Another high-profile match has been signed for All Elite Wrestling’s next pay-per-view offering, Full Gear.
Last week, on AEW Dynamite, Chris Jericho’s ‘Inner Circle’ henchmen Santana & Ortiz challenged The Young Bucks to a match at the November 9th Baltimore PPV. After scoring a victory over the Best Friends on Wednesday’s TNT broadcast, Nick and Matt Jackson officially accepted.
This feud was set up at the All Out event from the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL back in August when Ortiz and Santana attacked The Young Bucks following their Ladder Match against the Lucha Bros. This marked the debut of Ortiz and Santana.
The AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, November 9th from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and has already sold out.
The event is expected to begin at 8 p.m. ET and stream live in the United States on the B/R Live, which is Bleacher Report’s streaming service, traditional PPV outlets, and FITE TV in international markets. Here is the updated card:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Cody Rhodes
Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. LAX (Santana & Ortiz)
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Impact Wrestling 9/6 was once again from Mexico City. The promotion is building toward the 9/15 show in the Hulu Theatre with AAA and their next PPV Bound for Glory in October.
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 9/6:
LAX Wrestle Last Match In Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3-OUy-Ul5M
This week’s main event was LAX challenging the North for the Impact tag team titles. Not only were the tag titles on the line, however, so were LAX’s Impact Wrestling careers. Josh Alexander and Ethan Page picked up the win when a blind tag from Page gave his team the advantage.
With the loss to the North, Impact’s most successful tag team of all time is gone from the promotion. Santana and Ortiz both appeared on AEW’s recent PPV All Out from Chicago’s Sears Center last weekend.
Brian Cage vs Sami Callihan at Bound For Glory – Cage Proposes To Melissa Santos
We got an update on Brian Cage’s condition this week. The world champion has not been cleared to compete and the final segment this week featured an update on Cage’s world title reign. Cage spoke about injuring his back the night he won the title and being sidelined for two months. He also mentioned that defending the title against Michael Elgin set his recovery back. Cage announced that doctors have said he’ll be cleared in the next 6 weeks and in time to take on Sami Callihan at Bound For Glory.
After addressing his match with Callihan, Cage turned his attention to Melissa Santos and asked her tomarry him. The show concluded with Santos agreeing to marry Cage.
Moose Defeats Fallah Bah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhwpSohQrFg
Moose defeated Fallah Bah this week for the second straight time. He got the win with his “No Jackhammer Needed” spear. After the match, Moose locked in an ankle lock submission as a message being sent to his new rival.
Moose has been building to a showdown with Ken Shamrock in Las Vegas as of late and likely has his attention on Impact’s tapings this weekend in Sin City.
Su Yung Disqualified Vs Havok
Havok vs Su Yung kicked off Impact Wrestling this week. Yung has been targeting Havok with backward sounding promos as of late and they finally clashed in Mexico City this week. The finish of the match came when Yung sprayed Havok with the red poison mist, leading to a disqualification. This rivalry is far from over.
RVD Takes Out OVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EHmHpwZelk
Rob Van Dam took on OVE’s Madman Fulton this week and appeared to have the big man beat. RVD was going for the 5-Star Frog Splash when Dave Crist interfered, leading to a disqualification. The two OVE members attempted to deliver a beatdown to RVD after the match was over but the legend managed to fend them both off. Fulton was taken out to the floor with a kick and that allowed RVD to hit a 5-Star Frog Splash on Crist to end the segment.
TJP Defeats Golden Magic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_rBjwBCUMY
Last week, Golden Magic won a fatal 4-way match which also involved TJP. This week Magic and TJP went one-on-one but it would be TJP who would secure the victory with a leg lock submission.
Rascalz A Little On Edge
The Treehouse wouldn't be the same without the stuff!
The Rascalz are sometimes a little on edge depending on where Impact is holding their tapings. They seem quite relaxed anytime the promotion is in Canada, or in Las Vegas, and they seemed fine on the recent tour of California. Something about them just seems off in Mexico, or at tapings in the state of New York, however.
This week, the Rascalz were joined in the clubhouse by Rich Swann and Willie Mack. By the end of the segment, everyone was having a good time and looking forward to the tag title match between LAX and the North later in the evening.
LAX (Santana and Ortiz) are the latest stars to depart from Impact Wrestling.
The group has finished up with Impact Wrestling, according to Dave Meltzer who reported the news in F4WOnline’s Daily Update. It was noted that both WWE and AEW have interest in signing Santana and Ortiz.
Regarding WWE, the company is willing to sign any talented wrestlers as they want to pick up as many wrestlers as possible. On the flip side, AEW has made it known that they plan to have a big focus on its tag team division.
LAX finished up their run with Impact Wrestling on Sunday night at the Slammiversary pay-per-view event from Gilley’s Dallas in Texas. This is where Impact World Tag Team Champions The North (Ethan Page and Josh Alexander) were able to retain the titles against The Rascalz and LAX.
Near the end of the match, they did an injury angle where Santana sold that he was hurt, which was planned out in advance of the match.
Santana and Ortiz joined LAX in March 2017 where they were a big part of the tag team division and heavily used on weekly television. During their time with Impact, they were four-time Impact World Tag Team Champions.
It was also revealed on Monday that Johnny “Impact” Hennigan is no longer under contract with Impact Wrestling. For more details on that situation, click here.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has been making some big moves ahead of its first-ever pay-per-view (PPV) event next month, Double Or Nothing. The trend seems to be continuing. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that a deal is being worked out to have The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. and Fenix) be exclusive to AEW in the United States.
The deal is being worked on between AEW and AAA, who want to have Lucha Bros exclusive to AEW in the U.S. while being exclusive to AAA in Mexico. This would mean that Lucha Bros’ time with other promotions such as IMPACT, MLW, CMLL, and others are coming to an end.
This makes sense given the pair dropped the IMPACT Tag Team Championships to LAX at last night’s (Sun. April 28, 2019) Rebellion PPV event. Now, Fenix and Pentagon prepare to defend their AAA Tag Team Titles against The Young Bucks at Double Or Nothing in Las Vegas on May 24.
The show will be taking place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It will feature other big names such as Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, and many more.
What do you think about the Lucha Bros being exclusive to AEW and AAA in their respective countries?
LAX are once again Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions.
In the match which would headline Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion PPV tonight, Santana and Ortiz regained the promotion’s tag team championships. They dethroned the Lucha Bros in Full Metal Mayhem.
LAX already holds the record for most combined days spent as Impact World Tag Team Champions with 594 across 4 title reigns. The next highest team on that list is Beer Money (Robert Roode & James Storm) with 514.
Following the match tonight, several members of the Impact Wrestling roster came out to show appreciation. Santana, Ortiz, Pentagon, Fenix, and Konnan would all squash their differences after the match.
Last night, Impact Wrestling presented their first show from their Las Vegas tapings held earlier this week. The show aired live on Twitch and Pursuit. The Lucha Bros faced LAX in the main event.
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 2/22:
Lucha Bros Defeated LAX – LAX Unmasked Lucha Bros
Pentagon Jr. and Fenix defeated LAX in what was supposed to be the final chapter of their rivalry. The 3-match series ends 2-1 in favor of the Lucha Bros.
After the match, Konnan congratulated the Lucha Bros and asked LAX to do the same. LAX was hesitant to do so but ultimately put out their hands to shake with their rivals. Perhaps remembering how LAX treated them after their first match, the Lucha Bros got up in LAX’s faces instead of shaking hands. LAX then attacked and would unmask both of the Lucha Bros, much to Konnan’s dismay. The show closed with LAX holding up Pentagon and Fenix’s masks.
Brian Cage & Johnny Impact Agree To Takeout Moose & Killer Kross
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3–BI4F2rd8
To kick things off last night, Johnny Impact announced he had defeated Cage, Kross, and Moose so he planned to move on to new competition. This didn’t sit well with Moose or Kross who both came out to confront Impact. A #1 contenders match between Moose and Kross was organized but resulted in a no-contest due to outside interference.
Later in the show, Impact presented Cage with a contract. The contract stated that if Cage helps Impact takeout Kross and Moose then Cage gets the next shot at his world title.
Tessa Blanchard Denied Title Match With Taya Valkyrie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiAuSpt9c1Q
We saw Tessa Blanchard in a backstage segment this week. She was storming out of management’s office, irate that she was denied another title match against Taya Valkyrie. Blanchard vowed she would get another shot at Taya one-way or another, however.
Later in the show, Blanchard would interrupt a match between Alisha Edwards and Delilah Doom and take out both Knockouts in an effort to make herself heard. Delilah Doom would later challenge Blanchard to a match next week.
A Dark War Is Coming
Rosemary has been haunting Dark Allie as of late. This week in a backstage segment, Father James Mitchell confronted Rosemary, claiming he is the one who owns Dark Allie. Rosemary asked Mitchell if they could cut a deal for Allie. Mitchell said he wants to bring Rosemary back to the underworld in exchange for Allie. Finally, the two sides decided to assemble their dark armies and battle it out in the ring. If Mitchell’s side wins, they get Rosemary. If Rosemary’s side win, she gets Allie.
Eddie Edwards Beats Eli Drake With A Wrestling Move
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULXcx7wQhYQ
Eddie Edwards didn’t need hardcore wrestling to beat Eli Drake. He attempted to use his kendo stick in the match but ultimately won with a roll-up pin on Drake, who had previously tried to use the kendo stick as well. Will this mark the return of the old Eddie Edwards?
Rich Swann Calls Sami Callihan “Family”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-XJ3ewVtZ4
Sami Callihan visited Rich Swann in the hospital this week. Callihan again tried to plead with Swann that Callihan is family and the only one really looking out for him. The nurses tried to get Callihan to leave, telling him only family is allowed to visit. Swann told the nurses that Callihan is family. Callihan then left an OVE shirt on Swann’s hospital bed as he left.
The Great Gama Singh Outsmoked The Rascalz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FU523INeQw
Impact Wrestling held their most recent tapings in Las Vegas. Then they head to Windsor in March followed by Toronto in April. What do all of these places have in common? Legal marijuana! While this should lead to the Rascalz advantage, they got outsmoked by the Great Gama Singh before their match with the Desi Hit Squad this week. Despite this, the Rascalz were still able to pull off the victory as they continue to rise up the rankings in Impact Wrestling.
The former Disco Inferno competed in the early days of TNA wrestling and was recently hired back to the promotion by Don Callis. His hiring occurred on an episode of Konnan’s “Keepin’ it 100” podcast.
Gilbertti showed up for work but was given faulty directions to the management office and ended up locked out of the building.
Quick Results:
Moose vs Killer Kross – no contest
The Rascalz defeated the Desi Hit Squad
Eddie Edwards defeated Eli Drake
Alisha Edwards vs Delilah Doom – No Contest (Blanchard interfered)
Impact Tag Team Championships
The Lucha Bros (c) defeated LAX
Next week:
Delilah Doom vs Tessa Blanchard
Jake Crist vs Willie Mack
Johnny Impact & Brian Cage vs Moose & Killer Kross
Impact Wrestling presented a taped show from Mexico City last night on Pursuit and Twitch TV. It was the final show before next week’s special “UnCaged” branded show and also featured a tag-team main event between LAX and the Lucha Bros.
Here are 9 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 2/8
The Lucha Bros Win The Impact Tag Team Championships
Pentagon Jr. and Fenix are the new Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Champions after having defeated LAX in last night’s main event. The teams are now 1-1 against each other in bouts with the titles on the line.
A rubber match between the two teams seems likely.
Fatal 4-Way For Impact World Championship Next Week
Next week's four way match seems to be giving @MrGMSI_BCage and @TheRealMorrison a shared sense of being screwed. #IMPACT
After Moose and Killer Kross defeated Johnny Impact and Brian Cage in tag action last week, they were both added to next week’s title match. Now instead of a rematch between Brian Cage and Johnny Impact, it will be a fatal 4-way match with the World Championship on the line.
The Lucha Bros vs RVD & Sabu Scheduled For United We Stand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_o019g9Vs
Not only did Pentagon Jr. and Fenix win the tag titles last night, their opponents for United We Stand were also announced. In what will be the night’s main event a dream tag match between the Lucha Bros and RVD & Sabu has been scheduled.
United We Stand takes place April 4th at 11 PM from Rahway, New Jersey and will air live and for free on Twitch TV.
Taya Valkyrie (c) vs Tessa Blanchard – Street Fight Title Match Next Week
Next week on Impact Wrestling, Taya Valkyrie will look to defend the Knockouts Championship against former champion, Tessa Blanchard. This will be the 4th title match between the two and it has been booked under street fight rules. Anything can happen when these two clash for the Knockouts title once again next week.
Kiera Hogan Pinned Dark Allie Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6JBcpTOSZM
Kiera Hogan pinned Allie again last night. Previously, Hogan pinned Allie in a tag-team action but this week Hogan got the win in one-on-one competition. Rosemary has been haunting Allie as of late and she appears rattled. When Su Yung disappeared from ringside, only leaving her mandible claw glove on the apron, the distraction was enough for Hogan to hit a fisherman suplex for the win.
Sami Callihan Will Reveal Rich Swann’s Secrets Next Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np4TsEJEJLk
Sami Callihan has been telling the world that Rich Swann owes him for taking him in as a homeless teenager. Swann said in a promo recently, however, that all Sami wants from him is to be his 3rd guy watching his back. That’s not what family is according to Swann. This week Swann teamed up with Willie Mack and defeated the Crist Brothers. Next week, however, Sami Callihan has promised to reveal even more secrets about the X-Division Champion.
Sami Callihan Gains Momentum For Team Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swE03UJmlQg
Sami Callihan will also take part in the 2019 World Cup between Impact and AAA next week. This week, however, in a preview to the 4-on-4 elimination tag match, Callihan took on Puma King and picked up the win with a piledriver.
Trey Beats Rohit Raju
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFADmm__0bU
The Rascalz got in the win column this week as Trey Miguel, the Fresh Prince of Midair, defeated the Desi Hit Squad’s Rohit Raju. Trey missed out on becoming X-Division champion at Homecoming but will move back up the division’s rankings with this win.
Lineup For Impact Wrestling’s UnCaged – Next Week
NEXT WEEK – We present Uncaged on Pursuit and Twitch!
After this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling, there are just 3 shows left before Homecoming on January 6th. Here are 10 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 12/13:
Gail Kim To Referee Tessa vs Taya III
Gail Kim was announced as the special referee for the Knockouts Championship match between champion, Tessa Blanchard, and challenger, Taya Valkyrie at Homecoming. This coming on the heels of the champion getting purposely disqualified in their Bound For Glory rematch at the New York tapings and then subsequently strangling a referee two weeks ago.
With Kim serving as referee and Taya debuting a new submission hold recently, it’s looking as though she could walk away from Homecoming the new champion.
Killer Kross Wants To Bring The Devious Johnny Impact To The Surface
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUrTpa6m-dg
Killer Kross is fast becoming my favorite promo on Impact. He has continuously offered to watch Johnny Impact’s back ever since losing to him at Final Hour last month. The Impact champion wants nothing to do with him, however. This week he threatened Kross to stay out of his business but it’s just that kind of attitude Kross is trying to bring out of Johnny.
Johnny Impact will defend his title against Brian Cage at Homecoming and Kross believes the champ will need his help to retain. What role will Kross play at Homecoming?
Dark Allie Is Coming For Kiera Hogan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1ym0rPTYYw
Kiera Hogan was wrong, there is no good left in Allie. This week, Allie and Su Yung cut a backstage promo which would give small children nightmares. Allie said something along the lines of “the end of the beginning is the beginning of the end” in multiple ways before making it clear she is targetting her former friend, Kiera Hogan.
Eli Drake Visited Raven In Shady Acres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFnNOvbAgUw
Last week, Raven helped Eddie Edwards escape from a mental institution. Evidently, Eli Drake watched last weeks episode and decided to pay Raven a visit this week.
While Drake would give Raven his due as a trendsetter and legendary hardcore wrestler, he also said he wants to rid pro wrestling of the wrestlers who were inspired by people like Raven.
Drake’s quest to end hardcore wrestling will continue at Homecoming when he faces Abyss in a Monster’s Ball match. He told Raven to watch.
Eddie Edwards Returned To Attack Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lye18AUUi8
Moose vs Brian Cage – No Contest
After escaping Shady Acres last week, Edwards attacked Moose in the night’s main event this week. He didn’t even bother to take off his hospital gown. Edwards has been spiraling downward mentally all year, ever since his rivalry with Sami Callihan. He’ll look to get revenge on his former friend Moose at Homecoming. Their match has now been made a “Falls Count Anywhere” match.
Konnan Won’t Be In LAX’s Corner At Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlrWqKV0aFw
Konnan never wanted LAX to defend their tag belts against the Lucha Bros. Santana and Ortiz went against his wishes and challenged them anyway, much to Konnan’s disliking. This week, Konnan informed the team that he will not be in their corner at Homecoming.
Fenix also defeated Santana in single’s action this week.
Rich Swann Does Not Want To Go To War With Sami Callihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K68RL5GgHGs
Rich Swann defeated Dave Crist
Swann defeated Dave Crist this week to qualify for Ultimate X at Homecoming. With all four spots in the match now confirmed, Swann could be considered the favorite to walk away from Nashville as the new champion.
After the match, the Crist brothers attacked Swann. Willie Mack came out to help but both Swann and Callihan stopped their allies from attacking the other side. Swann and Callihan have a long history on the independent scene, especially with Combat Zone Wrestling. Swan again told Mac this week in the back that he does not want two “go there” with the devious Sami Callihan.
Jordynne Grace Is Still Very, Very, Strong
Jordynne Grace defeated Ruby Raze
Katarina thought she could bring in a ringer to face Jordynne Grace this week. After all, she had success sticking Murder Clown against her enemies in Mexico. This week didn’t go as well, however.
Jordynne Grace improves her Impact record to 3-0 as she defeated Raze this week, letting everyone in the Impact Knockouts division know she is moving her way up the rankings as quickly as possible.
Trey Miguel Qualifies For Ultimate X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E05RnYiJBU
Trey Miguel defeated Trevor Lee
We may have seen Trevor Lee’s last match in Impact this week. He was defeated by Trey from the Rascalz in an Ultimate X qualifier. The win gives the Rascalz their first shot to bring home gold at Homecoming. Trey likely still wants to impress Scarlett Bordeaux, who showed up in the trio’s “That 70s Show” style smoking session.
Scarlett Bordeaux Has The Desi Hit Squad Fighting Over Her
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHqUH9ZOdpU
The Desi Hit Squad is going to fight over Scarlett Bordeaux next week. The Smokeshow visited the team in the back this week and said she loves it when men fight over her. Thus, the Desi Hit Squad will do just that next week.
Quick Results:
Rich Swann defeated Dave Crist
Fenix defeated Santana
Jordynne Grace defeated Ruby Raze
Moose vs Brian Cage – No Contest
Confirmed Matches for Homecoming (Non-Spoiler):
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie (Gail Kim as Special Referee)
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
Jake Crist vs Ethan Page vs Rich Swann vs Trey Miguel
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
Earlier this week it was announced by EVOLVE that Impact Wrestling stars LAX would be working upcoming events.
The promotion returns with two events to close out the year. EVOLVE 117 goes down on December 15th in Queens, NY while EVOLVE 118 takes place on December 16th in Deer Park, NY. At EVOLVE 117, EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. LAX vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff was originally announced while at EVOLVE 118 it would’ve been Darby Allin & The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & LAX.
Just a few hours later, EVOLVE booker Gabe Sapolsky revealed on Twitter that LAX had been pulled from these shows due to Impact Wrestling officials. The following statement was sent out in Friday’s WWN newsletter:
“We are sorry to inform you that Impact Wrestling has pulled LAX off the upcoming EVOLVE dates. EVOLVE officials were contacted by LAX and informed that they were needed for something else that weekend. No other explanation was given. Impact Wrestling didn’t contact EVOLVE officials and left it up to LAX. There is no heat on LAX as WWN understands the situation they were put in. EVOLVE officials had told LAX that the plan was to have matches with EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits of Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins that weekend. EVOLVE was informed that LAX would not be able to lose in those matches. In order to avoid any political issues, EVOLVE made one night a triple threat match and the other night a six man tag.”
The statement sent out by the promotion continued, “This would give the fans the LAX vs. Street Profits matches they wanted, while protecting all parties politically. Unfortunately, Impact Wrestling waited until the matches were announced and then pulled the talent the next day. This all could have easily been avoided by not allowing LAX to take the dates in the first place. EVOLVE will no longer consider booking Impact Wrestling contracted talent moving forward. EVOLVE officials are currently working on a replacement and will have news early next week. We apologize for the lineup change, but assure you that EVOLVE will produce something special on for EVOLVE 117 December 15th in Queens, NY and EVOLVE 118 on December 16th in Deer Park, NY. Thank you for your support”
The promotion will be announcing more matches for these cards in the coming weeks as the events will be the final shows for the promotion of the year. Here are the updated cards:
EVOLVE 117 Card
Kassius Ohno vs. Darby Allin.
EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner vs. Austin Theory.
EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. TBA vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff.
EVOLVE 118 Card
Darby Allin & The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & TBA.
Against Konnan’s best wishes, Santana and Ortiz challenged Pentagon and Fenix to a match at Homecoming last night on Impact. Two weeks ago, LAX told Konnan they wanted to face the Lucha Brothers for the titles but Konnan said he didn’t want to see that match. Evidently, LAX chose to ignore his advice and challenged the brothers to a match at Homecoming anyway.
Pentagon and Fenix had just defeated Willie Mack and Rich Swann when LAX made the challenge. Impact Wrestling management would make the match official shortly after.
BREAKING: It's OFFICIAL for Homecoming on January 6th.
@SantanaLAX and @Ortiz5150 will defend the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles in a dream championship match against @PENTAELZEROM and @ReyFenixMx! #IMPACTonPop
Impact Wrestling Homecoming – January 6th, 2019 – Nashville, TN
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
LAX – Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship Reign
LAX is on their 3rd reign as Impact tag champs. They defended the belts 3x. LAX has defended the belts successfully against the OGZ, Brent Banks & Tarik, and Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch. They also beat Matt Sydal and Ethan Page in a non-title match recently.
Out of the last 636 days, LAX has held the Impact tag belts 551 days, the longest of any team in the promotion’s history. They broke Beer Money’s record of 514 combined days last month.
Impact Wrestling presented their 3rd episode from the Las Vegas tapings last night. Last week, however, the promotion only aired one new match with the rest having been flashbacks to previous Thanksgiving specials.
This week, the promotion was back to building towards Homecoming on January 6th, 2019 in Nashville.
Here are 10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 11/29:
Two weeks ago on Impact, LAX told Konnan they want to defend their belts against Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan said he didn’t like that match just yet but LAX challenged the Lucha Bros this week anyway.
Pentagon and Fenix had just defeated Willie Mack and Rich Swann to open the show when LAX came out and challenged them. The title match was later made official for Homecoming.
Later in the show, Konnan told LAX that once the two teams went head-to-head there would be no turning back, and no being friends after and that’s why he didn’t want the match to happen yet.
Killer Kross Is Still Trying To Protect Johnny Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyQwX1Wo07Y
Killer Kross wants to help Johnny Impact. Kross again offered to help Johnny “do whatever it takes” to beat Brian Cage at Homecoming this week. It sounds as though Kross is trying to bring out a different side of Johnny, one he believes is more capable of beating someone like Brian Cage.
One has to wonder if Kross is going to take it upon himself to influence what happens between Cage and Johnny at Homecoming.
Eli Drake Goes Hardcore On Tommy Dreamer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IitXAhkUMv4
Eli Drake defeated Tommy Dreamer – No DQ MATCH
Eli Drake wants to rid Impact Wrestling of hardcore matches and wrestlers like Tommy Dreamer. Ironically, Dreamer actually beat Drake via count-out in the night’s main event, only for the match to be re-started as a No DQ match by Impact management. Once playing under Tommy’s rules, Drake managed to get the victory.
Dreamer kicked out from the Gravy Train, the first person in Impact to do so. This left Drake needing to take things a step farther to get the win in last night’s main event. He wrapped a steel chair around Dreamer’s head and bashed it with a boat ore before pinning him for the win.
Taya Valkyrie Adds A Submission To Her Arsenal
Taya Valkyrie defeated Ray Lyn
At Bound For Glory, Tessa Blanchard needed to break out a new move to defeat Taya Valkyrie. After Taya kicked out from the Buzzsaw DDT, Blanchard broke out “Magnum”, a top rope codebreaker named after her step-father, Magnum TA.
This week Taya broke out a new submission move to get the win over Ray Lyn. It wasn’t the only new wrinkle added to the Knockouts title match at Homecoming, however, as Tessa Blanchard’s conflict with Impact referees continues.
Tessa Blanchard Will Strangle Referees/Gail Kim Does Not Condone
Taya vs Tessa II at Final Hour ended when Blanchard punched the referee to get purposely disqualified. The referee then visited Blanchard in the back this week and explained that in the ring, he stands for law and order. When Blanchard hit the ring after Taya’s match this week, she ended up punching the referee yet again. She would continue to strangle him until his face was flush red.
Impact Hall-of-Famer, Gail Kim, had to come out and pry Blanchard off of the referee. Management may have to take action against the Knockouts Champion. Will Gail Kim play a further role in the Tessa v Taya rivalry?
Eddie Edwards Is Staying At Shady Acres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ6513ph24k&t=7s
Eddie Edwards is staying at a mental institution which shares the same name as the one from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Somehow, his doctors seemed to think it was a good idea to allow Alisha Edwards to berate him for several moments before then allowing Moose to read to him from his own children’s book.
Moose mentioned Edwards’ book didn’t mention Moose power-bombing him on the ramp or any of the other beatings he’s given him. Edwards will likely be released from Shady Acres before Homecoming, and we’ll possibly see him and Moose renew their rivalry then.
Kiera Hogan Pleas For The Old Allie To Come Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KiMJO8V6MY
A new Allie has returned from the undead realm, one now aligned with James Mitchell and Su Yung. This week Kiera Hogan made a plea for the good Allie to return. Hogan believes the darkness hasn’t fully consumed Allie. She said Allie could have really hurt her two weeks ago but didn’t. To Hogan, that makes her believe good Allie is still alive deep within this new dark Allie.
Jordynne Grace Is Very Strong (Still)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZVoE-WU_o8
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Jordynne Grace has started her Impact Wrestling career by defeating Katarina twice in a row. Katarina seemed to get in a bit more offense then she did last time out but the end result was the same: Grace squeezing her opponent in a bear-hug so tight the tap-out comes almost instantly.
After Homecoming, it’s likely a new challenger for the Knockouts title will need to be declared (assuming there are no further immediate Tessa vs Taya matches). Grace is someone who could rise to the top of the division quickly as we head into 2019.
The Rascalz Have Arrived
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoWe7pscr7o
Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz defeated Mike Sydal & Chris Bey
Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz have arrived in Impact Wrestling. They’d each participated in tapings before but now it’s clear the trio are about to make a splash in the promotion. All three have impressed many on the independent scene and look primed to do the same thing in Impact Wrestling.
Gold Rush – November 30th
Gold Rush takes place tonight from Newark, CA. The show gets going live on Twitch at 10:30 PM. Some of the matches advertised for the show are below:
Brian Cage vs Moose
Kiera Hogan vs Tessa Blanchard
Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal
oVe vs the Freaks
Johnny Impact vs Eli Drake
Quick Results:
The Lucha Bros defeated Willie Mack & Rich Swann
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Taya Valkyrie defeated Ray Lyn
Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz w/ Trey Miguel defeated Mike Sydal & Chris Bey
Eli Drake defeated Tommy Dreamer – No DQ
Next week:
Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs Tessa Blanchard & Moose
Dark Allie debuts
Ultimate X Qualifier
Matt Sydal vs Ethan Page
Confirmed Matches for Homecoming (Non-Spoiler):
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
New matches for upcoming events for the EVOLVE brand that takes place in December have been announced.
The promotion returns with two other events to close out the year. EVOLVE 117 goes down on December 15th in Queens, NY while EVOLVE 118 takes place on December 16th in Deer Park, NY.
On Tuesday, the promotion made the matches known in their newsletter that was sent out. Three matches for EVOLVE 117 have been revealed including EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. LAX vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff while EVOLVE 118 will feature Darby Allin & The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & LAX.
In an update, EVOLVE booker Gabe Sapolsky revealed on Twitter that LAX has been pulled from these shows due to Impact Wrestling officials.
The promotion will be announcing more matches for these cards in the coming weeks as the events will be the final shows for the promotion of the year. Here are the updated cards:
EVOLVE 117 Card
Kassius Ohno vs. Darby Allin.
EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner vs. Austin Theory.
EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. TBA vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff.
EVOLVE 118 Card
Darby Allin & The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & TBA.
Kassius Ohno vs. Anthony Henry.
What are your thoughts on these matches being added to these cards? Do you plan on buying the pay-per-view and watching? Sound off in the comment section.
PROGRESS Wrestling has announced that LAX will be heading to the company in December. The company will be holding a weekender of events on Saturday December 8th and Sunday December 9th.
This will be the UK PROGRESS debut for the team. Santana and Ortiz had an incredible bout against Chris Brookes and Jon Gresham as part of the United States Coast to Coast tour back in August. The New York City stop of the tour featured the match that many fans have described as the best ever tag bout in PROGRESS history.
Chapter 80: Gods And Monsters and Chapter 81: Pour Some Progress On Me will be two of the biggest outside London for the company this year. The company recently held a mega event in Wembley Arena that drew the biggest crowd in English wrestling for 30+ years. Headlined by an incredible bout between Tyler Bate and WALTER for the PROGRESS World Championship which is available to view online in its entirety for free.
After participating in possibly the finest tag-team match in our company's history, we can't wait to have #LAX with us in Manchester and Sheffield. Few tickets remainhttps://t.co/k9jcAjxzBapic.twitter.com/xp7pSYqRtf
Konnan will return to an Impact Wrestling ring this October. At Bound for Glory, Konnan will be involved in a 6-man tag-team war between his LAX and King’s OGZ. Until then, a ceasefire has been ordered between the two rival factions.
The 54-year-old veteran recently participated in MLW’s Battle Riot as well.
BREAKING: The first match is OFFICIAL for Bound For Glory. Konnan returns to the ring to join LAX to face The OGz and King in six man tag team warfare.
Head Of Crime Family Books Match For Bound For Glory
The first match for Bound for Glory 2018 was booked by the leader of a fictional crime family last night.
Even the most violent of gangs have to answer to some higher authority. @MadKing1981 and @Konnan5150 were summoned to a meeting for breaking the code and a MAJOR match was then made for Bound For Glory on October 14th! #IMPACTonPoppic.twitter.com/N5bzy3ymTw
Last week both Konnan and King received calls that caused them to drop what they were doing and leave. This week it was revealed Konnan and King had been summoned by the leader of the crime family that evidently Konnan and King are both in. The leader of the crime family was upset that a child got hurt in the middle of their rivalry.
Why Did A Kid Almost Get Killed On Impact Wrestling?
Two weeks ago King ran over a child in the streets of Toronto. The kid was hanging around with Konnan and LAX celebrating their tag title win when King ran him over.
Some fans expressed concern or criticism of the angle. Last night, the storyline reason why the kid was run over became clear. The fictional crime family only decided to get involved in King and Konnan’s feud after a civilian, and a child civilian at that got hurt. The crime leader said their feud was bad for business and it needs to be sorted out once and for all. He then booked the 6-Man match for Bound for Glory with King joining the OGZ and Konnan returning to the ring with LAX.
The leader of the crime family then ordered a ceasefire between the two groups until Bound for Glory.
Posted September 7th, 2018 in News, TNA. Tagged: LAX.
Impact Wrestling this week featured a main event Street Fight between the OGZ and LAX. Impact World Champion, Austin Aries, would also let the world know the nature of his allegiance with Killer Kross. In tonight’s opener, however, Sami Callihan and Fenix tore the house down.
Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 8/16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gC86Lw-2yI
Fenix Will Face Brian Cage At Impact Redefined
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=271Q0zvU7kg
Fenix defeated Sami Callihan in a highlight-filled opener this week. Shortly after defeating Callihan, however, Fenix was then told the victory earned him a title shot against Brian Cage.
We would then find out that Cage vs Fenix will take place in 2 weeks on a special branded-episode of Impact, Impact ReDefined.
Johnny Impact Took Out Jimmy Jacobs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFVAdTwQWs0
When Johnny Impact returned to the promotion looking for Jimmy Jacobs’ monster, he didn’t realize that Jacobs’ himself was the monster. Regardless, Johnny got his revenge on both monster and Zombie Princess tonight.
He had Jacobs right where he wanted him when Kongo Kong interfered. Despite this, Johnny still came out the better of a 2-on-1 attack from Kongo and Jacobs.
Johnny rammed Jacobs in the head with steel stairs following his DQ victory over him. Jacobs could be out for quite a while.
The Smoke Show Gives Advice To KM & Fallah Bah
KM & Fallah Bah have not been seeing eye-to-eye as of late. Losses to the Desi Hit Squad further prove this point. Scarlett Bordeaux was able to give them some good advice this week, however.
Bordeaux stressed to KM that they had tried it his way and that maybe they should try things Fallah Bah’s way now. KM seemed enthused by the idea and stressed he would get matching tights so he and Bah looked more as a team.
Aries introduced his newest ally, Killer Kross. He reaffirmed that this was the “hurt business” and said the only one who truly understood this was Austin Aries. Kross said they were going to shove change down the throats of everyone.
Eddie Edwards came out. He took out Kross with a kendo stick and was just about to take out Aries as well when Kross grabbed his leg and Aries hit him with the title belt. Kross then choked Edwards unconcious.
Grado Cost Joe Hendry His Match Against Eli Drake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLxboF9ujSg
“the Prestigious” Joe Hendry debuted a new music video for Eli Drake this week. Despite Hendry’s musical tribute to his opponent, he lost the match all the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_1rwQopAWE
The Cult of Lee has been following Eli Drake around as of late. They would get involved in the match but Grado attempted to fend them off. In the end though, it was Grado’s distraction which allowed Drake to get the roll-up victory over Hendry.
Sami Callihan Challenges Pentagon To A Mexican Death Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p_73F6etiA
Sami Callihan is sick of losing to the Lucha Bros. He lost his mind and hair to Pentagon at Slammiversary and lost the opener tonight against Fenix.
Callihan wants Pentagon in his own style of match next week: A Mexican Death Match.
Matt Sydal Questions Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGzp6buX6QA
Matt Sydal has said the X-Division Championship chose Brian Cage. That the title was once his destiny but now he must blaze a new path.
The above trippy video helps illustrate the inner workings of Matt Sydal’s consciousness.
Tessa Blanchard Interrupted Allie vs Su Yung
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9JPMQXLKS4
Tessa Blanchard does not believe Allie when she says she’s not after Su Yung’s title. Allie promised she will stop Su Yung from locking anymore of the Knockouts in coffins and took on Yung in a non-title match tonight.
Just when it looked as though Allie had the match won, however, Blanchard interfered, causing the match to be thrown out.
What this means for the next Knockouts Championship match is currently not clear.
LAX Regain Their Tag Team Title Belts In A Street Fight Outside Of Rebel
In a match which involved knives and a mock-execution finish, LAX defeated the OGZ and took back their title belts. The match was filmed in the space between Rebel Nightclub and the parking lot.
The show closed with Konnan hitting King in the head with a slapjack mock-execution style.
Impact Wrestling’s second episode since Slammiversary aired last night. It was the 2nd episode of the 12 which will air before Bound for Glory on October 14th, 2018.
Impact has two more shows from the recent Toronto tapings before they film 4 more episodes from Rebel Nightclub on August 12th and 13th.
Here are 9 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 8/2
Allie Pinned the Knockouts Champion & Tessa Blanchard Was Not Happy About It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch_PdL4gfT4
Last week on Impact Wrestling, Allie said she was going after Su Yung to make sure she never locked anyone in a coffin again. Kiera Hogan volunteered to help her in this task as well.
This week Allie and Hogan teamed up to take on Yung and an Undead Bridesmaid in tag action. Yung gave the Panic Switch to Hogan but the momentum knocked the Girl on Fire out of the ring. Allie then hit a codebreaker on Yung and pinned her for the win.
A win over the champion often puts the wrestler in a position to challenge for the title but Allie lost a match at Slammiversary to Tessa Blanchard. Perhaps this was what Blanchard was thinking about when she attacked Allie after the match.
Blanchard cut a backstage promo afterward stating that Allie was trying to weasel her way into a title shot by taking on Yung under the premise of wanting to protect others from the Undead Bride’s actions.
Ortiz Was Going To Hit Homicide With An Ax!
After King’s OGZ won a squash match against two local competitors, they cut a promo running down LAX, believing Konnan and company were still on the shelf. Santana, Ortiz, and Konnan rushed the ring, however, and took out the OGZ.
Things took a bit of a turn when Ortiz brought out an ax and looked to strike Homicide with it. This brought out additional security and Konnan separated his boys from the fight. Konnan told them in the back that timing is everything and when the timing is right the OGZ will “kiss the ring.”
Ortiz and Santana were this week’s guests on the Impact media call. We asked them what it’s like to go from watching LAX as teenagers 11 years ago to being LAX now in Impact.
“LAX has been something we’ve watched since when we were kids,” Santana said. “The fact that two Latinos out there not like playing a gimmick but being them and being proud of who they are and what they represent.”
KM & Fallah Ball Aren’t On The Same Page (The Desi Hit Squad Are)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ugd3NOGAtE
Impact was telling two stories this week when the Desi Hit Squad defeated the team of KM and Fallah Bah.
The first story was how the Great Gama Singh is guiding Rohit Raju and Gursinder Singh to being an old-school heel-style tag-team. They win their matches either through clever tag-team work or dirty under-handed tactics.
The second story is the team of KM and Fallah Bah not being on the same page. KM had been trying to teach Fallah when to distract the referee but evidently, Bah’s not the greatest student. Fallah tried to enter the ring when KM was in control of the match. KM tried to tell him “this isn’t when you distract the ref!” but the distraction allowed the Desi Hit Squad to hit a combination knee to the face and a flatliner for the win.
Johnny Impact Is Looking For Kongo Kong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDF6oXqJDN8
“You know, for a big guy, Kongo Kong is a pretty hard guy to find these days,” Impact said to Alicia Atout.
Jimmy Jacobs interrupted his interview and looked to begin a promo when Johnny just wound up and punched him in the mouth. He let Jacobs know he wants Kongo Kong and he doesn’t appear to be playing around on this one.
Eddie Edwards Will Challenge Austin Aries For the Impact World Championship Next Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQW6q6vYgbE
Austin Aries defeated Dustin Cameron this week via corner stoppage. The champion had the challenger beaten but opted not to pin him in favor of giving him another brainbuster. That’s when Anthony Carelli threw in the towel to prevent his Battle Arts Academy student from taking any more punishment.
After the match Carelli kicked Aries in the groin, causing the champion to stumble back on the entrance ramp. That’s where he was greeted by Eddie Edwards and a Singapore cane. Edwards hit him with the cane but Aries was able to escape before receiving more punishment.
Josh Matthews then announced Edwards will face Aries next week for the Impact World Championship.
Scarlett Bordeaux Really Had An Impact on Bobo
Alicia Atout was not assigned to interview Scarlett Bordeaux this week. Atout was likely not impressed at how she was treated by Bordeaux last week.
Instead of Atout, a guy named Bob was given the task of interviewing Bordeaux. He was left a little tongue-tied by Bordeaux’s antics. After dismissing who Josh Matthews thought was a horribly aged Jeremy Borash, Bordeaux reminded us she plans to bring sexy back to wrestling.
“I think that people will be pleasantly surprised as we move forward,” Callis said. “She’s actually a very good wrestler and I think it got people talking in a good way.”
Eli Drake and Trevor Lee defeated Grado and Joe Hendry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39dkwMbFQ60
Drake pinned Grado after giving him the Gravy Train this week. Grado was distracted by the actions of Joe Hendry and Katarina on the outside. Katarina was getting into an argument with Caleb Konley and Hendry was restraining her.
There was more speculation from Callis and Matthews at commentary that Hendry and Katarina have something going on behind Grado’s back.
Matt Sydal Accepts Losing the X-Division Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JflTo5tli0I
“The X-Division championship chose him,” Sydal said. “Who am I to question what that belt has done with itself? Because its history speaks for itself. I’m really proud of all the time I put in as X-Division Champion.”
He would continue to say his loss to Brian Cage taught him something. He said he still has much to learn and still needs to go deeper into his consciousness and “question everything”. The X-Division title was once his destiny but not anymore.
The Lucha Bros Took Out oVe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d50dB48baXw
In an exciting main event, Pentagon Jr and Fenix fended off outside interference from Sami Callihan and repeated unmasking attempts in order to get the victory over oVe this week.
Sami Callihan has responded to having his head shaved by descending further into madness. His minions from Ohio losing to Pentagon and Fenix isn’t going to help that situation at all.
Callihan’s attempt at revenge was thwarted this week but he likely isn’t finished with Pentagon or Fenix.
Impact 8/2 Quick Results:
Allie & Kiera Hogan defeated Su Yung & An Undead Bridesmaid
The OGZ (Homicide & Hernandez) defeated 2 Local Competitors
The Desi Hit Squad defeated KM & Fallah Bah
Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) defeated Dustin Cameron via corner stoppage
Eli Drake & Trevor Lee defeated Grado & Joe Hendry
The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr & Fenix) defeated oVe (Jake & Dave Crist)
Matches scheduled for next week:
Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs Eddie Edwards
“A Ghetto Soap Opera” is how Santana and Ortiz describe the LAX vs OGZ rivalry. The backstage scenes often resemble more of an HBO drama than a pro-wrestling show. Although LAX defeated the OGZ at Slammiversary, King’s team stole the belts, tagged them and are claiming them as their own.
Santana and Ortiz recently took part in an Impact Wrestling media call.
When the original LAX first hit the pro-wrestling scene over 10 years ago, Santana and Ortiz were only teenagers. We asked Santana and Ortiz how the original version of the faction influenced them when they were younger.
“LAX has been something we’ve watched since when we were kids,” Santana said. “The fact that two Latinos out there not like playing a gimmick but being them and being proud of who they are and what they represent.”
“It’s pretty surreal, it’s a pretty cool thing,” he continued. “I never would have thought when I was 14-15 years old that when I was watching them on tv, I never would have thought ‘hey I’m going to be at Slammiversary XVI wresting the original LAX and putting on one of the best matches in Impact history.”
Ortiz would say his background as a wrestling fan is different from Santana’s. He got into wrestling more in the early 2000s boom when Homicide was first making his mark.
“Homicide was definitely one of the dudes that was just killing it on the indies,” Ortiz said. He’d continue to say watching Homicide’s growth as a performer had an impact on him.
“This is a dude from where we come from and he’s killing it having these insane matches,” Ortiz continued. “Then putting him together with Hernandez and Hernandez is just a truck!”
“We can’t ask for a better position,” he continued. “We are carrying the ball and are going to take it to the moon.”
Santana and Ortiz have come from idolizing LAX to being LAX. Not only that, they are feuding with the original LAX over the Impact tag-team Championships.
LAX vs the Young Bucks on Chris Jericho’s Cruise
The OGZ aren’t the only tag-team LAX need to worry about, however. They have a big match coming up this October on Chris Jericho’s “Rock N Rager at Sea.”
Konnan challenged the Young Bucks to a match during a recent episode of the “Keepin’ it 100” podcast. The match was made official later the next day.
Chris Jericho’s cruise is starting to shape up as one of the better match cards this year. Already confirmed for the event is the Sea of Honor tournament presented by Ring of Honor and the Bucks of Jericho/Y2Jacksons taking on Cody, Marty Scurll, and Hangman Page.
Another match which could be confirmed shortly is between Konnan’s LAX and the Young Bucks. Konnan spoke about such a match recently on his “Keepin it 100” podcast.
“I’m gonna put that out there: Young Bucks meet LAX on international waters. First blood, first death, whatever the hell you wanna call it and let’s do this.”
“All right, Young Bucks, we’re calling you out,” he continued. “You can stop a revolutionary but you can’t stop a revolution. Boom. We’re serious like a late period. Bring it.”
LAX vs the Young Bucks
Should this match be confirmed, it could possibly be a champions vs champions tag match. Santana and Ortiz are the current Impact Wrestling tag-team champions, although the OGz recently stole their belts. The Young Bucks are the current IWGP Heavyweight tag-team champions as well.
The Young Bucks have made statements in the past regarding facing LAX one day. In a Q&A session with fans back in March, the Bucks stated they would like to face the Usos as well as LAX.
We are almost a month away from All-In but still have little idea as to who the Bucks might face that night. They have previously listed the Revival as a team they would like to face and have even hinted WWE might let the team participate in the event.
During their post-match media scrum from the G1 Special in San Francisco, the Bucks made some vague statements.
“How cool would it be to win the WWE tag team championship belts and not even have to perform on their show?” Jackson asked, seemingly out of nowhere. After Matt made the comment Nick asked his brother, “a little one off?”, to which Matt replied, “yeah, a little one off.”
Impact Wrestling last night was a taped show from Windsor, ON, Canada. This was the second show to air from the tapings held there last month.
After tonight’s episode, there will just be two more weeks until Slammiversary and the final card for the event is becoming solidified.
Impact Wrestling July 5th, 2018 St. Clair College Windsor, ON, Canada
Here are the top 7 takeaways from Impact Wrestling this week:
LAX Civil War!
Bullet Club isn’t the only faction imploding this summer. A leadership issue has also torn apart Konnan, King, and LAX.
Previously, Konnan returned to the group and told Ortiz and Santana he has proof that it was King who put the hit out on him all along. Konnan’s proof was only to dispute a series of phone calls from when he was in the hospital but King confessed all the same.
Santana and Ortiz were given the chance to go with either King or Konnan and they chose Konnan. This brought out Homicide and Hernandez who took out Konnan, Santana, and Ortiz. King’s LAX then stood tall to end the show.
It’s possible we get Konnan’s LAX (Santana and Ortiz) defending the Impact tag-team championships against King’s LAX (Hernandez and Homicide) at Slammiversary.
On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned that fans have been writing in to tell him about how good this match was live. Impact mentioned this on Twitter recently in an effort to promote the show.
This match received the treble of approving chants from the live crowd: “This is Awesome!” “Both these guys!” and “Fight Forever!”. Some streamers were even thrown.
After the match, oVe came out to attack Fenix. It looked as though Pentagon had made the save but then he kicked Fenix in the groin and revealed it was just Sami Callihan in a mask.
The real Pentagon came out to make the save (as did Swann) setting up our main event for next week: Sami Callihan & oVe vs. Fenix, Pentagon, and Rich Swann.
Don Callis Signs Killer Kross
One of the best parts about having Don Callis on commentary is he can give explanations as to why Impact management would do something. Such was the case this week when Callis explained why Impact signed Killer Kross after he spent several weeks assaulting people in the back (while seemingly pretending to be a security guard).
Callis explained that when they discovered Kross was the person who had been attacking people, he looked him up. Turns out Kross has a background in bare-knuckled boxing and had pro-wrestling training. Callis continued to explain that the nature of the wrestling business allows for him to sign Kross to a contract in response to his unprovoked assaults rather than say pressing criminal charges.
Kross defeated Fallah Bah in easy fashion this week. He choked out Bah and then did the same to KM after the match.
The Undead Brides Can Wrestle
We saw one of Su Yung’s undead brides wrestle this week, confirming they are able to do so. Undead Bride #1 teamed with Su Yung to take on the team of Allie and Madison Rayne.
In an interview earlier in the evening, Rayne said she was looking to Allie for guidance for when she takes on Su Yung at Slammiversary. Allie has been down some dark paths with her feuds with Rosemary (plus she was locked in a coffin a few weeks ago by Yung) and so has advice she can pass down to Rayne.
Madison Rayne picked up the win for her team in this match with the “Cross Rayne” on the undead bride.
During the match, Tessa Blanchard hit the ring looking to get revenge on Rayne. Blanchard has dropped two straight matches to Rayne via pinning combination. Allie took out Blanchard, however, possibly setting up an angle between the two of them. It’s possible we get Allie vs Blanchard at Slammiversary.
Is Brian Cage The Future of the X-Division?
The X-Division isn’t about weight limits, it’s about no limits. This vague yet somehow also descriptive explanation for the X-Division has been given since its inception. In a sense, it is meant to say the action in the X-Division is innovative, athletic, and boundary-pushing. Nobody epitomizes that more than Brian Cage.
Cage defeated Kongo Kong last night, moving a step forward to receiving another shot at Matt Sydal and the X-Division championship. On a previous episode, Sydal defeated Cage via count-out after Kongo interfered.
Sydal appeared to strike some deal with Jimmy Jacobs to have Kongo take out Cage but the plan doesn’t appear to have worked.
Shortly after the conclusion of last night’s episode, it was revealed that Cage will receive another shot at the X-Division title at Slammiversary. Will the Machine take the title from Sydal? If so, just how dominant can Cage be in this division?
Eddie Edwards’ feud with Sami Callihan caused him to spiral to a dark place. Tommy Dreamer, who saw his own career impacted by a similar obsession with Raven, tried to help Edwards. In response, however, Edwards’ delusions convinced him that Dreamer was involved with his wife.
Last week on Impact, Edwards traveled to Philadelphia and confronted Dreamer at a House of Hardcore show. He caned Dreamer in the head and busted him open. This week, Dreamer cut a fiery promo on how Edwards is obsessed with Sami Callihan but now Dreamer is obsessed with Edwards.
It was also revealed that Tommy Dreamer and Eddie Edwards will face each other in a House of Hardcore match at Slammiversary.
The build-up to Moose vs Austin Aries at Slammiversary has been done through sit-down interviews. Aries claims that Moose is a failed football player trying out a new career whereas Aries is a wrestler and has always been a wrestler.
Moose, however, says he left football for wrestling. Not only that, he says he left a lot of money on the table in the NFL and even took a shot at his ex-wife for not supporting him when he decided to leave football for wrestling. Moose did mention, however, that unlike his ex-wife, his mother was supportive of his decision to chase his wrestling dream.
Aries got in the line of the night this week when he told Moose after he beats him at Slammiversary, he’d better hope the XFL is hiring.
A couple of other notes from Impact Wrestling:
The Great Gama Singh is running the Desi Hit Squad through several old-school drills.
Joe Hendry arrived in a backstage segment with Grado.
Konnan was able to lead the crowd in a “Gloryhole” chant during his segment with King and LAX
Katarina defeated Rebel
A new Knockout will debut shortly
Quick Results:
Fenix defeated Rich Swann
Killer Kross defeated Fallah Bah
Madison Rayne & Allie defeated Su Yung & an Undead Bride
Katarina defeated Rebel
Brian Cage defeated Kongo Kong
Updated Slammiversary Card
Mask vs Hair
Pentagon Jr vs Sami Callihan
Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs Moose
X-Division Championship
Matt Sydal (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Su Yung (c) vs Madison Rayne
House of Hardcore Match
Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards
Taiji Ishimori vs Johnny Impact vs Rich Swann vs Fenix
Thursday’s Impact Wrestling went off the air with LAX propping up a lifeless Alberto El Patron, leading fans to wonder if the GFW Champion is the new member LAX has been teasing.
At Thursday night’s Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando (Spoilers), the newest member of LAX was revealed – and it’s not Alberto El Patron. In a match that saw LAX take on Alberto El Patron, Dos Caras and El Hijo de Dos, Low Ki interfered and was revealed as the newest member of GFW’s most dominant faction.
Low Ki came out and assisted LAX against the El Patron family, with the faction leaving with both of Alberto El Patron’s title belts.
The Latin American Xchange captured the vacant Impact Tag Team Championships on tonight’s Impact Wrestling episode, winning a Fatal 4 Way over The Decay, Garza Jr. & Laredo Kid and Reno Scum.
LAX was represented by Santana and Ortiz. The current version of the stable includes Homicide and Diamante as wrestlers, plus manager Konnan.
The Impact Tag Team Championships were declared vacant earlier this month after The Hardys left the promotion while champions.
Below are photos and video from the match on Impact:
In what appears to be a publicity stunt for Impact Wrestling, the promotion’s revamped LAX faction is aiming to disrupt non-WWE events throughout the weekend. Jeremy Borash announced the move on Twitter:
Konnan’s LAX stable had previously been a fixture on TNA programming from 2006-08. That version of the stable consisted of Konnan, Hernandez, Homicide and for a period Shelly Martinez. The new stable consists of Konnan, Homicide, Diamante, Angel Ortiz and Mike Draztik.
LAX recently won Impact Wrestling’s tag team championships in a match that aired on last night’s show.
Posted March 31st, 2017 in News, TNA. Tagged: LAX.
An introductory paragraph of some sort. Nothing lengthy, just an overview.