Rob Van Dam & Katie Forbes are no longer with Impact Wrestling. According to a report from PW Insider, the pair’s departure from the company is due to storylines involving them ending. They had been working on a per-show deal for some time and the door is said to be open for them to return someday.
Rob Van Dam had signed with the promotion in February of 2019. RVD turned heel at Bound For Glory 2019. His real-life relationship with Katie Forbes then became a key part of his on-screen persona. Most recently, RVD and Forbes had been involved in an angle with Sami Callihan. The angle came to a conclusion recently when Callihan gave Katie Forbes a piledriver after dropping a singles match to RVD.
RVD and Forbes were briefly members of the faction “Cancel Culture” with Joey Ryan and Jake Crist. The angle came to an end when Joey Ryan was released from the promotion. This was as a result of allegations against Ryan as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
RVD’s run in the company from 2019-2020 finished with an 11-4 record in singles matches. He defeated Tommy Dreamer, Ethan Page, Sami Callihan (2x), Willie Mack, Madman Fulton, Rhino (2x), Eddie Edwards, Daga, and Joey Ryan. His losses came to Moose, Daga, Eddie Edwards, and Sami Callihan.
Ken Shamrock will be inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame next month over Bound for Glory weekend. The Rock says he will be providing a video introduction for Shamrock.
Shamrock and The Rock exchanged messages on Twitter relating to the upcoming Hall of Fame induction.
Congrats, my brother. Awesome news. I will take care of this and get it to you by this weekend. ???
During WWE’s Attitude Era, Ken Shamrock and the Rock crossed paths frequently. One of the most memorable moments between the two involved the Rock hitting Shamrock with a nasty chair shot on RAW.
Both the Rock and Shamrock commented on the moment after Shamrock was interviewed by Chris Van Vliet.
Great interview, Chris! Watched the whole thing and now I’m late for the gym ???. @ShamrockKen always one of my favs. Our big program was the first of my career and always grateful to him for being a stand up guy, beast & businessman. And that sick chair shot. #geeezus ????????
Shamrock and the Rock met in singles competition 5x on WWE programming. This does not include house shows, tag matches, or multi-person matches. The Rock holds a 3-2 lead in their all-time head-to-head stats, with it being very likely they won’t wrestle again.
The last singles match between the two on WWE programming was in the 2nd round of the Deadly Game tournament at Survivor Series 1998. The Rock would defeat Shamrock en route to winning his first-ever WWE Championship.
Rich Swann and Eric Young were both guests on the Impact Press Pass yesterday. The media session was streamed over Facebook Live. Young recently returned to the promotion and quickly captured the Impact World Championship for a second time. Swann is returning after a career-threatening injury and will challenge Young in the main event of Bound For Glory.
I had the chance to ask Rich Swann about his last 2 years in Impact and what they have meant for his pro-wrestling career.
“The last 2 years for me in Impact Wrestling has definitely been like a re-charge. It’s been something that, you know, it brought me up. As everybody knows, before Impact Wrestling, I was on downtime and I was retired but then some people brought me back and brought me into Impact Wrestling. And I’ve done nothing but take opportunity after opportunity that’s been given to me and I am nothing but grateful for Impact Wrestling for giving me these opportunities.”
“Now that I’ve gotten the opportunity to wrestle Eric Young at Bound For Glory, I’m going to seize it baby,” he continued.
As for Eric Young, he said during the call that his current incarnation is his truest form. He also spoke about how he believes Impact Wrestling is the #1 professional wrestling show in the world.
“Impact is the #1 professional wrestling show in the world. I am a professional wrestler, you are a professional wrestler, and when it comes to BFG, we are going to make history.”
The full show can be viewed in the Facebook post below:
Impact Wrestling continued its build to Bound for Glory on October 24th last night. Would you believe it if we said that Flava Flav, Nancy Kerrigan, and Chuck Norris all appeared on the show? Results and key takeaways from the show are below:
Impact Wrestling 9/22 Quick Results:
Trey Miguel defeated Chris Bey vs TJP
Rohit Raju defeated Trey Miguel (X-Division Championship)
Susie defeated Kimber Lee
Rob Van Dam defeated Sami Callihan
Tenille Dashwood defeated Jordynne Grace
Eric Young vs Eddie Edwards Rematch Scheduled For Victory Road
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovJOiz-ypyQ
Eric Young went on another rampage this week. He attacked Cousin Jake and Cody Deaner for no apparent reason other than to send a message to Scott D’Amore, Rich Swann and everyone else that he is an out of control maniac. He hit piledrivers on both Deaners but was eventually confronted by Scott D’Amore. When Young went to attack D’Amore as well, Eddie Edwards came out and fought him off.
Later in the show, D’Amore booked a rematch between Eddie Edwards and Eric Young for Victory Road on October 3rd. As Edwards was leaving the arena in the closing moments of the show, the lights went out and when they came back on Edwards was on the floor.
Tenille Dashwood Picks Up Main Event Win Thanks To Personal Photographer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB5isRc_Xyo
Caleb Konley (Caleb now spelled Kaleb) is now Tenille Dashwood’s personal photographer and his distraction allowed Dashwood to hit her finish on Jordynne Grace and come out of this week’s main event victorious.
Dashwood’s new heel persona in Impact plays up her status as an “influencer” on social media. They touted her 1.5 million followers on Instagram frequently on commentary. After her victory over Grace, Dashwood remained in the ring for a photoshoot with “Kaleb”. It should be interesting to see where this new version of Tenille Dashwood goes.
Dashwood took a mean looking Grace Driver during the match as well:
Someone from Impact Wrestling had a lot of fun with Cameo this last week. In a segment I’m certain many fans found hilarious, Heath made another appeal for fans to use the #Heath4Impact hashtag this week as he continues to lobby for a spot on the roster.
In addition to noting that having Heath in Impact would help “Rhino Conservation,” Heath enlisted the help of many celebrities to deliver messages via Cameo in support of him being hired. Flava Flav, Nancy Kerrigan, Chuck Norris and others all voiced their support for Heath4Impact. Tremendous.
Sami Callihan’s Feud With Rob Van Dam & Katie Forbes Comes To An End
The stipulation in this match was that if Rob Van Dam could defeated Sami Callihan then Katie Forbes would be given 5-minutes in the ring with him. RVD was able to secure the victory after Forbes sprayed Callihan in the face with hairspray.
After the match, Forbes began kicking a downed Callihan but the man from Ohio eventually fought back, took RVD out of the picture, and gave Katie Forbes a huge piledriver to end the segment.
On commentary, Josh Mathews noted that this was the end of their rivalry.
EC3 Gave Out Moose’s Phone Number
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFtJZrM4YtA
EC3 “stole” Moose’s TNA World Heavyweight Championship and is threatening to destroy it. Moose has been on a worldwide search but discovered that EC3’s influence stretches far and wide. This week on Impact, EC3 gave out Moose’s personal phone number and encouraged fans to send him any information that could lead him to recover the title belt. It’s not quite clear what EC3 has planned for this but will likely learn more in the weeks to come.
Brian Myers was interviewed in the back this week about his loss to Willie Mack last week. Myers pointed out that he had defeated Mack twice beforehand but it was noted to him that he had cheated to do so. This set Myers off and he began throwing things around the room. Tommy Dreamer then entered the picture and told Myers this was no way to act in a new company. Dreamer ordered Myers to clean it up and while the Most Professional Wrestler eventually agreed, some animosity appears to be building between the two.
Dreamer co-hosted the Twitch stream last night and noted that he hired Myers into WWE and wants him to get off to a good start in Impact.
Rohit Raju Retains X-Division Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOJPi02tDTg
The opening match on Impact this week was a triple threat between Chris Bey, TJP and Trey Miguel. The winner would receive an immediate shot at Rohit Raju’s X-Division Championship. Trey picked up the win in the match by hitting a double-knee on TJP. Raju would then retain his title quickly via a roll-up pinning combination while he had a handful of trunks. Raju was able to escape with his title this time but challengers are lining up for his title.
Susie Continues To Channel Su Yung
Susie appears to be reverting back to Su Yung in recent matches on Impact Wrestling. She broke out several moves from the undead bride’s repertoire in her match against Kimber Lee this week on Impact.
Kimber Lee’s association with Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo may be on rocky ground. Purrazzo attempted to interfere in this match but hit her ally instead. This allowed Susie to hit Su Yung’s Panic Switch for the win.
Kylie Rae Challenges Deonna Purrazzo At Bound For Glory
#1 contender for the Knockouts title, Kylie Rae, was in Susie’s corner for her match against Kimber Lee this week. After Susie’s victory, Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo attacked her from behind. Susie attempted to help but got locked in an arm-bar for her trouble. Kylie then tossed Purrazzo out of the ring.
With the champion on the outside, Kylie Rae picked up a microphone and challenged Purrazzo for a title match at Bound For Glory.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
The following matches have been booked for next week’s show:
The Good Brothers vs The Rascalz
Johnny Swinger vs Fallah Bah (Winner is John E Bravo’s Best Man)
Ken Shamrock has shared his thoughts on Raw Underground while appearing on an episode of The Dropkick podcast.
Shamrock confessed he is now a fan of the concept of Raw Underground. He juxtaposed the segments intentions with MMA promotion Pancrase:
“[…] what we wanted to find out is what wrestling would look like if it was real, and that’s what you have in the Pancrase organization where I fought over there. That’s what it looks like when you take wrestling and you turn it into a real fight, and it’s sharp.”
The former WWE Superstar promised that Raw Underground will engage fans on a different level by providing a harder-hitting alternative to its typical in-ring offerings. According to Shamrock, WWE will soon discover the same lessons Pancrase learned in how to present its product.
“When you think about what WWE is doing with [RAW] Underground, they’re going, ‘Hey, let’s find out what it’s like if we can start doing these predetermined outcomes, but yet let’s make it more physical and let’s make it more real.’ They’re gonna find out the same thing we did over in Japan: that it’s much more exciting when you’re watching a movie that you can’t tell whether it’s real or it’s not real.”
Ken Shamrock has previously shared negative comments on Raw Underground. When the segment first began airing, he invited WWE to bring him on board to help its worked shoots actually “look good.”
Rich Swann will be in the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV next month. The former X-Division and WWE Cruiserweight Champion was recently a guest on Wrestling Observer Radio and told an interesting story about how Wale and Mark Henry were responsible for him being signed to WWE in 2015.
“Wale had, I want to say, he had came to the Lyceum show and DragonGate in New York and he had Tweeted out the next day that AR Fox, Rich Swann, Ricochet and Uhaa Nation they all need to be on TV, they all need to be on someone’s radar,” Swann said.
“And from there, he was super supportive and he helped me out, like he got me in contact with Mark Henry and Mark Henry, another one who just was a huge proponent of mine. He just helped me out and got me into the WWE’s eyesight and I just tried to take advantage.”
Rich Swann on Almost Retiring In 2018
Swann also talked about how negative comments and people on social media once led him to announce his retirement. This took place shortly after Swann was released from WWE in 2018.
“Everybody thought that they knew what happened with my situation. They read things that was glorified and at that moment, I was just like you know what? I need to take a step back. I need to find something else to do. Maybe this isn’t for me because I’d never gotten in trouble in my life. I’d never experienced anything like that before.”
“I sat back and I broke down. I didn’t know what to do. And guys like Tommy Dreamer, Scott D’Amore, Don Callis, Sami Callihan, my close friend Jason Cade, they would tell me ‘don’t do this, don’t retire, don’t quit.’”
He would continue to say that it was wrestlers he had worked with reaching out and telling him not to quit that eventually led him to decide to continue his career.
Rich Swann vs Eric Young for the Impact World title will take place at Bound for Glory on October 24th.
The man behind the legendary voice of TNA’s promo packages, Barry Scott, has passed away. He was 65 years old at the time of his passing. No cause of death is currently available.
Impact Wrestling and TNA stars have been paying tribute to Scott online.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Barry Scott. For years Barry was the iconic voice of TNA Wrestling, lending us gravitas and credibility. He will be dearly missed,” Impact Wrestling Tweeted.
“Very saadened to hear about the passing of Barry Scott, the longtime TNA Voice behind some of the most Iconic Videos in IMPACT History. Here was the last one he voiced, featuring Moose as TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Godspeed. Rest Well and Thanks Barry,” wrote Impact referee Brandon Tolle.
“Sad to learn the passing of Barry Scott the voice of all those @IMPACTWRESTLING (TNA) packages, PPVs voice overs,” wrote Tommy Dreamer.
“RIP Barry Scott… Barry was a great talent but even a better man… Barry’s voiceover work in the early days of TNA was so instrumental for our product… This picture was taken from production work for Slammiversary XV “cold open”…Love ya my friend!” wrote Jeff Jarrett.
“I am heartbroken to hear about Barry’s passing. Not only was he an amazing talent, he was a true gentleman that I adored. You will be missed Barry. Sending love and prayers to your family,” Tweeted Dixie Carter.
Very saadened to hear about the passing of Barry Scott, the longtime TNA Voice behind some of the most Iconic Videos in IMPACT History. Here was the last one he voiced, featuring Moose as TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Godspeed. Rest Well and Thanks Barryhttps://t.co/Q0HuugSG11
Impact Wrestling presented a big show last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The show featured a match for the Impact Tag Team Championships and a main event of Tommy Dreamer vs Eric Young.
Impact Results 9/8:
TJP defeated Chris Bey
Brian Myers defeated Willie Mack
Impact Tag Team Championships Motor City Machine Guns (c) defeated The Rascalz
New Impact World Champion Eric Young kicked off this week’s episode. He was interrupted by former champion Eddie Edwards’ wife, Alisha Edwards. She told Young that because of his attack last week, Eddie can’t even hold their young child. Alisha vowed that Eddie would be back to take back the title soon, however.
Young then looked to give Alisha a pile driver but Tommy Dreamer made the save. A match was then made between the two of them for later in the night.
Young picked up the victory via a pile driver in the main event. He would continue the attack after the match but Rich Swann returned and limped to the ring area on crutches. He used his crutch to batter the champion and chase him away from the ring area to close the show.
Previously on Impact, Moose has told EC3 he plans on destroying the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He just doesn’t yet know how he’s going to do it. Moose has been searching for him but ended up in a rather weird predicament on this week’s show.
Moose traveled to visit his old football coach but it appeared that his coach had been corrupted by EC3 already. The coach told Moose to “control his narrative” and that he had been warned before a series of players in EC3 hoodies made weak attempts to attack Moose.
Things Are Heating Up In Impact’s Tag Team Division
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnHM9mjDGbQ
The Motor City Machine Guns gave Wentz and Dez a shot at the tag titles this week. The two teams met at Slammiversary but MCMG said last week they felt the Rascalz deserved a title shot when they know which team they will face ahead of time.
MCMG utilized their innovative tandem offense to score the victory but after the match, things in the tag division got heated. Former champions the North came out and attacked MCMG from behind. The tag champs managed to turn the tables on the North but this only brought out Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. The North and Fulton & Austin then took it to the tag champs. This then brought out the Good Brothers, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows, for the save.
It looks like there are plenty of teams lining up to challenge the champs in Impact’s tag division.
Sami Callihan Has Plans For Debut of The Whole F’N Talk Show
Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes announced this week that next week they will debut a new talk show titled The Whole F’N Talk Show. Later in the show, Sami Callihan commented on what he has in store for their debut episode. Callihan said he doesn’t plan on hacking into their talk show, as he did for Katie Forbes’ website reveal before. He does have other plans for the debut episode of their show, however.
Taya Valkyrie Planning John E Bravo’s and Rosemary’s Wedding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJdlfZGqxo
On the final episode of Wrestle House last week, John E Bravo and Rosemary became engaged to be married. This week, Rosemary expressed concern about being a demon and getting married. She said she has to resurrect Father James Mitchell to officiate the wedding. Bravo was put in charge of planning the wedding but Taya Valkyrie quickly took these responsibilities from him.
Taya later told both Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz that they will play no part in the wedding which leads to a match between Taya and Steelz on the show.
Taya managed to defeat Steelz without the help of John E Bravo. He spent more time on the phone planning his wedding than he did paying attention to the match. Taya picked up the win with the Road to Valhalla.
TJP Next In Line For X-Division Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2KdaOj75Nk
TJP took on former X-Division champion Chris Bey in the opener this week. Current X-Division Champion Rohit Raju watched from ringside. TJP picked up the victory by countering a sunset flip attempt into a pinning combination. Josh Matthews suggested on commentary that TJP has now put himself in a position to challenge Rohit Raju fro the belt.
Willie Mack Unable To Get Revenge On Brian Myers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTWuH8weTO8
The most professional wrestler Brian Myers cut a promo this week. He told Willie Mack that they had just gotten off on the wrong foot. Myers said he paved the way for people like Mack and invited him to come out and shake his hand. Mack preferred to have a match instead. Myers said he wasn’t in his gear (and hadn’t tanned) but Mack didn’t care.
Myers picked up a victory after a low blow and DDT but another match between the two has been scheduled for next week.
Speaking on his podcast, 83 Weeks, Bischoff revealed how he has “never signed a 1-year deal” in his life before adding how he “never would.” He admitted he doesn’t want to get involved in anything long-term unless it’s a project he knows he’ll enjoy. Bischoff noted how his interest in a long-term deal is driven by his desire to “really connect” and engage with the material.
“Same with WWE when I was under contract. When I was there as an employee last summer, I was an employee; I didn’t have a contract. There were no contracts, but when I was under contract, they were all 2 and 3-year agreements. I never signed a 1-year agreement ever.”
Eric Bischoff: AJ Styles’ Wasn’t A “Big Draw” Outside Of TNA
During the show, Eric Bischoff looked back on his time in TNA Wrestling and one of its stars: AJ Styles. He explained why he personally didn’t feel how AJ Styles was a draw in the company at the time.
According to Bischoff, outside of TNA and its core audience, “not a lot of people knew AJ Styles.” He acknowledged Styles’ in-ring ability but stressed how he fell into a “younger developing category” compared to other roster members.
“He had been in the business for 8 years. He wasn’t really a big draw outside of the TNA core audience because he hadn’t had the exposure, not because he wasn’t good enough.”
Bischoff expressed how this isn’t the case in WWE, pointing to Styles’ success within the promotion. However, he stressed that back in TNA, not many people knew who he was “outside of the bubble.”
Former WWE Superstar Heath Slater has claimed other WWE Superstars want to join him in Impact Wrestling during an interview with TV Insider.
The former Heath Slater, now just Heath, admitted how “guys that did get released and guys from other companies have been texting and calling and asking about Impact.”
According to Heath, they’ve been telling him how they would be interested in jumping to Impact Wrestling but couldn’t because of their contracts.
“The WWE crew, some of them have been like, ‘Man, that would be awesome to do this, But I still got a year-and-a-half or another year.’ I’m like, ‘Remember what you’re saying because years go by pretty fast. So if you really want to, I might know a guy.’ The interest is there for sure.”
When asked who he’d like to join him in Impact Wrestling, Heath pointed to Curtis Axel. He admitted he and Axel have had conversations, but that Axel is “doing his thing right now and enjoying life.”
Heath is only one of a few former WWE Superstars to recently join Impact Wrestling. They were released from WWE earlier in the year as a cost-cutting measure. WWE cited COVID-19’s impact upon business as a reason for the cuts.
Impact 9/1 featured a changing of the guard as Eric Young defeated Eddie Edwards to win the World Championship. Additionally, the Knockouts Champion’s black-tie event did not go as she hoped and Rob Van Dam squared off with Sami Callihan.
Impact 9/1 Quick Results:
Sami Callihan defeated Rob Van Dam w/ Katie Forbes
Rhino defeated Reno Scum
Wrestle House Susie defeated The Deaners & Team XXXL
The Rascalz defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Wrestle House Taya Valkyrie defeated Rosemary (John E. Bravo – referee)
Impact World Championship Eric Young defeated Eddie Edwards (c) – New Champion
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 9/1:
Eric Young Wins Impact World Championship
For the second time in his career, Eric Young is the Impact World Champion. In the main event, Young took advantage of a distracted referee to hit Edwards with a hockey mask followed by a pile driver for the win. After the match, Young continued the assault on the former champion, targeting his leg much like has done previously to Rich Swann.
Young returned to the promotion at Slammiversary and immediately unleashed his vicious maniac side. Now, he’s the new world champion.
EC3 took the TNA World Heavyweight Championship belt from Moose recently and this week Moose spent the whole show searching for him. EC3 said he’s going to destroy the title belt and send it back to Moose piece by piece.
In the final segment of the show, Moose discovers a room that has photos of him plastered all over it. It looks like someone, likely EC3, has been watching Moose and perhaps plotting something against him. Moose is concerned as the show goes off the air.
Tenille Dashwood Returns, Interrupts Deonna Purrazzo’s Black Tie Celebration
Deonna Purrazzo had a special segment planned for this week to celebrate her victory over Jordynne Grace. Purrazzo and Kimber Lee were in the ring as several members of the roster surrounding the ring area. Purrazzo talked about having painted a masterpiece in her matches against Jordynne Grace at Slammiversary and Emergence. This brought out Grace, however, who told the champ her reign is not going to last.
As Grace was talking, Tenille Dashwood’s music hit and she came out for the first time in months. Dashwood joked about how everyone must be there to celebrate her return. She told Purrazzo that she’s never defeated her. Grace, Purrazzo, and Dashwood were arguing when the cast of Wrestle House teleported inside the ring. This requires its own subheading:
The Cast Of Wrestle House Teleports Back Into The Impact Zone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxz55pbWlws
Storylines concluded, mysteries were solved, and character arcs were completed this week, leading to the cast of Wrestle House returning to the Impact Zone. In fact, they teleported there.
Taya Valkyrie defeated Rosemary in a match that was “Winner Takes All” this week. John E Bravo was included in the “All”. Valkyrie picked up the victory with the Road to Valhalla but the real developments took place after the match. Bravo proposed marriage to Rosemary, who was at first reluctant due to the fact that she is a demon. Taya then appeared to briefly overcome her selfishness and gave the union her blessing. These developments pleased Kylie Rae who has been hoping to get back to the Impact Zone as she is the #1 contender to the Knockouts title. Taya agreed that the cast can go back and as they celebrated this fact, they all disappeared. They would reappear in the middle of the ring during Purrazzo’s celebration.
After the cast teleported in the ring during Purrazzo’s black tie affair, Kylie Rae ducked an attack from Purrazzo and ended up in a skirmish with Kimber Lee. Kylie super-kicked Kimber Lee out of the ring and held up the Knockouts title and celebrated with Susie.
Susie Has Blood On Her Hands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdPQG45NJrs
Team XXXL and The Deaners also got into this week on Wrestle House. The Deaners have been searching for who stole their beer and Larry D and Acey Romero are easy targets for such accusations. They comically brawled throughout the whole house until Susie involved herself in the match. Susie and Cousin Jake went on a rather bad date recently and Susie seems motivated to ensure the Deaners and Team XXXL abide by the truce they brokered earlier.
When Susie realized the two teams had broken the truce, she was not pleased. Her anger seemed to cause some visual disturbances on-screen and the audience did not see exactly what she may have done to Cousin Jake and the others involved in the match. When she came out of the room, however, Tommy Dreamer made the call to just name her the winner of the match. As he raised her hand it became clear that Susie literally had blood on her hands.
It was later revealed that Crazzy Steve is the one who took the beer, as he was not able to read the labels and didn’t know whose it was.
Heath Helps Rhino Beat Reno Scum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtbRzZCBfHg
Heath disguised himself as a cameraman this week to help his tag-team partner, Rhino, defeated Reno Scum. The former Heath Slater has been lobbying Impact management for a contract in recent weeks but Scott D’Amore didn’t sign him in time to team with Rhino for this match.
With Heath still unsigned, Rhino started the match against Reno Scum on his own. The finish of the match came when Heath put down the camera and hit the Wake Up Call on Adam Thornstowe with the referee distracted. Rhino then covered him for the win.
After the match, D’Amore came to ringside as Rhino and Heath celebrated in the ring. Security chased Heath out of the ring and D’Amore looked upset at Rhino.
The Rascalz To Challenge Motor City Machine Guns For Titles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyaD1OUCH0k
Wentz and Dez of the Rascalz defeated Ace Austin and Madman Fulton this week. They utilized their tandem offence to keep the big man on the outside of the ring and double-team Austin.
After the match, Impact tag champs the Motor City Machine Guns appeared on the ramp. MCMG defeated the Rascalz in an Open Challenge match at Slammiversary. The MCMG noted that the Rascalz were not prepared for who they would be facing in that match and offered up a title shot to them next week.
RVD and Katie Forbes Attack Sami Callihan After Match
In the opening match this week, Sami Callihan faced off with Rob Van Dam. This rivalry has been brewing ever since Katie Forbes mistook Callihan for a fan backstage. Callihan then interrupted a segment where Forbes was going to release new photos from her website.
Madison Rayne noted on commentary during this match that Forbes’ frequent attempts at interfering often don’t work out well for RVD. Forbes would get involved at the end of this match as well. As Callihan was going for a pile driver, Forbes got in the ring and began twerking. Callihan then chased her out of the ring and RVD attempted to roll-up Callihan into a pinning combination. Callihan reversed the pinning combination, however, and got a 3-count on RVD.
After the match, RVD attacked Callihan as his attention was focused on Forbes. Forbes and RVD closed the segment by attacking Callihan with a chair in the corner.
Eric Young is the new Impact World Champion. He defeated Eddie Edwards last night on Impact’s weekly show. Young hit Edwards with a hockey mask as the referee was distracted and then hit a piledriver for the win. After the match, Young continued the attack on Edwards’ leg, much like he has done to Rich Swann recently.
Young returned to the promotion at Slammiversary and was entered into the 5-way match for the world title that night. After getting eliminated, Young assaulted Rich Swann, causing the injured former X-Division champion to retire (in storyline).
Eddie Edwards’ second reign with the belt ends after just 28 days. His first title reign came in 2016 when he defeated Bobby Lashley. Edwards would then drop the title back to Lashley in early 2017.
This is the second time that Young has won the title. His first reign came when he defeated Magnus (Nick Aldis) in 2014. Young would drop the title to Bobby Lashley 70 days later.
Young begins the 50th reign in the title’s lineage. Overall, 27 wrestlers have won the title throughout its history dating back to 2007. Prior to 2007, Impact/TNA used the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as its major title.
Impact Wrestling on August 25th, 2020 featured the second night of Emergence. The show was headlined by a 30-Minute Ironman match between Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and former champ Jordynne Grace.
Impact Results 8/25:
Impact World Championship Eddie Edwards defeated Rob Van Dam
Wrestle House Blindfold Match Crazzy Steve defeated Johnny Swinger
Deonna Purrazzo Retains In 30-Minute Ironman Match
After an epic encounter at Slammiversary, the current champ and the former champ clashed under Ironman rules to headline Emergence night 2.
Purrazzo would begin focussing on the hand and arm of her challenger. The bulk of her attack continued to be on Grace’s limb as the match pushed across the 20-minute mark with no falls yet recorded. Grace began mounting a comeback as we approached 5-minutes left. She locked in a rear-naked choke in the center of the ring causing the champion to fade. Purrazzo’s arm dropped 3 times and the ref signalled that Grace had won the first fall.
With time running out, the champion had to work fast or lose her title. She landed a knee lift and quickly locked in a submission. Grace would reach the ropes, however, causing the break. With 2-minutes left Grace accidentally hit the ref in the corner. She then hit Purrazzo with a Grace Driver but the ref was down. As Grace went to help the ref, Purrazzo picked up the title belt and hit Grace with it and covered her to get the pin.
With a minute left and the score tied, Purrazzo fought feverishly to lock in the arm bar on Grace. She briefly got Grace in the Venus de Milo but transitioned to the Fujiwara armbar with seconds to go. Grace tapped and Purrazzo would retain.
Eddie Edwards Defeats Rob Van Dam, Attacked By Eric Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbI_gVT5pRk
Eddie Edwards kicked off Impact this week with his world title open challenge. Former TNA World Champion Rob Van Dam answered the call along with Katie Forbes. RVD looked like he might have the title won at one point too. He hit a jumping kick from the top, followed by Rolling Thunder, and then he looked to put things away with the 5-Star Frog Splash. Edwards moved out of the way, however, and then hit the challenger with a Boston Knee Party for the win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do08V2_qLfY
After the match, Eric Young came out from the back and attacked Edwards from behind. Young said that Edwards will face him next week.
A few segments later, Edwards came back to the ring and cut a promo on Young. He told Young to come out “right here, right now.” Young came out and said the match will happen next week as he planned. Edwards said that was fine but his ass-kicking would start now and a pull-apart began. During the melee, Young shoved Scott D’Amore to the ground.
Later in the show, Sami Callihan appeared in a vignette. He said that the reason RVD lost this match was that he is in his head. Callihan also said that he’s in Katie Forbes’ head as well. This all stems from Callihan interrupting Katie Forbes’ new website reveal a few weeks back after the two had an altercation in the back. Callihan promised to be there next week to kick RVD’s ass.
EC3 Says He Will Destroy The TNA World Heavyweight Title
"Destroying this title is the only way I'll be free."
Last week, EC3 attacked Moose and took possession of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He has been saying that he must destroy his past and the TNA title is a big part of that. He cut a promo this week saying he plans to destroy the title but he’s not yet sure how to go about doing that in a fitting way.
Wrestle House: Throw Powder In Someone’s Eyes and Yell “Fuji!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipd5vaItKp4
There was a toga party at Wrestle House this week. Also, the Deaners discovered a fun game where you throw powder in someone’s eyes and then yell “Fuji!” The team again confronted Acey Romero about having stolen their beer but again the Team XXXL member says he didn’t take it. The mystery of the missing beer continues.
Swinger attempted to hit Larry D with a “Fuji” but he hit Crazzy Steve instead. This led to Swinger and Crazzy Steve having a blindfold match at Wrestle House. The stipulation was added that the loser had to dress like the winner next week. Swinger was at quite the disadvantage as Crazzy Steve is already legally blind. Steve used a bike horn to distract Swinger and eventually picked up the victory with a roll-up.
Wrestle House: John E Bravo Confronts Lawrence D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMkfE5nBB1I
Also on Wrestle House this week, Lawrence D and Rosemary went on a date. This is all a ploy from Rosemary to make John E Bravo jealous, however. Rosemary is interested in John E Bravo because several weeks ago some tarot cards told her to be.
John E Bravo confronted Lawrence D before the date could begin and it led to a match. Lawrence made quick work of Bravo with a headbutt followed by a punch to the face for the win.
After the match, Bravo admitted to Taya that he has feelings for Rosemary. A drunken “Toga” Valkyrie did not like this news. She got in Rosemary’s face and blamed her for everything, saying she is jealous of her. Taya challenged Rosemary to a match next week in a “Winner Takes All” match and “All” includes John E. Bravo.
Brian Myers Picks Up A Win Over Willie Mack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twsKXLRH5EM
The Most Professional Wrestler Brian Myers and Willie Mack had an altercation in the back last week leading to this match. Myers hijacked an interview featuring Willie Mack talking about his injured partner, Rich Swann. Mack then attacked Myers in response and the end result is this week’s match.
Myers resulted to under-handed tactics to gain the victory, grabbing a handful of trunks on the pinning combination.
Rhino was jumped by Reno Scum recently. The team was hired by Hernandez to get his money back after Rhino and him had a gambling dispute. Rhino cut a promo backstage hoping that his tag team partner, Heath, would team with him next week. For that to happen, however, Heath will have to be hired by Impact.
Heath purchased advertising again this time to promote the “Heath4Impact” hashtag and encouraged fans to use it so that he gets hired by Impact.
Impact Wrestling presented the first night of its 2-week branded event, Emergence, last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The card featured the Motor City Machine Guns defending the tag belts against the North in the main event.
Impact Results 8/18:
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju defeated TJP & Chris Bey (c) – New Champion
TNA World Championship (Unofficial) Moose (c) defeated Trey Miguel
The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Wrestle House Kylie Rae defeated Taya Valkyrie
Impact Tag Team Championships Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) (c) defeated The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page)
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact 8/18:
New X-Division Champion Crowned
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAnAgTdl2JQ
Rohit Raju had been attempting to convince Chris Bey that he would make a good run-in buddy for him. Raju even said he was only in this triple threat match to ensure Bey walked away from it still the champion. It may have been all a ploy, however, as Raju would be the one to leave with the belt here.
TJP had Bey locked in a submission but Raju grabbed Bey’s arm to stop him from tapping. Shortly after, Bey was looking to land a move on TJP from the top turnbuckle when Raju tossed TJP off the buckle and Bey landed in a tree of woe position. Raju then hit a double foot stomp on Bey and pinned him to win the championship.
I don't like to retweet comments, but this says it all!! The respect from my peers means a lot!! ??? https://t.co/3n6OssTw4O
Raju is the 46th wrestler to win the X-Division title and begins the 93rd reign in the title’s lineage. Bey’s reign ends at 31 days.
Motor City Machine Guns Retain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9dI-v34Ajc
The main event of Emergence Night 1 saw the North cash in their rematch clause against the Motor City Machine Guns. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander had said leading up to this match that they were worn down after a year of defending the belts and that is the only reason why MCMG were able to take the titles off of them.
The North would control much of the match, forcing the MCMGs into two hot tag situations. Ultimately, however, it was the tandem moves by the innovative Sabin and Shelley that would help them prevail. They finished off Page with a combination neck-breaker splash for the win.
MCMG are in their 2nd reign with these belts. Their combined 212 days plus (as of this writing) puts them 5th all-time. They are just ahead of the Hardys (at 205 combined days as champs). They trail the North (383 days) for 4th on the all-time list.
EC3 Steals The TNA World Title
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35ix1EZLL3k
Moose defeated Trey Miguel in an unofficial TNA World title match this week. Trey fought valiantly against his much bigger opponent but in the end, Moose would pick up the win with a Lights Out spear.
After the match, EC3 came out of nowhere and attacked Moose. He delivered a reverse DDT to him before grabbing the TNA World title and leaving.
Previously, EC3 has said he wants to destroy his past, which includes the TNA World title. Impact is advertising we will hear more about EC3’s reasons for stealing the belt next week.
Wrestle House Craziness Continues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1He-pirn1ns
Quite a bit happened on Wrestle House this week.
Larry D of Team XXXL had a spell put on him by Rosemary to make him fall in love with her. He told his partner Acey Romero this week that he is wearing the new cologne “Ring Rust” made from real ring rust. A rather dapper dressed “Lawrence D” now has a date set up with Rosemary for next week. Rosemary is just trying to make John E Bravo jealous, however.
Somebody stole The Deaners’ beer. Cody and Jake accused several people but as of yet have not gotten to the bottom of the mystery. Jake and Susie are a little awkward around each other as well after their bad date.
The big match of the week pitted Kylie Rae versus Taya Valkyrie with Rosemary as the special referee. Taya has been rather cruel to Kylie throughout their time at Wrestle House. Kylie has been hoping to get back to the ring soon since she is the #1 contender to the Knockouts title but Taya wants everyone to stay and watch highlights of her matches. Kylie would pick up the win with a superkick as Rosemary begrudgingly counted the 3.
The Good Brothers Get Revenge On Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHPyCBEbIeY
After weeks of sneak attacks, ambushes, and even having the cops called on them, the Good Brothers picked up a measure of revenge on Ace Austin and Madman Fulton this week.
The finish of the match came when Fulton missed a kick on the outside and got his foot stuck in the guardrail. Gallows then tossed him to the other side of the guardrail, taking him out of the match. This allowed Anderson and Gallows to hit the Magic Killer on Austin for the win.
Willie Mack was being interviewed by Jimmy Jacobs in the back about Eric Young’s recent attacks on his friend Rich Swann. Brian Myers came out of nowhere, hijacked the interview and forced Jacobs to interview him instead.
Myers said he spent years “being a good hand” and not rocking the boat but it only got him fired. He said he was sick of decisions about this business being made by a 70-year-old man. Mack then came back into the picture and the segment ended with the two brawling on the floor. A match between Myers and Mack has been scheduled for next week.
Heath has been purchasing advertising spots on Impact Wrestling as of late. He is hoping fans will use the hashtag “Heath4Impact” to get it trending and encourage Impact to sign him. He noted this week that had he been hired by now, he could have helped Rhino last week when he was beaten up by Reno Scum. Heath also noted that he still has kids.
Impact Wrestling presents the first night of its 2-week branded event, Emergence, tonight on AXS TV and Twitch. The company recently finished taping several weeks of television from Nashville. According to Fightful Select, the company filmed episodes to take them all the way up to October’s Bound For Glory PPV.
News coming out of the tapings says that Sami Callihan is also not expected to play a major role in the company’s storylines leading up to the October PPV. It is unclear why this is, however. Callihan has been a featured performer with the promotion for some time now. At Slammiversary, he teamed with Ken Shamrock in a loss to the North. He has since been involved in an angle with Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes on recent editions of the weekly show.
Some new faces were also present at the tapings. These are not big names from WWE or ROH, however, but rather independent wrestlers getting another look, possibly on episodes of Xplosion. Alex Shelley recently posted a photo of some of the names Impact is currently looking at:
When I said today was a big day for independent wrestling, I meant it. Thank you, @IMPACTWRESTLING for recognizing hard work, drive, talent, and doing things the right way. Chambers, roll out. pic.twitter.com/Qz1psec0pJ
Impact Wrestling star Ethan Page will become a free agent soon and will have some leverage thanks to AEW.
Wrestletalk reports that his contract with Impact is set to expire on Thursday, December 31. As of this writing, there’s no word on whether he is negotiating a new contract. What is known is that it was noted he has interest from other promotions.
AEW just so happens to be one of those promotions, but there’s also no word on whether the two sides have started talking just yet.
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has stated in a past Q&A that he’d be interested in bringing “All Ego” to AEW.
Page first appeared in Impact back in November 2017. He has also worked for promotions such as ROH and EVOLVE among others. He is currently in a tag team with Josh Alexander, known as The North.
Their historic Impact Tag Team Titles reign recently came to an end after holding them for 380-days.
It happened when they lost the straps to the returning Motor City Machine Guns on the post-Slammiversary edition of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV.
Tessa Blanchard and Impact Wrestling parted ways this summer while Blanchard was still the Impact World Champion. Impact vacated the title which is now held by Eddie Edwards. It had been reported that Blanchard was asking for a large sum of money to return the title.
Impact got a new set of belts.
Tessa reported wanted $150,000 to return the old one.
This was disputed by Blanchard’s team who stated they only got an address to send the belt to the week of Slammiversary.
Konnan recently spent some time on his podcast talking about Blanchard’s departure from Impact and what might be in store for her next.
“It almost feels like to me, and I could be wrong, like she got heat over it, people found out, now she’s sending it back but that should have been sent back before the match. As a matter of fact, she probably should have defended it,” Konnan said.
Konnan then speculated something must have happened between the two sides.
“Who knows what happened but something happened for her after she was put over Brian Cage, Sami Callihan, and all these other people, first woman to ever have the belt. Something happened for her not to want to come back one last time and lose the belt. So, who knows what happened?”
IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Champion and former TNA Champion Chris Sabin recently appeared on the Chris Van Vliet show.
Chris Sabin is one of the names synonymous with TNA’s X Division, with the former X Division Champion having appeared in the most amount of ‘Ultimate X’ matches in company history. Ultimate X would become the crown jewel of the division, with Sabin having appeared in 17 matches and winning 8.
Chris Sabin on Ultimate X
“I don’t think you can” Chris Sabin would reply, when asked how he would prepare for the Ultimate X match. “I remember the first Ultimate X match we did? They [the company] weren’t even prepared.” The first Ultimate X match took place on August 20, 2003 and saw Sabin face Michael Shane (Matt Bentley) and Frankie Kazarian.
“They put these posts…like they hadn’t had the structure set up yet” Sabin would continue. “So we went there the day before just to like see the structure, climb up on it. Make sure see how sturdy it is, just to get a feel for it. And I remember when they had recently put these posts in the corner posts, like just these long poles and they had two cables going across.”
Chris Sabin would elaborate further, saying “I remember Frankie [Kazarian] climbed up and grabbed down in the middle and tried to hang on it. And then those posts? They just kind of bent in, like, ‘oh no what are we going to do!?’ So they were scrambling to figure out a way to build a structure because they had this match advertised!”
“And then, what they finally ended up doing was using like the light trusses. They used straps to strap it to the ring posts and that ended up being strong enough” Sabin continued.
“So we didn’t even have any experience with it, we didn’t even get to climb on the structure at all, get a feel for it at all. Basically when the match happened? That was the first time we were climbing on that thing so we were just kind of hoping that this thing stays together!”
Brian Myers, formerly known as Curt Hawkins in WWE, returned to Impact Wrestling for the first time since 2015 during Tuesday night’s show.
Myers jumped right into the deep end of Impact Wrestling by answering an open challenge by World Champion Eddie Edwards. Myers put up a good fight, but Edwards ultimately put him away with his Boston Knee Party finisher.
Below you can see footage of Brian Myers answering the open challenge of Impact World Champion Eddie Edwards:
Curt Hawkins’ first run with WWE started in 2006 and it ended in 2014. The former WWE star spent most of his time during this run on the various development territories of the company.
After his release from the company, Myers had returned to the independent circuit and he had a short run with Impact Wrestling in 2015 as well where he represented the GFW promotion.
Hawkins was brought back by WWE in July 2016 and he has been making regular appearances on WWE TV ever since.
However, his latest run came to a halt due to coronavirus and the company released him as part of their budget cuts in April earlier this year.
Myers has been teasing his wrestling return in the past few weeks and he has been promoting himself as the “most professional wrestler” on social platforms.
Now it would be interesting to see if he ends up being a regular performer for Impact after his return and if his latest run lasts longer than his previous stint.
Pro wrestling personality and former TNA backstage employee Jim Cornette recently discussed Dixie Carter and her influence on the TNA product. Cornette was responding to recent comments from WWE Superstar AJ Styles on his Drive Thru podcast.
AJ Styles stated “Do I believe Dixie ruined IMPACT? Well, it was TNA back then, and 100%. IMPACT, there was a time when it was really gaining ground. The problem was, Dixie wanted to be WWE-lite and that’s not what people wanted. They wanted to see something else. All she had to do was let us do what we do, it was really that simple. Had she left it to the writers, I think TNA would still be around and be bigger than what they are, but not knowing what’s best for business? She hurt TNA”
Jim Cornette on Dixie Carter
“Dixie had talent she liked” Jim Cornette began on the Drive Thru. “And I’m not saying that in an inappropriate way. She thought that Hernandez, and she was correct in this, should be a Latino Mexican superstar at one point. I fully agreed with that.”
Cornette would then elaborate further on this, blaming Vince Russo for ‘destroying’ the potential they had with LAX member Hernandez. “Unfortunately for Hernandez? She’d [Dixie] picked an idiot to write her show [Vince Russo] who didn’t know how to get that guy over. And when I left? That was the end of that [Hernandez’s run], because he [Russo] didn’t understand it.”
Jim Cornette would then blame Dixie Carter for bringing in Vince Russo to oversee the writing of the product, thus somewhat agreeing with AJ Styles. “Dixie was responsible for creative in terms of who she hired to be in charge of it. And Jeff Jarrett to his credit, while he was there was able to balance most of the bullsh*t out with actual sh*t that made sense. OR, wouldn’t harm talent when you presented him with a better way to do it.”
“Dixie may have sat in on a few production meetings, not that many” Jim Cornette would continue. “Sometimes she wasn’t there at television and other times she would get there right before taping started. She’d be flying in from somewhere, she’d get there just in time to get her makeup done to go out in front of the fans and take post pictures holding the TNA title belt. But if you had a creative question, or if I did? I went to Jeff Jarrett.”
Do you agree with Cornette’s assessment? Let us know in the comments
Fans could be in store to see the first interpromotional match between two tag teams in AEW and Impact Wrestling.
FTR and The North have gone public through social media about how they want to wrestle each other. Although FTR is under contract with AEW and The North is with Impact wrestling, Impact EVP Scott D’Amore says he’s down to make it happen.
This possibility all started when Dax Harwood quote tweeted a video of their match from Dynamite this week.
He stated, “Real quick; this is what makes us a great tag team. Not fancy double teams. Not 30-second sequences. Keeping the freshman in, using your partner, knowing where each other is at all times, feeding him & he executes. That’s all. Back to the ice!”
This led to Ethan Page responding to the tweet where he mentioned how they needed to work together right away, which Harwood agreed to the belief.
D’Amore then chimed in with a suggestion with, “Well Dax, you know I have mad respect for you & [Cash Wheeler]. I can assure you that [Impact Wrestling] supports making it happen,” he tweeted. “How about a home & home series between FTR and #TheNorth?”
It should be noted that D’Amore also tagged Chris Jericho about how they can make this happen. AEW President Tony Khan has yet to comment or any other AEW executives.
Real quick; this is what makes us a great tag team. Not fancy double teams. Not 30 second sequences. Keeping the fresh man in, using your partner, knowing where each other is at all times, feeding him & he executes.
Impact Wrestling on AXS TV’s audience is skewing older than the audiences of other wrestling companies at the moment. Average monthly ratings for the promotion were recently published in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Impact Wrestling Average Monthly Viewership:
* Key demo is people aged 18-49
January 2020: Averaged 169,000 viewers per show (0.04 in the key demo)
February 2020: Averaged 181,000 viewers per show (0.04 in the key demo)
March 2020: Averaged 161,000 viewers per show (0.03 in key demo)
April 2020: Averaged 144,000 viewers per show (0.02 in key demo)
May 2020: Averaged 153,000 viewers per show (0.03 in key demo)
June 2020: Averaged 141,000 viewers per show (0.02 in key demo)
July 2020: Averaged 153,000 viewers per show (0.03 in key demo)
What is notable is that the percentage of Impact’s fans that fall into the key demo is lower than for AEW or WWE shows. Impact’s key demo was just 28.8% of its audience for July. In comparison, 38.2% of RAW’s audience is from the key demo, 32.7% for NXT, and 34% for Smackdown. More than half of AEW’s audience is in the key demo at 51%.
Impact is also reportedly the most-watched show on AXS TV. Anthem Sports and Entertainment purchased the station last September.
Speaking during a Twitch stream, “The Phenomenal One” addressed his former O.C. stablemates’ comments. Styles admitted he didn’t know what to make of it, adding how fans “know how I feel about that.”
“Yeah, Gallows and Anderson are trying to get me back [in Impact Wrestling] is what they said. Never say never but I also have said that I would like to finish my career in the WWE. So, we will see.”
Styles acknowledged how Impact Wrestling has “a lot going on right now,” especially after its influx of former WWE Superstars. He stressed how Impact’s roster was good beforehand, but with the addition of The Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young and more, “they’ve upped it just a little bit more.”
Looking at the prospects on the horizon for Gallow and Anderson, AJ Styles expressed how thrilled he was for his friends, saying, “Man, I am so happy for those guys. I’m happy they’re happy, you know what I mean? ‘Cause there was a tough time there for all of us. So, they’re kicking tail right now anyway.”
Gallows and Anderson were released earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure by WWE due to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on business.
Impact Wrestling on AXS TV for August 4th, 2020 featured an emotional retirement speech from Rich Swann followed by a heinous attack by Eric Young. Both the TNA and Impact World Championships were on the line and Wrestle House was back as well.
Impact 8/4 Quick Results:
TNA World Heavyweight Championship (Unofficial) Moose (c) defeated Heath
Wrestle House Susie & Alisha Edwards defeated Johnny Swinger (referee: Cody Deaner)
Impact World Championship Eddie Edwards (c) defeated Sami Callihan
TJP & Fallah Bah defeated Chris Bey & Rohit Raju
Wrestle House Kylie Rae defeated Rosemary (referee: Taya Valkyrie)
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact 8/4
Rich Swann’s Retirement Speech Ends With Vicious Assault By Eric Young
Rich Swann made a surprise return in the main event of Slammiversary. Swann was returning from an injury that doctors said might end his career. He cut a promo this week and spoke about how hard he had to work to return only for Eric Young to assault him on the PPV. With his leg in a walking boot, Rich Swann announced he was retiring.
The entire Impact locker room emptied out and banged on the mat in support of Swann. As the former X-Division champion looked to take one final moment on the stage, Eric Young sprinted out and assaulted his already badly injured leg before running away. Young has quickly become the most hated man in the promotion since returning.
Rob Van Dam Takes Out Sami Callihan Ahead Of World Title Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQdmdBqnfA0
Sami Callihan was set to take on Eddie Edwards for the world title this week. As he was making his entrance, however, he was assaulted by Rob Van Dam and twerked at by Katie Forbes. Callihan had interrupted Forbes’ new website reveal last week.
Despite the assault, Callihan managed to make it to the ring for a match with his longtime rival. Even after taking a beating before the match, Callihan was competitive and almost won the title for a second time. He grew frustrated after not being able to pin Edwards after several piledrivers, however. Callihan picked up a chair but then thought better of using it. He then took two Boston Knee Parties from the champion and was pinned. One has to wonder how this match would have gone had Callihan not been assautled by Rob Van Dam beforehand.
Doc Gallows Arrested, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton Assault Karl Anderson
The Good Brothers are walking back to their truck when they noticed it was open and beer cans were on the ground next to it. As it turns out, this was a trap set by Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. During a melee with Austin and Madman, Gallows accidentally gave a back elbow to a police officer who had arrived to investigate. The police then arrested Gallows, leaving Anderson on his own.
Later in the show, Karl Anderson was on the phone saying he was going to get Gallows out of jail. He was then jumped by Ace Austin and Fulton and the two delivered a 2-on-1 beatdown to the Good Brother.
Wrestle House Returns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaZKFs1aGlc
Wrestle House continued this week and there is a lot to cover here.
Susie and Cousin Jake seem to have a budding romance. Alisha offered to help Susie with her love-interest but this drew some comments from Johnny Swinger. As a result, Susie and Alisha took on Swinger in a 2-on-1 match at Wrestle House with Cody Deaner as the referee. It didn’t take long for the two Knockouts to land a double splash on Swinger for the win.
Kylie Rae is motivated to get back to the Impact zone as she is the #1 contender for the Knockouts title. Rosemary said nobody is leaving until John E Bravo (who Rosemary has been trying to seduce) “gets the hint.” Later, Kylie would inform Bravo of this who then seemed to not really understand and left the house. This infuriated Rosemary and set up a match between her and Kylie Rae.
Taya would be the special guest referee here, which is notable as she seems to find Kylie quite annoying. Kylie seems comedically oblivious to this. With the referee in her back-pocket, Rosemary seemed to have the match won. John E Bravo then returned and began cheering for her. Bravo’s reappearance seemed to please Rosemary and while she was distracted, Kylie super kicked her in the face. Taya reluctantly and slowly counted the pin and awarded the match to Kylie.
Heath Suffers Loss To Moose, Still Without Contract
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-q8b4Pnlj0
Scott D’Amore granted Heath a match against Moose this week with the stipulation that if he could defeat the self-proclaimed TNA champ, he’d earn a contract. While Moose isn’t officially the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, he has been victorious in numerous unofficial title defences. He would do the same thing here, finding a way to snatch victory from the claws of defeat.
The referee got bumped during an irish whip into the buckle. With the ref down, Heath hit a reverse bulldog which he is now calling “The Wake-Up Call” but there was no ref to count the pin. Moose then hit a low blow and got the 3-count after the ref recovered.
The North Cashing In Rematch Clause Against The Motor City Machine Guns At Emergence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx82UXKIcHY
Yesterday, Impact Wrestling announced a special 2-week event called Emergence. The branded shows will take place August 18th and 25th. The North announced during this segment that they will be cashing in their rematch clause on one of the two shows.
Jimmy Jacobs sat down with Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin for an interview this week. The team talked about how they had been training together for a return and decided to reunite. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander then came out and said MCMG didn’t beat them when they were at 100%. Page said that defending the titles for over a year had left them injured and far from the team they can be. The North said they will be at 100% for Emergence.
TJP Makes X-Division Champ Chris Bey Submit In Tag-Team Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZQnsopmph0
Chris Bey defeated Willie Mack to win the X-Division Championship at Slammiversary. This week, he teamed with Rohit Raju to take on the team of TJP and Fallah Bah. The finish of the match came when Bey went for his patented springboard cutter finish but was countered by TJP. Bey then submitted to a cross arm-breaker possibly setting TJP up for a future shot at the X-Division title.
Kimber Lee Agrees To Take Out Jordynne Grace For Deonna Purrazzo
There was a backstage segment this week featuring Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and the newly signed Kimber Lee. Purrazzo is set to defend the title against Jordynne Grace at Emergence. Kimber Lee offered to take Grace out ahead of the match on the condition that she receive a title shot after. Purrazzo agreed to the deal.
