The main event is set for the upcoming Impact Under Siege special event: Kenny Omega team with the Good Brothers against Eddie Edwards and FinJuice.
The inter-promotional attraction features talent from Impact, AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Omega is the reigning Impact World Champion and also holds the AEW World Championship. NJPW stars FinJuice are the Impact tag team champions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNbzkeh5a8E
We’ll also see a 6-man #1 contender’s match to determine the next challenger to Kenny Omega. Chris Bey and Matt Cardona will face 4 more competitors determined by qualifying matches taking place over the net few weeks.
Mauro Ranallo made his return to pro-wrestling commentary at Sunday’s Impact Rebellion pay-per-view. He called only the high-profile main event match between Kenny Omega and Rich Swann.
Ranallo talked about the experience recently on his Maurologue podcast. The former WWE and NXT broadcaster sounds like he had the time of his life.
“I’ve got to tell you, I had a blast working with D-Lo Brown and Matt Striker and what a match between AEW Champion Kenny Omega and Unified IMPACT belt-holder Rich Swann in a title-for-title mega main event,” Ranallo said.
There is no word on what the future might hold between Impact and Mauro. It sounds as though Ranallo appreciates how he was treated by the company, however. He said Rebellion “reignited his passion” for pro-wrestling.
“A big thank you to Scott D’Amore and all the people at IMPACT Wrestling for making me feel so welcome. It reminded me of, honestly, when I started my career at 16. Yeah, [Rebellion] reignited my passion for professional wrestling.”
Mauro Ranallo in Impact Wrestling
Ranallo called it a “very chill, relaxed atmosphere” with a supportive, respectful locker room. He has been in several pro wrestling locker rooms and feels that Impact has a great mix of decorated veterans and talented up-and-comers.
He also spoke about the positive reaction the PPV has garnered.
“Man, they had their working boots on last night. I thought everyone delivered and from what I understand, the pay-per-view is getting rave reviews, and even more importantly, the pay-per-view buy-rate should be one of the best that IMPACT Wrestling has done in some time. Yeah, it was great to see so many familiar faces and I do hope to get to do it again.”
New IMPACT Wrestling X Division Champion Josh Alexander won the title during the company’s Rebellion PPV event over the weekend. The former member of The North tag team (alongside Ethan Page) recently spoke to Sports Illustrated and said how he intends to honor former Champions and the division as a whole.
“That’s the greatest three-way match of all time,” Alexander began, talking about the fabled Unbreakable 2005 Three Way match between Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. “The monkey flip where I caught TJ, they did that same spot. They did it straight into the rana, but I added a little flair by powering TJ, taking a kick, and then he rana’d me.”
“When Samoa Joe came to the X-Division, that gave me the burning desire to be a pro wrestler” Alexander noted, discussing his influences. “So having that throwback to the Unbreakable match, that was a way to pay respect to this division.”
Josh Alexander on X Division
“This was my chance to establish myself in a division that revolutionized the pro wrestling business” Alexander continued. “AJ Styles, Low Ki, Amazing Red, Samoa Joe, all found their success in the X-Division, and they were always the match of the night. I would like to return the X-Division to its glory.”
“This is the workhorse division. I’m going to bust my ass and try to steal every show I’m on” Josh Alexander concluded.
Who do you want to see Josh Alexander face for the X Title in IMPACT? Are there any AEW stars he should face? Let us know in the comments
Kenny Omega is the new Impact World Champion. Following Omega’s victory over Rich Swann at Rebellion, Scott D’Amore Tweeted that he expects Omega to fulfill his obligations as champion. According to a report on Wrestling Observer Radio, that includes defending the title on May 15ths Under Seige event on Impact Plus.
“He’s definitely defending the title at Under Siege,” commented Dave Meltzer. “That’s the first title defense, so that’s May 15th. I believe he’s doing a tag-team match on television when they do the tapings as well.”
As for who Omega defends the title against at Under Siege, that is not yet clear.
“I have a feeling that on Thursday’s show that you would probably have an idea who it will be. It might be Rich (Swann).”
Meltzer continued to speculate that Moose or Eddie Edwards could also be Omega’s opponent on the show. Trey Miguel and Josh Alexander were also mentioned.
Following Under Siege, Impact will present Against All Odds on June 12th. Impact will return to PPV in July with Slammiversary but an exact date has yet to be announced.
Impact Wrestling on Thursday night will be the first show since Rebellion. Josh Alexander is the new X-Division Champion, Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering are the new Knockouts tag champions, and Kenny Omega is the new Impact World Champion. Only FinJuice and Deonna Purrazzo retained their titles at Rebellion.
Kenny Omega is now the AEW World Champion, AAA Mega Champion, and the unified Impact/TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Numerous people and organizations across the wrestling world have been reacting to Omega’s title win at Rebellion.
Scott D’Amore congratulated Rich Swann on his effort and also said he expects Omega to adhere to the commitments that come with the title.
“I trust/expect Mr Omega will honor the commitments & responsibilities that come with that prestigious title,” D’Amore wrote.
IWGP World Champion Will Ospreay responded when a fan tagged him in Omega’s Instagram post asking him to take the throne. “He knows where I am,” was Ospreay’s reply.
While not related to the Omega vs Swann match, NJPW congratulated FinJuice on retaining their tag team titles at Rebellion.
— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) April 26, 2021
Kenny Omega becomes the 29th person to win the Impact World Championship with his win at Rebellion. He begins the 52nd reign in the lineage of the title. As for former champion Rich Swann, his title reign finishes at 183 days. That is good for 10th all-time in that category. He successfully defended the title 6x during his reign. His opponents were Eric Young, Sami Callihan, Ken Shamrock, Chris Bey, Tommy Dreamer, and Moose.
Impact Wrestling presented Rebellion last night on PPV. Kenny Omega defeated Rich Swann to win the Impact World Championship in the main event. According to a report on Wrestling Observer Radio, the PPV is trending to have done very well.
“From the early returns as far as the streaming side goes, the numbers for this show were exceedingly strong,” said Dave Meltzer. “Probably, almost certainly the biggest PPV they’ve done in years, maybe many years but several years for sure.”
“That aspect was a success even without AEW promoting it hard on Wednesday night, there was enough promotion elsewhere,” he continued.
Impact Wrestling Announces Upcoming Schedule
Impact Wrestling announced their next 3 big events upcoming during last night’s PPV. On May 15th, Impact will present Under Siege on the Impact Plus streaming service. Against All Odds will then take place on June 12th. The company will then return to PPV in July for Slammiversary. An exact date for the PPV has yet to be revealed, however. A teaser for Slammiversary is available below:
The build-up to Matt Cardona’s match with his long-time best friend Brian Myers ended on a controversial and sour note. After trying to hit his Radio Silence finisher Cardona landed badly in the ring and his left knee buckled beneath him.
Matt Cardona has a history of knee injuries having lost 18-months of his career to a previous knee injury. However, it was not just the injury but the way the match ended that left a sour note in everybody’s mouth.
Despite the referee throwing up the X, Myers continued to fight. Hauling his best friend to his feet to hit the Roster Cut lariat. Myers then pinned Cardona for the three in the middle of the ring without a shred of remorse.
If this is a worked angle to build heat for the already hated Myers, it worked well. However, how close can you come to crossing the line between real injuries versus storytelling?
Injuries are serious business in wrestling. Whatever the story is behind the ending of this match, IMPACT is surely looking to milk this feud a little longer. Myers and Cardona are no strangers to the friend-enemy storyline, having played out the same before their departure from WWE.
After the PPV Cardona took to social media to confirm the injury but also to allay fears over its seriousness.
Hopefully not as bad as it felt. Knee cap is back in place. Thanks guys.
Matt Cardona is a hardcore wrestling fan as is documented on his social media accounts. His love for the sport extends beyond his own acts in the ring. Here’s hoping this latest setback isn’t a bad one and we see him get his redemption against Myers soon.
In the build-up to IMPACT Rebellion, all talk was on the main event title match, however, it was the returning W Morrissey who stole the early credits. Making his debut as a substitute for the injured Eric Young in the Violent by Design 8-man tag match.
Whether the injury was genuine or rather a well-timed piece of story telling the addition of Morrissey to the Impact roster is a big move.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COG_WqEq0UF/
Morrissey is better known for his time with WWE wrestling as Big Cass. He is a man on a personal and professional mission after a series of real-life issues derailed his wrestling career. Morrissey has been brutally open and honest about his battle with depression and alcohol addiction. Seeing him back on the main wrestling roster is the start of his redemption.
Morrissey looked to be in the best shape of his career. Taking the took the fight to James Storm and his crew. While the rivalry between Storm and Young had been the driving factor behind the meeting, yet it was Morrissey who stole the show.
Not only did he get a considerable chunk of in-ring time, but he also picked up the win. Hitting an impressive East River Crossing on Willie Mack. After the bell, Morrissey continued to rain down blows on his fallen opponent, in a clear statement to his VBD brethren that he is ready to help their cause and bring the violence.
It remains to be seen what the plans are for Morrissey following his IMPACT debut. However, in aligning himself with Eric Young he is surely going to be seeing a lot of TV time.
Impact Wrestling presents a big PPV tonight. The AEW World Championship and the Impact World Championship will both be on the line when Kenny Omega takes on Rich Swann. According to a report from Inside the Ropes, former WWE Superstar Big Cass is about to debut for the promotion “imminently.”
This could mean that Big Cass, who now wrestles under the name CazXL, will appear on tonight’s show or on upcoming episodes of Impact’s weekly television show.
CazXL recently returned to the wrestling ring for Lariato Pro Wrestling. The promotion is owned by Doc Gallows and its events stream on Impact Plus.
“I would love to go to AEW. I’d love to go back to WWE, go to AEW, IMPACT, New Japan, Ring of Honor, wherever,” CazXL said about his future. “Those conversations with Gallows and Anderson have happened and it’s something I would love to do. But one day at a time is the way I take it, I don’t want to look too far into the future. If a phone call comes tonight that’s great, if it doesn’t come for another 3 – 4 months or a year, that’s fine too. I’m open to go anywhere and to have fun, and to make a name for myself.”
After a long journey filled with an enormous amount of self-reflection, I now start my journey towards redemption. Thank you @The_BigLG for the opportunity, and thank you to everyone for continuing to believe in me ?? #StraightOuttaStep12pic.twitter.com/WqRnaa1jQj
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo will face Tenille Dashwood tonight at Rebellion. She appeared on Busted Open Radio recently and spoke about the PPV. Additionally, she also discussed which recently released WWE Superstars she would like to see in Impact Wrestling.
“Everyone that this happened to last year, myself included, has kind of found a new home and landed on their feet and been successful,” Purrazzo said referencing her release from WWE in 2020 (transcriptions via 411Mania). “So, I think this had to happen to the next round of people, and we set that template of it’s going to be OK, you will be successful and thrive wherever you land.”
“Obviously, I want my best friend Chelsea Green to come back to Impact. Mickie James is a former Knockouts Champion. And then I also love Cassie and Billie as individuals and as a tag team. I think of those four we would benefit tremendously from and vice versa.”
Purrazzo continued to say that as the Forbidden Door has been kicked open, she wants to defend the Knockouts belt across multiple promotions.
“Wrestling isn’t the boys club anymore. I want our Knockouts Championship to be contended for all over the world,” Purrazzo continued. “I know that whoever is in charge of the AEW women’s division and Tony Khan want their championship to be held in the same contention. So, if we can have Kenny vs. Rich, champion vs. champion, why can’t we have Deonna vs. Shida? Our division is continuously growing and is one of the best in the world. Their division, in the same light, is continuously growing and is becoming one of the best in the world. There is no lose-lose, no matter what the match is between Impact’s women’s division and AEW’s women’s division.”
Impact Wrestling presents Rebellion tonight live on pay-per-view. The event is available for purchase at FITE.TV.
History will be made as Impact World Champion Rich Swann battles AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
A HISTORIC main event. 5 championship matches. A grudge match 18 years in the making. Last Man Standing. A STACKED 8-man tag. #IMPACTRebellion has it ALL tonight at 8/7c LIVE on PPV and @FiteTV!
Impact Wrestling is back with another show, so let’s take a look at the card for the Rebellion pay-per-view event.
The event takes place on tonight (Sunday, April 25, 2021) from Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Rich Swann vs. AEw World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega in a title vs. title match is the main event. Mauro Ranallo is being brought in as the special announcer for the match.
The show kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be distributed on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view, including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw and Sasktel across North America, and streaming live globally exclusively on the FITE.tv app
This will be the second PPV event of the year for Impact. The card that features several big matches appears to be finalized.
Rebellion Final Card
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega vs. Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swann – Title vs. Title Match
Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander vs. TJP.
Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo vs. Tenille Dashwood.
Impact Wrestling Knockouts Tag Team Champions Fire N’ Flayva vs. Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering.
Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions FinJuice vs. The Good Brothers.
Violent by Design vs. James Storm & Chris Sabin & Willie Mack & Eddie Edwards.
Matt Cardona vs. Brian Myers.
Sami Callihan vs. Trey Miguel – Last Man Standing Match
Impact Wrestling on 4/22 was the go-home show for Sunday’s Rebellion PPV. Eddie Edwards faced Eric Young in the main event.
Impact 4/22 Quick Results:
The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) defeated Decay (Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve)
Tenille Dashwood defeated Susan
Shera defeated Jake Something
Jordynne Grace defeated Kiera Hogan via DQ
Eric Young defeated Eddie Edwards
Rich Swann and Kenny Omega’s Final Segment Before Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPUJyg8bSZQ
Rich Swann came out for a promo this week and called out Kenny Omega. Omega and Don Callis appeared on the big screen and said they couldn’t be in the Impact Zone for the show. Omega plans on being on Impact regularly, however, as the new Impact World Champion.
After Omega and Callis logged off, Moose made his return to Impact and confronted Swann in the ring. Moose gave Swann a warning that if he loses his two title belts, he’ll have to deal with him after.
Violent By Design Scores Victory Ahead Of Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixYkpPblJnQ
With a huge 8-man tag taking place at Rebellion, the leaders of the two sides faced off in singles action in this week’s main event. With the two sides brawling on the outside, VOD’s Joe Doering tripped up Eddie Edwards and allowed Young to score a pinfall with a small package. After the match, the melee between the two sides would continue.
Rachael Ellering To Team With Jordynne Grace At Rebellion
Jordynne Grace faced Kiera Hogan in singles competition this week. With Jazz now having officially retired, Grace is in need of a partner for the Knockouts tag title match at Rebellion. Just when Grace looked as though she had this match won, Tasha Steelz interfered to cause the DQ. It was then a 2-on-1 attack until Rachael Ellering hit the ring and made the save. Ellering will now be Grace’s partner at Rebellion.
The Good Brothers and FinJuice Prepare For Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ect0peiW4
The Good Brothers defeated Decay in tag-team action this week as they head to Rebellion on a winning note. After their victory, Anderson and Gallows cut a promo directed at FinJuice. They said they are glad that Finlay and Robinson broke them out of their comfort zone.
Later in the show, FinJuice would cut a promo at Anderson and Gallows, telling them they are dreaming if they think they are going to take the belts from them on Sunday.
Tenille Dashwood Defeats Susan En Route To Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQml4MdGj44
Tenille Dashwood put away Susan in singles competition this week. After the match, she cut a promo to her Rebellion opponent, Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo. Dashwood said that Purrazzo owes her for all that she has contributed to women’s wrestling.
Sami Callihan Sends Trey Miguel A Warning Ahead of Rebellion
Sami Callihan and Trey Miguel will face off at Rebellion. Just days before the event, Callihan sent Trey a message that at Rebellion he’s going to see to it that he never walks again.
Brian Myers Sends Matt Cardona A Message Ahead of Rebellion
Brian Myers cut a promo this week on his Rebellion opponent, Matt Cardona. Myers said that he’s not interested in living in the past and that at Rebellion, Cardona will be just another “roster cut.”
Final Lineup For Rebellion
Here is the final lineup for this weekend’s Rebellion PPV:
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering
Impact Wrestling champion Rich Swan will battle AEW World Champion Kenny Omega this weekend at Impact’s Rebellion PPV. Swann spoke to Sports Illustrated to hype the match and explained why this is the biggest match of his career.
“The focus is on Kenny Omega, and that’s understandable,” said Swann. “He’s the Best Bout Machine, he’s Dave Meltzer’s favorite wrestler, he’s this seven-star wrestler. Kenny has proven why he deserves this attention. But I’m here, too. I’m also a person that has battled adversity.”
Swann says he was told he would have to retire due to injuries, but he’s still here. He’s faced adversity and has earned the right to be part of this historic match.
“Two world champions from two different companies, repping two different television stations, and we’re about to blow this industry’s roof off,” he said. “I’m going to make this different than any match we’ve ever had in our careers. This is an opportunity I won’t let slip. It’s going to be the match of my life.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGSqmxPANSo
Impact Rebellion PPV
In addition to Swann vs Omega, several other big matches have been booked for the show. The updated lineup is below.
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & TBA
On the heels of Samoa Joe being released by WWE on April 15th, former TNA Wrestling writer Vince Russo recently commented on why he wasn’t pushed harder while he was in TNA. Granted, Joe is a former Grand Slam champion in TNA but according to Russo, Joe’s weight was a factor backstage.
“The problem we always had with Samoa Joe, always revolved around weight. It was never that he was a pain in the ass or he wasn’t talented or he couldn’t do this… it was always (his) weight,” Russo said recently on his Writing with Russo podcast (transcriptions via Sportskeeda).
“So what would happen, and this always happened, it was like a yoyo… Samoa Joe would come to TV looking great so now we’re all excited because physically Samoa Joe could look really good or look really bad. He would come to work looking really great so now we’re booking for ‘Joe was off, Joe lost some weight, Joe is in shape…’, now we’re booking for that guy. So we’ll book six to eight weeks of TV, then we’ll go home, we’re all excited about Joe, we’re writing the next set of TVs and he comes back and he’s out of shape and you could tell in the ring. We had these talks with him all the time. We were all upfront with this. This is my POV. There’s a huge difference in Samoa Joe when he’s in shape and when he’s not in shape and you saw it. This happened so many times.”
Joe is a former TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He also held the X-Division title, the short-lived TNA TV title, and twice held the tag titles (once by himself and once with Nick Aldis).
Impact Wrestling has announced that Mauro Ranallo will return to pro-wrestling commentary at Rebellion on April 25th. The promotion sent out a press release that Ranallo will call the match between Kenny Omega and Rich Swann on the show.
“Swann vs Omega, champion vs champion, title vs title – this match represents everything I love about professional wrestling,” said Ranallo. “I have been fortunate to call these two superstars’ matches in the past and I’m very excited to be part of this historic encounter.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dC5qFrdF7U
“This once in a generation title vs title showdown deserves to be called by the once in a generation play-by-play announcer. I’ve known Mauro for over two decades. There are very few people in the world who are as passionate about or know their wrestling history as well as Mauro. This is an historic main event, the world champions of two major organizations putting everything on the line. I’m thrilled that April 25th, at Rebellion, fans will have Mauro’s legendary voice proving the soundtrack to history!”
Ranallo and Impact released the following two videos breaking down Swann vs Omega at Rebellion:
https://youtu.be/9Fpk-aGnktM
https://youtu.be/BGSqmxPANSo
Here are the matches scheduled for Rebellion:
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & TBA
Impact Wrestling on 4/15 featured a contract-signing segment between Rich Swann and Kenny Omega for Rebellion. It also featured the retirement ceremony for Jazz and more storylines and angles leading to the PPV later this month.
Impact 4/15 Quick Results:
Josh Alexander defeated TJP
Karl Anderson defeated Crazzy Steve
Jazz & Jordynne Grace defeated Fire N Flava (Non-Title)
Brian Myers defeated Jake Something
Sami Callihan defeated Matt Cardona
Tensions Boil Over During Rich Swann & Kenny Omega Press Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dC5qFrdF7U
The headlining segment on Impact 4/15 was a press conference featuring Kenny Omega and Rich Swann. Tony Khan and Jerry Lynn were on-hand from AEW and Khan spoke about how if Swann wins, he’ll be on both Dynamite and Impact moving forward and if Omega wins, he’ll continue to be on both shows as well. Khan also said that there would be for sure be a clear winner.
Kenny Omega concluded the press conference by running down Swann and then slapping him which started a brawl between the two.
Jazz Officially Retires
At Hardcore Justice, Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jazz in a match that carried a title vs career stipulation. This week on Impact, Jazz came out for her official retirement ceremony. She was interrupted by the members of Fire N Flava, the tag-team champions.
Word then came from the back that Fire N Flava and Jazz and Jordynne Grace were being booked in an impromptu match. Jazz and Grace quickly won the short match and Jazz continued with her retirement speech. The locker room spilled out to pay respect to her.
Later in the back, D’Amore would confront Fire N Flava and say that now they have to defend their tag belts against Grace and Jazz at Rebellion. Jazz said she needs to honor the stipulation, however, but does know someone Grace can team with on the PPV.
At Rebellion, Ace Austin will defend his X-Division Championship against both Josh Alexander and TJP in a triple threat match. This week, Alexander and TJP went one-on-one to kick off the show.
After a back-and-forth match with lots of submissions, TJP looked to finish things off with his Mamba Splash. Alexander countered with an ankle lock, however. TJP then transitioned to a triangle submission but Alexander countered with a power-bomb onto his knee, and then the Divine Intervention piledriver for the win.
Big Petey Pump Details Josh Alexander’s Odds At Rebellion
Viewers on Twitch will note that every week Scott Steiner’s famous “Steiner Math” promo is replayed during commercial breaks at least once. This week, Petey Williams recreated the promo while explaining what Josh Alexander’s odds are in the triple threat X-Division title match at Rebellion. Evidently, the numbers don’t lie and they spell disaster for Ace Austin’s title reign at Rebellion.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows are preparing to face FinJuice later this month at Rebellion. Anderson took on Crazzy Steve from Decay this week. He’d pick up the win thanks to some distraction on the outside. Gallows distracted Steve after the Decay member had his opponent locked in an Upside Down. The distraction then allowed Anderson to hit a spine buster for the win.
Brian Myers & Matt Cardona Pick Each Other’s Poison
Ahead of their singles match at Rebellion, Brian Myers and Matt Cardona each picked the opponent of the other on this week’s episode. Cardona picked Jake Something as Myers’ opponent but The Most Professional Wrestler picked up the win with his “Roster Cut” clothesline.
After Myers defeated Something, he revealed Sami Callihan as Cardona’s opponent. Callihan then attacked Cardona from behind to kick start their match. Callihan picked up the victory after giving Cardona a thumb to the eye followed by his patented piledriver for the win.
After his match, Callihan called out Trey Miguel. He offered Trey a chance to partner with him but Trey turned him down. Callihan also revealed it was him that attacked Tommy Dreamer and not Violent By Design. This set off Trey who attacked Callihan. Callihan hit him with a low blow, however. Callihan continued his attack using a chair, suplexing Trey into it to close the segment.
It was later revealed that the two will go one-on-one at Rebellion.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
Here are the matches scheduled for next week’s episode of Impact:
The Good Brothers vs Decay
Tenille Dashwood vs Susan
Eric Young vs Eddie Edwards
Updated Rebellion Lineup
Here are the matches scheduled for Rebellion:
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & TBA
On Sunday, April 25th, 2021, Rich Swann and Kenny Omega will go one-on-one with both the Impact and AEW title belts at stake. AEW’s Tony Khan recently revealed on Busted Open Radio that he plans on attending the PPV. Khan also said he plans on bringing AEW referee Aubrey Edwards along with him.
“I’m going to be coming up to Nashville to maintain order next weekend at [IMPACT Rebellion], that you moved at my suggestion [Laughs]. I’m going to go to UFC with my good friend Dana and then I’ll come to [Rebellion] and make sure that no funny business goes on in this title match. I’m going to bring my own referee, Aubrey (Edwards),” Khan said on Busted Open Radio (transcriptions via Fightful).
The following has been confirmed for tonight’s episode of Impact on AXS TV:
2x and current X-Division champion Ace Austin will defend his title against both TJP and Josh Alexander at Rebellion later this month. He sat down for an interview with Chris Van Vliet recently. During the discussion, Austin spoke about which stars from AEW he’d like to face now that the “forbidden door” has been opened.
Austin noted Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and PAC as potential future opponents.
“I know the Twitter-verse wants to see me and Sammy Guevara. That’s a match that has never happened one-on-one. We did have a triple threat once for XWA with Anthony Henry. A lot of people want to see me and Darby too. PAC also for sure, we are both ultimate athletes. But Kenny Omega, that is inevitable”
Austin also spoke about meeting AJ Styles at a TNA Meet and Greet in 2014.
“For $20 I got a photo of me and AJ Styles in the ring when I went to an IMPACT Show in 2014. I had never been in a ring before that. As soon as I stepped on the canvas, it was like nothing I stepped on before. I lost my balance, total fail. That was January 2014,” Austin continued. He would also mention that he started training not long after that.
While Austin has a big title defence upcoming, he says he’s got his eyes on a bigger prize. Austin is hoping to get into the Impact world title picture once again.
“I haven’t taken my eyes off of the World Title since Slammiversary. When I ended up back in the X Division picture, I have option C. I knew that becoming X Division champion meant that there was a sure fire way I could get a title shot. After Rebellion, who knows what that might mean?”
The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
Impact Wrestling returned to Thursday night this week. Last night’s show was their first one back in their old/new time slot. Kenny Omega would make his in-ring debut on the weekly Impact television show. He’d team with the Good Brothers against Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards in the main event.
Sami Callihan & Trey Miguel defeated XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero)
Chris Sabin w/ James Storm defeated Deaner
Rich Swann, Willie Mack & Eddie Edwards defeated Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers w/ Don Callis
Rich Swann Gives Kenny Omega Reason To Worry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLU3rn4ExYA
The main event this week saw Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers take on Rich Swann, Willie Mack and Eddie Edwards. During the match, Swann proved a few things to the Super Elite which could give Omega reason to worry about their match at Rebellion.
Near the end of the match, Swann reversed out of the 1-Winged Angel. Swann then was able to hit his Phoenix Splash on Omega and looked to have the AEW World Champion beat. Don Callis pulled Omega out of the ring, however, preventing the pin from taking place.
The babyface team then focussed on Karl Anderson, and Swann gave him a Phoenix Splash and got the win for his team. As the show ended, Matt Striker noted on commentary that Swann proved he can reverse the 1-Winged Angel and that he is immune to Don Callis’ mind games.
Chris Sabin took on Deaner in singles action this week. He picked up the win with the Cradle Shock but VOD had a plan for after the match. The camera cut backstage to Eric Young, who said that Storm had walked right into their trap. Then it was revealed that Joe Doering had attacked Chris Harris. Meanwhile back in the ring, Rhino took out Storm and Deaner took out Sabin as Young said that Harris’ blood was on Storm’s hands.
Trey Miguel & Sami Callihan Defeat Team XXXL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Nsw6i2hrk
Sami Callihan has said that he wants to mentor Trey Miguel, but the former member of the Rascalz does not seem to be having it. Trey reluctantly joined Sami for this match but only to get revenge on Team XXXL and not to align with Sami. Although they never got along during the match, Callihan and Trey picked up the win after Trey made Larry D submit to the Hourglass.
After the match, Sami tried to raise Trey’s hand but Trey refused.
Brian Myers Attacks Matt Cardona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MHq0RMFEVA
Matt Cardona was wrestling Jake Something this week when Brian Myers attacked, causing a no-contest. He attacked Cardona and then tossed Something eye-first into the steel steps. Myers then got on the mic and accepted Cardona’s challenge for a match at Rebellion.
Things opened up with Knockouts action this week. After being attacked by her former partner last week, Havok is now firmly on the babyface side of the division. Havok and Neveah would go through a table together on the outside as Rosemary put away Alisha with Red Wedding inside the ring.
In 2009, Dixie Carter suspended Jeff Jarrett from TNA Wrestling after it was revealed he was romantically involved with Karen Angle, Kurt Angle’s ex-wife. Jarrett and Karen would end up marrying in 2010. Eric Bischoff recently spent some time on his “83 Weeks” podcast talking about how this played out backstage in the company at the time.
“It was certainly unique, especially since Kurt was still in the company,” Bischoff said on the show. He would continue to say, however, that everyone seemed to get along just fine backstage.
“When everybody was backstage, when Karen was there, when Jeff was there, when Kurt was there, when the kids were there, they got along like an extended family. Since there was no real issue within their family that I could see – not that I would judge it one way or the other anyway – but again when they were all together – because Karen would often come backstage and bring the kids and she’d be with Jeff and Kurt was there and Kurt’s soon to be wife, I mean, everybody got along.”
“I can’t imagine being in that situation. It would be awkward anyway, regardless of whether Kurt Angle was the baddest man on the planet or whether he was an accountant.”
“I have a lot of respect for Jeff and for Karen and for Kurt. I think they’ve done a wonderful job under the circumstances keeping their families together as individual families and together as a broader 2-family scenario.”
Bischoff’s full comments on the matter can be heard in the player below:
It was reported by multiple sites yesterday that Impact Wrestling had drawn an abysmal rating this week of only 38,000 viewers. This was not the case, however. The show was actually up by tens of thousands of viewers from the previous week.
According to a report from PW Insider, the show did 148,512 viewers and a 0.04 in the 18-49 demographic. That is up from 116,000 the show did the week before. Impact typically draws a 0.04 rating in the key demo.
The show was headlined by James Storm vs Eric Young in Storm’s 1000th match for Impact/TNA. Kenny Omega and Don Callis were also back. The show moves to Thursday night beginning next week.
What Caused The Initial Reports Of An Abysmal Rating?
It should be noted that initial reports claimed Showbuzz Daily reported Impact’s number as being 38,000 viewers and a 0.01. This was not really reported on Showbuzz, however, that number was actually obtained from the comments section of that report. Despite this, multiple sites (not SEScoops) ran with the story that Impact’s rating had dropped to a truly abysmal number.
Impact Wrestling on 3/30 featured James Storm’s 1000th match in the promotion as he faced Eric Young. We also saw some important matches booked for April 10th’s Hardcore Justice event.
Impact Wrestling 3/30 Quick Results:
Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) defeated Havok & Nevaeh
Sami Callihan defeated Larry D
Brian Myers defeated Suicide
Ace Austin & Madman Fulton defeated TJP & Josh Alexander
James Storm defeated Eric Young
James Storm Defeats Eric Young In His 1000th Impact/TNA Match
In a pre-match interview earlier in the show, James Storm dedicated this match to Bob Ryder, who co-founded the company and passed away in November. Storm was then joined by his old tag-team partner Chris Harris for a quick reunion as Chris Sabin and Jake Something looked on.
Storm would need his allies’ help to fend off Young’s Violent By Design faction during the match. The end of the match came as a giant brawl erupted on the outside, while inside the ring Young attempted to use his old-school hockey goalie mask as a weapon but Storm landed his Last Call Superkick and got the win.
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Attack Rich Swann, Willie Mack, & Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh0h-a-uYy0
When Impact Wrestling makes the move to Thursday nights next week, Kenny Omega will wrestle on the show for the first time. It will be Omega and the Good Brothers going up against Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards. We got a preview of the match this week. Don Callis had approached Willie Mack in the back and was showing him a video of Kenny Omega using the 1-Winged Angel. This brought out Rich Swann who confronted Callis. Swann was then attacked from behind and Omega and the Good Brothers took it to Swann and Mack. Eddie Edwards then came in to fight on the babyface side, however, and sent the heels packing.
Jazz To Put Career On The Line In Knockouts Title Match
Tommy Dreamer is putting the match card together for Hardcore Justice on April 10th. He announced this week that Jazz will face Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title on the show. Dreamer said that Jazz needs to put something up in the match to which Jazz suggested her career. Dreamer said she didn’t need to do that but Jazz insisted. With that, we have a career vs title match between Jazz and Purrazzo at Hardcore Justice.
Dreamer also announced that there will be a multi-woman scramble match with the winner earning a Knockouts title shot. All weapons will be legal, Dreamer mentioned, though Alisha Edwards still had trouble understanding.
Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone Run Down Dynamite Lineup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM46uVo5NgU
The two Tonys were back this week. They ran down the lineup for AEW Dynamite but also made special mention of the match between Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian as the two had several matches while with Impact/TNA. The rest of the lineup for tonight’s Dynamite is below:
Exhibition Match Referee: Arn Anderson Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall
Christian Cage vs. Frankie Kazarian
Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian & Miro(w/Penelope Ford)
Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose & The Bunny(w/Vickie Guerrero)
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) & Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) & Laredo Kid
MJF gives a present to the Pinnacle
Nevaeh Turns On Havok
Havok and Nevaeh dropped their 3rd match to Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz this week. Fire N Flava defeated the team in the finals of the Knockouts tournament, then again in a Texas Tornado match at No Surrender, and now again on last night’s show. After the match, Nevaeh evidently was fed up with all the losing. After weeks of teasing, the team finally imploded when Nevaeh attacked Havok from behind. She was heard yelling “I thought I was the weak link” during the melee as the segment came to a close.
Trey Miguel Doesn’t Return the Favor For Sami Callihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCXnyv-fJAE
Last week, Sami Callihan rescued Trey Miguel from a beatdown from Team XXXL. This week, Sami Callihan defeated Larry D in singles action. After the match, Acey Romero attacked Callihan from behind. Trey would not return the favor for Callihan, however, and simply allowed the 2-on-1 to take place. Callihan seems pleased with this for some reason.
Later in the show, Callihan confronted Trey in the back. He said he wants the two of them to team against Team XXXL and that he wants to be Trey’s mentor.
Brian Myers Turns Down Matt Cardona’s Challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yux_DAv6_Is
Brian Myers picked up a win this week over Suicide. After the match, he got on the microphone to address Matt Cardona challenging him to a match last week. Myers turned down Cardona’s challenge and said that despite their long history together, Cardona isn’t part of Myers’ plans in Impact Wrestling.
TJP and Josh Alexander Can’t Get Along In Loss To Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHrkZZhysY4
Ace Austin and Madman Fulton picked up the win in tag action this week over TJP and Josh Alexander. TJP and Alexander had difficulty working with each other throughout the match and that would ultimately cost them. TJP hit a Mamba splash on Austin but then he and Alexander began arguing over who the legal man was. This allowed Austin to roll up TJP for the win.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next Week (Thursday, April 8th)
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack, Rich Swann, & Eddie Edwards
Hardcore Justice (April 10th)
Career vs Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Jazz
Multi-Woman Scramble Match For Knockouts Title Shot
Rebellion (April 25th)
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (AEW) (c) vs Rich Swann (Impact) (c)
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) (c) vs The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows)
Impact Wrestling’s Eric Young will be out of action for quite a while, possibly for the remainder of 2021. He revealed recently on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast that he has a torn ACL. Young is hoping to be back in six months, but typical recovery times from such an injury is 6-9 months.
The match he suffered the injury during is scheduled to air tonight on AXS TV. He wrestled James Storm on the show in what was Storm’s 1000th match for the promotion.
“At the last tapings I tore my ACL,” Young said on the podcast. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been injured. I missed my first wrestling show this Friday that I was booked on in 24 years of doing it. So, it’s frustrating, man. I’ve never been injured. I’ve been hurt lots, but I’ve never been injured. I have to have surgery in like a week and a half. And it’s going to be a long, long road. So, we’ll see, man. It’s going to get real interesting for me.”
Unfortunately, Young was the leader of a new stable in Impact. Along with Joe Doering, Rhino, and Cody Deaner, the faction is known as Violent By Design. It’s possible he’ll remain on television as the mouthpiece for the group.
“My ACL is completely torn, which I didn’t know,” Young continued. “That happened on Monday during the match with Storm. I finished it like nothing happened. I wrestled a hardcore war eight-man tag the following day, then I wrestled Eddie Edwards on Tuesday in a singles match. It was like 20 minutes — on one leg. And I would put that match against anything that airs anytime, for any wrestling company, anywhere in the world, and I did it on one leg. And I’m very proud of it.”
Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts champion Taylor Wilde will finally be making her return to the company soon according to reports from Fightful Select.
According to the report, this comeback has been planned for well over a year and the female star was originally slated to return ahead of the pandemic last year.
However, coronavirus halted these plans and Wilde could not make a comeback due to the travel restrictions that were put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Taylor Wilde is a former WWE star who was signed by the company in 2006 but she couldn’t get past the development territories. She was released by the company without a main roster appearance in 2007.
She joined the promotion then known as TNA in 2008. She went on to win the Knockouts Championship by defeating Awesome Kong during the July 10 episode of Impact Wrestling in her debut year.
Wilde went on to have a long run with the company. She also became the inaugural Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Sarita in 2009. She later had another run with the tile while teaming up with Hamada.
The former champion was said to be backstage for the latest Impact tapings though it’s unknown if she filmed any material and the exact date for her return is not known yet.
