more than it benefits us, in my opinion.”
Jericho feels that it’s a good thing for AEW stars like Kenny Omega and Private Party to appear at Impact events. However, don’t expect to see him doing the same.
“Chris Jericho will never go to Nashville and work in an empty studio in front of somebody,” he added. “There’s just no reason for me to do that. If those guys came over to invade, who are they going to [send]?”
AEW could always do an invasion angle down the road if it makes sense, but for now, they need to focus on their own up-and-coming talent. They have so many guys that are on the verge of breaking out that he wants AEW to focus on them, not outsiders.
Jericho on AEW vs. NJPW
Although Chris Jericho isn’t keen on wrestling in an empty studio for Impact Wrestling, he did express interest in matches outside of AEW. In particular, Jericho is interested in facing several wrestlers from NJPW.
“There’s a couple of matches there that I would love have. [Minoru] Suzuki and Jericho,” he continued. “I think Ospreay and Jericho. I think Kenny and myself as a tag team against Tana and Okada or against Ibushi and Okada. That’s a Tokyo Dome main event. So all of those matches are in the pipeline. I love Japan.”
Head over to Comicbook.com to check out their full interview with Chris Jericho.
The NJPW-AEW forbidden door flies open again on the May 12th edition of Dynamite. Jon Moxley will defend the IWGP United States Championship against NJPW’s Yuji Nagata. Moxley will also be in action on an upcoming episode of NJPW Strong.
Back in February, there was a situation between Sammy Guevara and Impact Wrestling. The AEW star was pulled from TV tapings with the idea of him working for the promotion after he quit Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle faction, but he didn’t like the creative direction and was later informed by Jericho to go home after he expressed criticism.
He was supposed to win three matches at the Impact tapings. It was reported at the time that Impact was mad about AEW sending talent over, putting plans in place, and then the talent wouldn’t do what was planned. In an interview with Fightful, Guevara commented on the matter.
“It’s business at the end of the day. What was presented, I didn’t see it working for me. I still wish nothing but the best for Impact and everybody there. I didn’t put any information out online and I know there’s only a certain amount of people that knew certain information, so the information that was put out online is only coming from one side.
I wish we could have kept it more close-knit instead of having to make it everybody’s business, because I feel like it wasn’t necessary for everybody to know any of this stuff. So that’s why I started trolling on the vlog, and certain things are coming out where I’m like, ‘Yo, this is not true at all’. So, don’t believe everything you read online. But hey man, it is what it is. We all could have handled things better, but that’s life in general man. You live, you learn, you grow and you go.”
He continued by noting that he has a lot of friends in Impact and there’s plenty of wrestlers he’d like to work with.
However, he knows that he will wrestle those wrestlers at some point whether that’s in AEW, Impact or on the independent scene.
Last year when WWE released 20+ talents in April, Impact built up their Slammiversary PPV around who would be debuting or returning to the company. Promotional materials for this year’s Slammiversary event carry a similar feel.
Scott D’Amore recently appeared on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast and implied that negotiations with some recently released WWE talent might have already begun.
“I think you look at what we did at Slammiversary last year with all the buzz, and I think there’s an opportunity here. There’s some great talent and they’ve got this hiccup in their career. We’ve all been there probably where we’ve been let go and they’ve got the opportunity to do like so many of the people did last year and forge new opportunities and different and in some ways better opportunities for themselves,” D’Amore said (transcriptions via Fightful).
Scott D’Amore on Samoa Joe
With Samoa Joe now a free agent, D’Amore made specific mention of when he wanted to bring Joe to TNA in 2005.
“In 2005 when I got put in charge of the creative for TNA I knew there was one guy that I wanted, and that was Samoa Joe, and I worked very hard getting on the phone because WWE wanted him as well. Myself and Mike Tenay, who’s an amazing, amazing dude that I know some of you have met and got to be around, we just knew Joe was different and special and we wanted to have him there. That was 2005, we were able to get him and do some pretty damn cool stuff. I got mad respect for Samoa Joe and would always love an opportunity to work with him again, both because of his unbelievable talent and his unique charisma and also because he’s just a good dude.”
Scott D’Amore On Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, and Chelsea Green
D’Amore also hinted that some conversations may have already started.
“So many of that other talent. you look at it, whether it’s Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, whether it’s Chelsea Green, you know, there’s just so much there and I just got to say, I think there’s a chance that some talent’s going to move around and you’re just going to have to stay tuned and be careful what I say, but maybe some conversations have started.”
Impact Wrestling this week was the first show since Kenny Omega defeated Rich Swann to become the new Impact World Champion. Omega would appear on this show but Scott D’Amore had to go to great lengths to ensure the new champion would fulfill his commitments.
The full replay is available on Impact Plus even for non-subscribers.
Impact Wrestling 4/29 Quick results:
Under Siege Qualifier Chris Bey defeated Jake Something
W. Morrissey defeated Sam Beale
Taylor Wilde defeated Kimber Lee
X-Division Championship Josh Alexander (c) defeated Ace Austin
Under Siege Qualifier Matt Cardona defeated Brian Myers
Under Siege Qualifier Sami Callihan vs Eddie Edwards – No Contest
Scott D’Amore Reveals How Kenny Omega’s Next Challenger Will Be Determined
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKIypVMvjF0
Scott D’Amore cut an in-ring promo to start this week’s show. He noted that because of the “winner take all” aspect to Omega vs Swann at Rebellion, there was no rematch clause put in the contract. A new challenger will have to be determined to face Omega. D’Amore then announced there will be a 6-way match at Under Siege to determine who will challenge the champion next. 3 qualifying matches would take place on this week’s show and 3 on next week’s show. Without much delay, Jake Something was chosen to face the returning Chris Bey in the first qualifier.
Qualifying Matches:
Chris Bey vs Jake Something (this week)
Brian Myers vs Matt Cardona (this week)
Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan (this week)
James Storm vs Moose (next week)
Rhino vs Chris Sabin (next week)
Trey Miguel vs Rohit Raju (next week)
Chris Bey Qualifies For Under Siege
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz7qkaz3P6M
Something and Bey had a back-and-forth match with Bey using his speed and “finesse” against Something’s size and strength. The ending came when Rohit Raju grabbed at Something’s foot from ringside. The momentary distraction allowed Bey to roll-up Something for the pin. This could lead to some type of angle between Something and Raju as Bey now has a chance to qualify for a title shot against Kenny Omega.
W. Morrissey Debuts On AXS TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0InwUJrz94
After making his promotional debut at Rebellion, W. Morrissey (FKA Big Cass) made his debut on AXS TV this week. Before his match against Sam Beale, Morrissey cut a promo about how the fans don’t really know him and they don’t really know the wrestlers in the back. He continued to say the wrestlers in the back are all bad people and so is he. The difference is, he’s at least honest about being a bad guy.
Morrissey then made quick work of his opponent in a complete squash match. Later in the show, Willie Mack would challenge him to a match at Under Siege. Morrissey pinned Mack in 8-man tag action at Rebellion.
Taylor Wilde Not Interested In Teaming With Tenille Dashwood
Taylor Wilde has returned to Impact Wrestling and she’s looking to “Main Stage Impact-alooza” as she said this week. Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb interrupted her backstage segment and Dashwood implied that the two should form a tag-team. Wilde, however, is interested in going for singles gold and not teaming with Dashwood.
Wilde would go on to defeat Kimber Lee in singles action later in the show. Susan was at ringside and did everything she could to help her ally gain the advantage but it was all for not. Wilde made Lee submit to a deathlock.
After the match, Susan attacked and the heels had a 2-on-1 advantage on Wilde. Dashwood then made the save for Wilde. So it’s possible these two could end up teaming together even if that’s not what Wilde wants.
Josh Alexander Retains X-Division Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pl7zJ4gfL0
Josh Alexander won the title at Rebellion in a 3-way match that also involved TJP. This week, he’d have to face the former 2x champion Ace Austin in singles action. The end of the match came shortly after Madman Fulton had attempted to interfere on the outside. The distraction allowed Austin a momentary burst of offence but Alexander countered a Divine Intervention attempt and the locked in the Ankle Lock submission for the win.
Matt Cardona Avenges Loss At Rebellion, Defeats Brian Myers To Qualify For Under Siege
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XjVDGGxeNc
Brian Myers defeated Matt Cardona at Rebellion after taking advantage of his opponent’s injured knee. This week, Cardona attempted to gain the advantage by attacking Myers before the match. Myers would counter this by continuing to focus on Cardona’s leg throughout the match. Cardona struggled to get sustained offence as his former tag partner continued to focus on his injured limb. Finally, as Myers appeared to be setting Cardona up for the Roster Cut Lariat, Cardona countered it with Radio Silence and got the 3-count.
With the Forbidden Door getting wider and easier to walk through every week, NJPW’s El Phantasmo was advertised as coming to Impact Wrestling on this week’s show. ELP is a 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and has won the Super J-Cup tournament two years in a row in 2019 and 2020.
Kenny Omega, Don Callis & The Good Brothers Interfere In The Main Event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNbzkeh5a8E
As the match between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan was ongoing in the main event, Kenny Omega, Don Callis, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows did a run-in.
Throughout the night, Scott D’Amore had said that if Omega didn’t appear personally live on the show, he’d be stripped of the title. Omega made it at the last second to interfere in the main event. Omega was about to give Callihan a V-Trigger when FinJuice made the save. The heels still had the numbers advantage, however, and were able to fight off the tag champs. With the ring cleared, Don Callis cut a promo praising Kenny Omega to end the show.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NM2DTRHwm0
The following matches are upcoming in Impact Wrestling.
Next week:
James Storm vs Moose
Rhino vs Chris Sabin
Trey Miguel vs Rohit Raju
El Phantasmo vs TBA
Under Siege (May 15th)
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs Eddie Edwards & Finjuice
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) vs Fire N Flava
6-Way #1 Contenders Match Chris Bey vs Matt Cardona vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
On last night’s edition of Impact Wrestling, a vignette for NJPW’s El Phantasmo was shown to preview the 34-year-old’s pending arrival in the promotion. ELP going to Impact comes on the heels of NJPW’s David Finlay and Juice Robinson doing the same. FinJuice are the current Impact Wrestling tag-team champions and wore the title bouts to the ring during a recent NJPW tour.
Phantasmo is a former 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. He’s also won the Super J-Cup tournament two years in a row in 2019 and 2020.
ELP is from Vancouver and began his training alongside other British Columbia bred wrestlers, Kyle O’Reilly and WWE’s Bollywood Boyz (aka the Singh Brothers).
Following the announcement of his forthcoming debut for Impact, Phantasmo named over a dozen wrestlers he wants to work with.
NJPW President Takami Ohbari recently commented on his company’s new approach to talent-sharing with other promotions:
“I will say this until I’m blue in the face: this is a star driven business, and the wrestlers are the focus,” Ohbari said in an interview with NJPW1972.com. “So if our wrestlers say ‘I want to wrestle that guy’ ‘I want to test myself against that guy’ ‘I want to show that I’m better than that guy’. Then it becomes our job as a company to do what we can to back them, make it happen and make it successful.”
W Morrissey made his Impact on AXS TV debut this week. The man formerly known as WWE Superstar Big Cass is the newest member of the Impact roster.
Morrissey came out and cut an impassioned promo on the show. Morrissey said, “You may recognize this face, but you do not know who I am.” Wrestling fans don’t know who any of the wrestlers are. They’re not heroes, they do not love you and they do not care about you. These are very bad people.
“This entire industry is filled with bad people and the only difference between me and all of them is I’m not afraid to admit it.”
He then proceeded to demolish Sam Beale.
Morrissey looks to be in the best shape of his career. He is a big signing and will be a serious threat to anyone who stands in his way.
