Impact Wrestling has struck a deal to bring Naomichi Marufuji back to the promotion. Marufuji has been announced for Impact’s October 20th PPV, Bound For Glory. The company announced the news through their social media channels yesterday.
Marufuji wrestled in 5 matches for Impact Wrestling in July of 2017. He wrestled on the Slammiversary PPV on July 2nd, 2017 and then competed on the promotion’s TV tapings that week. He unsuccessfully challenged Moose for the promotion’s Grand Championship during this period as well.
Video of Marufuji in Impact can be viewed in the player below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mdJpAWFPoM
Naomichi Marufuji Championship Statistics
Marufuji is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Pro Wrestling NOAH history. He is a former 3x GHC Heavyweight Champion, 6x GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and 1x GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion.
His tag team with KENTA was voted the best tag team of the year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2003 and 2004. Marufuji is also a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in NJPW and won the Super J-Cup in 2009.
Marufuji’s match with Bryan Danielson form 2008’s “A New Level” can be viewed in the player below:
Rob Van Dam will be staying in Impact Wrestling for the next few months. RVD confirmed to Fightful recently that he has extended his contract with the promotion until January. He signed with Impact this spring and his contract was said to originally expire next month.
“I talked with IMPACT! about what I wanted to do, which is mostly stay home unless the business reaches a certain level to pique my interest,” RVD told Fightful. “And they came to that level. Everyone’s talking about AEW, and how they could be scaring WWE. I happen to know IMPACT! can afford RVD, so they’re something someone should be talking about too. It’s all business. I did a match, I think it was WrestleCon—Sabu and I had a tag match and first it was just a one off, and then Scott D’Amore in the office said, ‘Hey, what do you think about doing this other handful of matches?’ Took me to October, and then recently we added a few more matches so I’ll be with them ‘til January. Then we’ll see how it goes after that.”
RVD also spoke about his appearance on the RAW Reunion show for WWE this summer.
“Yes and no,” he responded when asked if he was suprised by the situation. “Yes, the call was a surprise. And IMPACT! reacting the way that they did, in a favorable way, didn’t surprise me because when I talked to them about promoting my documentary Headstrong, they were happy to do it. And then ran a trailer on their show, on the weekly TV show, and they said ‘Hey, anything to help you, helps us.’ So I just assume that’s the way they would look at me being on the RAW Reunion as well.”
Impact Wrestling was back in Mexico City this week for the first episode from the most recent tapings. The timing couldn’t be better as the promotion announced yesterday that they will now be co-promoting AAA’s upcoming event at the Hulu Theatre inside Madison Square Garden.
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 8/30:
Michael Elgin Beats Rhino In Falls Count Anywhere Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGdayP2ylYA
After a double countout ended their last match, Elgin and Rhino were scheduled for a Falls Count Anywhere match in this week’s main event. After brawling all around the arena, Rhino missed a Gore and crashed through a table, allowing Elgin to hit a sit-down power-bomb and pick up the win.
Tenille Dashwood Wants Taya Valkyrie’s Knockouts Title
Taya Valkyrie defeated AAA’s Big Mami to retain her Impact Knockouts title this week but a new contender emerged shortly after. As Taya chases the longest reigning Knockouts champion record, Dashwood is wasting no time letting Impact know she’s going right for the title. She took down Taya but John E Bravo made the save, allowing Taya to escape. Bravo took a dropkick to the face for his troubles, however.
Valkyrie really is pretty close to breaking the longest single-reign in Knockouts title history. She is scheduled to tie the actual record on October 12th. In storyline, however, the record is 239 days.
Moose and Ken Shamrock are building toward a likely clash at the promotion’s tapings in Las Vegas next month. Shamrock is promoting his new bare-knuckled MMA promotion Valor BK. This week Moose cut a promo in the back saying Shamrock is only seeking attention.
Fallah Bah then cut in and challenged Moose to another match between the two for next week.
Impromptu Trios Match In Mexico City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj_O8u4a7Y8
A tag team match ended in a disqualification this week after Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne teamed up to beat up Jordynne Grace on the outside. Impact officials then made a trios match official between Jordynne Grace, Rosemary, and Chik Tormenta against Vanilla, Kiera Hogan, and Madison Rayne.
Rayne and Hogan, who only get along when they have someone else to team up against, left Vanilla by herself in the ring, allowing Rosemary to pick up the win for her team.
Willie Mack & Rich Swann Moving Up The Tag Rankings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_3Ye3fy8B0
Willie Mack and Rich Swann teamed up this week to defeat Dez and Wentz from the Rascalz. Mack and Swann have teamed up frequently since Mack signed with Impact but it looks like they could be making a full-time move to the tag division now that Swann is no longer X-Division champion. A win over the Rascalz, who challenged for the tag belts multiple times this summer, is a big win for Mack and Swann.
LAX Put Their Impact Careers On The Line
Did we hear that right? If #LAX can't defeat #TheNorth for the Tag Team Titles next week, they'll leave #IMPACT Wrestling?!
The North invaded LAX’s clubhouse this week, stating that it should belong to them. An enraged Ortiz then put LAX’s Impact Wrestling careers on the line in a title match against Josh Alexander and Ethan Page. That match will take place next week.
Golden Magic Picks Up The Win
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eT4gqjO5ag
Impact Wrestling kicked off with a high-energy 4-way match last night. Golden Magic picked up the win with a 450 splash on Trey but at the same time TJP had Taurus locked in a submission. He would argue that Taurus was about to tap after the match and then stared down Golden Magic. So we could see TJP and Golden Magic in a one-on-one match sometime before Impact leaves Mexico.
Ace Austin was shown on the beach this week with Alisha Edwards. He was about to admit to Alisha his feelings for her when a pair of muggers attempted to steal Alisha’s bag. The brazen muggers were not fazed by the presence of a camera on the beach. Austin chased one of the muggers into the ocean and then proceeded to walk back to the beach in slow-motion.
Alisha thanked Austin but then said she had to go. Shortly after, it was revealed that Reno Scum were the muggers and Austin had hired them to take Alisha’s bag.
Impact Wrestling is now co-promoting the upcoming September 15th event “Lucha Invades NY” along with AAA. The event will take place inside the Hulu Theatre in Madison Square Garden. Impact Wrestling’s Taya Valkyrie and Tessa Blanchard are scheduled for a featured match on the show. Blanchard won the Reina De Reinas championship at TripleMania and will defend the belt against Taya in New York.
“IMPACT Wrestling and Lucha Libre AAA have been strong partners for many years and this event marks a significant milestone in our collaboration to bring fans dream matches featuring the best international talent from both organizations,” said Ed Nordholm, President of IMPACT Wrestling in a press release announcing the news.
“For over 50 years, Madison Square Garden has hosted some of the biggest events in the world. It is an honor to team up with Lucha Libre AAA for this monumental show to present the best of Mexican professional wrestling in this legendary venue.”
“We are thrilled to bring the most popular Lucha Libre legends to fans in the Hulu Theater at MSG,” said Dorian Roldán, Director General of Lucha Libre AAA. “The Hulu Theater seating offers our fans the kind of exciting, personal experience they expect from AAA.”
A crew from Anthem’s Fight Network will be on-hand at the event filming a documentary on Cain Velasquez as well.
Lucha Invades NY
Earlier this month, AAA announced that the event would be moved from the main section of MSG. It will now take place in the Hulu Theatre which sits inside the venue.
Impact World Champion Brian Cage has struggled to keep an active schedule since winning the title at Rebellion this spring. During his match with then-champion Johnny Impact, Cage took a Spanish fly from the ring apron to the floor and ended up spending the night in hospital.
Cage posted the below message to his followers on social media regarding his title reign and stem cell treatments in Columbia:
“I know many might be upset with my inactive title reign. Trust me, no one is more disappointed than me. Right when I reach the top of the iceberg I’m dealt with nothing but set back after set back due to injury. Everytime I try to push through, I get another set back. This is not the champion I wanted to be. I wanted to be a fighting champion, not a once in a while attraction you’d see else where. And I’ve done everything possible to heal and recover, and in a timely manner. And that’s why I’m in Colombia seeking the world’s best stem cell therapy from [Bio Excelletator]. I’m not gonna stop and to quote another machine, “I’ll be back.”
Brian Cage Receiving Stem Cell Treatment
Rey Mysterio was also in Columbia recently to receive stem cell treatment as well.
Former WWE Superstar Rhyno debuted on Impact Wrestling soon after his contract with WWE had ended. Turns out that he did so despite being offered a deal that was allegedly double what he was making.
Speaking with Wrestling Inc., Rhyno addressed his decision to leave WWE and his experiences with the company during his last run.
“It was a great experience with WWE; they treated me great,” he admitted. “I enjoyed wrestling with [Heath] Slater, tagging with Slater, traveling with Slater. And you know, we talked about re-signing, and they offered me more than double what I was making. Way more than double.”
He knew he was in a position to help younger talent develop but ultimately felt his services would be more beneficial to Impact Wrestling and the independent scene. When it came to re-signing with WWE, Rhyno expressed that he “just didn’t want to.”
“[…] there’s a lot of men and women there, my job is to try and help the younger talent out and try to discover guys like The Rock, the next Stone Cold, and all that. And I think I can service the wrestling business more on a level like Impact Wrestling and on the independent scene too. So it’s very important for guys that have been wrestling for so many years to help out the younger generation because the guys that came before me helped me out a lot.”
Rhyno debuted for Impact Wrestling on July 7th during the promotion’s Slammiversary event.
Impact Wrestling this week took place from California for Cali Combat as it was filmed during the promotion’s recent 3-day tour of the state. The promotion will head to Mexico City next week. This week’s episode was headlined by a No DQ match between Tommy Dreamer and Sami Callihan.
Here are 10 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 8/23:
Ken Shamrock Is Returning To Impact Wrestling/Feuding With Moose
Ken Shamrock is returning to Impact Wrestling from September 5-6 in Las Vegas. His return was mentioned frequently by Melissa Santos during commercial breaks on Twitch. It looks as though Shamrock, who is promoting his new bare-knuckled MMA promotion, will be moving into a rivalry with Moose.
Sami Callihan Beats Tommy Dreamer, Ends Show Standing Tall Over Tessa Blanchard
Callihan is owed a world title match as a result of his victory over Tessa Blanchard at Unbreakable. He got the win over Tommy Dreamer in this week’s main event after delivering a piledriver on top of a wood board. Callihan looked to continue the beat-down of Dreamer after the match but Tessa Blanchard made the save. Jake Crist then ran from the back and hit Blanchard from behind, allowing Sami to hit Tessa with a piledriver and end the show standing tall.
Rhino and Michael Elgin Brawl To A Double Count-Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThRyilzvFKM
Rhino and Michael Elgin’s rivalry has been building since Slammiversary. This week, the two rivals were too distracted with brawling on the outside to notice the referee’s count. They were both counted-out as a result.
Security was needed to separate the two big men but the brawl would continue in the back as well. Later in the night, it was announced the two will face each other again next week in Mexico. To prevent another count-out, however, it will be a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Knockouts Champion @TheTayaValkyrie is going to defend her Title next week in Mexico City and if she wins, she'll be the longest reigning champ in history!
Taya Valkyrie stood at a podium and delivered a somewhat statistically-challenged promo this week. Valkyrie is saying that she will soon pass the record for longest single-reign of the Knockouts title at 238 days. It’s not entirely clear where the 238-days number is coming from but she’s not far from breaking the actual record.
Here are the longest single reigns of the Knockouts title according to the wrestling-statistics website, Cagematch.net.
Taryn Terrell 279 days – 2014-15
Rosemary 266 days – 2016-17
Gail Kim – 232 days – 2015-16
Taya Valkyrie 230+ (current)
Taya reacted on Twitter to a fan mentioning Wikipedia also has the longest Knockouts title reign at 279 days:
You realize wiki is a site where I can say I’m 15 yes old and born on the moon right?? https://t.co/u318TlBaI8
Regardless, Taya promised to defend her title in Mexico City next week against someone new. In storyline, if she wins, she’ll pass the record for longest reiginging Knockouts champion.
Tenille Dashwood Says Taya Valkyrie Should Get Ready For Her
A short backstage promo featuring Tenille Dashwood was shown this week. Dashwood said she doesn’t plan on starting at the bottom of the Knockouts division and will be gunning right for Taya Valkyrie.
Jake Crist Pulls Tights, Retains Title Against Rich Swann
The X-Division champion Jake Crist defeated the former champion to retain his title this week. The OVE member pulled off the victory only after grabbing ahold of Swann’s trunks, however.
The North Defend Tag Titles Against Reno Scum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K41NOsvqlLA
Josh Alexander and Ethan Page put out a challenge to any team from the west coast to meet them this week. Reno Scum answered the call but it would be the champions who would pull out the victory in the end. The North don’t plan on losing the tag belts anytime soon.
Havok Destroys Alisha & Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhAkOXtqYE
Havok defeated Alisha Edwards in single’s competition this week. Alisha’s loss brought out Ace Austin, who has been making advances toward Eddie’s wife, to comfort her. Eddie came out to confront Ace but ran into Havok, who gave him a chokeslam for his trouble. This allowed Austin to leave with Alisha.
Su Yung Talks In Unknown Language Again
Su Yung cut another promo after Havok’s match last night. Once again, the promo was in no known language. It’s possible Yung’s promos are being played backwards. A devoted fan could probably even decipher them.
Willie Mack Defeated Trey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnV6C9uTY-8
Trey from The Rascalz pulled out all the stops this week trying to defeat Willie Mack. In the end, a dive off the top rope was countered into a stunner and Mac picked up the victory, however.
Quick Results:
Rhino vs Michael Elgin – double-count out
Impact Tag Team Championships: the North (c) defeated Reno Scum
Ken Shamrock won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the first-ever TNA Wrestling PPV. He defeated Malice in the finals of a Gauntlet match on June 19th, 2002 in Huntsville, Alabama. Shamrock will be returning to the promotion and has been announced for Impact Wrestling’s TV tapings in Vegas next month.
Impact will tape inside Sam’s Town Casino in Vegas on the 5th and 6th of September. Shamrock was involved in an online interaction with Moose leading to the announcement of his return to Impact.
Hottest star in Pro Wrestling? @TheMooseNation I speak for everyone when I tell you, that you are a Nasal Strip away & short 75% of the talent, from being the next Ahmed Johnson. But I’ll show you what will happen if you keep running your mouth… https://t.co/Gh8a4DO57Cpic.twitter.com/QydvnCcexV
Shamrock most recently took part of a tour of Australia with Battle Championship Wrestling this spring. John Morrison and Taya Valkyrie were also on the tour.
The 55-year-old Shamrock was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Pioneer wing in 2003. His rivalry with Tito Ortiz was voted the “Feud of the Year” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in both 2002 and 2006.
In WWE, Shamrock is a former Intercontinental champion, a former WWE tag-team champion (along with the Big Bossman as part of the Corporation) and won the King of the Ring tournament in 1998.
Impact Wrestling presented a taped show from Windsor, ON, Canada last night. It was the last episode taped at St. Clair College with next week’s episode having been taped recently on the promotion’s tour of California.
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 8/16:
Tessa Blanchard Gets Revenge On OVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TezNVOwxq5Y
Tessa Blanchard got a measure of revenge on OVE in this week’s main event. Callihan has defeated Blanchard in two straight single matches, including at Unbreakable to earn him a future Impact world title shot. This week, Blanchard teamed with Tommy Dreamer to go up against Callihan and Dave Crist. Blanchard would end up getting the pin on Crist after delivering a top rope Magnum with a kendo stick in hand.
In a backstage segment this week, there was more teased tension within OVE. Callihan was with Dave Crist in the back and asked where X-Division champion Jake Crist and Madman Fulton were. When Dave Crist said Jake had taken Fulton to Arbys, this seemed to upset Callihan who against stated that Fulton is a monster and should be kept locked up. Crist disagreed, however, noting Fulton is a human being. OVE may have some growing internal disputes to deal with.
Michael Elgin and Rhino Brawl
War Machine @Rhyno313 & Unbreakable @MichaelElgin25 only want one thing… to DESTROY each other!
A one-on-one tilt between Rhino and Michael Elgin has been brewing since Rhino cost Elgin a world title match at Slammiversary. The two were shown brawling in the back this week. A match between the two will air on next week’s episode from California.
Rosemary Returns!
Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne have been working as a team in recent weeks. The two only seem to get along when they are taking their aggressions out on someone else, however. Hogan and Rayne picked up the win over Alexia Nicole and Jordynne Grace this week after Rayne pinned Nicole after delivering her finish.
With Nicole taken out, Hogan and Rayne turned their attention to Grace and began delivering a post-match beatdown. Rosemary made the save, however, and likely kickstarted a rivalry between her and the “frenemies.”
Rob Van Dam, Willie Mack, & Rich Swann Defeat the Rascalz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFHaeqexqgI
It was Rob Van Dam in the ring with 5 wrestlers who were likely huge Rob Van Dam fans growing up this week. Last week we saw the Rascalz lose their chill around their idol as RVD visited their clubhouse. This week in 6-man tag action it would be Mack, Swann and RVD who would pull off the victory after a high-paced high-flying bout.
Taya Valkyrie Orders John E Bravo Around
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2yxHsStH2s
The Knockouts champion Taya Valkyrie was shown ordering around her stooge, former referee John E Bravo this week. Bravo was forced to pick-up after Taya’s dog while he received a tongue-lashing from Taya who felt he wasn’t doing his job well enough.
It was later announced that Taya will have a special announcement next week.
Moose Gets Payback on Fallah Bah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zBmPB-JSHw
Fallah Bah previously pulled off an upset win over Moose in his return to the promotion. Bah has lost a significant amount of weight but Moose has been giving him a hard time about it in catering. The two went one on one this week again but Moose was able to get the victory this time, pinning Bah after delivering a spear.
The Desi Hit Squad Is Going To The Deaner Compound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7qVoNnrcyg
Cousin Jake and Cody Deaner defeated the Desi Hit Squad this week in a match which carried significant consequences. With the loss, Rohit Raju, Raj Singh, and the Great Gama Singh himself will have to work on the Deaner compound. We will likely see footage of everything the Desi Hit Squad had to do on the farm in the coming weeks.
The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Thursday, August 15, 2019, in Mexico City at the Frontón México has surfaced online.
These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on the Pursuit Channel and Twitch. You can read the results here, courtesy of Wrestling Inc:
Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results
– Eddie Edwards beat Jake Something/”Big Nasty” Cousin Jake.
– Jordynne Grace and Rosemary beat Faby Apache and Vanilla Vargas.
– Moose beat Fallah Bahh.
– Su Yung beat Jessicka Havok.
– Nino Hamburguesa and Big Mami beat The Desi Hit Squad.
– Taya Valkyrie beat Alisha Edwards.
– Michael Elgin beat Rhino in a Street Fight. During the match, they used chairs and a table among the weapons.
– Willie Mack and Rich Swann beat The Rascalz.
– RVD beat Mad Man Fulton.
– Golden Magic won a 4-Way over Trey Miguel, Taurus, and T.J. Perkins.
– Tag Team Champions The North beat LAX to retain the titles.
– Dave and Jake Crist beat Tommy Dreamer and Tessa Blanchard in a Street Fight. The finish saw help from Sami Callihan and Mad Mad Fulton. RVD and Rhino came out to even things up. This led to Tessa, Dreamer, RVD, and Rhino vs. Callihan, Fulton, and OVE being advertised for the following night.
Ethan Page is one-half of the Impact tag team champions with Josh Alexander. The North defeated LAX for the titles earlier this summer at Bash at the Brewery, an event shown exclusively on Impact’s streaming service, Impact Plus. He sat down with journalist Chris Van Vliet about his run with Impact, winning the tag titles, and being a Canadian wrestler booed in Canada.
During the interview, Page expressed that Impact’s current television deal is deterring people from watching the product at a time when it happens to be particularly good.
“I guess the lack of exposure we have with our television station right now, I won’t make you bring it up, I’ll bring it up. I think that also deters people from actually watching the show which sucks,” Page said during the interview.
“I think our TV put up against anyone right now, check it out honestly, I think it’s great,” he continued. “Whatever everybody else did before the team we have now, shouldn’t affect the guys, because most of them are gone. So why don’t you see what the new crop is putting together because we’re doing our best and it’s really good I think.”
Ethan Page On What Being Impact Tag Team Champion Means To Him
Page was also asked during the interview what being an Impact Wrestling tag team champion means to him:
“To me, it means something different than everybody else I think. I guess in a short form, TNA was my WCW because of my age, if that makes sense. That was my alternative which got me into the Ring of Honors and stuff like that, which got me into becoming a wrestler. So TNA meant a lot to me as a fan, so I am a TNA tag champ right now, at least in my mind.”
He continued to talk about what TNA wrestlers he has been influenced by.
“I started watching just after they finished their weekly PPVs and went to their big 3-hour PPVs. So the Jeff Hardys, the Christian Cages, and then obviously when Kurt Angle came but Abyss was always one of my favorites. As an original character, I always wanted to see him go on and wrestle guys like Kane and the Undertaker. He was always having crazy matches and they were doing things that WWE at the time wasn’t doing like with the thumbtacks and barbed wire and stuff like that. They would go a step farther. I don’t know, maybe I had that blood lust but I was a huge fan of Abyss.”
Impact Wrestling presented a taped show last night from Windsor, ON, Canada. The show was headlined by a tag team title match between the North and Daga and Ortiz.
Here are 10 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 8/9:
Daga To Carry On LAX Legacy?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiJd-w_X9KQ
Daga joined Ortiz as Santana’s replacement in LAX this week. The pair accompanied by Konnan would challenge Josh Alexander and Ethan Page, who defeated Ortiz and Santana for the belts at Bash at the Brewery last month.
The North pulled off the win and retained their titles. There was no under-handed tactics here, the North had the experience edge over Daga and Ortiz and used it to their advantage. Despite the loss, Ortiz led the crowd in a chant for Daga, who looks like he could be carrying on the LAX legacy moving forward.
Tessa Blanchard Reflects On Loss To Sami Callihan
"What does that mean for me? It means I'm coming for Sami" @Tess_Blanchard reflects on her loss to @TheSamiCallihan in a number one contender's match at Unbreakable.
Blanchard had Sami Callihan beaten at Unbreakable. She hit him with 3 straight Magnums, one from a standing position, then from the second rope, and finally again from the top rope. Ultimately, Callihan’s run-in buddies from OVE saved the match for Callihan and stopped Blanchard from earning a title shot.
This week, Blanchard cut a promo saying she thought it would be one-on-one at Unbreakable and that she is not done with Sami.
The Rascalz Were Excited To Have Rob Van Dam In Their Clubhouse
The Rascalz are back in the Treehouse with a high-flyer!
Melissa Santos provided an injury update on Brian Cage this week. Santos let us know that Cage has been dealing with an injury in his back and hip. Santos said there is no timetable for Cage’s return as they don’t know exactly where his injury is coming from.
Jimmy Jacobs conducted the interview and asked Santos what will happen if Cage can’t defend the title. Santos said there are more important things than championships and money.
Su Yung Crashes Havok’s Title Shot
Havok should be Knockouts champion but twice now she’s unfairly come away from a title match without the belt. At Unbreakable last week on Impact plus, Taya bailed on a title defence and retained via count-out. This week Su Yung interrupted the match just when Havok look like she had the champ beat. It looks as though the undead bride and Havok are on a collision course.
Jake Crist Defends X-Division Title
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHV1K2k8EVU
This week of Impact Wrestling kicked off with Jake Crist successfully defending his X-Division championship. He defeated local talent Aiden Prince who’d won a #1 contenders match to earn the shot.
An interesting question might be what Sami Callihan is thinking in regards to Crist’s title reign. Callihan seems a little jealous that Jake was able do beat Swann for the belt when he wasn’t able to.
Jordynne Grace Sets Her Sights On Madison Rayne & Kiera Hogan
The Frenemies with a 2-on-1 beatdown on @AlexxiaaNicole until @JordynneGrace makes the save!
Alexia Nicole, local talent from Toronto, had a shot to defeat a multi-time former Knockouts champion this week when she took on Madison Rayne. Ultimately, it would be Rayne who would pick up the victory while Kiera Hogan was on commentary. According to Hogan, she’s the one teaching Rayne to be more aggressive lately. The two women argued after the match but then joined forces to take their aggression out on Nicole. This led to Jordynne Grace running in and making the save.
The storyline with Rayne and Hogan appears to be that they don’t get along but will team up to take out others in the division. Callis said they don’t get along unless they are bullying someone else together.
Rhino and Michael Elgin Brawl In Windsor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSgRwYTE2JI
Rhino gored both Stone Rockwell and Nate Madsen this week. Rockwell attempted to appease the man-beast with food but it didn’t work. Rhino then cut a promo calling out Michael Elgin leading to a brawl between the two.
Fallah Bah has lost over a hundred pounds but he’s gained an enemy in Moose. This week, we saw Moose attack Bah while he was eating and a brawl breaking out between the two at catering. Moose was upset at Bah’s recent victory over him last week. A rematch between the two is likely in the works.
Eddie Edwards Disqualified Against Ace Austin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-flk5mwGKNI
Eddie Edwards couldn’t control his temper in his match against Ace Austin this week. Austin has been seen in the back trying to impress Eddie’s wife Alicia with magic tricks. This week Edwards would not stop beating on Austin and the ref called for the bell.
Alicia Edwards ran out and tried to stop Eddie but when Eddie asked Alicia if she was with Austin, she didn’t give an answer. Later in the show, Austin was heard telling people in the back he was going to sleep with Eddie’s wife.
Quick Results:
X-Division Championship Jake Crist (c) defeated Aiden Prince
Ace Austin defeated Eddie Edwards via DQ
Madison Rayne defeated Alexia Nicole
Knockouts Championship Taya Valkyrie (c) vs Havok – No Contest
Stone Rockwell vs Nate Madsen – No Contest
Impact Tag Team Championships The North (c) defeated LAX (Daga & Ortiz)
Impact World Champion Brian Cage says he experienced two big personal highs this year. Unfortunately, both of them ended up resulting in him spending the night in the Emergency Room after. He spoke to Chris Van Vliet recently about his rather unique wedding night experience.
“The two biggest moments of my life and career: marrying Melissa Santos and winning the Impact World title and both nights I spent in the E.R right after,” Cage said during the interview.
Cage won the Impact world title at Rebellion in Toronto this spring. A Spanish fly from the entrance ramp to the floor resulted in him spending the night in a Toronto hospital, however. Van Vliet then asked for clarification regarding how Cage ended up spending his wedding night in the hospital as well.
“I was off for like 5 or 6 weeks after I hurt my back,” Cage said. He would continue to say he started feeling better but his hip started to really bother him while on a tour of Australia. He would then further aggravate his hip during his “bachelor party match” for Joey Ryan’s Bar Wrestling the night before his wedding.
Cage would then say the next day was unabareable he couldn’t even move by the end of his wedding.
“I didn’t want to go to the E.R but they kept trying to make me go” Cage said. He needed to be helped to the car and then taken to the hospital where he was given morphine and anti-inflammatories to help with the pain. Cage has said he is planning a surprise to make this up to Santos.
His comments regarding his wedding night E.R visit begin around the 23 minute mark:
Brian Cage On How Much He Eats To Get So Big
Cage spent some time during the interview talking about his diet as well.
“People don’t know it’s like a full-time job not only getting the food, prepping the food, then you have to eat the food,” Cage said. “It all takes quite a bit of time.”
He goes into much further detail regarding his diet beginning at about the 6-minute mark in the interview. He also talked about meeting his wife Melissa Santos at Lucha Underground, his dream matches, and more.
Cage is the current Impact World Champion but there is some concern over how a back injury will impact the future of his reign. This week on Impact Wrestling, Jimmy Jacobs visited Cage’s residence and spoke with Melissa Santos. She promised to give Jacobs more answers regarding Cage’s medical status next week.
Impact Wrestling presented two shows last night. Impact Unbreakable was presented on the Impact Plus streaming app while their normal weekly television show aired on Twitch, Pursuit, and the promotion’s international broadcast partners.
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 8/2:
The North Retain, Attacked By Ortiz and Daga In The Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfRUfacaj68
The North defeated the Rascalz to retain the tag titles in this week’s main event. It looked as though Trey and Dez had the belts won at one point by Page pulled the referee out of the ring before the 3 count could be made. The North then gained the advantage and pulled off the win.
After the match, however, Ortiz attacked both members of the tag team champions in the back as he yelled that those titles don’t belong to them. With Santana injured, however, Alexander and Page were able to gain the advantage on Ortiz. Daga would then make the save with Konnan along with him.
Next week Daga and Ortiz will challenge for the tag titles.
Tessa Blanchard and Tommy Dreamer Stand Tall Over OVE
Tessa Blanchard and Madman Fulton had a singles match this week waved off after interference from Tommy Dreamer. Fulton was about to use a chair on Blanchard when Dreamer made the save.
After the match was thrown out, Blanchard got a hold of a kendo stick and wailed on Fulton for a bit before she and Dreamer teamed up to throw him out of the ring.
As this was airing, Impact was also in Santa Ana, California for Unbreakable. Callihan and Blanchard would headline the show.
Jimmy Jacobs was shown on the doorstep of Melissa Santos and Brian Cage’s residence this week. Santos answered the door and Jacobs asked for a medical update on Cage’s condition. Santos said she would sit down with Jacobs next week and answer any questions he has but that her and Brian are looking for privacy at the moment.
Aiden Prince Earns X-Division Title Shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcaOnqvdI2o
The hometown kid Aiden Prince pulled off a big victory to kick off this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling. He won a 6-way match to earn a shot at Jake Crist’s X-Division title against Wentz, Rohit Raju, Petey Williams, Chuck Mambo and Cody Deaner.
It’s the biggest opportunity to date in Impact for the Windsor-based wrestler in the promotion. He’ll face Jake Crist for the belt next week.
Sami Callihan Jealous of Jake Crist?
After Aiden Prince won the X-Division contendership match, a backstage segment featuring OVE was shown. Callihan did give some credit to Jake for winning the X-Division title from Rich Swann (which Jake noted was something Callihan couldn’t do) but there appears to be some tension building within OVE and possibly some jealousy on Callihan’s part.
Su Yung Sends A Message To Havok
Havok picked up a win over the former referee and current stooge for Taya Valkyrie, Johnny Bravo this week. Bravo had attempted to seduce the kaiju monster to no avail last week and again before the match could begin this week.
After the match, Su Yung appeared on the videotron and cut a promo on Havok (one could assume). The promo was not in any known or translatable language, however, so what it is she said to Havok remains a mystery.
Eddie Edwards Attacks Ace Austin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtbUnOoJh1I
Ace Austin picked up a win over the man of adventure Stone Rockwell this week. After the match, however, Austin was attacked by Eddie Edwards. Previously, we have seen videos of Austin in the back performing magic tricks for Edwards’s wife Alicia which evidently upset Eddie.
After the match, we were shown a scene of Alicia and Eddie Edwards arguing in the back over what had occurred.
Fallah Bah Has Lost 100lbs, Defeats Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCvlXQ3AHOo
Moose cut a promo about not being given enough opportunities from Impact management and that he should be world champ. He took his aggression out on Stone Rockwell, who had just dropped a match to Ace Austin and was still in the ring.
Fallah Bah then returned to Impact Wrestling last night after having lost 100lbs. He came out to confront Moose as he was beating up Rockwell and this led to an impromptu match.
Don Callis noted on commentary how much quicker and more agile the weight loss has made Fallah Bah. He certainly showcased that in his match against Moose, picking up the suprise upset over the former title challenger.
Quick Results:
Aiden Prince defeated Wentz vs Petey Williams vs Cody Deaner vs Chuck Mambo vs Rohit Raju
Havok defeated John E Bravo
Ace Austin defeated Stone Rockwell
Fallah Bah defeated Moose
Tessa Blanchard vs Madman Fulton – No Contest
Impact Tag Team Championships: The North (c) defeated the Rascalz
Sami Callihan defeated Tessa Blanchard for the second straight time last night at Impact Wrestling Unbreakable from Santa Ana, California. Callihan had previously defeated Blanchard in the main event of last month’s Slammiversary PPV.
With the win, Callihan earns a shot at the Impact Wrestling World Championship.
The match got off to an auspicious start as neither competitor moved or stopped staring the other one down for over one minute after the bell rang. Eventually Callihan gave his thumbs-up thumbs-down taunt, Blanchard flipped him off, and the two began brawling.
Callihan would work Blanchard’s leg for much of the match. Blanchard would make a comeback, however, including hitting 3 Magnums in a row, first from a standing position, then from the second rope and then again from the top rope. OVE’s Jake Crist distracted the ref, however, allowing Callihan to recover and regain the advantage. He would pin Blanchard after delivering a piledriver, just as he had at Slammiversary.
After the match concluded, Tommy Dreamer broke up an OVE attack on Blanchard and cut a promo on how impressive Blanchard is.
Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas defeated Chris Bey & Watts
Impact X-Division Title Scramble Jake Crist (c) defeated Ace Austin and Adrian Quest and Danny Limelight and Trey
Madison Rayne defeated Ayoka Muhara
Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards
Jordynne Grace, Petey Williams & Scott Steiner defeated Dicky Mayer, Jervis Cottonbelly & Ryan Taylor
Impact Knockouts Title Jessicka Havok defeated Taya Valkyrie (c) by Count Out
Rhino defeated Moose
Impact World Tag Team Title The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) (c) defeated Reno SCUM (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend) and Rich Swann & Willie Mack
Impact World Title #1 Contendership Match Sami Callihan defeated Tessa Blanchard
Impact Wrestling will present two shows tonight. Starting at 9PM est on the Impact Plus streaming app, Tessa Blanchard and Sami Callihan will have their much anticipated rematch at Impact Wrestling Unbreakable. Impact’s regularly scheduled weekly show will begin airing at 10 PM on Twitch and the Pursuit channel.
Scott Steiner also returns to Impact tonight. He will team with his “children” Jordynne Grace and Petey Williams at Unbreakable.
It had previously been reported that the long-rumoured Impact Wrestling to AXS deal was dead. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, talks may still be ongoing but few details are available.
“The talks with AXS are not dead regarding television but we don’t know much more as there are NDA’s all over the place regarding the Anthem/AXS talks that started late last year,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
This is a step up from what had been reported last week regarding the negotiations.
“Talks with AXS have appeared to have fallen through which is a disaster since the company has had the expectation they would get on AXS for months,” Meltzer wrote last week.
There had also been reports that Anthem Sports and Entertainment was looking at purchasing AXS. It had been reported that those negotiations were no longer taking place as well but it is not clear if that continues to be the case or not.
Impact Wrestling California Tour This Weekend
It’s a big few days upcoming for Impact Wrestling. Tomorrow night the promotion is in Santa Ana, CA for a special Unbreakable show on the Impact Plus streaming app. The show will be headlined by Tessa Blanchard vs Sami Callihan II, this time with a world title shot hanging in the balance.
Rhino officially returned to Impact Wrestling at the promotion’s latest set of tapings in Windsor, ON, Canada after possibly having appeared at Slammiversary under a mask. This is his 3rd stint with the promotion, though much is different since the last time he was there. He spoke to the Sporting News recently about why he decided to sign with Impact.
“It’s a company on the right path for almost two years,” Rhino said when asked what signing with Impact meant to him. “They have been moving in a direction where wrestling fans want a company to go in terms of letting the talent be the talent, having bookers booking the matches on the card opposed to writers.”
The 43-year-old won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as a member of the TNA roster in 2005.
“I think a lot of fans are drawn to a promotion like that. Not speaking against other promotions, but you other promotions doing it differently because they’re very successful. But I think there’s nitch where you have to let talent be talent and have enough talent where it’s not drowned out too much and where you don’t have enough TV time and run enough shows to use them. It’s up to the talent, whether to sink or swim. And Impact because guys have more control when their contracts are up.”
Rhino On Dixie Carter’s Impact Wrestling
He was also asked about his previous runs with the company including working under Dixie Carter.
“I had a lot of fun. I got a chance to work with guys like AJ Styles, Abyss, Sting, James Storm, even to Rob Van Dam, who was one of my last feuds there. It was a lot of fun. Look at Van Dam now. He’s still so talented.”
When asked if that was him at Slammiversary giving Michael Elgin a Gore, Rhino wouldn’t answer directly.
“I cannot confirm or deny. But I will go on the record of saying I was still under contract no matter who I worked for. Whether it’s my word or a contract, I will do it justice. But with that being said, Rob Van Dam was also under contract when he appeared on Monday Night Raw for the Reunion show,” Rhino said.
“So, does Impact and WWE have some sort of backdoor understanding type of agreement? Or was that not me? Or was that me? Did WWE allow me or give my blessings? Because at the end of the day, what are they going to do? Fire me? But at the end of the day, doing business is one of the essential things in wrestling. I try to stress that to younger talent. It’s always beneficial to do good business because it ends up being best for the wrestling business and the fans.”
Former WWE 205 Live Superstar, and current Impact Wrestling star, TJP has experience competing for WWE’s Cruiserweight Division as well as Impact’s X-Division.
Speaking with the WINCLY podcast, TJP opened up about his time in these divisions, and what they each offered pro wrestling.
“I always thought that the X-Division affected the social culture of wrestling in the 2000s the same way the WCW Cruiserweight Division did when it was first starting,” TJP explained.
“I meet young fans who grew up on the X-Division, and during that time TNA was the hot, trendy thing. The generation is so far removed from it now that people forget that the type of trendiness AEW has now TNA once had.”
Reflecting on his time in WWE’s Cruiserweight Division, TJP highlighted how the division gave wrestlers his size opportunities that previously wouldn’t have existed.
“It opened the doors for a generation of guys who didn’t have a certain stature and didn’t have an opportunity for maybe 10 years. There was a time I was homeless,” he shared, “and went down to FCW in 2008 and 2009, and it was unheard of someone of my size trying to get in.”
TJP then spoke about how 2016’s Cruiserweight Classic helped open doors for smaller Superstars to establish themselves, naming Cedric Alexander and The Lucha House Party as prime examples.
Tenille Dashwood is headed to Impact Wrestling as it was revealed that she signed a contract with the promotion.
No details on the terms of the deal were confirmed. Impact announced the news on Monday evening in a quick post on their official Twitter account.
Dashwood signed with WWE in 2011 and later assigned to FCW then NXT. The Australian is a great wrestler with some good microphone skills and got over with the WWE Universe with her loveable character.
She was a comedy performer who could back up her actions in the ring. She would later change her character as a heel and got over but was hurt quite often in her WWE run. In October 2017, WWE announced that Dashwood had been released from her WWE contract.
Back in March, Dashwood announced that she was a free agent after competing for Ring of Honor’s Women of Honor division for the last year.
During her time with the company, she was a member of the Lifeblood stable in ROH alongside Juice Robinson, Bandido, and Tracy Williams.
She underwent shoulder surgery last fall and was out of action until she returned earlier this year. Although Dashwood and ROH were in talks on a new contract, the two sides were unable to make a deal.
Impact Wrestling was inside Windsor’s St. Clair College for this week’s episode. The show featured an X-Division title match and a street fight between Michael Elgin and Brian Cage.
Here are 6 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 7/26:
Rhyno Officially Joins Impact Wrestling
Michael Elgin’s street fight with champion Brian Cage never really officially started this week. The main event began with an injured Cage crawling to the ring area while being beaten by Elgin.
Melissa Santos eventually attempted to get Elgin to stop the attack but it was a masked man who looked much like Rhyno who would divert his attention. Unfortunately, Elgin hit the masked guy with a chair. That masked guy was not the real Rhyno, however, and the real one then gave a Gore to Elgin and celebrated in the crowd to end the show.
Jake Crist Wins X-Division Title
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6slTEdvUBP8
Rich Swann’s X-Division title reign came to an end in Windsor. Swann’s loss of the championship was in part due to interference from OVE’s Madman Fulton.
Madman Fulton pushed Swann off the top rope and into a cutter by Crist. This allowed Crist to then hit the Buckeye Drop and win the title.
Swann’s title reign ends at 194 days and 11 title defences.
Tessa and Sami Preview Their Rematch
Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard will face each other again on August 2nd at Unbreakable. The show will air live on the Impact Plus streaming app. This time the winner of their match will earn a title shot at the Impact World Championship. Callihan and Blanchard earned the right to face each other for a title shot after winning the Mash-Up tournament together last week.
Sami praised Tessa before disrespecting her at the end of the promo, leading to a brawl between the two. Later in the show, Callihan said he’s going to sick Madman Fulton on her next week.
Moose Wants Stronger Competition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ypdPpXTwU
Moose won a squash match this week over Ray Steele. After the match, however, Moose cut a promo about how thought that after beating Rob Van Dam at Slammiversary he would get a chance to earn a title shot. Had he and Eddie Edwards won the Mash-Up tournament they would face each other for the next title shot but that was little consolation to Moose, who feels Impact managment has been disrespecting him.
Moose then sent a message to Impact management by further delivering a beatdown to Steele.
Rob Van Dam Back In The Win Column
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loUtKWyj5Fw
Rob Van Dam defeated Willie Mack this week. The win gets RVD back in the win column after dropping a match to Moose at Slammiversary.
RVD had been complaining in the past about Impact wrestlers using his moves. This may especially be the case for Mack, who has a “6-Star Frog Splash” as part of his arsenal. RVD would manage to win the match with his 5-star version of the move, however. The two would show respect to one another in the ring after the match.
Jordynne Grace Defeats Kiera Hogan, Madison Rayne on Commentary
Madison Rayne, fresh off her heel turn, was on commentary for this match. She also rolled Kiera Hogan back in the ring when it appeared she was going to get counted-out. Despite Rayne’s help, however, Hogan got caught in a clever pinning combination by Grace.
Later in the show, Hogan was interviewed in the back and Rayne interrupted. Although Rayne started off insulting Hogan, the two ended up turning their attention to Melissa Santos. Hogan and Rayne could turn out to be allies rather than enemies in this story, it’s still not clear.
On commentary, Don Callis noted to Josh Matthews that he might not know how to handle himself around a woman as beautiful as Rayne (the two are married in real-life, though this doesn’t appear to be something Impact acknowledges.)
OVE’s Jake Crist is the new X-Division champion. He defeated Rich Swann in Windsor for the title in a match which aired on Impact Wrestling last night. Swann’s title reign ends at 194 days and 11 title defences.
Madman Fulton interfered in the match, leading to Crist’s victory. Swann was on the top rope when Fulton pushed him off and into a cutter from Crist. Following the cutter, Crist hit the Buckeye Drop and got the pin to win the title.
The title change was filmed July 19th inside Windsor’s sold-out St. Clair College. Impact filmed 4 episodes of their weekly series last weekend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6slTEdvUBP8
Jake Crist – New X-Division Champion
Crist is the 42nd pro-wrestler to win the X-Division title. He begins the 89th reign in the title’s lineage. This is his second major title in the promotion, having previoulsy won the tag titles along with his brother Dave Crist.
Swann’s title reign was the 3rd longest single reign in X-Division history. The top 5 are listed below:
Austin Aries – 301 days – 2011-2012
Tigre Uno – 199 days – 2015-2016
Rich Swann – 194 days – 2019
Matt Sydal – 191 days – 2018
Christopher Daniels – 184 days – 2005
Swann’s 194 days also ranks him at 15th in terms of total days spent as champion. Chris Sabin’s 8 title reigns and 432 days spent as champion lead that category.
Impact Wrestling’s weekly TV show will not be moving to AXS. Talks between Anthem Sports and Entertainment and the network have fallen through. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AXS decided against adding a new wrestling show to their lineup.
“Talks with AXS have appeared to have fallen through which is a disaster since the company has had the expectation they would get on AXS for months,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
One of the main reasons we won’t be seeing Impact on AXS is that the channel is already home to two other wrestling promotions.
“AXS decided against picking up another wrestling show since they already have New Japan and Women of Wrestling,” the report continued.
Anthem Sports and Entertainment was also negotiating to purchase AXS. These talks had been going on since December and the idea was that Impact would move to Pursuit while the deal was being negotiated and move to AXS once it was finalized.
“The sale talks, for Anthem Media to purchase AXS from Mark Cuban, R. Seacrest Media, CAA and CBS, evidently have also fallen through,” Meltzer continued.
Impact recently announced that they have signed a new deal with Twitch and will continue to air their weekly show there.
THIS FRIDAY at 10p.m. ET on @PursuitChannel & @Twitch:
When Impact Wrestling presents Unbreakable August 2nd on the Impact Plus App, Scott Steiner will compete in tag-team action. The promotion announced Steiner will be returning to the promotion for the event and teaming with Jordynne Grace and Petey Williams.
Big Poppa Pump, Little Petey Pump, and Thick Mama Pump’s opponents for the event have yet to be named.
Scott Steiner to Team With Jordynne Grace and Petey Williams
“IMPACT Wrestling will bring together a dream team of epic proportions Friday, August 2nd LIVE on IMPACT+ in California. For the first time ever we will see Jordynne “Thick Mama Pump” Grace team with Scott Steiner and Petey Williams!” an Impact press release reads. “There is a lot of history between Scott and Petey on IMPACT Wrestling and Jordynne Grace has publicly declared how she feels about Scott Steiner and now on Friday, August 2nd on IMPACT+ at Unbreakable the three of them will team together!”
Unbreakable on August 2nd will be headlined by Sami Callihan vs Tessa Blanchard II. This time the winner of their match will earn an Impact World Title shot. Also announced for the show is former champion Rhyno.
After making his debut for AEW at Double or Nothing, Jon
Moxley has been making rounds of independent circuit and competing against some
of the top independent talents.
One such talent he recently wrestled with was Impact Star Killer Kross. Moxley wrestled Kross during an event of Future Stars of Wrestling and their match ended in no contest.
During his recent appearance on WINKLY podcast, Kross talked
about his encounter with the former WWE Star. Commenting on his experience of
interacting with him backstage, he claimed that it was awesome:
“It was absolutely awesome and we didn’t have to discuss much. We both knew what we thought it needed to be that night and went out there and did it
It was the first time we ever worked and it was a breeze. It was aggressive when it needed to be and technical when it needed to be and I felt like we hit a home run.”
Continuing on the topic, Killer Kross also teased a rematch
with Jon, implying that people only got a taste of their rivalry and they are
going to revisit it in the future.
He said that they have got a book that is open. Their match was just chapter one and Kross claimed that he is very pumped as their rivalry is long from over. You can check out Killer Kross’ full interview at this link.