Tasha Steelz won the first-ever Knockout’s Ultimate X match at the IMPACT Wrestling Hard To Kill 2022 PPV event.
Alisha, Chelsea Green, IMPACT Digital Media Champion Jordynne Grace, Lady Frost, Rosemary and Steelz all entered the historic match with a shot at the Knockouts Championship on the line.
There were some hellacious spots during the match, with Jordynnne Grace hitting what looked like a Sky High from the ropes by the X on Tasha Steelz. It really looked like it hurt the tailbones of both women but they continued.
Lady Frost also hit a massive moonsault from the top of the truss to the outside just minutes before Tasha Steelz would take the win.
Steelz will now go on to face either Mickie James or Deonna Purrazzo for the IMPACT Knockouts Championship. Those two women will compete later at Hard To Kill in a Texas Deathmatch for the title.
Hard To Kill 2022
The show is available to watch now via FITE TV, with replays ready to stream following the conclusion of the event from Texas.
Here’s the full card for the event:
Ace Austin vs. Chris Bey vs. Mike Bailey vs. Laredo Kid in a Fatal 4-Way Match
IMPACT X-Division Championship Match – Trey Miguel (c) vs. Steve Maclin – if Maclin loses he can’t challenge for the championship again whilst Trey Miguel is champion
IMPACT World Championship Match – Moose (c) vs. Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrissey
IMPACT Knockouts Championship Texas Deathmatch – Mickie James (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Knockouts Ultimate-X Match – Alisha Edwards vs. Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Lady Frost vs. Rosemary vs. Tasha Steelz
ROH World Championship – Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
Josh Alexander vs. Jonah
Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering) in a 10-man Hardcore War
Hannifan previously worked for WWE under the name Tom Phillips. They released him in May 2021 after about 9 years with the company.
Shortly thereafter, Hannifan spoke extensively about his time there. He credits Renee Paquette as being one of the people who took him under their wing and showed him the ropes while he got caught up to speed with WWE’s way of doing things.
Following his Impact Wrestling debut, Hannifan will join Renee Paquette on the next edition of her Oral Sessions podcast. That interview drops this coming Tuesday.
Below, you can check out Tom Hannifan’s in-depth interview talking about his WWE run, the hardest part of that job being overproduced there and much more.
Impact Knockouts World Champion Mickie James was announced as participating in the Royal Rumble last night on Smackdown. James was released by WWE in April of last year.
WWE acknowledged that James is the current Knockouts champion when announcing her participating in the Rumble. James will defend that title tonight at Hard to Kill against former champion Deonna Purrazzo, however.
“WWE wanted it, Mickie wanted it and IMPACT Wrestling’s philosophy is always to work with other major promotions to create buzz for the fans,” said IMPACT’s Scott D’Amore. “Everything is signed and agreed with WWE and IMPACT Wrestling – the only question is whether or not Mickie will enter one of WWE’s most historic annual matches as the reigning Knockouts World Champion.”
“There’s never been a time like this for wrestling fans. In a 12 month period, IMPACT Wrestling has worked with NWA, AAA, New Japan, AEW and now WWE. IMPACT Wrestling is the nexus of the forbidden door era.”
Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Alisha Edwards vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Josh Alexander vs JONAH
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
ROH Championship Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
10-Man Hardcore War Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
Impact Wrestling stars The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay) will miss Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV due to COVID exposure.
They had been scheduled to defend their Knockouts tag team titles on the show against Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood.
The tag team contacted Impact to let them know they were in close contact with someone who tested positive shortly after.
As of this writing, neither Lee or McKay have tested positive themselves.
“IMPACT’s COVID protocols are in place to keep our talent roster, staff and fans safe. I am sure the fans will share The IInspiration’s and my disappointment that they won’t be in action at tomorrow’s stacked HARD TO KILL event, but we look forward to their return soon,” said Scott D’Amore.
Hard To Kill 2022 Lineup
Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Alisha Edwards vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Josh Alexander vs JONAH
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
ROH Championship Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
10-Man Hardcore War Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
Impact 1/6 was the go-home show for Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV. It was also the first show back for the promotion since airing a 2-part Best of 2021 series the last two weeks.
Impact Results 1/6
Lady Frost, Chelsea Green & Tasha Steelz defeated Jordynne Grace, Rachael Ellering & Rosemary
JONAH defeated Jake Something
Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Mercedes Martinez
Ace Austin and Madman Fulton defeated Hernandez and Johnny Swinger
Karl Anderson defeated Heath
Chelsea Green Picks Up Win For Her Team Ahead of Knockouts Ultimate-X Match
Things opened up this week with a trios match pitting participants in the upcoming Ultimate-X match at Hard to Kill. It was announced recently, however, that Rachael Ellering has been pulled from the match and will be replaced by Alisha Edwards. No reason for Ellering being pulled has been given.
Chelsea Green picked up the pin for her team after hitting the Un-pretty-her on Ellering.
JONAH Defeats Jake Something Ahead of Hard To Kill
At Hard to Kill, JONAH will face former Impact World Champion Josh Alexander. This week, JONAH was showcased heavily here. Something actually got the early advantage on JONAH but it wouldn’t last. JONAH hit a big clothesline, hit a senton and then finished him off with his big splash off the top rope.
After the match, Alexander hit the ring and tried to lock in the ankle lock before security broke up the melee. JONAH then took out all the security and went after Alexander. He then gave Alexander his big splash through a table to end the segment.
Vignettes promoting Masha Slamovich’s Impact debut have been airing for weeks and she finally arrived on this week’s show. After an initial flurry from Sandra Moone, Slamovich took her out with a series of strikes, suplexes, and then something of a fisherman’s brainbuster for the win. She looks like someone who could be in store for a big push in the Knockouts division.
Deonna Purrazzo Defeats Mercedes Martinez Ahead Of Title Clash With Mickie James
On Saturday, Purrazzo will have a chance to regain the Knockouts title. She would face Mercedes Martinez on this week’s show. To gain the upper hand, Purrazzo would attack Martinez before the bell. A back and forth match followed. The end of the match came when Purrazzo countered a slam from Martinez into the Venus De Milo and got the submission.
Mickie James then entered the ring and got face-to-face with Purrazzo but things never came to blows.
The Influence and Iinspiration Get Into Backstage Altercation
Ahead of the Iinspiration defending their Knockouts tag team belts against The Influence at Hard to Kill, the two teams got into a backstage altercation this week. The Iinspiration were hosting their own backstage segment when Madison Rayne, Tenille Dashwood, and Kaleb with a K interrupted. The segment ended with the Iinspiration leaving and Tenille Dashwood signing off as if she had just hosted a segment of “All Bout Me”.
Ace Austin and Madman Fulton defeated Hernandez and Johnny Swinger
After Ace Austin and Madman Fulton defeated Hernandez and Johnny Swinger in tag team action this week, they continued the attack after the match. With Hernandez on the mat, Swinger abandoned his partner. Fulton and Austin then wrapped Hernandez’s arm and neck in a chair and smashed another chair on top to end the segment.
Karl Anderson Beats Heath To Earn Hardcore War Advantage
Ahead of the 10-man hardcore war at Hard to Kill, Karl Anderson squared off with Heath in singles action this week. Matt Striker explained the rules for the match at Hard to Kill. Participants will enter the match in War Games style, with 2 men starting and a new participant entering at different intervals and one team being given a numbers advantage. This match between Anderson and Heath would determine which team has the advantage.
The finish of the match saw Heath miss an attack in the corner and Anderson hitting the cutter for the win. After the match, members of both teams hit the ring and an all out brawl ensued to end the show.
Hard To Kill 2022 Lineup
Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Alisha Edwards vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Josh Alexander vs JONAH
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
Knockouts Tag Team Championships The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) (c) vs. The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood) (with Kaleb with a K)
ROH Championship Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
10-Man Hardcore War Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
Impact Wrestling talent Chris Sabin is looking forward to challenging Jonathan Grisham for the ROH World Championship. The anticipated match will take place at Hard to Kill on January 8th.
The Sportster’s Denise Salcedo interviewed Sabin ahead of his match with Grisham. He shared that he didn’t know that Impact Wrestling booked the match until they announced it online. Salcedo mentioned that Sabin would join the likes of Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, and Eddie Edwards to win the ROH Championship and the Impact(Formerly TNA) World Heavyweight Championship. When asked what winning the ROH World Championship could mean for Sabin, he discussed how it adds to his career.
“…That’s something that you could always go back to and reference as some sort of history in wrestling that you made,” said Sabin. He continued, “…It’s not easy to really to do something new and solidify your name and on such a historic level like that by winning two world championships and two different companies like that. But yeah, it would mean a lot, and it would just, you know, add to my credentials of my career, and it was something I would be proud of.”
Chris Sabin Thoughts on Jonathan Gresham
In the interview, Sabin had positive things to say about his opponent. He praised Gresham’s work ethic and his style. Sabin also credited his opponent for being influential to other wrestlers.
“…I respect John a lot. I mean, he works really hard to be a unique talent just to be something different,” said Sabin. He explains, “Obviously, he works hard in the gym, he works hard when he’s training in the ring outside of wrestling, and you can just tell by his body of work. He’s just an amazing talent.”
Sabin vs. Gresham for the ROH World Championship will be the first time an ROH champion will defend the title under Impact Wrestling. While it’s unclear who will win, Gresham is scheduled to defend the title at Terminus and The WRLD on GCW later this month. Regardless, Sabin will have the opportunity to make history when he challenges Gresham this Saturday.
Impact Wrestling aired the second part of its “Best of 2021” specials last night. During the broadcast, the promotion also announced several year-end award winners.
On last week’s episode, Deonna Purrazzo was announced as the Knockout of the Year for the 2nd straight year. The Good Brothers also won the tag team of the year. Mickie James vs Deonna Purrazzo also won Knockouts match of the year.
On this week’s episode, it was revealed that Josh Alexander and TJP’s Ironman match back in June has won the 2021 Men’s Match of the Year award.
Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Josh Alexander vs JONAH
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
Knockouts Tag Team Championships The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) (c) vs. The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood) (with Kaleb with a K)
ROH Championship Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
10-Man Hardcore War Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
Su Yung’s character is often addressed as “mother” by Brandi Lauren and Kimber Lee, but now she’s going to have a biological child to go along with her undead bridesmaids. On Impact Wrestling’s “Best of 2021 Part II” show last night, it was revealed that the former Knockouts Champion is pregnant.
Real name Vannarah Riggs, the 32-year-old has been married to Rich Swann since March of 2017. This will be their first child together. Riggs has not wrestled since the summer and it was revealed last night that their child is due in February.
Su Yung debuted in Impact Wrestling in 2018. Although she has spent much of her run as the undead bride character, she has two other alter-egos. “Susie” is the far more innocent and less violent version of her character. Then there is “Susan” who is something of a “Karen” and repeatedly reports things to management.
As of late in Impact, Brandi Lauren and Kimber Lee have both become minions of Yung. They have talked about “collecting souls for mother”. It seems this was perhaps a way to keep her character on television during her pregnancy.
She defeated Allie (aka the Bunny) in 2018 to win the Knockouts title for the first time. Yung briefly won the title for a second time in 2020 after defeating Deonna Purrazzo. She would then drop the title back to Purrazzo a few weeks later.
Impact Wrestling talent Sami Callihan shared an update on his injury and his return to professional wrestling. He is looking to return to Impact Wrestling before August 2022.
Callihan appeared on Busted Open on SiriusXM with Dave Legraca and Bully Ray to give his injury update. He suffered a broken ankle during an Impact Wrestling taping on September 18th. Callihan revealed that he is starting to walk without screws and preparing for his comeback in the interview.
“I got my screws out on December 23rd. I started taking my first steps a couple of days ago, and the Callihan ‘Death Machine’ is starting to lose weight. I’m starting to get stronger each and every day,” said Callihan. He continued, “…When I come back to Impact Wrestling, there’s going to be hell to pay for a lot of people.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jNW8GqBffI
Sami Callihan Wants to Wrestle Moose
Callihan made his intentions clear on who he wants to wrestle when he returns to Impact Wrestling. On Busted Open, he called a Moose and said he wanted to hurt Moose. He is responsible for breaking Callihan’s ankle in the storyline, and Moose is also the current Impact World Champion.
“…Fuck you, Moose. I don’t care if you are champion. I don’t care if you’re just being a dude on Impact Wrestling. When I come back to Impact Wrestling, I’m going to break your damn legs,” said Callihan.
Callihan also shared that he will not say when he will return to Impact Wrestling, as he likes the element of surprise. However, he is looking to return to Impact Wrestling before August 2022. Ray asked why Callihan had animosity towards Moose; Callihan explained that Moose tried to take his livelihood. Callihan also promises that he will return better and meaner than ever.
Moose Title Defense at Hard to Kill
Moose will defend his championship against Matt Cardona and W.Morrissey in a triple threat match at Hard to Kill on January 8th, 2022. If Moose were to retain his title, it could set up a match between himself and Callihan. However, it is still unclear how soon Callihan will be ready to return. Moose also has unfinished business with Josh Alexander if Impact Wrestling wants to have their rematch. Regardless, Callihan wants his revenge on Moose, whether for the championship or not.
Impact Wrestling is finishing off 2021 by airing two “Best of 2021” episodes. Last night’s broadcast included some of the best matches of the year as well as the announcement of multiple award winners. More year-end award winners will be announced on next week’s episode.
The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) were named the promotion’s tag-team of the year.
Last year, Deonna Purrazzo won both the Knockout of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards. She’s won the Knockouts of the Year award 2 years straight now. The Wrestler of the Year award will be announced next week.
In addition to the awards given out last night, a new match for the Hard to Kill PPV was also revealed. Trey Miguel will defend his X-Division Championship against Steve Maclin on the show.
Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Josh Alexander vs JONAH
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
Knockouts Tag Team Championships The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) (c) vs. The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood) (with Kaleb with a K)
ROH Championship Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
10-Man Hardcore War Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
Gresham won the world title at the ROH Final Battle PPV earlier this month. Final Battle was ROH’s last show before their announced hiatus until April next year.
In the meantime, Jonathan has started defending the title in various promotions. His first successful defense was against AJ Gray at last Friday’s GCW Blood on The Hills.
Impact Hard To Kill Updated Match Card
This is the 8th announced match for the first Impact PPV of 2022. After the latest announcement, here is the updated match card for the show:
Impact World Championship Triple Threat Match: Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrissey vs. Moose
ROH World Championship Match: Chris Sabin vs. Jonathan Gresham
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mickie James
X Division Championship Match: Steve Maclin vs. Trey Miguel
Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match: Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood vs. The IInspiration
#1 Contender Ultimate X Match For Knockouts Championship: Chelsea Green vs. Lady Frost vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary vs. Rachael Ellering vs. Impact Digital Media Champion Jordynne Grace
Hardcore War: Heath, Rhino, Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Violence By Design & Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers
Singles Match: Jonah vs. Josh Alexander
Impact Hard To Kill will take place from The Factory in Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas on Saturday, January 8, 2022.
Impact Wrestling on 12/16 continued the build to the Hard to Kill PPV on January 8th. It featured a major angle between Moose and Matt Cardona.
Impact quick results 12/16:
Josh Alexander defeated Rohit Raju w/Raj Singh
Joe Doening & Doc Gallows w/ Karl Anderson & VBD defeated Rich Swann & Willie Mack w/ Heath & Rhino
Trey Miguel defeated John Skyler
Chris Bey defeated Laredo Kid
Tenille Dashwood defeated Jessie McKay
Josh Alexander Defeats Rohit Raju
Alexander had to contend with interference from Raj Singh on the outside but came back to win this match with a C-4 Spike. Commentary played up that we are seeing a more aggressive side to Alexander recently. They also noted Alexander is still dealing with injured ribs from JONAH’s attack at Turning Point.
The Good Brothers and Violent By Design were interviewed in the back and spoke about having come to a business agreement to work together, as we saw them do last week. This led to Doc Gallows teaming with Joe Doering to take on Rich Swann and Willie Mack this week. The finish of the match came shortly after Doering tossed Swann off the top turnbuckle and then him and Gallows gave Mack a double choke-slam and got the pin.
After the match, VBD and the Good Brothers continued the assault on Mack, Swann, as well as Heath and Rhino who were in Mack and Swann’s corner. This led to Eddie Edwards coming out with a kendo stick to make the save.
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defeated John Skyler with a meteora this week. As he was heading to the back after the match, however, he was attacked by Steve Maclin. Maclin then dragged him backstage to end the segment.
After the break, we cut to a video of Miguel tied up backstage while being taunted by Maclin.
Laredo Kid had to contend with HIKULEO on the outside and it cost him this match here. After a crazy back and forth match, Laredo Kid looked like he had the match won. Bey was prone on the mat and Laredo went to the top. HIKULEO got up on the ring apron, however, and Laredo eventually took him out with a diving attack to the floor. The distraction allowed Bey to recover. Bey then countered a diving attack from his opponent into a cutter and got the 3-count.
Deonna Purrazzo vs Mickie James At Hard To Kill Made a Texas Death Match
Footage of Deonna Purrazzo and Knockouts Champion Mickie James getting into a confrontation at an autograph signing aired. We then cut to a clip of Purrazzo and James being told their match at Hard to Kill will now be a Texas Death Match by Gail Kim.
The short-lived alliance between the Iinspiration and the Influence continues to implode. This week Jessie McKay took on Tenille Dashwood in singles competition. McKay looked like she had the match wrapped up after delivering a big boot but Kaleb pulled the referee out of the ring. This led to Madison Rayne attacking Cassie Lee and McKay coming out of the ring to deal with her. As McKay got back in the ring, Kaleb grabbed her foot, which allowed Tenille to hit the spotlight kick for the win.
Chelsea Green Knocked Out By Chair Shot During Hard To Kill Contract Signing
The main event of the show featured a contract signing for the Impact World Championship match at Hard to Kill. Consistent with how such segments usually go, this one eventually broke down into a brawl. Morrissey signed the contract and promptly left. Moose then called Chelsea Green some names and Cardona attacked. Moose put Cardona through the table and then taunted him with his title belt.
It looked like Moose was going to leave but he turned around and came back. He wrapped Cardona’s neck in a chair and looked like he was going to hit him with another chair but Chelsea Green stopped him. Cardona then went to go hit Moose with a chair but missed and hit Green. Cardona checked on Green as Moose laughed and made his way to the back to end the show.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
ICYMI: The IPWF returns as @PabstBlueRibbon presents Throwback Throwdown II this Saturday December 18 from the Davis Arena in Louisville, KY, LIVE on @IMPACTPlusApp!
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
AAA Reina de Reinas Champion and former Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo says she’s disappointed more women haven’t gone through wrestling’s forbidden door. She was recently interviewed by Fightful and spoke about wishing she’d be able to wrestle more opponents from other promotions.
“Yeah. I think I was a little disappointed because for me there’s a ton of dream matches and people I haven’t been in the ring with for years or have never been in the ring with prior,” Purrazzo said. “But, you know what, I think IMPACT was the hub of all of the crossover and we got to do a lot of stuff with NWA. Obviously, my match with Melina was one of the headliners of EmPowerrr. So as disappointing as it is, I have tried to look at the positives now instead of harping on what could have been, let’s look at what was.”
Purrazzo herself has appeared in AAA, NWA, and most recently Ring of Honor at Final Battle. Her and Britt Baker had been angling for a forbidden door match between the two of them, however.
This summer, Impact’s Scott D’Amore says he was cornered by Britt Baker at an AEW show about facing Purrazzo.
“I got cornered by Britt Baker down in Jacksonville a few weeks ago and she’s like, ‘When do I get Deonna?’ I said, ‘Hey, Britt oh, come on. We’ve always said we have an open-door policy and we’re open to doing it,’” D’Amore said on the show.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of hurdles to jump through but I think the relationship with AEW has been fantastic,” he continued.
IMPACT Wrestling legend Gail Kim recently discussed some of the names that she would like to see join the company in the near future, especially for the Knockouts division.
Speaking to Renee Paquette on her Oral Sessions podcast, Kim mentioned some veterans of the IMPACT locker room as well as one recently released WWE Superstar: Ember Moon.
“I just want girls who are talented and passionate and all those things, but it’s important to have a good locker room,” Gail began. “It’s so important for the girls to support each other and work for the business of the match, for the company, and in the end, it benefits everyone.
“People like Taya [Valkyrie], Mia Yim, of course, was part of our family too” Kim continued. “I would love for her to be able to show who she really is as her authentic self because she’s really talented.
Gail Kim on Ember Moon
“I’m curious about Ember Moon” Gail added as almost a throwaway line, but it’s clear that IMPACT see her as a potential signing down the line.
“Now ROH has so many girls, I mean, I love Maria [Kanellis] just as a leader, as well, in terms of the women’s wrestling world, and because we have Mickie [James] in our locker room now and I just love that there’s different types of girls in there that the girls can look up to.
“Just be able to lean on or go to for advice because, listen, in all realistic situations, even though I’m a leader there, some girls might not feel comfortable to come to me for whatever reason it may be.
“Whether they see me as ‘too office,’ that’s why we need the Madison’s, the Mickie’s, the Maria’s, and the people who are in that locker room that they can turn to if they don’t feel comfortable with other people” Gail Kim concluded.
Impact Wrestling on 12/9 featured Eric Young vs Rhino in a street fight and furthered the build to Hard to Kill.
Impact Quick Results 12/9:
Deonna Purrazzo & Matthew Rehwoldt defeated Mickie James & Chris Sabin
Rohit Raju vs Lawrence D – No Contest
FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) defeated The Learning Tree (VSK & Zicky Dice)
Street Fight Eric Young defeated Rhino
Decay(Rosemary, Havok, Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve) defeated The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay) & The Influence (Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne)
Matt Cardona defeated W. Morrissey via DQ
Deonna Purrazzo Pins Knockouts Champion Mickie James In Tag Team Action
This week opened up with Deonna Purrazzo teaming with Matthew Rehwoldt and going up against Mickie James and Chris Sabin. After a back and forth match, James hit Purrazzo off the top rope with a diving attack but Purrazzo countered into a pinning combination. Rehwoldt held onto Purrazzo’s arm from the outside, giving the Virtuosa added leverage and she got the 3-count. Purrazzo and James will meet with the title on the line at Hard to Kill.
Josh Alexander returned to the Impact Zone this week. He interrupted the match between Rohit Raju and Lawrence D, leading to the ref throwing the match out. Alexander called out JONAH. Scott D’Amore came out and said that JONAH would not be coming out because he’s not in the building. He then announced that Alexander would face JONAH at Hard to Kill.
David Finlay & Juice Robinson took one step further to getting back in the tag title hunt this week. They took on two members of Brian Myers’ Learning Tree in VSK and Zicky Dice. The finish of the match saw them hit a backbreaker elbow drop double-team move for the win. VSK and Dice were seen arguing with each other after the match.
Despite Eric Young telling the other members of VBD not to come out for the match, there was a lot of interference here. Joe Doering and Deaner came out but were thwarted by Heath. Willie Mack and Rich Swann also came out to help Young but this brought out the Good Brothers, who attacked Swann and Mack. This left Rhino and Eric Young in the ring together and Young delivered a low blow and a piledriver for the win.
After the match, VBD and the Good Brothers beat down the babyfaces. There appears to be some alliance made between the two teams.
Before this match it appeared as though the Influence and the Iinspiration weren’t seeing completely eye to eye. In a backstage interview they debated what the name of their group should be. Madison Rayne doesn’t seem impressed with the Iinspiration. The finish of this match started when Taurus tossed Dashwood to the outside and everyone but Kaleb with a K moved out of the way. Madison Rayne then started arguing with the Iinspiration over them not helping to catch Dashwood. Dashwood was tossed back in the ring and Rosemary hit her with a spear and got the 3-count while Rayne and the Iinspiration were still arguing.
Participants Announced For the Knockouts Ultimate-X Match
The participants for the Knockouts Ultimate X match at Hard to Kill were announced. Gail Kim made the announcement as they were welcoming Lady Frost to the division. The participants in the match will be Lady Frost, Rachael Ellering, Tasha Steelz, Jordynne Grace, Chelsea Green and Rosemary.
The stipulation for this match was that if W. Morrissey could defeat Cardona, Cardona would be removed from the world title match at Hard to Kill. Moose was shown watching this match from a private suite. Morrissey was disqualified for shoving the referee while he was beating up Cardona in the corner. He then delivered a big boot to the referee following the end of the match. Morrissey continued the attack on Cardona until Chelsea Green came out. Moose also came out and told Morrissey to pick up Cardona and continue the attack. Morrissey hit Moose with a boot instead. He then shoved Chelsea Green out of the way but Cardona delivered a double-leg takedown and kicked Morrissey out of the ring. Cardona was left with the Impact world title in the ring to end the show.
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Impact Wrestling is going back to the territory days. In 2019, Impact presented an episode of their weekly television show that travelled back in time. They are set to do it again coming up on December 18th but this time the show will only air on Impact Plus.
Throwback Throwdown I in 2019 featured the fictional Impact Provincial Wrestling Federation (IPWF). Members of the Impact roster portrayed different characters that you might find in an old school wrestling promotion in the 1980s. Johnny Swinger just portrayed his same character, however, since he’s perpetually stuck in that era of wrestling.
The show will take place from the Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky.
Relive Downtown Daddy Brown's victory at the first-ever Throwback Throwdown! The IPWF returns at #ThrowbackThrowdown II LIVE December 18 on @IMPACTPlusApp from Louisville, Kentucky. Limited tickets are still available!
Below are the results from the first Throwback Throwdown event:
Impact Wrestling 11/26 Quick Results:
Rip Rayzor defeated Rapid Delivery Pete
The Hard Workers defeated Excessive Force
Johnny Swinger defeated Buck Gunderson
Jazzy Fitbody defeated Agnus Beerhart
The Rough Riders (Blanche Ardmore, Mildred Moore, Georgia Cobb & Lady Bird Johnston) def Ray Strack, Tim Burr, Jim Nasium & Bill Ding
DJ 2 Large defeated Captain Joystick (Last Week)
Blindfold Match Cowboy Colt McCoy defeated Gama Singh
IPWF TV Championship Loser Leaves Town Downtown Daddy Brown defeated Julian Cumberbun (c) – New Champion
Limited tickets still available! See the return of the IPWF at #ThrowbackThrowdown II presented by @PabstBlueRibbon, December 18 from Louisville, KY, LIVE on @IMPACTPlusApp!
Matt Cardona kicked off Impact this week. He said the only reason he lost to W. Morrissey at Turning Point was because of Moose’s interference. Cardona then called out Moose and told him the only reason he’s in Impact is to become the world champion. Moose called Cardona a mid-carder and the two came to blows. W. Morrissey then hit the ring and the heels had a 2-on-1 advantage. Eddie Edwards then came out to make the save for Cardona. Scott D’Amore later made a tag-team main event between Cardona & Edwards and Moose & W. Morrissey.
Chris Sabin Beats Drama King Matt as Mickie James and Deonna Purrazzo Renew Hostilities
Former Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo accompanied Drama King Matt to the ring for his match against Chris Sabin. Purrazzo reiterated on commentary that she wants her Knockouts title back. She will face Mickie James for the title at Hard to Kill. Purrazzo would then try to provide a distraction at ringside to help her ally but this brought out James, who promptly tossed her into the steel post. Back in the ring, Sabin hit the Cradle Shock and picked up the victory.
JONAH made his in-ring debut on this week’s episode. He absolutely squashed Vidal and finished him off with his big top-rope splash. After the match, JONAH cut a promo at Josh Alexander, saying that if he wants to call himself the best he needs to go through the top dog. Alexander didn’t come out as he is likely still selling the injuries he sustained from JONAH after his attack at Turning Point.
Trey Miguel and Steve Maclin Brawl In The Back
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel was interviewed backstage by Gia Miller. Miguel said while he was happy with his victory in the 3-way at Turning Point, he didn’t get the pin on Maclin and that is what he wanted. Maclin then attacked him and the two brawled in the back.
Rachael Ellering Picks Up Victory As Knockouts Compete To Earn A Spot In the Ultimate X Match At Hard to Kill
A show long storyline involved multiple members of the Knockouts division asking Scott D’Amore to put them in the Ultimate X match at Hard to Kill. D’Amore said he’ll announce the participants on next week’s show. One of these interactions involved Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering get into an argument with Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans. This led to D’Amore scheduling a match between Evans and Ellering. Ellering then picked up the victory with a fireman’s carry cutter.
The Influence and the Iinspiration Appear To Allign
Ahhhhh!!! OMG!!! Who would have ever thought!? The Influencer and the IInspiration! #IMPACTonAXSTV
Tenille Dashwood returned from her latest travels and met up with Madison Rayne and Kaleb with a K. They told her that the Iinspiration won the Knockouts tag team titles and they then set out to find them. Dashwood and her fellow Australians hit it off big time while Madison didn’t quite know what to make of everything. Kaleb just seemed to go along with the excitement. The two groups then left together.
The rivalry between Willie Mack and Rich Swann continued this week. Swann and Mack picked up the victory in tag-team action after Swann pinned Deaner with a Phoenix Splash. The members of VBD would then attack after the match, however. This brought out Heath and Rhino to make the save and they chased the faction off.
Matt Cardona & Eddie Edwards Defeated Moose & W. Morrissey
Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards picked up the victory in the main event over Moose & W. Morrissey this week. With Edwards and Morrissey both on the floor, Cardona countered a uranage attempt into a pinning combination and got the pin on the world champion.
After the match, Morrissey then hit Moose with a big boot. With Cardona having picked up the pin over Moose, and Morrissey having defeated Cardona at Turning Point, a triple threat match for the world title was made for Hard to Kill.
Impact Wrestling has spent the last 3 days filming in Las Vegas from Sam’s Town. On Saturday night, they presented the live Turning Point event. The following 2 days they have been taping episodes of their weekly television show.
According to a report from Impact Asylum, the results from the Sunday tapings are below:
Decay defeated The Influence vs The IInspiration (Triple Threat)
Lady Frost defeated Kimber Lee
Chris Sabin defeated Matthew Rehwoldt
Jonah defeated Jai Vidal
Chris Bey defeated Fallah Bahh
Matt Cardona & Eddie Edwards defeated Moose & W. Morrissey (Morrissey turned on Moose after the match).
Chris Sabin & Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Matthew Rehwoldt – Results unknown
Rohit Raju and Lawrence D wrestled to a no-contest
FinJuice defeated VSK & Zicky Dice
Eric Young defeated Rhino in a Street Fight
Heath, Rhino, Rich Swann, & Willie Mack defeated Violent By Design & The Good Brothers
After Morrissey turned on Moose, it was revealed that the main event for the Hard to Kill PPV will be Moose vs. Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrissey for the Impact World Championship.
Saturday’s Turning Point event aired live from Las Vegas. The former Bronson Reed, now known as JONAH, made his debut on the show. At the tapings on Sunday, JONAH had his in-ring debut for the promotion, defeating Jai Vidal.
It was also noted by PW Insider, that Summer Rae was in attendance for the tapings. It is not clear if she will be used on the show or was just visiting, however.
IMPACT Wrestling has confirmed that there will be a Knockouts Ultimate X match at the upcoming Hard To Kill PPV event.
This will be a first-ever for the company, with the Ultimate X match usually being reserved for the X Divison.
There is currently no confirmation on who will be in the Ultimate X match at this time, however, it has been confirmed that the winner will be the #1 contender to the IMPACT Knockouts Championship.
Knockouts Champion Mickie James will be defending her title against Deonna Purrazzo at the event. James defeated Mercedes Martinez at the IMPACT Turning Point event to defend her title.
Check out the official reveal from IMPACT Wrestling regarding the Knockouts Ultimate X match below:
BREAKING: The FIRST EVER Knockouts Ultimate X match will take place at #HardToKill on January 8th at @thefactoryDE in Dallas!
Hard To Kill will be taking place on January 8th from Dallas, Texas. There are likely to be several big matches on the card, including the recently debuted JONAH vs Josh Alexander.
The former Bronson Reed, now wrestling under the name JONAH, debuted for Impact Wrestling last night at Turning Point. The show aired live from Sam’s Town in Las Vegas.
Former Impact World Champion Josh Alexander was cutting a promo when JONAH’s new music hit and he attacked from behind. Security came out to stop the big man, but they were tossed around for their trouble as well.
Alexander began to splt up blood after taking a big splash off the top rope.
Footage of JONAH making his big debut can be seen here:
JONAH has kept active since his release from WWE earlier this year.
The 33-year-old returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling last week at NJPW STRONG Detonation 2021. He defeated Lucas Riley on the show. Previously, he had wrestled on NJPW shows in 2018 that took place in Australia.
JONAH was rumored to debut for Impact at October’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view. However, it is believed that visa issues prevented that appearance.
Impact Wrestling saw an uptick in viewership this week. Minoru Suzuki vs Josh Alexander headlined this Thursday’s show. It was also the go-home show for tonight’s Turning Point event.
According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, Impact averaged 129,000 viewers for the show. They also brought in a 0.02 or 30,000 in the 18-49 demographic. This is only for American viewers watching on AXS TV, however, and does not included international viewers on other networks or YouTube Insider subscribers.
Impact Wrestling last night on AXS TV was watched by 129,000 viewers, the show’s highest number since June 3. P18-49 rating was a normal 0.02 (30,000 in the age group).
Possibly related, Minoru Suzuki vs. Josh Alexander was the program's main event.
This number is up from just 79,000 viewers last week, which also did a 0.02 in the 18-49 demographic. On November 4th, the show averaged 118,000 viewers and again did a 0.02 in the key demo. The October 28th show brought in 93,000 viewers and a 0.03 in the key demo.
Tonight, Impact presents Turning Point live from Sam’s Town in Las Vegas. The lineup is below:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Eddie Edwards
Knockouts World Championship Mickie James (c) vs Mercedes Martinez
Knockouts World Tag Team Championships The Iinspiration (Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee) (c) vs Decay (Rosemary & Havok)
Impact World Tag Team Championships The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) (c) vs. Bullet Club (Chris Bey and Hikuleo)
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Laredo Kid vs Steve Maclin
Digital Media Championship Jordynne Grace (c) vs Chelsea Green
W. Morrissey vs Eddie Edwards
Ace Austin vs Chris Sabin
Heath and Rhino vs. Violent By Design (Eric Young and Joe Doering)
Rich Swann vs Brian Myers
Decay (Crazzy Steve and Black Taurus) vs FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson)
Impact Wrestling on 11/18 was the go-home show for Saturday’s Turning Point event. The main event featured Josh Alexander going one-on-one with Minoru Suzuki.
Quick Results:
Brian Myers defeated Sam Beale (BTI)
Steve Maclin defeated Laredo Kid
The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay) defeated The Undead Bridesmaids (Kimber Lee & Brandi Lauren)
Doc Gallows defeated Hikuleo
The Demon & Decay (Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve) defeated Johnny Swinger, Hernandez & Fallah Bahh
Josh Alexander defeated Minoru Suzuki
Rich Swann and Willie Mack Rescue Sam Beale From Post-Match Attack
Brian Myers defeated his former protege, Sam Beale, on Before the Impact this week. He then kept up the attack after the match, delivering chair shots to his fallen opponent. Rich Swann and Willie Mack ran out to stop the beat down from going even further, however. Later in the show, Swann challenged Myers to a match this weekend at Turning Point.
Steve Maclin Qualifies For X-Division Title Match At Turning Point
The stipulation for this match was that if Maclin could defeat the Laredo Kid then he would be added to the X-Division championship match at Turning Point. And that’s exactly what happened. Maclin hit a spear followed by the Mayhem for All and got the 3-count. This means at Turning Point, Trey Miguel will defend his title against both Maclin and Laredo Kid.
Ace Austin Accepts Chris Sabin’s Challenge For A Rematch At Turning Point
Ever since Ace Austin defeated Chris Sabin, he’s been wearing a “I Beat Chris Sabin” t-shirt backstage. Sabin said if Austin really is the future of this company that he should accept his challenge for a rematch at Turning Point, and this time not have to resort to cheating to win. Austin accepted the challenge and a brawl broke out between them. Madman Fulton charged at Sabin, but Sabin moved out of the way and ended up locking the big man in a fridge.
Decay Continue To Haunt The Iinspiration Ahead of Turning Point Title Rematch
Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay defeated the Undead Bridesmaids this week but got quite a scare after their victory. Rosemary and Havok came out along with Crazzy Steve and Taurus and surrounded the Knockouts tag team champions. Instead of assaulting them ahead of the title match, however, Decay just wanted to send a message. They surrounded the scared champs and took their title belts, holding them up symbolically in front of them. We’ll see if Decay’s mind games pay off for them Saturday at Turning Point.
Chelsea Green Is Ready For Turning Point, W. Morrissey Challenges Matt Cardona
Chelsea Green was interviewed in the back about her upcoming match with Jordynne Grace for the Digital Media Championship at Turning Point. They were interrupted by W. Morrissey, however, who told Matt Cardona he’s not going to be getting an Impact World title shot soon because Morrissey is going to get in his way. A match between the two has since been confirmed for Turning Point.
Moose Assaults Eddie Edwards, Title Match Made A Full Metal Mayhem Match At Turning Point
Moose attacked Eddie Edwards ahead of their title match at Turning Point. Moose used chairs and set up a table but Edwards ended up getting the advantage in the brawl. He brought out a ladder and with Moose positioned on the table he looked to dive off of it and onto the champion. Moose scurried away in time, however. Later in the back, Scott D’Amore told Moose his title match with Edwards at Turning Point will now be contested as a Full Metal Mayhem match.
Doc Gallows Picks Up Win Over HIKULEO Ahead of Turning Point Tag Title Clash
At Turning Point, The Good Brothers will defend the Impact World Tag Team titles against Bullet Club’s Chris Bey and HIKULEO. This week, the two big men went one on one. After a gruelling match, Karl Anderson got up on the ring apron and distracted the ref. This allowed Gallows to rake the eyes and hit HIKULEO with his finisher. Will it be this kind of veteran craftiness that will help the Good Brothers retain at Turning Point? Or will Bullet Club leave with the belts?
Deonna Purrazzo Is Not Enthusiastic About Doing Interviews Right Now
Former Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo didn’t give much insight into what she’s been up to since losing her title to Mickie James. She told Gia Miller she was just taking part in the interview because she was contractually obligated. As for what is next for the Virtuosa, everyone will just have to wait and see.
Johnny Swinger just can’t catch a break these days. First his underground casino is shut down when Impact moves to Las Vegas, and now he’s pitted in a match against the Demon and Decay. Swinger teamed with Fallah Bah and Hernandez. Demon made Swinger submit to pick up the win for his team.
In a dream match, Josh Alexander defeated Minoru Suzuki in the main event this week. After an intense and physical matchup, Alexander countered Suzuki’s Goth-style pile driver into a back body drop and then hit his C4 for the victory. Josh Alexander celebrated his victory with his wife watching in the crowd to end the show.
Turning Point Lineup
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Eddie Edwards
Knockouts World Championship Mickie James (c) vs Mercedes Martinez
Knockouts World Tag Team Championships The Iinspiration (Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee) (c) vs Decay (Rosemary & Havok)
Impact World Tag Team Championships The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) (c) vs. Bullet Club (Chris Bey and Hikuleo)
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Laredo Kid vs Steve Maclin
Digital Media Championship Jordynne Grace (c) vs Chelsea Green
W. Morrissey vs Eddie Edwards
Ace Austin vs Chris Sabin
Heath and Rhino vs. Violent By Design (Eric Young and Joe Doering)
Rich Swann vs Brian Myers
Decay (Crazzy Steve and Black Taurus) vs FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson)
Mercedes Martinez recently celebrated her 21-year wrestling anniversary and finds herself in the midst of the IMPACT Zone after emerging victorious in a competitive tournament at Knockouts Knockdown last month. As the winner of this tournament, Martinez earned herself a future Knockouts Championship opportunity.
Martinez is now scheduled to challenge for the Knockouts Championship against Mickie James, who captured the title last month at Bound For Glory. The two legends will meet this Saturday, November 20th at Impact Wrestling‘s Turning Point PPV.
Ahead of this championship match, SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay caught up with “The Latina Sensation” to discuss her 21-year wrestling journey, future goals she’d like to accomplish, respect for Mickie James, and much more.
The full interview with Mercedes Martinez can be viewed below.
Her 21-Year Wrestling Journey
Martinez expressed thoughts on her 21-year wrestling journey.
“Twenty one years, it amazes me that I actually got to twenty one years because a few years back, I didn’t want to do wrestling anymore due to injuries. But here I am still living the dream,” she noted.
“You know, when I look back at everything that I’ve done, you know, I like to always think that I’ve done it my way, and I’m very proud of how I did my career and the choices that I’ve made and the decisions that I’ve made,” Martinez continued. “It’s not that it’s been hard or anything, it’s just been very different compared to others. And you know, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“For me to still be doing wrestling, you know, with close to forty one because tomorrow is my birthday, it’s just–I’m in awe to know that I can still be doing this almost 21 years later, and just in my mind, it’s almost like I didn’t even think I would become a professional wrestler. But here I am, just living the dream. So it’s very humbling.”
Career Goals
Martinez also noted that she still has some goals she’d like to accomplish:
“Oh, the biggest goal is to become a champion, you know, in a major promotion. And in fact, right now is going for the gold coming at a turning point with Mickie James. And you know, my thought is, I’m going to go really like headstrong and really just go in there and just prove my worth and show that I can carry a promotion.”
She continued, “You know, all you got to do is give me a shot and you know, that’s the biggest goal. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, but impact right now is where I’m at, and I just want to take it to the next level and bring everybody up with me. That’s really what I want to do, and that’s my first biggest goal right now.”
Respect for Mickie James, Jazz, Beth Phoenix & More
Mercedes Martinez (Photo: Impact Wrestling)
Mercedes Martinez heads into Turning Point against a fierce competitor in Mickie James, whom she faced once before. Despite the brewing tension on IMPACT programming, Martinez expressed a high level of respect towards her Turning Point opponent, Mickie James, and fellow wrestlers Lexie Fyfe, Jazz, and Beth Phoenix.
“I think throughout my career there have been so many females that have helped me, whether it was personally or professionally, you know, just to name a few would be like Lexi Fyfe. She was one who is still around in my life, who has helped me from me being a rookie to now that I still asked for advice in matches. And hey, you know, ‘is this match great’ or, you know, just feedback. And even in my personal life, you know, she’s a great friend.
Jazz
“You have Jazz who has been with me since the beginning of my career, who I modeled my style towards to based on our trainers, who has been–she has been an influence, like when I say role model, that’s someone who I admire so much because she’s done things her way and broke the mold of, you know, female wrestling and just didn’t look like everybody else.
She was just someone different and stuck to her guns. And that’s something that I always want to do. Stick to your guns, stick to your moves, and do things your way to pave the way for those that want to do things your way. And you know, that’s someone else who I really, really admire.”
Beth Phoenix
“Beth Phoenix, who you know, I’ve spoken to on many occasions and wrestled….she broke the mold. You know, she’s another one.”
Mickie James
“Mickie James, you know, I know I’m wrestling her, but the respect is there. We’ve been on the independent scene. We wrestled on the independent scene and now here we are going on national TV to again break down the mold of everything that we worked hard for. And you know, those are just some of the names that I look, you know, that has been influential in my career that I look at and say, ‘Hey, they broke the mold and they did things their way.’ That’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.
I want to be that person to show female wrestlers or anybody that you can be different in any profession that you want to do, and you can break the mold and break those barriers and do things your way and be proud of the way you did it, because there’s going to be others that come after you that are going to model their careers based on you and hopefully break more barriers. That’s really all I want to ever do.”
IMPACT Wrestling presents Turning Point on Saturday, November 20th from Las Vegas at 10pm est / 7pm pst.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
Last week on Impact, Bullet Club interfered in a non-title match between FinJuice and the Good Brothers, leading to a no-contest. In response, Scott D’Amore booked this #1 contendership match between FinJuice and Bullet Club with the winners moving on to challenge the Good Brothers with the titles on the line.
The finish of this match came when Finjuice looked to be setting Chris Bey up for the Doomsday Device but ELP grabbed a hold of Finlay’s foot while he was on the top rope. Finlay then turned his attention HIKULEO on the outside and hit him with a diving attack to the floor. Meanwhile in the ring, Bey countered Juice into a cradle but Juice reversed the momentum and ended up on top. With the ref counting the pin on Bey, ELP hit Juice with a super kick (there have been concerns that ELP uses a loaded boot). Bey then covered Juice and got the pin.
After the match, The Good Brothers came out to confront Bullet Club and a brawl ensued. HIKULEO entered the ring and took out Anderson. This left just Gallows and HIKULEO in the ring. They brawled and HIKULEO eventually tossed Gallows out of the ring. Bullet Club stood tall in the ring with the champions on the outside to end the segment.
Minoru Suzuki Destroys Kaleb With a K While Josh Alexander Watches
Minoru Suzuki made quick work of the Influence’s Kaleb this week. During the match, the camera would cut to a shot of Josh Alexander watching Suzuki on a monitor. Suzuki picked up the quick win with a Gotch style piledriver. Suzuki and Josh Alexander will face off next week.
Decay Defeat The Undead Bridesmaids Ahead of Title Rematch
Last week, The Iinspiration sought out the Undead Bridesmaids to take out Decay. This week Decay made short work of them in tag team action. Jessica McKay and Cassie Lee came out to the stage area to watch the match and then came down to the ring area after and taunted the former champions.
Later in the show, the Iinspiration then said they were going to take out the Undead Bridesmaids next week for their failure to take out Decay.
Mickie James Saves Mercedes Martinez From Post-Match Attack, Mercedes Not Then Attacks Her
Mercedes Martinez will challenge Mickie James for the Knockouts World Championship at Turning point. Martinez would face and defeat a former champion in Madison Rayne this week. The finish of the match saw Martinez get the pin after countering a cutter into a cradle. After the match, Rayne attacked Mercedes from behind and eventually gave her the cutter she wasn’t able to during the match. Rayne then hit Mercedes in the midsection with a chair before Mickie James’ music hit and she came out to make the save. Then James went to help Martinez up but her future challenger then picked her up and slammed her down. Martinez then sauntered away from the ring area while James lay in the ring to end the segment.
Rohit Raju picked up a big win this week as he defeated NJPW’s Rocky Romero. The finish of the match came when Raj Singh distracted the ref while Rocky had Raju trapped in an arm-bar. Rocky then took out Singh and hit a running sliced bread on Raju for a 2-count. Raju fought back, however, and countered a tornado DDT with a high-knee followed by his Drive-By finish for the win.
Eddie Edwards has earned a shot at Moose’s Impact World Championship. A triple threat between him, W. Morrissey and Matt Cardona headlined this week’s episode. Edwards hit a Boston Knee Party on Morrissey on the outside, taking him out of the match. The finish of the match then came when it was left to Edwards and Cardona inside the ring. Cardona missed a dive off the ropes and Edwards then followed that up with a Boston Knee Party again and got the 3-count.
Moose was shown watching the match from a private box but then getting up and leaving as soon as Edwards was declared the victor.
Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Moose has answered the question of whether or not he took shots at WWE and AEW.
Moose cut his first promo as the Impact Wrestling World Champion and it turned a lot of heads. He dropped references to many WWE and AEW stars and claimed he was better than all of them.
It was a fiery promo from Moose and one that left many wondering if he was shooting on the opposition.
Moose Shoots On WWE & AEW?
The newly-minted gold standard of Impact appeared on the Juice Pro Wrestling podcast and he cleared the air on his promo.
“If you hear the promo, everyone was like I shot at WWE or AEW. I never took a shot at anybody. I never said one bad thing about anybody.
“If anything, I put them all over. I just said I’m better than all of them. I hate to put this guy over, but Don Callis used to work with me on my promos and he would tell me, ‘one thing you don’t want to do is put anybody down in your promos. Put them over and then when you put yourself over, you seem greater than all of them.'”
Moose Thinks He Put WWE & AEW Over
(via Impact Wrestling)
Moose believes his promo had the opposite effect of what some fans are thinking. He feels the promo was actually giving credit where it’s due.
“I used that in my mind as a reference when I was writing this promo. I put them all over because they are all legendary and I think they’re the best in this business, I just think I’m the greatest of all time. At the end of the day, I put myself and IMPACT over as a whole.
“A lot of people I mentioned, I’m good friends with or associates with. I think they are all great. I just put myself up there with them. When I wrote the promo, I didn’t think it was going to get the clout and praise and mentions that it got.”
Moose is scheduled to return to a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring. He will meet Juice Robinson at NJPW Battle In The Valley on Nov. 13.
The last time Moose stepped inside an NJPW ring, he took on Tomohiro Ishii back in August. He ended up losing the match to Ishii but his performance was praised.
