Last week, Impact Wrestling featured mainly GWN flashbacks to previous Thanksgiving-themed matches. Tonight, the promotion is back with a full episode featuring previously unaired matches.
Impact Wrestling Preview 11/29
The Lucha Bros vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann
Two of Impact’s top tag-teams will face each other tonight. Granted, Mack and Swann have only teamed up once before. They were victorious over the team of Matt Sydal and Ethan Page at Bound For Glory, however.
2 weeks ago on Impact, LAX told Konnan they wanted to defend their tag belts against Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan said he didn’t want that match to take place, however. We’ll see if anything changes regarding the LAX/Konnan/Lucha Bros situation tonight.
Eli Drake vs Tommy Dreamer
Eli Drake wants to rid professional wrestling from hardcore matches. Tommy Dreamer made his name from such a style of wrestling and plans to defend it tonight. Dreamer previously interrupted an anti-hardcore wrestling promo by Drake, leading to tonight’s match.
The Rascalz Debut
A few weeks ago we saw Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz in a “That 70s Show” style smoke circle. This week they will be in action, though their opponents have yet to be named. This could be the beginning of a good run with the promotion for 3 wrestlers who have impressed many on the independent scene.
Jordynne Grace vs Katarina
This is a rematch from Grace’s first match in Impact. Grace was victorious but the next week Katarina approached Grace in the back and let the newcomer know she thinks she can beat her. “Thick Mama Pump” seemed amused by this and a rematch was scheduled for tonight.
Taya Valkyrie In Single’s Action
Taya Valkyrie is preparing for her rematch with Tessa Blanchard at Homecoming. In the meantime, however, she’ll be in single’s action tonight, though her opponent has yet to be revealed.
Knockouts Champion, Tessa Blanchard, will likely be watching this match closely as she prepares to face Taya for the 3rd time in Nashville.
Gold Rush On Friday
Impact Wrestling is actually back tomorrow as well for a live special on Twitch. Impact Gold Rush will start at 10:30 PM est and 7:30 PM local time from Newark, CA.
When Impact Wrestling returns to PPV early next year, there will be an Ultimate X match to determine a new X-Division Champion. The latest X-Division Champion, Brian Cage, will cash in “Option C” on the PPV for a shot at the Impact Wrestling World Championship currently held by Johnny Impact.
The rules for an Ultimate X match are as follows:
3 or more participants (at Homecoming there will be 4).
The X-Division Title or a giant red “X” are placed high above the ring (at Homecoming it will be the title).
Two cables are attached high above the ring with the title or X placed in the middle.
The first wrestler to grab the title or X is declared the winner.
Impact has announced 4 wrestlers will compete in the match, though none of the participants have been officially named as of yet. Qualifying matches will begin next week.
Homecoming takes place January 6th, 2019 from the Nashville Fairgrounds, also known as the TNA Asylum.
Impact Wrestling’s Ultimate X Match
The first Ultimate X match was held in 2003. Michael Shane won the X-Division title from Chris Sabin in a match which also involved Frankie Kazarian. Sabin is the all-time winningest competitor for these matches, however. He has won 8 out of 17 of such matches he has taken part in.
Trevor Lee says that he would love to work for the WWE and it has been his dream to do so.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, the former Impact X Division Champion said that he is keen on signing with the WWE or New Japan Pro Wrestling after he becomes a free agent in January.
“I would love to go to WWE or New Japan,” Lee told SI. “I’ve done a lot in the United States in terms of big independent companies, I’ve wrestled in Mexico, Canada, England, and India, but I’d love to go to Japan.”
The 25 year-old has worked with Pro Wrestling Guerilla since 2014 and has been in the ring with names such as the Young Bucks, Kevin Owens, and Cody Rhodes. He believes the best work that he’s done yet hasn’t been on TV and he wants his fans to see the real Trevor Lee.
“The best work that I’ve ever done in my life has never been on TV. My TV work has been to help the product, but outside of that is where you see the real Trevor Lee.”
Lee’s says he wants to do something for his father the late Tracy Caddell, who was the co-founder of the OMEGA Championship Wrestling promotion.
“I’m not chasing my father’s dreams, but I do want to do something for him,” said Lee. “And it’s for me, as well. Ultimately, I would like to go to WWE.
“That’s the dream. It’s always something my father really wanted for me. He was actually an extra the first time the Hardy Boyz won the tag team titles in Fayetteville. He was an extra in the segment before that, the one with the APA. My father was very much in love with the business.”
He also revealed that he is willing to try anything and wouldn’t mind giving 205 Live a shot too.
“I’m willing to try anything,” said Lee. “I wouldn’t mind wrestling in the 205 Live scene. It’s a good spot with great talent, I like those matches. I feel like I can compete in the top guy scene, too. Guys like Rollins and Balor aren’t that big, and I feel like I could be right there with them.
Impact Wrestling will air another show from Las Vegas tonight. Tonight’s Thanksgiving-themed show will feature the return of the famed Turkey suit.
Impact Wrestling 11/22 Preview
Not much is advertised for tonight’s episode of Impact. This likely means much of what occurs on the show will be decided on the show. Two segments have officially be confirmed by the promotion for tonight, however.
The Fate of the X-Division Is Decided
Last week on a notable episode of Impact Wrestling, Brian Cage declared he is cashing in “Option C”. This means he is vacating the X-Division Championship in order to receive a shot at the Impact World Championship at Homecoming on January 6th.
Tonight, Impact officials have said they will reveal the fate of the X-Division and likely how they will determine a new champion for the division. Rich Swann, Petey Williams, and former champion Matt Sydal will all likely be in the mix as the company looks to crown a new champion, likely at Homecoming.
Gravy Train Turkey Riot
The only other announced segment for tonight is Eli Drake’s annual “Gravy Train Turkey Riot”. A 10-person tag-team match will take place on tonight’s show. The wrestler who is pinned will have to wear the infamous turkey suit.
Other Possible Segments
Last week, Johnny Impact turned down an offer from Killer Kross to watch his back. It’s possible we hear from either Johnny or Kross tonight on the matter.
Tessa Blanchard and Taya Valkyrie will meet for a 3rd time at Homecoming. We could hear from champion and/or challenger tonight as well.
Johnny Impact was voted off of Survivor on the latest episode. He’s still the Impact World Champion, however. Johnny was also the guest on this week’s Impact Press Pass media call. He commented on his ongoing rivalry with Killer Kross and scheduled title defense against Brian Cage at Homecoming.
Johnny Impact On Rivalry With Killer Kross & Title Defense Against Brian Cage
Last week on Impact Wrestling, Johnny Impact turned down Killer Kross’ offer to watch his back. I asked Johnny if he gave Kross’ offer any second thoughts after finding out Brian Cage will be cashing in “Option C” at Homecoming.
“Brian Cage is no joke and him cashing in Option C to me just says that he wants the Impact World Championship more than anything,” Johnny said. “He gave up his title for a shot at me at Homecoming.”
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage for the Impact World Championship has been made official for the PPV.
Johnny continued to say he just doesn’t want Kross anywhere near him, his wife, or his dog. Based on what happened last week, however, it’s likely Kross continues to involve himself in Johnny’s business, even as Johnny prepares for Brian Cage.
“Honestly, would you rather have a sociopath anywhere near you or backstage out of the match completely?” Johnny asked.
“I don’t understand what (Killer Kross’) motivation is. For all I know, he could be trying to garner my trust just to kick me in the back of the head again,” he continued. “I would rather deal with the devil I know, ‘the Machine’ Brian Cage, then the devil I don’t understand, Killer Kross.”
Homecoming takes place January 6th, 2019 from the Nashville Fairgrounds (aka the Asylum).
You can listen to the conversation in the player below:
This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling has seen the second lowest viewership numbers. The episode which aired on November 15 was able to draw in only 101,000 viewers. In comparison, last week’s episode had 129,000 viewers with a steadily increasing rate for two weeks.
The ratings for the episode went further down from 0.05 to 0.01 in the coveted 18-49 year-old demographic.
The episode featured an X Division Championship match between Brian Cage and Sami Callihan, as well as the Impact World Champion Johnny Impact went against Matt Sydal.
The viewership numbers were the lowest since October 25’s 98,000. The show was unable to make it to the Cable Top 150 list this week.
This was Impact’s fourth week in the new late 10PM time slot on Pop TV.
Here are the viewership stats for the last four episodes:
Nov. 15: 101,000
Nov. 8: 129,000
Nov. 1: 105,000
Oct. 25: 98,000
You can check out the results and the takeaways from the episode here.
3x former Impact X-Division Champion, Trevor Lee, has departed Impact Wrestling. According to a report from PW Insider, there is interested from WWE in bringing him in as well.
“Former Impact Wrestling X-Division and Tag Team Champion Trevor Lee, 25 years old, has departed the promotion,” reported PW Insider. “Lee gave notice to the promotion that he was finishing up. We have confirmed with several sources there is WWE interest in bringing Lee into the WWE NXT system.”
Trevor Lee WWE Bound?
25-year-old Trevor Lee is from Cameron, North Carolina. He was trained by two famous brothers from the area, Matt & Jeff Hardy when he was still only a teenager.
After wrestling on the independents, Lee would align with another North Carolina wrestling name, Gregory Helms, as part of “the Helms Dynasty” in 2016. In the summer of 2017, he then formed “the Cult of Lee” in Impact Wrestling. He served as a mentor of sorts for Caleb Konley.
Lee is also the son of Tracey Caddell, a wrestler/promoter who helped form OMEGA with Matt Hardy. Unfortunately, Caddell passed away earlier this year.
Update: Trevor Lee tweeted the following on Friday afternoon in response to reports that he is leaving Impact Wrestling.
Impact Wrestling presented their first show from the Las Vegas tapings last night. Right out of the bat it looks as though we’ve got our two top matches for the Homecoming PPV in January.
Here are the top 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 11/15
Brian Cage is Cashing In Option C, Will Challenge For World Title At Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHYndfb9qGM
Brian Cage (c) defeated Sami Callihan
In the main event last night, X-Division Champion, Brian Cage, pinned challenger Sami Callihan after delivering Weapon-X. In shocking fashion, Cage would then announce after the match that he is cashing in “Option C”; he’s turning in the X-division title for a shot at the world championship. He wants his shot at the Homecoming pay-per-view in Nashville on January 6. At the moment, this would mean he would face Johnny Impact, should Johnny still be champion come that time.
Dark Allie Debuts
Su Yung defeated Heather Monroe
Last week, Allie accepted James Mitchell’s offer to help her “heal”. Allie had left her soul in the undead realm when she went to rescue Keira Hogan at Bound For Glory. This week, Keira Hogan came out to stop Su Yung from a post-match beat down on her opponent when “Dark Allie” arrived and confronted Hogan.
A new Darker Allie has emerged. Gone is the bouncy, bubbly, bunny Impact Wrestling fans once Knew. Allie left the ring area along with Su Yung as Keira Hogan lay beaten on the mat.
Tessa Blanchard vs Taya Valkyrie III Will Take Place At Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW4ZWFt6MVc
Tessa Blanchard defeated Ray Lyn
Blanchard may have defeated Valkyrie at Bound For Glory but it was not without controversy. Had the referee not been out of position when Valkyrie delivered the Road To Valhalla, things could have worked out differently that night.
Then in a rematch at Final Hour, Blanchard saved her title by getting herself disqualified. This week Taya revealed she spoke to Impact management and they made the third installment of this rivalry official for Homecoming.
Killer Kross Offered To Protect Johnny Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nOoCoROsdg
Johnny Impact defeated Matt Sydal
One week after Johnny Impact successfully defended his Impact World Championship against Killer Kross, the two would be face to face in the ring again. Johnny defeated Matt Sydal in a non-title match this week and Kross confronted him after the match.
Kross offered his services to Johnny, saying if he needed his back watch, he’d be there. Johnny turned down his request, however, and said he didn’t trust the offer.
Eddie Edwards Has Priors, Dragged Away By Orderlies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tHe374zvzU
Moose baited Eddie Edwards this week. He said if Edwards tried to attack him again, he’d simply turn him into the authorities. Moose noted that Eddie has “priors” so a third strike could send him to prison for 20 years.
Edwards couldn’t resist going after his rival, however, even as Alisha Edwards screamed for him not to. 3 men in orderlies dragged Edwards away after injecting something into his neck.
Tommy Dreamer Doesn’t Like Eli Drake’s Skinny Jeans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzWLXxRsRjs
In what was the second promo directed at skinny-jean millennials this week, Tommy Dreamer cut a promo on Eli Drake this week. Drake was cutting a promo saying he was going to get rid of hardcore wrestling when Dreamer appeared.
It looked as though Dreamer and Drake were going to have an impromptu match but ultimately Drake decided to roll of the ring and go to the back instead.
Konnan Turns Down LAX Vs Lucha Bros Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKaxjkxlccM
LAX defeated Fallah Bah & KM
LAX told Konnan this week that they want to defend their tag-team titles against the Lucha Bros, Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan, however, said it wasn’t the right time for that match and abruptly left the conversation. This is the second week in a row Santana and Ortiz has had an awkward discussion in the back regarding Konnan’s involvement with both teams.
In a scene reminiscent from that 70s show, members of the Rascalz were re-introduced to Impact Wrestling fans. Zachary Wentz, Trey Miguel, and Dezmond Xavier have impressed independent wrestling fans everywhere they have gone and also put in strong performances at the Impact tapings in Toronto this summer. They announced they have a match in two weeks.
Scarlett Bordeaux Turns Her Attention To The Impact Referees
Scarlett Bordeaux focussed her attention on the Impact Wrestling referees this week. Don Callis also noted that Bordeaux has brought in outside help to vet some of the submissions she receives for her open global talent search.
Quick Results:
Tessa Blanchard defeated Ray Lyn
LAX defeated Fallah Bah & KM
Johnny Impact defeated Matt Sydal
Su Yung defeated Heather Monroe
X-Division Championship
Brian Cage (c) defeated Sami Callihan
Impact Wrestling will present its first show from their Las Vegas tapings tonight. The promotion held tapings at Sam’s Town Casino from November 11th to 13th.
Impact Wrestling 11/15 Preview
X-Division Championship – Brian Cage (c) vs Sami Callihan
Previously on Impact Wrestling, Brian Cage traveled to Ohio to confront Sami Callihan. Cage was greeted by Callihan’s numerous Ohio-based minions. Tonight, the X-Division title is on the line, however. Callihan is the only man in Impact Wrestling to ever pin Cage, if he does as such tonight he’ll be the new X-Division Champion.
Johnny Impact vs Matt Sydal – Non-Title
Johnny Impact’s World Championship won’t be on the line in his match with Matt Sydal tonight. If Sydal comes out victorious, however, he’ll likely put himself in title contention. We are just over 7 weeks until the Homecoming PPV in Nashville and somebody will likely be declared the new #1 contender in the coming weeks.
Johnny suggested he might be stretching himself a little thin recently on Impact Press Pass. He’s already had to fend off Fenix and Killer Kross since winning the title and a match against Matt Sydal isn’t any easier.
Tessa Blanchard In Single’s Action
The Knockouts Champion will also be in action tonight. Her opponent for tonight’s non-title match has yet to be announced, however. Blanchard still has unfinished business with Taya Valkyrie. She lost to Taya previously via DQ in a rematch from Bound For Glory. At some point, Blanchard will have to defend the title once more against Valkyrie.
Eli Drake Has Requested Time On Impact Wrestling Tonight
Last week, Eli Drake attacked Joseph Park. Drake said he doesn’t like the hardcore wrestling style Abyss was famous for. He especially didn’t appreciate Abyss attacking him at Bound For Glory.
Tonight, Drake has requested time to speak and explain his actions.
Don Callis and Impact Wrestling would love to bring in some of the top-talent from NJPW to their promotion. While it’s likely some in-roads have been made with Callis serving as English color commentator, it appears NJPW still isn’t budging. NJPW has talent sharing agreements in place with ROH & CMLL and apparently, they aren’t adding more North American promotions to the fold.
“(NJPW) didn’t use guys like Brian Cage and John Morrison because they were Impact guys,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer. “And stopped some of their own talent from working Impact.”
There have been rumblings in the past that some members of the NJPW roster were upset they weren’t allowed to work for Impact but who those wrestlers are is unconfirmed. As for Brian Cage and Johnny Impact, they were both said to be interested in working for the promotion but NJPW decided against it due to their status with Impact.
Don Callis Wants Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho In Impact Wrestling
The new management regime for Impact has been working in 2018 to clear the bad name left by the previous one. This includes a botched excursion between NJPW and Impact which saw Kazuchika Okada largely wasted by the former TNA Wrestling.
At a Slammiversary press conference in Toronto earlier this year, Callis said to me he’d love to bring both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho to his promotion.
“There’s a young Canadian kid I like, we’d love to sign him, his name is Kenny Omega,” Callis said. “Another is Chris Jericho.”
Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view event, Homecoming, is starting to take shape as most of the matches for the card have been revealed after Impact held a series of TV tapings this week from Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sam’s Town Casino.
In the headliner, Impact World Champion Johnny Impact will defend his title against Brian Cage, who is cashing in his X Division Championship as ‘Option C.’ Also, Knockouts Champion Tessa Blanchard will defend her title against Taya Valkyrie with Gail Kim serving as special guest referee and Impact Tag Team Champions LAX defending their titles against Lucha Brothers.
Impact Wrestling’s Homecoming pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at The Asylum in Nashville, Tennessee on January 6, 2019. As of this writing, the promotion has yet to reveal any other details on the show. This will mark the first PPV of 2019 for the company.
Impact Homecoming Card
Impact World Champion Johnny Impact vs Brian Cage (Cage is cashing in his X Division Championship)
Knockouts Champion Tessa Blanchard vs Taya Valkyrie (Gail Kim to serve as special guest referee) Impact Tag Team Champions LAX vs Lucha Brothers Eli Drake vs Abyss – Monster’s Ball Match Ultimate X: Rich Swann vs Jake Crist vs Ethan Page vs Trey Miguel for the vacated X Division Championship
The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sam’s Town Casino has surfaced online.
These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on POP TV. As a reminder, Impact Wrestling is airing at a new time, which is 10 PM Eastern on Pop TV. You can check out the spoilers from Tuesday here.
Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results
– Tommy Dreamer beat Eli Drake by count out. The match is restarted as no disqualification. Drake wins after hitting him with a paddle.
– Taya Valkyrie over Ray Cray by submission. Post-match, Tessa Blanchard attacks Valerie and also knocks out the referee and chokes him.
– The Rascals and Willie Mack and Rich Swann defeated OVE, Matt Sydal and Ethan Page in a 10 man tag match. Sami attacked Willie after the match.
– Eli Drake comes out with a paddle that he beat Tommy Dreamer with. He says he has taken out legends the past few weeks and that he is in a Monster’s Ball Match at Homecoming. Tommy Dreamer comes out with a chair and they brawl. Dreamer DDTs Drake. This led to Raven appearing in the ring that led to Raven and Dreamer attack Drake.
– Allie defeated Kiera Hogan. Post-match, Allie and Su Yung attack Hogan before Jordan Grace makes the save.
– Killer Kross beat Trevor Lee by submission. Post-match, Kross takes the mic and wishes Johnny Impact well on his match against Brian Cage at Homecoming.
– Josh Matthews interviews Taya Valkyrie and Tessa Blanchard about their Homecoming match in January where it was revealed that their match will have a special referee, Gail Kim.
– KM and Fallah Bahh defeated Desi Hit Squad
– Katarina beat Lisa Lacey.
– Lucha Bros over Cage and Johnny Impact after Cage hit Impact by accident. They argue after and brawl.
The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Monday, November 12th, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sam’s Town Casino has surfaced online.
These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on POP TV. As a reminder, Impact Wrestling is airing at a new time, which is 10 PM Eastern on Pop TV. You can check out the spoilers from Monday here.
Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results
– Mixed Tag Match: Taya Valkyrie & Johnny Impact defeated Tessa Blanchard & Moose. Post-match, Brian Cage comes down to attack Moose and gives Kross a German Suplex. Cage helps Taya & Johnny up as the fans chant “Option C!”
– Jake Crist defeated Willie Mack to qualify for the Ultimate X match at Homecoming.
– Allie (w/ Su Yung) defeated Heather Munroe. After the match Allie gets a glove and applies a Mandible Claw. Kiera Hogan arrives, throws Su into the stairs. Moments later, Su and Allie recovered to stand tall.
– Ethan Page defeated Matt Sydal Page to advance to Ultimate X with a roll after a series of pinfall attempts.
– Jordynne Grace defeated Ruby Raze with a Vader Bomb.
– Rich Swann defeated Jake Crist with a roll up to qualify for Ultimate X. Post-match, Swann is attacked by Davebut Sami pulls him off and tried to make peace. Willie Mack appeared and went after the Crist.
– Trevor Lee defeated Trey Miguel in another Ultimate X qualifier with a Double Knee Press off the top rope.
– Fenix defeated Santana. The two teams shake hands after the match.
– Moose vs. Brian Cage ended when Eddie Edwards attacks Moose on the outside for the DQ. He hit him weapons before Moose finally retreats.
– The suit is brought down by the referees. Kikut Aro, Dezmond Xavier, Alisha Edwards, KM & Fallah Bahh defeated Disco Inferno, Rohit Raju (w/ The Desis) Katarina, Jake Crist (w/ OVE) & Eli Drake. After the match, Disco refuses to put the Turkey Suit on until Scarlett Boudreaux convinces to do it. KM says they all chipped in to get him this turkey suit. Disco stomps off and takes off the suit to close the show.
Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view event, Homecoming, is starting to take shape. On Sunday night, Impact held the first round of this week’s television tapings from Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sam’s Town Casino. Following this show, two championship matches have been confirmed for Homecoming and an angle has begun for the Impact World Championship main event.
First up is the Knockouts championship. Tessa Blanchard will defend against #1 contender Taya Valkyrie. At Sunday’s taping, Blanchard defeated Ray Lyn in singles action. After the match, Tessa called out Taya Valkyrie and told her that she would see her at the PPV.
Impact Tag Team Champions L.A.X. (Santana & Ortiz) will defend against The Lucha Bros. Fénix and Pentagon Jr. beat Rich Swann & Willie Mack at the taping.
X-Division Champion Brian Cage beat Sami Callihan (with OVE) to retain X-Division Title. After his win, Cage said he was going to cash in the title at Homecoming. There is speculation that he would cash-in the title in order for a World Title Match against Johnny Impact, but that has yet to be clarified. Impact has two more days of tapings to complete, so more info about this should surface by Wednesday.
Impact Wrestling’s Homecoming pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at The Asylum in Nashville, Tennessee on January 6.
As of this writing, the promotion has yet to reveal any other details on the show. This will mark the first PPV of 2019 for the promotion.
The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Sunday, November 11th, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sam’s Town Casino has surfaced online.
These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on POP TV. As a reminder, Impact Wrestling is airing at a new time, which is 10 PM Eastern on Pop TV.
Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results
– LAX with Konnan beat Fallah Bahh & KM
– Tessa Blanchard beat Ray Lyn. After the match, Tessa called out Taya Valkyrie. Taya told Tessa they have a title match for Homecoming.
– Johnny Impact beat Matt Sydal with Ethan Page. After the match, Killer Kross came out and offered his assistance to Impact but he told him he didn’t trust him and left him in the ring.
– Eli Drake cut a promo in the ring to insult hardcore wrestling which brought Tommy Dreamer out to defend those wrestlers and fans. Dreamer was going to fight him but Drake left the ring.
– Su Yung beat Heather Monroe once Yung wouldn’t release the submission hold until Kiera Hogan made the save and led to Allie and her and Yung laying out Hogan.
– Lucha Bros. beat Rich Swann & Willie Mack. Post-match, LAX came out to congratulate the Lucha Bros. They want them to challenge to a match at Homecoming.
– Jordynne Grace beat Katarina
– The Rascalz beat Chris Bey & Mike Sydal
– Desi Hit Squad beat Damian Drake & Manny Lemons
– X-Division Title Match: Champion Brian Cage beat Sami Callihan with OVE to retain. After the match, Cage said he was going to cash in the title at Homecoming.
The 11/8 episode of Impact Wrestlingon Pop TV is seeing better numbers in viewership since it moved to the new time-slot. The episode drew in over 129,000 viewers, which is a significant increase from last week’s 105,000.
The main event of the episode featured Johnny Impact retaining the World Championship over Killer Kross. The new time-slot is seeing steadily increasing viewership numbers for the show since it shifted from 8pm to 10pm three weeks ago.
The episode moved up in the ranks from 147 to 143 on the Cable Top 150.
In the first week on the new time-slot, the show drew the worst rating in history, with only 98,000 viewers for the October 25 episode.
Numbers have since been consistently getting up every week. Here are the viewership stats for the last three episodes:
Nov. 8: 129,000
Nov. 1: 105,000
Oct. 25: 98,000
Impact has announced matches that will take place at next week’s tapings from Las Vegas. It will feature a X-Division Championship match where Brian Cage will defend the title against Sami Callihan, and Johnny Impact vs. Matt Sydal.
You can check out the results and the takeaways from the episode here.
Impact Wrestling’s Final Hour aired last night. The branded-episode featured an Impact World Championship match between Johnny Impact and Killer Kross. It was the final episode before the promotion heads to Las Vegas next week for 3 nights of tapings.
Here are 8 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 11/8:
Johnny Impact Successfully Defended His Championship Against Killer Kross
Impact World Championship – Johnny Impact (c) defeated Killer Kross
Johnny Impact defended the Impact World Championship for the second consecutive time at Final Hour. He defeated Killer Kross with Starship Pain to close the show. The two built-up their main event match earlier this week on Impact Press Pass.
It wasn’t an easy victory for the champion, he survived a Razor’s Edge from the entrance ramp to the ring, several big suplexes, and a Straight-Jacket choke attempt to get the victory. It was the first time Kross has been pinned or submitted in Impact. The win means Johnny will head to the Las Vegas tapings still the champion.
The Lucha Brothers Defeated the OGZ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7hEYjU91Sw
Pentagon and Fenix defeated Homicide and Hernandez w/KIng
The Lucha Bros took out the OGZ this week, defeating them in the opening contest. In the back, Konnan congratulated Pentagon and Fenix and invited them to an after-party. LAX showed up and also congratulated the Lucha Bros but then seemed confused as to what Konnan was inviting the luchadors to. Konnan told them it was an after-party to celebrate LAX’s win over the OGZ but the tag champs brought up that match was a month ago. Could there be dissension building between LAX, the Lucha Bros, and Konnan? Time will tell.
Sami Callihan’s Army Of Minions Beat Up Brian Cage In Anonymous, Ohio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7rM_-hvQFY
The real Brian Cage went to Ohio this week but he got more than he bargained for. After Cage had asserted his dominance over Callihan, an army of Ohio-based minions came to defend OVE. Cage was simply out-numbered. Can Callihan’s army subdue the Machine? As Impact heads to Las Vegas, an X-Division title match has been confirmed between the two.
Allie Has Aligned With James Mitchell
Allie left her soul in the undead realm at Bound For Glory. Now she is consumed by a dark force. This week, James Mitchell offered to help Allie “heal”. Allie agreed to go with Mitchell if he agreed to leave her friends alone. Su Yung then magically appeared alongside Mitchell and the two of them led Allie away as Kiera Hogan protested.
When we see Allie again, it’s not clear if she will even resemble the person she’d been previously.
Moose Broke Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0j6sQzchEY
Moose defeated Eddie Edwards
Moose may have won the match but did he go too far? In the closing moments of his match with Eddie Edwards, Moose power-bombed his opponent onto the entrance ramp. He followed that up by giving Edwards a spear inside the ring and pinning him. It’s a big win for Moose who re-establishes himself at the top of the men’s single’s division and also sends a message to the rest of the roster that he’s a dangerous man to mess with.
Jordynne Grace is a Strong, Strong Woman
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Jordynne Grace made her debut at Final Hour last night. She defeated Katarina via submission due to a vicious bear-hug. The rest of the Knockouts might be advised to be on the lookout for Grace, who could rise up the rankings pretty quickly by the looks of it.
Eli Drake Attacked Joseph Park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaR3BeZpMiI
Eli Drake cut a promo last night. He said he has officially retired the Open Challenge and is filing suit against Impact Wrestling for unsafe work conditions. Joseph Park then said there were others who were going to join the lawsuit as well but when he turned around to introduce them, Drake low-blowed him. Drake then beat him up while cutting a promo which acknowledged Park is also Abyss, the man who attacked him at Bound For Glory. He blamed Abyss for the state of the wrestling business and hardcore plunder-based wrestling.
Several Matches Announced For Las Vegas Tapings
Impact has confirmed a few matches which will take place at next week’s TV tapings in Las Vegas.
Johnny Impact vs Matt Sydal
X-Division Championship – Brian Cage (c) vs Sami Callihan
Tessa Blanchard vs TBD
LAX vs TBD
Quick Results:
The Lucha Brothers defeated the OGZ
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Moose defeated Eddie Edwards
Impact World Championship – Johnny Impact (c) defeated Killer Kross
A 2-night event over WrestleMania weekend next year will feature inter-promotional and international competition. House of Glory has announced that Culture Clash 19 will feature promotions from around the world competing against one another.
Anthony Carrelli’s (Santino Marella) Destiny Wrestling has just signed on to represent Canada at the event.
Culture Clash 19
Culture Clash is becoming the biggest spectacle of WrestleMania Week with @IMPACTWRESTLING Confirmed, @DestinyWrestle Representing Canada ??, From The UK @IPWUK and @Fightclubpro ??. More coming soon.
Yesterday, Impact Wrestling announced their involvement in the event. It is not clear, however, what country the international-based promotion will represent. While their head office is located in Toronto, Impact has international television deals. They also have a roster of stars from all over the world.
“The biggest wrestling weekend of the year is right around the corner and in 2019 IMPACT Wrestling is proud to join Culture Clash in New York City,” Impact’s press release regarding the event reads. “IMPACT and House of Glory (HOG) will partner for this thrilling night. All the Stars and Knockouts will be in New York City over the weekend, but the one place to see them for sure is at Culture Clash 2019!”
IPW and Fight Club: Pro will both be involved in the event as well and both will represent the United Kingdom.
Killer Kross will challenge Johnny Impact for the Impact World Championship tomorrow night at “Final Hour”. The two were both guests on this week’s Impact Press Pass to build up their match on tomorrow night’s branded episode. During the call, I had the chance to ask Kross what led to his attack on Johnny in the back a few weeks ago.
“To be completely frank with you, John zigged when he should have zagged. I was honestly going to get a cup of coffee, I happened to see him there,” Kross said of the altercation. “(He’d had an) excellent match with Fenix, in my opinion, probably the match of the year, I decided to wrap a cable cord around his head, that’s really all there is to it.”
Kross then revealed some storyline information which wasn’t previously known regarding the personal history between the two.
“He had it coming, he’s had it coming for a long time,” Kross continued. “In terms of our history, John and his wife now Taya, were in Mexico crushing the competition, taking over the industry, typically he always does wherever he goes. This guy had nuclear heat.”
Kross continued to say that Johnny and Taya called him to watch their back in Mexico and he obliged. He would then show something almost resembling emotion when he admitted he thought the two were friends.
“I thought there was something a little bit more other than just professionalism there,” Kross said. “Maybe, I thought, maybe I thought John and I were friends.”
Johnny Impact (c) vs Killer Kross – “Final Hour” November 8th
Kross would also say that he knows a side of Johnny nobody else does. He implied it was a more vicious side and that he wants to bring that Johnny to the surface.
As for Johnny’s side of the story, he feels if Kross wanted a title shot, he could have just asked for one. Johnny didn’t dispute Kross’ side of their alliance in Mexico either.
“My version isn’t even that different,” Johnny said. “The things Kross just said about Mexico are true. We trained down there, I didn’t have anybody to turn to. I was down there with my wife Taya. Kevin (Kross), Taya, and I all had each other’s backs. I did think we were friends and the one thing that confuses me is Killer Kross has been undefeated since he’s come to Impact, never been pinned. Two weeks ago, I make this statement about how I’m going to be a fighting champion. I’m going to give title shots to anyone I think deserves them. Somebody who is undefeated and unbeaten deserves a title shot. If you wanted a title shot, bro, you could have just asked me.”
Johnny then said that Kross likes theatrics and wants to “send messages” and “make statements”.
“Those messages and those statements were obviously more important than whatever type of friendship or relationship we had,” Johnny said.
You can listen to the conversation in the player below:
Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer, Gail Kim, has released a personal statement regarding her recent remarks. Kim recently made some headlines when she referred to WWE as “racist.”
“After speaking with a couple of friends recently regarding comments on social media on racism, I had my eyes opened to the fact that my words chosen to deliver my message could have been managed more thoughtfully. The one word of my statement that I regret using is the term “they”. I think due to the fact that sometimes terms like racism are thrown around easily, especially in today’s climate. Racism is a serious thing and I realized that saying “they” that I was putting a blanket over everyone who works in the company. This is not true. The culture or environment of a company starts from the top. The leadership. The leadership of a company sends a message to its employees of what is tolerated and what is not. I know there are a lot of respectful people in WWE who have a lot of integrity. Being Election Day and realizing the climate of hate and negativity, I think it’s important to use my voice. As an ethnic female in wrestling, there will be people reading my words and I want to set an example. I did experience racism. I never even understood the term “gook” until I worked for the company or heard the usage of so many ugly racial slurs. I think it’s important to educate, listen and talk about these issues. I want to be very clear where I stand. I want racial and gender equality. I hope that we can make strides to talk about and create change for the good of our industry and others.”
Not apologizing let me make this clear. I’m CLARIFYING my message and not grouping the ones who don’t have the same beliefs. I’m making it clear that it comes from the top. https://t.co/q0zuom0Gm3
Nope. I wanted to be clear on my message if you must know Bc a friend called and thought I grouped them in with that. So for the respect of those people, I made this statement https://t.co/JMeMbRf1cp
Impact Wrestling is headed to New York City for WrestleMania 35 weekend.
On Thursday night, April 4th, Impact and House of Glory are teaming up to present Culture Clash 19 live from the NYC Arena in Queens, New York.
The event will stream live on Twitch. An announcement on the Impact website states that more information will be available in the coming months.
WrestleMania 35 Weekend
WrestleMania weekend is still 5 months away, but already there have been several big wrestling shows announced. Joey Janela’s Spring Break III is already sold out for Friday night, April 5th at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Major League Wrestling (MLW) also has big plans for Mania weekend. MLW is holding two nights of shows on Thursday (4/4) and Friday (5/5) from the Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City, NY. Both nights will be MLW Fusion TV tapings, with BATTLE RIOT II announced for Friday night. Tickets for both MLW shows are now on sale at MLWTickets.com.
Taya Valkyrie was the guest on the most recent edition of Impact Wrestling’s Press Pass. During the show, Taya was upfront regarding having been bullied in the past, both online in the lead-up to Bound For Glory and as a young person growing up in British Columbia.
I had the chance to ask Taya during the call if she has any advice for people who are going through something similar.
“You can dislike someone but you just don’t have to act like that,” Taya said. “We just don’t need that kind of attitude being spewed out in the universe when there are so many positive things happening.”
Taya then offered up words of support for anyone listening who might be dealing with bullying.
“To any child that’s listening or a fan of mine, or teenager, adult, someone who is older than me, hold your head up high,” Taya said. “At the end of the day, you are the only person in this entire world, this universe, that is like you. Not everybody is going to like you, not everybody is going to think you’re nice, not everybody is going to think you’re pretty or whatever it is. But there are a huge amount of people who do love you so keep your head up and move forward.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gUVXuwfKRc
Taya Valkyrie and Impact Wrestling’s Knockout Division
Taya also mentioned she was bullied growing up.
“I was bullied a lot growing up,” Taya said. “So I have so much personal emotion and connection to that kind of stuff and I can’t imagine what it’s like now. I mean for me it’s hard, even as an adult. So, as a child growing up in a world of social media and where everyone can hide behind a screen and a laptop and a keyboard and say whatever they want – for me, as a grown-ass woman, it was hard, so I don’t know.”
Taya Valkyrie can be seen on Wednesday nights with Lucha Underground and Thursday nights for Impact.
After wrestling for 13 years Madison Rayne made her WWE debut under the moniker Ashley Rayne at the Mae Young Classic II tournament. Although she lost in the first round to Mercedes Martinez, many would wonder if the former Impact Knockouts Champion would sign with WWE but she chose to go a different route.
In a recent interview with CBS Local Sports: Pittsburgh, Rayne shared her concerns regarding signing with WWE.
ROH Was The Best Fit
“Conversations between WWE and myself were always positive,” Rayne said. “I always got great feedback on everything I did, from the tryout a year ago to just recently doing Mae Young. This past year has been the first and only time that I’ve ever worked in any capacity with WWE. So, that was really exciting this many years into my career, to finally have been able to do that.”
Rayne would continue to say that ROH’s proximity to her hometown of Columbus factored into where she signed this year, however.
“It’s about trying to figure out what was going to be best for me and which company I would flourish the best in. I felt that Ring of Honor was my best option, and that is not saying that WWE offered me something and I said no, I just feel like I was always very honest and upfront about the fact that Columbus was my home and Columbus would remain my home. I understand that they have a system that they put their talent through, regardless of whether you’ve never taken one bump, or you’ve been wrestling for many years, and that system starts in Orlando. While wrestling is still very, very important to me, being a mother and being a wife, those two things are greatly more important.”
Madison told WWE she was not willing to relocate.
“There was never that definitive conversation, but just given the fact that I knew and I never wanted there to be any gray area in my communication with WWE, and I made it clear that I could and would not be willing to relocate, I think that probably kind of settled the question there as far as whether or not a contract with WWE was going to be in my future.”
Dream Opponents
Another question that was asked was who were some opponents Rayne would like to face in the not so distant future.
“I’ve made my little dream list. The one that people talk about a lot, probably for varying reasons, would be me and Alexa Bliss. We’re both from Columbus, we’re both small, we both tend to have a bit of attitude when it comes to our in-ring persona.”
Rayne says she’s had the chance to meet Bliss as well.
“I’ve met her several times, I knew her years ago when we both competed in fitness competitions. So, I just think that it would be fun for that to come full circle and for us to meet in the ring. I would love, and I hope that not far down the road it comes to fruition.”
Rayne also listed Tenille Dashwood as an opponent she would like to face some day.
“I would also love to get in the ring one-on-one with Tenille [Dashwood]. I’ve not had that opportunity yet, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
The article also lists five other wrestlers Rayne would love to step in the ring with:
Anthem Sports and Entertainment filed a motion on Thursday to have Jeff Jarrett’s lawsuit against the company dismissed. Jarrett filed the lawsuit against the company in August.
Jarrett’s suit claims Anthem “reproduced, distributed, publicly displayed, offered for sale, and sold the GFW Amped content without providing any compensation or royalties to GFE or Mr. Jarrett.” This stemming from the failed merger between Impact and Global Force Wrestling last year.
Anthem Responds To Jeff Jarett’s Lawsuit
Anthem’s response is that Jarrett himself was the one who authorized Anthem’s use of GFW content. They provided their own records of trademark filings as well as a non-disclosure agreement signed by Jarrett.
“There can be no doubt that Jarrett provided the content at the request of Defendant Anthem Wrestling and that he intended that Anthem Wrestling use and distribute the content, using Plaintiffs’ trademarks,” Anthem’s response reads. “Moreover, because Plaintiff Jarrett granted this license in exchange for his salary and the promise of the anticipated merger, it is supported by consideration and is irrevocable.”
In a nutshell, Anthem’s response is that Jarrett sold his content in exchange for a salary and job.
“As often happens, the parties’ merger plans did not work out as expected,” Anthem’s response continued. “Mr. Jarrett was terminated near the end of October 2017. The sale and marketing of the Amped Content was not successful and did not turn a profit.”
Several wrestling personalities have given their thoughts on WWE recently. Impact Wrestling producer, Gail Kim, is no different. Last night, Kim said the reason WWE isn’t concerned about bringing back Hulk Hogan after having made racist remarks is that they are racist themselves.
She would later respond to someone who refuted the WWE is racist claim:
Oh ok Bc they hire people of ethnicity doesn’t mean they aren’t racist. It’s business number one. Two, you don’t know anything about what happens backstage mr diehard https://t.co/1ZXDE1ngYE
Kim then took a shot at a media outlet for misconstruing her remarks, leading this media outlet to be a little nervous about posting this article now:
I DID say they were racist. Never mentioned anything about Hulk Hogan…..are you guys that desperate for clicks that you have to make up headlines? Bc you know reporting the truth ACTUALLY makes you credible. https://t.co/ljaaW0PXzc
It seems as though the outlet misconstrued Gail Kim’s comments. She was saying WWE is racist and therefore don’t mind that Hogan made racist comments not that WWE is racist as a result of having brought back Hogan after he made racist comments.
Gail Kim – Impact Wrestling
The Knockouts Division in Impact Wrestling is arguably the most talked about division in the company at the moment. Tessa Blanchard’s Knockouts title reign has drawn significant interest from fans. While controversial, the Allie/Su Yung/Kiera Hogan program has been praised by fans who enjoy that newly developing style of sports entertainment.
A controversial finish to the Bound For Glory rematch between Blanchard and Taya Valkyrie this week will likely lead to a third match somewhere down the road.