Posts Tagged ‘Tessa Blanchard’

Impact Wrestling Results & 8 Takeaways (1/21/20)

Impact Wrestling presented its first show from their recent tapings in Mexico last night on AXS TV. The show did not air on Twitch this week due to the ongoing ban that likely stems from Rob Van Dam’s celebration with his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s girlfriend last week.

Impact Wrestling 1/21/20 Quick Results:

  1. Taurus defeated Moose and Rhino (triple threat)
  2. Joey Ryan defeated Maximo
  3. Havok defeated Rosemary
  4. Willie Mack defeated Rohit Raju
  5. Taya Valkyrie & Ace Austin defeated Tessa Blanchard & Trey Miguel

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/21/20:

Challengers Step Up To Tessa Blanchard

Impact Wrestling kicked off this week with Tessa Blanchard delivering an in-ring promo. She was interrupted by Taya Valkyrie who noted that Blanchard was afraid to return to the Knockouts division. Taya and Blanchard have a long history and have feuded over the Knockouts title and AAA’s Reina de Reinas title. Ace Austin also came out and noted he was victorious over Blanchard at Bound for Glory when he won the X-Division Championship ladder match.

A brawl started as Austin and Taya teamed up on the champion. This brought out Trey who still has a grudge against Ace Austin for the things he said about his mother. A tag match pitting Blanchard and Trey against Austin and Valkyrie was scheduled for the main event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23XP9z9WGRA

During the match, Blanchard took Taya out with a plancha but this left Austin and Trey alone in the ring. Austin would then pick up the win with the Fold (flipping neckbreaker/blockbuster) on Trey. Taya and Ace celebrated to end the show but Taya didn’t want him to get too close.

What does this mean in terms of who will face Blanchard for the title next?

Taurus Steals A Victory Over Moose From Rhino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW9oOR-soUI

Moose defeated Rhino at Hard to Kill but this week another wrestler with a large animal name was thrown into the mix. AAA’s Taurus, Moose, and Rhino kicked off Impact this week with a triple threat match.

It looked like Rhino had Moose down and was ready to avenge his PPV loss when he hit Moose with a Gore. Taurus swooped in, however, and delivered a headbutt to Rhino to take him out before stealing the pin on Moose for the victory.

Joey Ryan Defeats Maximo, RVD Embarrassed To Be A Wrestler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHKQWPwT0I4

Joey Ryan faced AAA Exotico Maximo this week in singles competition. After some shenanigans, Ryan was able to deliver a penis suplex to Maximo followed by a lollipop-assisted superkick for the win.

After the match, Rob Van Dam was interviewed in the back. RVD said he’s embarrassed to be a pro-wrestler based on what he just saw in the ring. He would continue to say that he’d rather wrestlers just steal his moves if that is the alternative.

Havok Earns A Victory In The Dark War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0eo12RUuM4

Havok picked up a victory over Rosemary in the latest battle of the Dark War. Mitchell and “Suzie” accompanied Havok to the ring this week for her match against Rosemary. The Demon Assassin has been attempting to stop Mitchell from continuing his manipulation of Suzie.

Rosemary was distracted by Mitchell at ringside and delivered a poison mist blast to his face. Her distraction led to Havok gaining the advantage, however, delivering a tombstone piledriver and picking up the win. In the midst of the match, however, Suzie wandered off.

On another note, Father James Mitchell is hoping wrestling fans can help his family raise money for his step-daughter who is battle stage 3 lymphoma. Mitchell posted the following GoFundMe appeal to social media:

Michael Elgin Thinks He Won At Hard To Kill

Elgin is all upset he didn’t win Eddie Edwards’ Call Your Shot trophy at Hard to Kill. He claims Edwards tapped while in a crossface (he was actually just reaching for the ropes.) Edwards attempted to announce he was calling his shot at the next PPV when Elgin interrupted. It was then announced that a best-of-5 series between the two will begin next week.

The Rascalz Take Peyote, See Scary Clowns

The Rascalz tend to prefer when Impact’s tapings are held in Nevada, California, anywhere in Canada, or similar locations. Tapings in New York or Mexico provide somewhat of a challenge for the trio and possibly for Rob Van Dam as well.

This week, Wentz announced that he had picked up some peyote instead and that this location was “no longer a desert.” Since Trey was wrestling in the main event, he chose not to participate, however. Wentz and Dez seemed to have a good time until Pagano and Murder Clown sat down and scared them away. The Rascalz will face their scary clown hallucinations in tag action next week.

Johnny Swinger Attempts To Rescue Willie Mack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLan9BHivGo

During a backstage interview with Jimmy Jacobs, Willie Mack was interrupted by Johnny Swinger this week. Swinger said that if Mack teams with him as the Mack and Pack Connection they will draw a lot of money. Mack did not seem interested, however, since Rich Swann is his partner.

After Mack picked up the win on Rohit Raju, Mahabali Shera hit the ring and began delivering a post-match beatdown to Mack. Swinger then attempted to make the save but was outnumbered by the Desi Hit Squad, who are without Raj currently as Shera sent him on a spiritual journey without first checking in with Gama.

Next Week

  • #1 Contenders Match: Jordynne Grace vs Kiera Hogan vs Madison Rayne
  • Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
  • Dr. Wagner Jr. Returns
  • Josh Alexander vs Vikingo
  • Pagano & Murder Clown vs the Rascalz

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in TNA, News. Tagged: , .

Tessa Blanchard Responds To Allegation Of Racism

Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard has finally responded to the allegation of racism that was made against her after a tweet last week.

Blanchard responded to the controversy via a statement on Twitter and the female star claimed that she absolutely did not use the word and it’s not in her dictionary.

She continued by saying that racism is an awful part of American history and she stands ready to use her platform to fight against racism in whatever way she can:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1217994209006882816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

For those who don’t know, Tessa Blanchard had recently made a tweet saying that women should support each other and in response, several female wrestlers had called her out.

Allysin Kay was one such female star who had claimed that the Impact Champion spat in La Rosa Negra’s face backstage during a show and used the N-word.

Renee Michelle and AEW star Shanna later also supported these claims from Kay and Shanna even went on to say that Tessa did more nasty stuff while she was in Japan.

When asked about the controversy during a recent interview, La Rosa Negra had said that she was glad that the incident was brought up. Though she also expressed that she would like to move on from it.

Posted January 16th, 2020 in TNA, News. Tagged: .

Impact Wrestling Results & 5 Takeaways (1/14/20)

Impact Wrestling presented its first show since Hard to Kill on AXS TV and Twitch last night. The show featured a sit-down interview with the new Impact World Champion, Tessa Blanchard.

Impact Wrestling 1/14/20 Quick Results:

  1. The Desi Hit Squad defeated Reno Scum, TJP & Daga, and the Rascalz (Wentz & Dez) – fatal 4-way tag match. (taped at Hard to Kill)
  2. Joey Ryan defeated Johnny Swinger (taped at Hard to Kill)
  3. X-Division Championship
    Ace Austin defeated Moose, Eddie Edwards, and Fallah Bah – fatal 4-way match. (taped at House of Hardcore)

Here are 5 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/14/20:

Sami Callihan Threatens Tessa Blanchard

Losing the Impact World Championship might not be sitting well with the already unstable Sami Callihan. Tessa Blanchard’s sit-down interview this week was interrupted by a video message from Callihan.

Highlights of Blanchard’s title win was shown as well as clips of the entire locker room coming out to celebrate with her after the PPV ended. Blanchard then sat down with Josh Mathews and spoke about the importance of her title victory. That’s when Sami Callihan interrupted.

Calihan’s video panned out and revealed he was somewhere in the same studio Blanchard was. When Blanchard went looking for Callihan, however, a new video was shown. This video featured Callihan telling Blanchard that when he gets revenge, she will never see him coming.

RVD, His Girlfriend and His Girlfriend’s Girlfriend Celebrate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzk2moM8iNQ

RVD defeated both Brian Cage and Daga at Hard to Kill. He held a celebration with his girlfriend and his girlfriends’ girlfriend in a hotel room this week. RVD noted that Forbes and her girlfriend weren’t even born yet during ECW’s heyday. RVD also noted that wrestling nowadays is basically a tribute show to him, with everyone doing his moves.

Eventually, the celebration got so steamy that the Impact Plus app had to cut in with a clip of the Deaners as “the Hard Workers” from the retro show they did a few weeks back.

Joey Ryan Gives Johnny Swinger His Comeuppance

Joey Ryan and Johnny Swinger met in single’s action this week. This match stemmed from the epic Wrestlers Court segment a few weeks back. Then last week, Tommy Dreamer caught Swinger trying to put somas in Ryan’s water. Dreamer eventually forced Swinger to drink the soma water instead.

Swinger hurt himself in this match when he attempted to deliver a headbutt to Ryan’s groin. Ryan then hit a penis suplex on Swinger but Swinger grabbed the referee during the move, taking him out momentarily. Ryan would then pick up the win with a lollipop assisted superkick.

Ace Austin Retains X-Division Title In Fatal 4-Way From House of Hardcore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l1h6rtySb0

Ace Austin was in tough this week. He had to defend his title in a fatal 4-way match against Eddie Edwards, Moose and Fallah Bah. The match was filmed at a recent House of Hardcore event.

The end of the match came when Edwards took Moose out with the Boston Knee Party. Edwards was then leveled with a powerbomb by Fallah Bah leaving Austin and Bah as the only two wrestlers standing. Austin then hit Bah with the Fold from up top for the win.

It is not clear if Trey’s mother was watching. Trey still has a grudge against the X-Division champion, however.

Desi Hit Squad Pick Up A Big Tag Win

A fatal 4-way tag match kicked off this week’s episode of Impact. The match was taped from the Bomb Factory at Hard to Kill on Sunday but did not air on the PPV. It was noted on commentary that TJP normally teams with Fallah Bah but as Bah has another match scheduled on the show, Daga as his replacement partner in this match.

Rohit Raju and Mahabali Shera picked up the win for their stable this week after a Sky High. Josh Mathews noted on commentary that the win likely puts the Desi Hit Squad in a position to challenge for the Impact tag team championships.

Posted January 15th, 2020 in News, TNA. Tagged: , , .

Tommy Dreamer: “I Do Not Feel Tessa Blanchard Is Racist”

Wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer made some rather interesting comments about the Tessa Blanchard situation on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM.

Over the weekend, Blanchard was accused of racism and bullying by several former co-workers, including NXT star Chelsea Green and NWA Women’s Champion Allysin Kay. Despite the controversy, Blanchard made history Sunday night at Hard To Kill when she became the first woman to win the IMPACT World Championship.

Dreamer works for Impact as a backstage producer and says he does not believe Tessa Blanchard is racist. He also does not believe everything that was being said about her on social media.

“I see ‘Tessa Blanchard’ was trending and I’m like ‘Oh look, P. R.'”

Dreamer began, “I land and the world was caving in on Impact Wrestling for half a second. I look and I see Tessa was trending and I’m like ‘Oh look, P. R.’ You know that’s pretty good stuff that’s going on right now. Then I click and I’m like oof that’s not good,” Dreamer began. “I just sit back and I take all this information. I also like to get to two sides to every story. Some of what I was reading I was like ‘yeah no that’s not true.”

He continued, “But you know, you you take everything for what you read until you finally talk to the person. I’ve said this so many times before, social media is a blessing and a curse. But, it’s a very very crappy situation that happened but when you’re around people that love you, when you’re around people that support you, only around people where you have the ability to tell them the truth, you know what the other side of the story is. Hey, you know that’s a good thing.”

“It becomes almost like gang warfare where everyone jumps on the hot topic”

Dreamer elaborated further, saying “I text Tessa, she didn’t get back to me. I went and spoke to her finally at the show and obviously she she was not in a good place mentally; because it becomes almost like gang warfare where everyone jumps on the hot topic.”

Dreamer also wanted to make it clear that he has a good relationship with both Tessa and some of the other performers who have made accusations against her.

“I would state that I have a great relationship with her, I also have a great relationship with a lot of the other women that were talking about her. I was not there, I do know that there was a very very physical confrontation between her and this other wrestler and that led to I mean a physical brawl. Sometimes in the heat of battle you say things that you regret. I know that Tessa used to date a famous wrestler who’s in WWE that is African American. I know Tessa is currently engaged to Daga who is Mexican, I do not feel that Tessa Blanchard is racist.”

With Blanchard now IMPACT World Champion it will be interesting to see how the company handles the situation going forward. Tessa Blanchard becoming the first ever Women’s World Champion in the company was a storyline built over the past 8+ months, seemingly becoming derailed (from a PR standpoint) over the weekend.

You can check out more IMPACT Wrestling news here.

Posted January 14th, 2020 in News. Tagged: , .

Tessa Blanchard Wins Impact World Title At Hard To Kill

Tessa Blanchard has made history by becoming the first woman to win the Impact World Championship at their Hard To Kill PPV this Sunday Night.

Impact had announced that Blanchard will be getting a shot at Sami Callihan’s World title at the PPV. The match took place in the main event of the show and both the stars put on a great performance during the bout.

Callihan tried to distract the referee towards the end of the fight by bringing the world title into the ring. He then put on his brass knuckles while the official was putting the title away.

However, Tessa Blanchard countered his attack by hitting a low blow on the Impact Champion and the match continued after a failed pinfall attempt from the female star.

The ending moments of the match then saw Blanchard hitting two Canadian Destroyers. The second Destroyer came off of the second rope and Tessa then pinned Sami after hitting him with a buzzsaw DDT:

With this win, Tessa Blanchard joins a long list of wrestling legends who have held the Impact World title in the past including the likes of Kurt Angle, Sting and AJ Styles.

Now it would be interesting to see how long her reign as the champion lasts and what challenges Blanchard has to face during her run with the title.

Posted January 13th, 2020 in TNA, News. Tagged: , .

Tessa Blanchard On Intergender Wrestling And “Shattering Ceilings”

Impact Wrestling star Tessa Blanchard recently opened up about intergender wrestling “shattering ceilings.” She also discussed her upcoming matchup against Sami Callihan at this Sunday’s Hard to Kill event. The two clash for Callihan’s Impact World Championship. She made her championship interests clear following Callihan’s victory over then-champion Brian Cage back in October.

Using Platforms To Make An Impact

Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Blanchard explained how she feels women are now being given a platform in multiple promotions.

“[…] you’re seeing the first this and the first that, and the first this and the first that, and I think it’s so great, it’s so great for the evolution of women’s wrestling and women’s athletes all together,” she said. “And one thing that stood out to me about all that was, at first I let it bother me a little bit, it would kind of give me an itch that, oh man, I want to be part of the first this and the first that and this to happen, but I want to be different.”

She continued, “I want to make an impact on the business in a way that is different than anybody else has, and I feel like Impact is giving us the platform to do that through intergender wrestling which is really cool to me.” 

Tessa Blanchard On “Shattering Ceilings”

Turning her thoughts to her match with Callihan, Tessa Blanchard reflected on the amount of attention their main event bout has received. She speculated that the match could generate even more buzz after Sunday as “what we’re doing is really special.” 

“[…] we’re really breaking the mold, we’re shattering ceilings, it’s making people, it’s either disrupting them or people are supporting it,” Blanchard stated. “It’s cool that we’re getting a reaction either way because it’s drawing awareness to intergender wrestling which we view as just pro-wrestling because we’re in the time in 2020 where women are looked at as athletes. Women can go out there and kill it better than men, if not, the same as men. It’s a cool thing where we are in 2020. And for Sami and I to be looked at as kind of a bullet point in the evolution of it all is a really cool thing.”

Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill takes place this Sunday, January 12th from The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. 

H/T to 411Mania.com for the transcription.

Posted January 9th, 2020 in TNA, News. Tagged: , .

Impact Wrestling Results & 8 Takeaways (1/7/20)

Impact Wrestling was back in their usual timeslot on Tuesday nights this week. This week’s show was the go-home edition for Sunday’s Hard to Kill PPV.

The show was headlined by Moose & Rob Van Dam teaming up against Brian Cage and Rhino. Impact this week would also feature a special look at the Hard to Kill main event of Sami Callihan vs Tessa Blanchard.

Impact Wrestling Results (Jan. 7)

  1. Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards
  2. the Desi Hit Squad defeated TJP, Fallah Bah & Daga
  3. Havok defeated Rosemary
  4. ODB, Tenille Dashwood, & Jordynne Grace defeated Taya Valkyrie, Kiera Hogan & Madison Rayne
  5. Brian Cage & Rhino defeated Moose & Rob Van Dam

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/7:

A Special Look At Sami Callihan vs Tessa Blanchard At Hard To Kill

One of the biggest world championship matches in Impact Wrestling’s recent history takes place Sunday at Hard to Kill. Blanchard debuted with Impact Wrestling in the spring of 2018 and has steadily risen up the rankings ever since. Hard to Kill will be the 3rd time Callihan and Blanchard have met on Impact Wrestling. Callihan has won the first two.

A special look at both Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard aired this week on Impact Wrestling.

ODB Steals Win From Jordynne Grace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvJ8D7gC064

At Hard to Kill, both ODB and Jordynne Grace have a chance to win Knockouts gold from Taya Valkyrie in a triple threat match. This week on Impact, ODB stole the pin on Taya away from Jordynne Grace. After Grace had delivered a second-rope Avalanche drop to the champion she was thrown out of the ring by ODB who then got the pin on Taya herself.

If OBD does the same thing on Sunday, she’ll walk away as the new Knockouts Champion.

Brian Cage & Rhino Defeat Rob Van Dam & Moose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyCQM-2eZRI

The night’s main event previewed 2 upcoming matches on Sunday’s PPV. Brian Cage will face Rob Van Dam in a dream match and Rhino and Moose will go one-on-one as well.

Rob Van Dam appears to be no longer doing his more popular moves as he does not want to give the fans what they want. He acted as though he was going to deliver Rolling Thunder at one point but then decided against it. Moose, however, attempted his own 5-star frog splash during the match, missed, and was promptly Gored by Rhino. Cage then hit Moose with a clothesline and pinned him to pick up the win for his team.

Havok Beats Rosemary As James Mitchell Continues To Manipulate “Suzie”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HXI6g_X5gM

Father James Mitchell has been shown in backstage vignettes recently along with “Suzie” who appears to be the memory-restricted Su Yung. Rosemary has been attempting to stop Mitchell from continuing his association with Suzie.

This week on Impact, Mitchell locked Suzie in a closet while he accompanied Havok to the ring for her match against Rosemary. Suzie wandered to the ring during the match, however, prompting Mitchell to attempt to cover her ears and eyes. This distracted Rosemary who was then put in a tombstone piledriver by Havok for the win.

Johnny Swinger Put Somas In Joey Ryan’s Water

Swinger was shown backstage this week attempting to put Somas in Joey Ryan’s water bottle. Swinger was caught in the act by Tommy Dreamer and attempted to lie his way out of it. He told Dreamer it was his water bottle and he was just putting his medication in his water. Dreamer asked Swinger to drink the water to prove there was nothing too terrible in there but Swinger was reluctant. Dreamer then showed Swinger a kendo stick and Swinger took a big gulp from the Soma-infused water.

Later in the show, Swinger was shown passed out backstage. Joey Ryan and Petey Williams then debated drawing on his face with a sharpie. Swinger and Ryan will face each other next week in single’s action.

Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards Don’t Wait Until Hard to Kill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt9pq1m0S7E

The show opened up this week with a brawl already in progress ringside between Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin. Edwards said they don’t have to wait until Hard to Kill and an impromptu match between the two was booked.

Elgin would win the match with an Elgin bomb but these two will square off once again when Impact presents Hard to Kill on Sunday. The stipulations will be bigger on Sunday as well. Later in the show, Josh Matthews revealed that when Elgin and Edwards meet on the PPV, Edwards’ “Call Your Shot” trophy will be on the line.

The Desi Hit Squad defeated TJP, Fallah Bah & Daga

TJP and Fallah Bah joined forces with Daga this week in trios action against all 3 members of the Desi Hit Squad. Callis noted on commentary how well the Desi Hit Squad worked together under the guidance of the Great Gama Singh. Teamwork may have helped the faction but in the end, it was the brute strength of Mahabali Shera who would win the match with a power-bomb on TJP.

Hard To Kill On Sunday

Impact Wrestling presents its first PPV of 2020 Sunday night. The lineup for the show is below:

  • Impact World Championship
    Sami Callihan (c) vs Tessa Blanchard
  • Knockouts Championship
    Taya Valkyrie (c) vs Jordynne Grace vs ODB
  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    the North (c) vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann
  • X-Division Championship
    Ace Austin (c) vs Trey Miguel
  • Brian Cage vs Rob Van Dam
  • Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
  • Ken Shamrock vs Madman Fulton
  • Moose vs Rhino

Posted January 8th, 2020 in News, TNA. Tagged: , .

6 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 1/4 – Best of 2019 Part II

Impact Wrestling presented part II of its “Best of 2019” this weekend on AXS TV. The promotion is back in their usual Tuesday night timeslot this week for the go-home show for this weekend’s Hard to Kill PPV.

Here are 6 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/4 the Best of 2019 Part II:

Tessa Blanchard Wins Wrestler of the Year

As she prepares to wrestle for the Impact Wrestling World Championship at Hard to Kill this weekend, Tessa Blanchard has been named the 2019 Wrestler of the Year for the promotion. Since signing with Impact, Blanchard has been a featured performer for Impact and the culmination of a long-term booking strategy could take place at Hard to Kill on Sunday.

Blanchard joined Impact in the spring of 2018 and quickly rose to be the top heel in the Knockouts division before winning the title. She would only lose the title after her and Gail Kim’s disdain for each other led to the Hall of Famer costing her a match against Taya Valkyrie. Blanchard would be too distracted in her rivalry with Kim to regain her lost championship. After dispatching of Kim, and winning her respect, Blanchard turned babyface and entered a feud with Sami Callihan.

Blanchard’s forway into inter-gender wrestling potentially hit a snag when plans for a Blanchard vs Eli Drake feud were scrapped and Drake left the promotion. He landed in the National Wrestling Alliance where he is currently feuding with Ken Anderson.

Sami Callihan picked up the ball, however, and didn’t hesitate for a second with it. Blanchard and Callihan have had two previous matches in Impact, with Callihan winning both but Blanchard coming close each time. Perhaps, Blanchard will finally defeat Sami this weekend en route to making history.

Tessa Blanchard’s Victory In #1 Contenders Match Re-Visited

With Tessa Blanchard vs Sami Callihan 3 set to take place this weekend, Blanchard’s victory to earn her title shot was re-visited this week on Impact Wrestling. Blanchard won a multi-person Gauntlet match and eliminated former Impact World Champion Brian Cage with the final elimination.

The North Win Tag Team Of The Year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9szeRCLTtQ

Following the departures of the Lucha Bros and LAX, one team rose to the very top of Impact Wrestling’s tag team division in 2019 and has stayed there. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander were formerly two well-respect indy guys around the Toronto/Hamilton Ontario, Canada scenes. Since arriving in Impact Wrestling, however, they have quickly become a dominant team.

To put it in perspective, if the North can retain their titles for the next 3 weeks, they will hit #4 all-time in terms of combined days spent with the Impact tag titles behind only LAX, Beer Money, and the Wolves.

Their match this year against Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji & Eddie Edwards was revisited this week.

Re-Visiting Rich Swann’s Elimination Match Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_f2nJBhKtk

Rich Swann has overcome the odds quite a bit in his career. The former X-Division Champion almost overcame the odds in the #1 Contender Elimination match he competed in recently as well. Swann pulled off a huge upset during the match by pinning perennial top-contender Michael Elgin. Swann looked to have momentum going into the rest of the match but Elgin made sure he wouldn’t have anything left after delivering a massive post-match beat down.

Tessa Blanchard vs Gail Kim Re-Visited

Gail Kim wasn’t going to come out of retirement for just any opponent. The Impact Hall of Famer came out of retirement to face Tessa Blanchard, however. Blanchard and Kim met at the Rebellion PPV this spring from Rebel Nightclub in Kim’s hometown of Toronto, ON, Canada.

When looking at Blanchard’s rise to the top of Impact Wrestling (and her profession in general) the importance of this match against Kim cannot be overstated. The match was re-visited on Impact this week as the promotion prepares for Blanchard vs Sami Callihan for the Impact World Title at Hard to Kill.

Tessa Blanchard vs Sami Callihan From Slammiversary Wins Match of the Year

With Sami Callihan vs Tessa Blanchard 3 set to take place on Sunday, their first match was awarded the 2019 Impact Wrestling match of the year. The match headlined the Slammiversary PPV from Gilley’s Dallas from Texas. Hard to Kill will be held at a different venue in the same city (The Bomb Factory).

Callihan and Blanchard would meet a month later at Unbreakable (Impact Plus special). The two had teamed together as part of the Mash-Up tournament and won. The win meant they would face each other with the winner of that match earning a title shot. Callihan again beat Blanchard and would go on to win the Impact title from Brian Cage.

Posted January 6th, 2020 in News, TNA. Tagged: , .

7 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 12/28

Impact Wrestling aired on AXS TV this Saturday night with the first of two scheduled “Best of 2019” shows. The second show will air on Saturday, January 4th, 2020 before Impact is back in their normal Tuesday night timeslot the following week.

Here are 7 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 12/28.

Sami Callihan Title Win Re-Visited

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AsDXbL0kWc&feature=emb_logo

Sami Callihan defeated Brian Cage in a steel cage match for the Impact World Championship on the first episode of Impact on AXS TV this fall. It took Callihan several piledrivers to win the match and the title but he was able to pull it out. The match was featured on Impact’s Best of 2019 part 1 show this weekend.

Callihan had earned the title match after he and Tessa Blanchard won the Mash-up tag team tournament and later met in single’s competition. After Callihan defeated Blanchard for the second straight time, he was declared the new #1 contender to former champion Brian Cage’s title.

Blanchard would earn a title shot at Callihan booked for Hard to Kill by winning a Gauntlet match recently on Impact Wrestling.

Michael Elgin and Naomichi Marufuji Collide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQGcLwb3tcw&feature=emb_logo

Michael Elgin’s arrival in Impact Wrestling after leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling has been big for the promotion. Elgin announced earlier this year that he wanted to face Naomichi Marufuji in single’s action and he got his wish at Bound for Glory.

Elgin may have gotten the win over Marufuji earlier this year but he’ll be in tough against Eddie Edwards at Hard to Kill next month.

X-Division Ladder Match From Bound For Glory Featured

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW7_JivKZvc

At the Bound For Glory PPV held in Chicago this October, Tessa Blanchard looked to have the X-Division title all wrapped up. As she was climbing the ladder to win the title, Madman Fulton from OVE interfered and cost her the title. While Blanchard was able to fend off Fulton, Ace Austin used the extra time allotted by the interference to recover and climb the ladder himself. Austin used a foreign object to knock Blanchard off the ladder and claim X-Division glory for himself.

Acey Romero also made his Impact PPV debut on the show and took a harsh bump from the ladder through a table.

Alisha Edwards Helps Eddie Edwards Beat Moose

Eddie Edwards and Moose formerly teamed together in Impact and Pro Wrestling NOAH. The two would clash on PPV this year, however, as they went one-on-one at Impact’s Homecoming PPV this year in Nashville on January 6th, 2019. The match kicked off this week’s “Best of 2019” show.

For Moose, the loss to Edwards kicked off a year for him which would be much more successful and included PPV wins over Rob Van Dam and Ken Shamrock. He’ll face Rhino at Hard to Kill.

For Edwards, he would go on to defeat Killer Kross on PPV and then when the Call Your Shot Gauntlet on PPV as well in 2019. He’ll face Michael Elgin at Hard to Kill.

First Batch Of 2019 Awards Given Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q34gLBW9h88

Impact announced several of its 2019 award winners on this weekend’s show. The Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, and Tag Team of the Year will be announced on next week’s show.

Impact Wrestling 2019 Award Winners:

  • Knockout of the Year: Taya Valkyrie
  • X-Division Star of the Year: Rich Swann
  • Move of the Year: Magnum (Tessa Blanchard)
  • Moment of the Year- Sami Callihan Wins World Title On AXS TV Debut
  • One to Watch in 2020: Willie Mack

One To Watch In 2020: Willie Mack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTKYb1kH4TM

Willie Mack won the award for one to watch in 2020. He’ll team with Rich Swann at Hard to Kill in an attempt to win the tag titles from the North. This week on Impact, Mack’s single’s victory over Trey from the Rascalz was featured.

Later in the show, the tag champs tried to break up their upcoming challengers in a backstage segment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7-r-ZSOgOk

LAX vs Lucha Bros Rivalry Featured

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3xapBlRLe8

LAX vs the Lucha Bros from Homecoming was featured on this Best of 2019 show. The two teams would engage in an epic rivalry before both would leave for AEW later in the year. In this particular contest, LAX picked up the win and retained their Impact tag team championships.

By the time they would leave the promotion, LAX had secured their position as the top tag team champions in the history of the company.

Posted December 30th, 2019 in News, TNA. Tagged: , .

Impact Wrestling Reveals Partial List Of 2019 Award Winners

Impact Wrestling has announced several of its year-end award winners. The promotion announced the winners of the Knockout of the Year, X-Division Star of the Year, Move of the Year, Moment of the Year, and One to Watch in 2020.

Impact Wrestling 2019 Award Winners:

  • Knockout of the Year: Taya Valkyrie
  • X-Division Star of the Year: Rich Swann
  • Move of the Year: Magnum (Tessa Blanchard)
  • Moment of the Year- Sami Callihan Wins World Title On AXS TV Debut
  • One to Watch in 2020: Willie Mack

Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, and Tag Team of the Year will all be announced on the January 4th, 2020 Saturday night show.

Previous Impact Award Winners

Impact’s annual awards returned last year after an 11-year absence. The winners of the awards from last year (via Fan voting) are below:

  • Wrestler of the Year: Sami Callihan
  • Knockout of the Year: Tessa Blanchard
  • Tag Team of the Year: LAX
  • X-Division Star of the Year: Brian Cage
  • Finisher of the Year: Pentagon Driver (Pentagon Jr.)
  • Moment of the Year: Sami Callihan hitting Eddie Edwards with a baseball bat.
  • One to Watch in 2019: Killer Kross

Posted December 30th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: , , .

9 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 12/17

This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling featured matches from the recent tapings from New York City’s Melrose Ballroom. The headline segment for the show featured Sami Callihan cutting a promo on his Hard To Kill opponent Tessa Blanchard. The main event match saw the X-division title on the line.

Here are 9 takeaways from the December 17, 2019 edition of Impact Wrestling:

Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard Brawl Backstage

Sami Callihan cut a promo on Tessa Blanchard this week, saying she has been handed her opportunities due to her father being Tully Blanchard and her step-father being Magnum T.A.

Blanchard came out to confront Callihan but was attacked from behind by Madman Fulton. Ken Shamrock then came out to attack Fulton, leaving Blanchard and Callihan to engage in a wild brawl backstage, in the parking lot, and pretty much all over the area.

It was then announced that Madman Fulton vs Ken Shamrock has been added to the Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill pay-per-view.

Rob Van Dam Softens Up Brian Cage

Rob Van Dam doesn’t seem too worried about his dream match with Brian Cage at Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV. RVD said of facing Cage that he “can counter his own moves” in reference to his ongoing accusations that Cage steals moves from him.

RVD cut a promo with Katie Forbes this week that was interrupted by Cage. A low-blow by Forbes would give RVD the advantage in the scuffle, however. He then looked to go for the Coast 2 Coast on Cage but wouldn’t give the fans the satisfaction and merely dropkicked a chair into Cage’s face instead.

Ace Austin Dedicates Match To Trey’s Mother

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr9Fu6O9b-0
  • Impact Wrestling X-Division Championship
    Ace Austin (c) defeated Petey Williams

Ace Austin beat former X-Division champion, Petey Williams, this week. After the match, Austin got on the mic and dedicated the match to Mrs. Miguel, aka Trey’s mother.

Later in the night, Trey confronted Austin in the back over his frequent mentions of his mother. Trey has a future X-Division title match owed to him but he might care more about revenge than championships when these two finally square off.

Joey Ryan Faces His Wrestlers Court Sentence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhrZRAk3Pxk
  • Joey Ryan defeated Acey Romero

Last week, Tommy Dreamer sentenced Joey Ryan to this match after finding him guilty of killing the business during Wrestlers Court.

Johnny Swinger was on commentary and continued to complain about Ryan’s antics “killing the business” and “chasing the rizats away.”

After a ref bump, Swinger attempted to get involved by giving Romero a “Fanny pack suplex” akin to Ryan’s penis suplex. It didn’t work. Ryan then delivered his flip suplex and a lollypop assisted superkick for the win.

The North Gear Up To Face Willie Mack & Rich Swann at Hard to Kill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-Ub-xHJLg
  • Ethan Page defeated Rich Swann via DQ

The North will defend their tag titles against Rich Swann and Willie Mack at Hard to Kill. After a backstage confrontation this week, a single’s match between Page and Swann was scheduled.

While Page was on the outside, he slapped Mack in the face. Mack took the bait and chased Page into the ring and delivered a blow which caused the DQ. Page found the whole thing pretty funny while Swann seemed quite upset.

Moose and Rhino Brawl Backstage

Rhino and Moose ran into each other backstage this week. Moose noted to Rhino that while RVD beat him last week, Moose defeated RVD earlier this year. Rhino gave Moose a gore in response.

It was then announced the two will face each other at Hard to Kill.

Jordynne Grace Builds Momentum Leading to PPV, Taya Valkyrie Enlists Help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA3ydPMOEuU
  • Jordynne Grace defeated Tenille Dashwood

Jordynne Grace countered a pinning combination into her own pinning combination to get the win on Dashwood this week. After the match, Taya Valkyrie attempted to attack Grace but was fended off by both Grace and Tenille Dashwood.

Later in the show, Taya would recruit help from Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne.

TJP Jumped By Desi Hit Squad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaubO4-Y32M
  • TJP defeated Daga

TJP and Daga had a close match this week but ultimately TJP would come out the winner via submission. After the match, TJP and his partner Fallah Bah were attacked by the Desi Hit Squad including Mahabali Shera who hasn’t been seen in weeks.

Shera delivered a big chokeslam to TJP to end the segment.

Next Week

The next new episode of Impact Wrestling takes place on January 7th, 2020 and will be the go-home show for Hard to Kill. Best of 2019 and the 2019 awards show will take place the next two weeks.

Quick Results 12/17:

  1. Jordynne Grace defeated Tenille Dashwood
  2. TJP defeated Daga
  3. Ethan Page defeated Rich Swann via DQ
  4. Joey Ryan defeated Acey Romero
  5. X-Division Championship
    Ace Austin (c) defeated Petey Williams

Posted December 18th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: , , .

Impact Wrestling 12/17 Lineup & Preview

Impact Wrestling is back tonight with a show taped from New York’s Melrose Ballroom. Several matches and one big segment have been announced for tonight as the promotion continues the build to Hard to Kill.

Sami Callihan to Expose The Truth About Tessa Blanchard

Impact Wrestling world champion Sami Callihan has promised to expose the truth about Tessa Blanchard tonight on Impact Wrestling. What this means is anyone’s guess as the champion’s actions are rarely predictable.

As we get closer to Hard to Kill, however, expect Callihan to look for every opportunity he can get to gain an advantage over his upcoming challenger.

X-Division Title Match
Ace Austin (c) vs Petey Williams

The X-division championship will be on the line tonight as Ace Austin takes on Petey Williams in singles competition. Waiting in the wings, however, is Trey from The Rascals as he has earned a shot at the X-division title in the future. Trey might be more concerned with what Ace Austin has in store for his mother, as Austin seems to have taken a liking to her. Trey will be watching this match closely, that’s for sure. 

Jordynn Grace vs Tenille Dashwood

Jordynne Grace has a title match with Taya Valkyrie coming up at Hard to Kill in the new year but she will have a tune-up match this week against Tenille Dashwood.

It’s likely that Valkyrie and Johnn E. Bravo will be watching this match closely and might even decide to get involved.

Joey Ryan vs Ace Romero

Last week’s epic Wrestlers Court segment ended with Tommy Dreamer sentencing Joey Ryan to face Ace Romero this week on Impact. It’s not clear if Johnny Swinger also received the 2 pay envelopes and handfull of pizills he was asking for. Ryan will be looking to show off all of his power to defeat the big heavyweight tonight.

Rich Swann vs Ethan Page

Rich Swann will take on Ethan Page in singles action this week. Swann and his partner Willie Mack will go up against Page and Josh Alexander for the tag titles on the next pay-per-view and each side will be looking to soften up the other in this bout here. 

Daga vs TJP

Also tonight is a match between Daga and TJP which is getting good reviews from those who saw it live and could possibly be the show-stealer on tonight’s episode.

TJP rescued his friend Fallah Bah from a beatdown by the Desi Hit Squad last week, he might be hoping that the Great Gama Singh’s faction doesn’t play a role in his match with Daga tonight.

Posted December 17th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: , .

10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 12/10

Impact Wrestling 12/10 emanated from New York’s Melrose Ballroom and aired last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The show featured Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard each picking their rival’s opponents as we count down to their title match at Hard to Kill.

Here are 10 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 12/10:

OVE Tries To Soften Up Tessa Blanchard

  • Tessa Blanchard defeated Madman Fulton via DQ

With Hard to Kill just a little over a month away, OVE tried to soften up Tessa Blanchard here. Callihan selected Madman Fulton to take on Blanchard in single’s action this week. Just when it looked like Blanchard had things going her way, however, the Crist brothers ran in and caused the DQ.

OVE tried to soften up Blanchard but Ken Shamrock made the save, setting up the night’s main event between him and Callihan.

Madman Fulton Takes Out Ken Shamrock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW4DTkYWEoQ
  • Sami Callihan defeated Ken Shamrock via referee stoppage

Tessa Blanchard chose Ken Shamrock to take on Sami Callihan in the night’s main event. Shamrock had Callihan tapping to his ankle lock submission but Callihan’s minions from OVE came down to make the save. Madman Fulton took out Shamrock and allowed Callihan to lock in his own ankle lock on Shamrock. With Shamrock knocked out, the ref called for the bell and awarded the match to Sami.

Fulton wasn’t finished there, however. He kept up the attack after the match until Callihan had to call his monster off. Could we be building to a showdown between Fulton and Shamrock?

Joey Ryan Goes To Wrestlers Court

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH5FKsjrhyo
  • Joey Ryan found guilty of breaking kayfabe, exposing the business, and killing towns.

Impact presented quite the little comedic sketch last night featuring Joey Ryan being taken to “Wrestlers Court.” This really needs to be seen in its entirety to be fully appreciated.

The short of this sketch is that Johnny Swinger took Joey Ryan to wrestlers court on charges of “breaking kayfabe, killing towns, and exposing the business.” Swinger was asking for “2 pay envelopes and a handfull of pizzills” as compensation.

Tommy Dreamer served as the judge for the trial and eventually found Joey Ryan guilty. It took quite a bit of hijinx to get there, however. Dreamer sentenced Ryan to face Ace Romero next week.

Rich Swann Wins Tag Team Open On His Own

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4XCdrLpwfc

Last night a tag team open was held to determine who will face the North at Hard to Kill. Heading into the match, Rich Swann & Willie Mack were considered strong favorites but an injury to Mack would take him out of the match early. Mack clutched at his knee on the outside and was taken to the back.

Swann overcame the odds, however, and scored the win with a victory roll on Dave Crist.

After Swann’s win, the North was shown in the back debating if they should head to the ring and take Swann out. Page told Alexander they were going to do things “his way” and the team opted not to run-in.

Rob Van Dam Defeats Rhino, Takes Shot At Brian Cage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k75Xb26XN58

It was a big night for Rob Van Dam. He defeated Rhino in the opening match but not without a little help from Katie Forbes. It appeared as though Rhino had the match won but Forbes pulled out referee Tommy Dreamer before he could make the 3-count. RVD would later come back and win the match with a 5-star frog splash. Just for good measure, RVD delivered a kick to Dreamer after the match as well.

Later in the night, however, as Brian Cage was being interviewed in the back, RVD and Forbes took their celebration party to the same couch Cage was being interviewed on. RVD and Forbes eventually decided to leave but not before taking a shot at Brian Cage for stealing his moves and getting pinned by Tessa Blanchard in the #1 contenders elimination match recently.

Moose Wins Heavyweight Collision With Ace Romero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLnePIfsHw

Moose took a break from being a multi-sport athlete this week to step back inside a wrestling ring. He took on the newly signed Ace Romero this week and got all he could handle including a pounce from Acey baby that sent him across the venue.

In the end, however, it would be Moose who would pick up the victory with the “No Jackhammer Needed” spear.

Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards At Hard To Kill

A match between Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin was announced for Hard to Kill this week. Elgin interfered in Edwards’ match with Brian Cage last week.

Edwards won the battle royal at Bound for Glory which earned him the right to challenge for any title. Elgin challenged Edwards to put that right on the line in their match at Hard to Kill.

TJP Saves Fallah Bah From Desi Hit Squad Beatdown

Fallah Bah defeated Raj Singh with Bonzai drop this week on Impact. The rest of the Desi Hit Squad would hit the ring after the match, however, and attempt to deliver a beatdown to Bah.

TJP made the save for his friend, however, and cleared the ring of Gama Singh’s faction.

Will Su Yung Remember?

After being thrown over a staircase in a noose by Havok, Su Yung has had some lapses in her memory. Father James Mitchell is taking advantage of this fact and appears to be manipulating Yung in some way. Rosemary doesn’t like this.

This week, Yung noticed a noose flung over a door and it seemed to trigger some memories. Mitchell got her away from there before she could remember too much, however.

Next Week

Scheduled for Impact Wrestling next week is:

  • Tenille Dashwood vs Jordynne Grace
  • Daga vs TJP
  • Rich Swann vs Ethan Page
  • Joey Ryan vs Ace Romero

Impact Wrestling 12/10 Quick Results:

  1. Old School Rules Match (Tommy Dreamer as referee)
    Rob Van Dam defeated Rhino
  2. Moose defeated Ace Romero
  3. Fallah Bah defeated Raj Singh
  4. #1 Contendership Impact Tag Team Championships
    Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated Reno Scum vs the Rascalz vs OVE
  5. Tessa Blanchard defeated Madman Fulton via DQ
  6. Sami Callihan defeated Ken Shamrock via referee stoppage

Posted December 11th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: , , , .

Impact Wrestling 12/10 Lineup and Preview

Impact Wrestling 12/10 was taped inside New York’s Melrose Ballroom last month. Tonight’s show has 5 matches scheduled to air and will continue the build to next month’s Hard to Kill PPV.

Here is what Impact Wrestling will present tonight on AXS TV and Twitch.

Impact Wrestling 12/10 Lineup and Preview

Tessa Blanchard and Sami Callihan Pick Each Other’s Opponents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Hk7-hjwXA

With their world title match at Hard to Kill a little over a month away, Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard have picked each other’s opponents for tonight’s episode.

Callihan didn’t need to look anywhere outside of Ohio for his selection to face Tessa Blanchard this week. Callihan selected his monster from OVE, Madman Fulton, to take on Blanchard tonight.

Tessa Blanchard also came up with an interesting selection for world champion Sami Callihan to take on tonight. Blanchard chose former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and UFC Superfight champion Ken Shamrock to face her rival tonight in singles competition.

You can bet that both Blanchard and Callihan will be watching the other one’s match tonight and Callihan will likely be looking for an opportunity to soften up his challenger at next month’s pay-per-view.

Rob Van Dam vs Rhino – Old School Rules Match – w/ Tommy Dreamer as Referee

Last week on Impact Wrestling, Rob Van Dam attempted to turn down a match request for him to face Rhino this week with Tommy Dreamer as the special guest referee. RVD attempted to say that every time the former ECW wrestlers attempt to latch on to him, it only brings him down.

It looks as though Impact management has ensured that RVD can’t back out of this match with Rhino tonight, however, and Tommy Dreamer will be there to enforce the old school rules mandate for the match.

Tag Team Open For Shot At The North

The winners of tonight’s tag team open will face Josh Alexander and Ethan Page for the Impact tag team championships at Hard to Kill. Last week on Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann and Willie Mack had an altercation with the North in the back. Swann promised that he and Mack will go out and win the tag team open this week and face the North at Hard to Kill. The North has had a good run as tag team champions but one has to wonder if Willie Mack and Rich Swann have what it takes to unseat them.

The Rascalz, OVE, and Reno Scum will be vying to stop Mack and Swann from advancing to the PPV tonight, however.

Moose vs Ace Romero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a06ss6AktA

Moose has been doing a lot of bragging about his ability at other sports recently but tonight he’ll step inside the ring with Ace Romero for a big-time heavyweight tilt. Romero made his debut for Impact Wrestling in the X-division ladder match at Bound for Glory and tonight will look to move up the rankings in short order if he can defeat the perennial title-contender Moose.

Moose, however, will likely be looking to show he is just as dominant inside the wrestling ring as he has been on the tennis court, golf course, or while shooting hoops.

What Else Could Happen Tonight?

There are several storylines going on in Impact Wrestling right now that could be furthered tonight as well. As a result of her victory over the champion recently on Impact, ODB has been added to the Knockouts title match with Taya Valkyrie and Jordynne Grace at Hard to Kill. We could hear from the participants in that match tonight as well.

James Mitchell and Rosemary appear to have a developing conflict over how Mitchell is treating the former Su Yung, who appears to be suffering some memory lapses at the moment. We could get an update from the underworld division of Impact tonight.

https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/1204207858973233158

Ace Austin and Trey Miguel have a pending X-Division title match coming up but the real question might be, what is going to happen between Austin and Trey’s mother?

Michael Elgin also made a big statement recently when he interfered in a match between Eddie Edwards and Brian Cage. It’s possible we could hear more about elegance future plans tonight as well.

Johnny Swinger might make some old-school wrestling references as well tonight.

Impact Wrestling 12/10 kicks off at 8 pm est on AXS TV and Twitch.

Posted December 10th, 2019 in News, TNA. Tagged: , , .

9 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 12/3

Impact Wrestling presented its first show from their Melrose Ballroom tapings in New York last night. The promotion spent two days taping episodes of Impact from the venue last month.

Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 12/3:

ODB Pins Taya Valkyrie Thanks To Jordynne Grace’s Distraction

  • ODB defeated Taya Valkyrie

The tapings from New York last month were declared “ODB Appreciation Nights” as the former Knockouts champion lost her food truck in a fire recently. Proceeds from ticket sales to the tapings went to help her buy a new one. Her promo this week was interrupted by Taya Valkyrie and a match between the two was scheduled for later that night.

Although Taya was clearly the favorite heading into the match, Jordynne Grace would cause a distraction at ringside which would turn the tide. Grace took the title belt away from John E. Bravo and held it high in the air for Taya to see. As this was happening, ODB rolled up a distracted Taya and scored the upset victory in the main event.

Rob Van Dam Attacked By Rhino

Rob Van Dam & Katie Forbes did manage to make it to the venue this week to cut an in-ring promo. RVD reiterated what he’s been saying all these weeks from the comfort of his hot tub, saying that today’s wrestlers are all trying to be him.

Tommy Dreamer then interrupted and tried to set up a match between Rhino and RVD for next week with him as the referee. RVD turned the match down, however, saying all these original hardcore guys were holding him back as they were trying to latch onto him.

“I gotta think of what’s right for me – I’ve got my girlfriend and my girlfriend’s girlfriend to take care of,” RVD told Dreamer.

Rhino didn’t like this answer, however, and he came out from the back and initiated a brawl. Security separated the two to end the segment.

Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard Build To Hard To Kill

Two weeks ago, Tessa Blanchard became the #1 Contender to Sami Callihan’s Impact World Championship when she won a gauntlet match. This week, we were shown highlights from a press conference featuring Blanchard and Callihan hyping their main event on January 12th.

Blanchard gave Callihan credit for being a great wrestler but said that at Hard to Kill, she’d make history.

Callihan made it clear he doesn’t dislike Blanchard because she’s a woman or because of her last name, he doesn’t like her because she’s a “spoiled brat.” He said Blanchard has been handed everything and that he should be looked at as a hero. They went face-to-face to end the segment.

Michael Elgin Isn’t Waiting For His Opportunity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCknW_S5bpA
  • Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards vs Brian Cage (triple threat)

This week’s episode opened up with a match between Brian Cage and Eddie Edwards. As the match was winding down, however, Michael Elgin came out and delivered a double-clothesline to both competitors. After the commercial break, we were notified that Impact management had made it a 3-way match.

Don Callis noted on commentary that Elgin left New Japan because he was tired of waiting in line for opportunities, so he wasn’t going to wait in line here either. Elgin saw a match between two top competitors and decided it was a good opportunity to prove where he sits in the pecking order.

Elgin won with an Elgin bomb on Edwards.

The Saga Of Ace Austin and Trey’s Mother Continues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo8v-jEbUm8
  • Ace Austin & Reno Scum defeated the Rascalz

The Rascalz were shown in their clubhouse during a backstage vignette this week. Trey’s mother showed up which seemed to cause a lot of different reactions and emotions from Wentz and Dez. Trey asked his mom not to come to the matches but after she insisted, Trey agreed.

During a trios match this week between Ace Austin & Reno Scum against the Rascalz, Trey looked like he had things going his way. He was on the top rope when he glanced to the outside and saw Ace Austin talking to his mom at ringside. He then jumped off the ropes to attack Austin. Meanwhile, in the ring, Reno Scum used the distraction to pick up the roll-up win for their team.

Moose Takes Up Basketball

In previous segments, Moose has demonstrated his multi-sport abilities on the golf and tennis courts. This week, Moose opted to shoot a little hoops. When he ran into a couple of people on the basketball court though, they had seen previous segments where Moose beat up the people he was playing sports with and they had some concerns.

Moose told them that if he sank a 3-pointer then he’d buy them all some beers but if he missed, then maybe they should worry. He hit the shot but then proceeded to beat the two up anyway.

Johnny Swinger Attempts To Form Kliq With Joey Ryan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfh4HxNOgf0
  • Petey Williams defeated Johnny Swinger

In the back this week, Johnny Swinger attempted to complain to Joey Ryan about all these young kids killing the business for top stars like him. Ryan seemed completely uninterested in having this conversation. He asked Ryan if he would come out and interfere in his match against Williams and surprisingly Ryan agreed, although he seemed a little disingenuous.

Swinger was taking on Petey Williams later that night after Williams rebuffed Swinger’s offer of being his young boy. He called for Ryan to come out and help him but Ryan was a no-show. Williams then made Swinger submit to a sharpshooter.

Rich Swann & Willie Mack Gunning For Tag Team Gold

In a backstage segment this week, Rich Swann and Willie Mack were seen talking about wanting to win tag team gold. Swann told Mack that they should be thinking about the “Tag Team Open” next week. This brought out the North, Ethan Page & Josh Alexander.

Swann told the North that they would win the Open next week and then they would go on to Hard to Kill and win the tag team titles.

Next Week

Two big matches next week involve Tessa Blanchard and Sami Callihan each picking the opponents for the other. Callihan picked his monster from OVE, Madman Fulton, to take on Blanchard. Tessa would choose Ken Shamrock to take on Callihan.

Rhino will also face Rob Van Dam with Dreamer as the referee, which was the match RVD tried to turn down this week.

The Tag Team Open will also take place next week with the winner earning the tag title shot at Hard to Kill.

  • Ken Shamrock vs Sami Callihan
  • Tessa Blanchard vs Madman Fulton
  • Rhino vs Rob Van Dam w/ Tommy Dreamer as referee
  • Willie Mack & Rich Swann vs the Crist Brothers vs Dez & Wentz vs Reno Scum

Quick Results from 12/3:

  1. Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards vs Brian Cage (triple threat)
  2. Ace Austin & Reno Scum defeated the Rascalz
  3. Petey Williams defeated Johnny Swinger
  4. ODB defeated Taya Valkyrie

Posted December 4th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: , .

Tessa Blanchard Fires Back At Sandman For Saying Women Shouldn’t Main Event (Video)

Recently, Impact Wrestling star Jordynne Grace recently took to Twitter, sharing her negative experience with former ECW and WWE Superstar The Sandman. She revealed how as to how four women (including her) were preparing for the main event match at the WrestleCade SuperShow on 30 November, Sandman came over and shared his opinion that women main eventing in wrestling is “wrong” and “any male wrestler with any sort of experience would agree.”

https://twitter.com/JordynneGrace/status/1200950923054534657

This negative comment got Sandman a lot of flak from the industry and man wrestlers, both male and female, provided their takes on Sandman’s opinion.

Tess Blanchard, who was one of the women scheduled for the main event match on that night, addressed Sandman’s comments before the match started. She cut a promo in the ring in front of the crowd and called out Sandman for his negative remarks:

“I was in the back earlier tonight and I had to listen to an old ECW guy that used to have a beer in his hand, talk about how ‘women shouldn’t be main eventing this event or any event.’ Not because he didn’t have faith in these women, but because he didn’t have faith in you fans. It’s 2020 and I think that’s a crock of horseshit. The women in this ring right now, are some of the best women’s wrestlers — no, they are some of the best wrestlers in this business. You’re looking at women who have traveled the world and held notable titles in notable companies all over the entire world. I can’t think of anybody better to main event.”

Wrestlers and fans alike agreed with what Blanchard had to say:

https://twitter.com/JordynneGrace/status/1200970663986712576
https://twitter.com/SwoleWorld/status/1200995146474635265

Here is the video of Tessa Blanchard’s promo:

Posted December 3rd, 2019 in News. Tagged: .

9 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 11/26

Impact Wrestling traveled back to the early 1980s on AXS TV this week. The promotion took a break from building to the Hard to Kill PPV on January 12th to present a throwback old-school show.

It wasn’t even Impact Wrestling which presented this show, it was actually the Impact Provincial Wrestling Federation. Not only was there a throwback look and feel to the show, but the wrestlers all also adopted 80s themed gimmicks as well.

Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 11/26:

Downtown Daddy Brown Sends Julian Cumberbun Out Of The Territory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuZk5tdAxWg
  • IPWF TV Championship
    Loser Leaves Town
    Downtown Daddy Brown defeated Julian Cumberbun (c) – New Champion

IPWF TV champion Julian Cumberbun was accompanied by Sonny Sanders, the tennis racket-wielding manager known for making controversial statements (and also seemed to bear a resemblance to Sami Callihan) for this match. Cumberbun would try every devious tactic in the book during this match, even attempting to flee the match by pretending to be a member of the crowd watching the show.

Despite the interference from Sanders and Cumberbun’s tactics, Brown was able to roll up his opponent to not only win the title but send his rival out of the territory. The babyfaces from IPWF would hoist Downtown Daddy Brown on their shoulders to end the show.

The Rough Riders Cut Promo, Win Big, Party At The Marriott

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAHunJ0KCwE
  • The Rough Riders (Blanche Ardmore, Mildred Moore, Georgia Cobb & Lady Bird Johnston) defeated Ray Strack, Tim Burr, Jim Nasium & Bill Ding

These jet-flying, kiss-stealing, aviator-shade wearing badasses love to kick ass and party at the Marriott. Before their 8-person tag match this week, the Rough Riders cut a promo which likely made most viewers hope it’s not the last time they see this intimidating faction.

The Rough Riders did have some tough competition on this night. A foursome of wrestlers who somewhat resembled Josh Alexander and the Rascalz all seemed to have descriptive ring names. Lumberjack Tim Burr, Phys-Ed teacher Jim Nasium, construction worker Bill Ding, and racecar driver Ray Strack provided the opposition for the Rough Riders and all of them were amazingly committed to their gimmicks (some serious laugh out loud stuff). Tim Burr would even break out a move never before seen in this time period in an attempt to gain the advantage on the Riders:

Previously, only single ax handles had been seen in the sport. Despite Tim Burr’s offensive innovation, the Rough Riders would pick up the win before bringing the party back to the Marriott.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhygHdQRTS0

Blanche Ardmore (Tessa Blanchard) Invents The DDT

The Double Ax Handle wasn’t the only wrestling move invented during the 8-person tag match this week. Blanche Ardmore, who bears a striking resemblance to Tessa Blanchard, won the match by delivering a new move to Ray Strack.

Color commentator Sexton Hardcastle (Edge’s old independent wrestling name played by Don Callis) noted that the move, which involves the person being dropped on their head, was as dangerous as eating the pesticide DDT or something, and thus we learned how the move got its name.

Johnny Swinger Is Killing The Business

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDJGChI4go
  • Johnny Swinger defeated Buck Gunderson

One wrestler who didn’t adopt a new gimmick for this show was Johnny Swinger, who has been stuck in the 80s since debuting with Impact Wrestling. While normally on the show, Swinger is too old school for modern wrestling standards, in the early 80s, he was a flashy innovator whose approach to the business angered those who favored a more old-school approach.

Sexton Hardcastle spent the whole matching ripping Swinger for his new-school approach. When Impact travels back to the current time period, however, Swinger is going to have to deal with an angry Ken Shamrock.

The Evil Soviets Attack After Blindfold Match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-fRULdA0tU
  • Cowboy Colt McCoy defeated Gama Singh

On a previous not-actually-existent episode of IPWF, Gama Singh burned Cowboy Colt McCoy (Eddie Edwards) with a fireball. As a result, IPWF management booked Singh vs McCoy in a blindfold match this week.

After McCoy would overcome Singh’s attempt to cheat during the match, he won with a neckbreaker. After the match, McCoy was cutting a promo for the working man when he was attacked by Sergei and Bruiser, the evil Soviet Russians.

Muscles McGhee Embarrasses The $300,000 Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Q8oWFY8_o

The $300,000 man has so much money that giving away $3000 to anyone who can slam Kongo Kong is mere chump-change to him even if its life-changing money to someone else.

When Kongo Kong attacked Mr. Atlantis, however, Muscles McGhee, the Canadian Strongman, made the save. Cage slammed Kongo Kong and celebrated with the Maple Leaf to end the segment.

Jazzy Fitbody Rejects Hitmaker Sebastian Baker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHNbw5lvM1I
  • Jazzy Fitbody defeated Agnus Beerheart

The popular babyface Jazzy Fitbody used all of her aerobic exercise routines to gain an advantage on her opponent this week. She defeated Agnus Beerheart with a splash from the second rope.

Hitmaker Sebastien Baker wanted Jazzy Fitbody to sign a contract with him after the match. She signed the contract but then quickly hit Baker low and ripped it up. Fitbody then Jazzercised her way to the back to end the segment.

DJ 2 Large Invades The Cock Pit With Captain Joystick and Miss Milehigh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY6TsBV35M0

We saw highlights of DJ 2 Large vs Captain Joystick from a previous episode of IPWF. Joystick seemed to have the advantage but DJ 2 Large then seemed to mount a comeback after putting his RUN DMC-styled hat on. After his hat was in place, 2 Large his a “Platinum Discus” lariat for the win.

Following this, DJ 2 Large appeared on an episode of Captain Joystick’s talk show segment, “the Cock Pit.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q74SuVb5GYY&t=3s

Back To Modern Times Next Week

Impact Wrestling is back to modern times next week. Here is what has been booked for the show:

  • Brian Cage vs Eddie Edwards
  • ODB Returns
  • Rob Van Dam speaks
  • The Rascalz vs Ace Austin & Reno Scum

Impact Wrestling 11/26 Quick Results:

  1. Rip Rayzor defeated Rapid Delivery Pete
  2. The Hard Workers defeated Excessive Force
  3. Johnny Swinger defeated Buck Gunderson
  4. Jazzy Fitbody defeated Agnus Beerhart
  5. The Rough Riders (Blanche Ardmore, Mildred Moore, Georgia Cobb & Lady Bird Johnston) def Ray Strack, Tim Burr, Jim Nasium & Bill Ding
  6. DJ 2 Large defeated Captain Joystick (Last Week)
  7. Blindfold Match
    Cowboy Colt McCoy defeated Gama Singh
  8. IPWF TV Championship
    Loser Leaves Town
    Downtown Daddy Brown defeated Julian Cumberbun (c) – New Champion

Posted November 27th, 2019 in News, TNA. Tagged: , , .

Tessa Blanchard & Daga Get Engaged

Big congratulations are in order for Tessa Blanchard and Daga as the couple got engaged recently. An Instagram post recently published by Blanchard features Daga on one knee and another photo of the ring. Blanchard captioned the photo with the words “My whole heart for my whole life.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GQQH5Ausb/?igshid=1dt2a1037rzsz

Tessa Blanchard and Daga Get Engaged

Earlier this summer, Blanchard posted an Instagram photo of her and Daga. The photo was captioned with: “Keeping the mind healthy is the most important thing. Be aware of who you’re surrounding yourself with. @dagathewrestler – Thank you for being such a positive light in my life and thank you for challenging me each day.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByWz7ftgU8g/?utm_source=ig_embed

Daga and Blanchard’s personal relationship is not addressed on Impact Wrestling. They were both involved in the gauntlet match this week on Impact and were both also in the X-Division ladder match at Bound For Glory. Blanchard earned a future shot at the Impact World Championship on this week’s show.

Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne’s marriage is not acknowledged on Impact programming either. Don Callis will make the odd snide comment to his broadcast partner, however.

Posted November 21st, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: .

Tessa Blanchard Says She’d Like To Face Sasha Banks

Impact Wrestling’s Tessa Blanchard will have a chance to earn a shot at Sami Callihan’s Impact World Championship this Tuesday on AXS TV. Blanchard will face Brian Cage, Michael Elgin, Moose, Daga, and Rich Swann in a 6-person elimination match on this week’s show.

Blanchard took part in a fan Q&A session recently and had some interesting things to say regarding potential future opponents. Highlights of Blanchard’s Q&A session are below:

Perhaps the most notable comment Blanchard made during the Q&A is that she would like to face Sasha Banks someday. Banks’ ring name before signing with WWE was Mercedes KV (real name Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado).

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195863837964165121

Blanchard was asked who her favorite wrestler was as a child:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195860189448151040

She then recommended a couple of talents she works with at WOW:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195860548249956352

Blanchard listed Toronto’s Rebel Nightclub complex and the UK in terms of favorite venues and crowds.

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195861282878107648

On Gail Kim:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195863204926296066

Blanchard was asked and commented on her favorite book:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195864061667360768

This was Blanchard’s response when asked about NWA:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195864638346452997

She also mentioned Kiera Hogan as someone with potential:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195861792842539008

Blanchard noted she is a big fan of Moose’s matches:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1195861523547271168

Posted November 17th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: .

9 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 11/12

Impact Wrestling 11/12 emanated from St. Clair College in Windsor, ON, Canada. The main event of the show was a match for the Impact tag team championships as the North defended against Eddie Edwards and Naomichi Marufuji.

Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 11/12:

The North Retain Their Tag Titles Against Eddie Edwards & Naomichi Marufuji

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbhurBB7tcE
  • Impact World Tag Team Title Match
    The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) (c) defeated Eddie Edwards & Naomichi Marufuji

Ethan Page and Josh Alexander successfully retained the Impact tag team championships in the main event this week. They defeated two men who know each other well from Pro Wrestling NOAH, Naomichi Marufuji & Eddie Edwards. It was a clean win for the North, who Don Callis is calling the greatest tag-team in wrestling today.

The North is getting close to having cleaned out the division. We’ll have to see if another team steps up to Page and Alexander in the coming weeks.

Brian Cage Rescues Tessa Blanchard & Rich Swann

  • oVe (Madman Fulton & Sami Callihan) defeated Rich Swann & Tessa Blanchard

Madman Fulton and Sami Callihan managed to get the victory over Tessa Blanchard & Rich Swann in tag-team action this week. After the match, Callihan and his monster continued the beatdown on Swann and Blanchard but Brian Cage returned and made the save.

It was later revealed that Brian Cage, Rich Swann, Tessa Blanchard, Daga, Michael Elgin, and Moose will compete in a 6-person elimination match next week with the winner earning a shot at Sami Callihan’s Impact World Championship.

Rob Van Dam & Katie Forbes Enjoy A Good Hot Tub

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/1194429047691980800

Rob Van Dam cut a promo from his hot tub along with Katie Forbes again this week. RVD stressed that he’s only saying the same things he’s been saying his whole career about his ability. He would continue to say the business has changed and that he is the one who changed it.

RVD said he’ll be on Impact next week, though an opponent or match has not been announced.

Trey Earns X-Division Title Shot, Ace Austin Impressed With His Mother

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIORDrKUY9g
  • Impact X-Division Title #1 Contendership Six-Way Match
    Trey defeated Aiden Prince and Brent Banks and Petey Williams and Rohit Raju and Willie Mack

Ace Austin is the X-Division champion and his rivalry with Eddie Edwards is in his rearview mirror. So what’s next for this young blue-chip prospect who already has gold around his waist? It looks like Trey from the Rascalz will be his next challenger and Trey’s mother his next target.

Trey opened up Impact this week winning a multi-person X-division #1 contender match. In the audience was his mother and Ace Austin suggested on commentary he’d like to see more of her.

Havok Wins Squash, Interacts With A Living Su Yung Backstage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzuz9hDEjcA
  • Havok defeated Krystal Moon

On a previous episode of Impact Wrestling, Havok wrapped a noose around Su Yung’s neck and flung her over the side of a stairwell. A vignette would show the undead bride waking up and being very much alive, however.

After Havok disposed of her competition this week, she ran into a more alive version of Su Yung backstage, who seems to be having issues with her memory.

Johnny Swinger Pulled An Old School Rib on Ken Shamrock

Johnny Swinger is a throwback to another era of pro-wrestling. Some aspects of the business Swinger had grown accustomed to are no longer considered acceptable by today’s standards. Wrestlers defecating in each other’s bags is one of those things. Swinger pulled that very stunt this week. He thought he was leaving a special surprise in Petey Williams’ bag but it turned out to be Ken Shamrock’s bag instead. This likely won’t end well for Swinger.

Moose Is Good At All Sports

In recent weeks, Moose has been showing the world what a talented athlete he is. Moose has been doing his own version of the famous Mr. Perfect vignettes only with a unique twist to them. While Mr. Perfect would showcase his near-perfect athletic ability at multiple sports, Moose just generally uses brute strength and bullying techniques to make things go his way. This was the case this week as well when Moose took on a tennis pro at his own sport and won.

Daga Defeats Former X-Division Champion Jake Crist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFW94wOfV10
  • Daga defeated Jake Crist

Daga picked up a win over the former X-Division champion Jake Crist this week. Daga was in the ladder match at Bound For Glory recently where Crist dropped his title to Ace Austin. It’s a big win for Daga who seems to be moving up the Impact rankings quickly as of late. He’ll be in the 6-person elimination match next week for a shot at Callihan’s world title.

Next Week On Impact Wrestling

It was announced this week on Impact that next week there will be a 6-person elimination match with the winner earning a title shot against Sami Callihan. Michael Elgin, Rich Swann, Brian Cage, Tessa Blanchard, Daga, and Moose will all compete in the match.

Quick Results:

  1. Impact X-Division Title #1 Contendership Six-Way Match
    Trey defeated Aiden Prince and Brent Banks and Petey Williams and Rohit Raju and Willie Mack
  2. Madison Rayne (w/Kiera Hogan) defeated Alexia Nicole
  3. Daga defeated Jake Crist
  4. oVe (Madman Fulton & Sami Callihan) defeated Rich Swann & Tessa Blanchard
  5. Havok defeated Krystal Moon
  6. Impact World Tag Team Title Match
    The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) (c) defeated Eddie Edwards & Naomichi Marufuji

Posted November 13th, 2019 in News, TNA. Tagged: , , .

8 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 11/5

Impact Wrestling was back on AXS TV last night for the second episode in their new Tuesday night at 8 p.m. time slot. An 8-person hardcore tag match would headline the show from St. Clair College in Windsor, ON, Canada.

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 10/5.

Has Rich Swann Earned A Shot At Sami Callihan’s Title?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1s9sXZw5d8
  • Rich Swann, Tessa Blanchard, Daga & Tommy Dreamer defeated Dave & Jake Crist, Madman Fulton, & Sami Callihan (OVE)

Rich Swann may have earned himself a shot at the Impact Wrestling World Championship after he pinned champion Sami Callihan in the main event last night. Swann was teaming with Tommy Dreamer, Tessa Blanchard, and Daga going up against all four members of OVE.

The finish of the match saw Swann roll up the champion for the win. Callihan and Swann were engaged in a heated rivalry for much of the year which saw Swann retain the X-division title over Callihan. Now that Callihan holds the Impact World Championship, it looks like Swann has a case for a title shot in the not-too-distant future.

Callihan also can’t keep his eye off of Tessa Blanchard, however, so there is no shortages of challenges for his newly won title.

Referee Cameron Shows What He Can Do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXtX_GpnEGk&t=3s
  • Petey Williams defeated Bhupinder Singh

Impact Wrestling debuted referee Cameron last night. It’s actually somewhat difficult to notice this without being told at first, but Cameron has no legs. He refereed a match between Petey Williams and Bhupinder Singh. After the match, Singh began berating the referee but was then attacked from behind by Williams. Referee Cameron delivered a 619 to Singh, Williams delivered a Canadian Destroyer, and then Cameron hit a 450 splash to end the segment.

Jordynne Grace Is Coming For Taya’s Title

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZgh2QOzut4
  • Taya Valkyrie defeated Madison Rayne

The longest-reigning Knockouts champion of all time, Taya Valkyrie, will generally do anything to get out of defending her title. Jordynne Grace confronted Taya this week about having pinned the champion last week but Taya was not interested in giving “Thick Mama Pump” a title shot. Instead, Taya defeated Madison Rayne but was then confronted by Grace after the match. Grace ended up sending a message to Taya by suplexing John E Bravo on the entrance ramp.

One has to wonder how long before these two will clash with the title on the line.

Alisha Edwards Figures Out Ace Austin’s Game

Alisha Edwards was going to go on a dinner date with Ace Austin this week but she then overheard Austin talking to the members of Reno Scum about how he’s only trying to get into Eddie Edwards’ head. After hearing this, Alisha tells Austin that they should “skip dinner” and just go right to a hotel room.

Once in the hotel room, Eddie Edwards appeared and started beating up Austin. Alisha then grabbed a kendo stick and proceeded to beat Austin out of the hotel with it. Eddie and Alisha then re-discovered their love for one another and made out in the hallway to end the segment.

Joey Ryan “Dick-Flips” Ken Shamrock

  • Ken Shamrock defeated Joey Ryan via submission

Ken Shamrock has faced a who’s who in MMA and pro-wrestling. Now that list includes Joey Ryan’s package. The two met last night in single’s competition and each performer was given a chance to show what they can do in a wrestling ring…as different as those two skillsets might be.

Shamrock made a big comeback after the dick-flip, however, and made Joey Ryan tap to the ankle lock.

Tag Team Title Match Next Week

Last week on Impact Wrestling, Naomichi Marufuji defeated Josh Alexander in single’s competition. This week, The North explained to Marufuji that when they challenged him it was to a tag match. They told him to find a partner and they will defend their titles against him and whoever he chooses next week.

It has since been revealed that Eddie Edwards will be Marufuji’s partner.

Michael Elgin Makes Fallah Bah Tap To A Crossface

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk71b3AqgEU
  • Michael Elgin defeated Fallah Bah

Despite the encouragement Fallah Bah received from the Rascalz last week, he wasn’t able to defeat Michael Elgin this week. Elgin would make Bah tap to a crossface, showcasing another way Elgin has to win a match.

Moose’s Winning Streak Continues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E3OE1PodB4
  • Moose defeated Willie Mack

Moose has been on quite the streak in Impact Wrestling as of late. He’s scored major victories over legends like Rob Van Dam and Ken Shamrock as of late and this week kicked off the show by defeating Willie Mack.

One has to wonder how much longer it will be before Moose is back in the hunt for the World Championship.

Quick Results:

  1. Moose defeated Willie Mack
  2. Michael Elgin defeated Fallah Bah
  3. Ken Shamrock defeated Joey Ryan
  4. Taya Valkyrie defeated Madison Rayne
  5. Petey Williams defeated Bhupinder Singh
  6. Rich Swann, Tessa Blanchard, Daga & Tommy Dreamer defeated Dave & Jake Crist, Madman Fulton, & Sami Callihan (OVE)

Next Week:

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/1191916261015523328
  • Tessa Blanchard & Brian Cage vs Madman Fulton & Sami Callihan
  • Daga vs Jake Crist
  • Impact Tag Team Championships: the North (c) vs Eddie Edwards & Naomichi Marufuji
  • Trey vs Aiden Prince vs Petey Williams vs Rohit Raju vs Willie Mack vs Brent Banks (#1 Contender – X-Division Championship)

Posted November 6th, 2019 in News, TNA. Tagged: , .

Tessa Blanchard Talks Inter-Gender Wrestling, Comparisons To Chyna

Tessa Blanchard took part in an interview with Chris Van Vliet recently and discussed comparisons to her inter-gender wrestling career with the legendary Chyna’s. Van Vliet asked Tessa if she thinks she could possibly win the Impact World Championship someday and Blanchard noted something like that hasn’t been done since Chyna.

“It’s not something that’s really been done since Chyna and that wasn’t even the world title. A lot of people compare me to her, a lot,” Blanchard said. “I don’t know, I think if that were to ever happen, if that were ever to be reality, that would be another way that I can make history in my own way.”

Blanchard also spoke about her passion for inter-gender wrestling during the interview:

“It’s something that I’ve always been passionate about because I trained with the guys, that’s the way I was brought up and I feel like it’s helped my timing, my transitions, my intensity, different things like that but it was actually something (Impact) approached me with and it just worked. It was very natural, not forced, it just worked and I think that’s why I love it so much.”

She specifically addressed her matches with Sami Callihan as well.

“To have the match with Sami, I didn’t know that we were going to be the main event until the night of. They told us that night and I thought they were kidding cause they mess with us all the time, I just thought they were kidding. So, that was special for me, that was my only PPV main event so far and then for it to be an inter-gender match, it’s cool because it’s a cool time for wrestling, it shows that wrestling is evolving.” 

The full interview can be viewed in the player below:

Posted October 23rd, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: .

Jordynne Grace Wants To Be Impact Tag Team Champion With Tessa Blanchard

Impact wrestler Jordynne Grace says that she wants to tag with Tessa Blanchard and challenge for the tag team championships.

Jordynne recently spoke to Fightful where she talked about a number of topics and gave her thoughts on women in Impact Wrestling.

Grace thinks that women in Impact are getting more opportunities now and that the promotion is slowly building up their women’s division. Grace thinks the main event intergender match at Slammiversary between Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard shows that women and men are on the same level in the company.

Jordynne said, “At Slammiversary, they had the main event was an intergender match. So I think they’re definitely starting to build the women just as much as the men at this point. We’re side by side. It’s not like the women’s division is under the men’s division at all. They’re given equal opportunity and they’re putting eyes on both products. I think they have a really distinct vision of what they’re gonna do just by hearing what they say in the talent meetings and hearing what they say to me personally. I’m super excited in the direction everything is going. I think people, maybe they’re not going to be surprised, but they’re going to be really happy with what’s coming up.”

Jordynne says she wants to challenge for the Impact World Tag Team Championship with Tessa Blanchard as her partner. She believes her team and current champions The North (Ethan Page and Josh Alexander) will put on an incredible match.

“So, me and Tessa [Blanchard], we really, really want to tag team and we wanna challenge for the tag team titles. And I think Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, I think it would just be an incredible match. I think it would blow it out of the park. And I think that’d be awesome to see. I don’t know if they’ve ever had an intergender tag championship match like that, but I think it’d be really cool.”

Grace made her debut for Impact Wrestling on November 8, 2018. Before that though, she made a name for herself in the indie scene where she became a regular of Beyond Wrestling, Women’s Wrestling Revolution, SHINE, NOVA Pro, Pro Wrestling Magic, Black Label Pro Wrestling, and several other promotions.

Posted October 15th, 2019 in News, TNA. Tagged: , .

7 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 10/11

Impact Wrestling was inside Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas this week as they continue to build toward Bound for Glory on October 20th. This was the penultimate episode before the PPV and 3rd last before the show moves to Tuesday nights.

Here are 7 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 10/11:

Sami Callihan Piledrives Melissa Santos

The members of OVE were beating down Daga and Tessa Blanchard after this week’s main event. Impact World Champion Brian Cage attempted to make the save but this brought out Sami Callihan and Cage would fall victim to the numbers game.

OVE would then handcuff Cage to the ropes which brought out Melissa Santos to implore them to stop. Callihan would then give Melissa Santos a piledriver in front of a handcuffed Cage to end the show.

Tessa Blanchard Pins The X-Division Champion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHvuxK_HIAU

Tessa Blanchard pinned the X-Division champion in tag team action this week. Blanchard and Daga have each already qualified for the X-Division ladder match at Bound for Glory. Daga took out Fulton on the outside which allowed Blanchard to hit Magnum on “the Golden Draw” for the win.

Ace Austin also qualified for the ladder match earlier in the show and Rohit Raju will face Sabu next week with the winner receiving the final spot in the match.

Tenille Dashwood Gives Taya A Taste Of What’s Coming At Bound For Glory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMBz73vOEUI

In storyline, Taya broke this record a few weeks ago. In reality, Taya will pass Taryn Terrell’s record for longest single reign with the Knockouts championship later this week. Taya is currently sitting at 277+ days as champion, with Terrell’s record 279.

Tenille Dashwood was on commentary as Taya took on Havok this week in Vegas. John E Bravo would cause the disqualification, saving Taya’s title. Havok then took her frustrations out on Bravo. With Havok’s attention on Bravo, Taya hit her with the championship belt.

Dashwood then hit the ring and delivered a beatdown to the champion and gave her a taste of what she’ll get at Bound for Glory.

Ken Shamrock Rescues Stephan Bonnar From Moose

Stephan Bonnar technically defeated Moose via DQ this week after Moose put his hands on an official. Bonnar was busted open during the match, however, and Moose continued the beatdown after the bell.

Ken Shamrock ended up making the save and getting the better of Moose to close the segment. Only one episode left until these two throw down at Bound for Glory. Frank Trigg was going to make the save for Moose but Bonnar prevented him from doing so.

Jordynne Grace Teaches Katie Forbes A Lesson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUimsjCSSvI

Thick Mama Pump picked up a victory over Katie Forbes this week. Earlier in the night, Forbes and Grace interacted in the back when Forbes mistook Grace for someone who might park her car. Grace was generally not impressed with Forbes’ twerking but picked up the win with the Grace Driver.

Ace Austin Got A New T-Shirt…

There is a new take on the Austin 3:16 shirt available from ShopImpact.com. Ace Austin debuted a shirt this week which reads “I Just Banged Your Wife” on the back. This week Austin and Eddie Edwards faced off in a match where the winner would qualify for the X-Division ladder match at Bound for Glory.

With Impact in Vegas, Austin had the members of Reno Scum available to help him in this match. As Reno Scum distracted the referee, Austin loaded a piece of steel into his arm sleeve and hit Edwards in the face with it and pinned him.

The Desi Hit Squad Defeat The Rascalz

Now that the Great Gama Singh has Mahabali Shera in his faction, there might be little stopping them now. Shera dominated the members of the Rascalz and thus allowed for his team to pick up the win.

The loss is a blow to the Rascalz, who will face Dr. Wagner Jr. and two of his teammates to be named later at Bound for Glory.

Quick Results:

  1. X-Division Ladder Match Qualifier: Ace Austin defeated Eddie Edwards
  2. The Desi Hit Squad defeated the Rascalz
  3. Knockouts Championship: Havok defeated Taya Valkyrie (c) via DQ
  4. Jordynne Grace defeated Katie Forbes
  5. Daga & Tessa Blanchard defeated Jake Crist & Madman Fulton

Next Week:

Posted October 12th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: , , .

7 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 10/4

Impact Wrestling from October 5th, 2019 took place inside Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. Michael Elgin vs TJP headlined the show.

Here are 7 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 10/5:

Brian Cage Arrested For Attacking Fan He Thought Was OVE Member

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mON48r1q0jk

Last week on Impact Wrestling, Sami Callihan swung a beer bottle at Brian Cage but missed and hit Cage’s newlywed wife Melissa Santos. This week Cage came looking for Callihan and let his emotions get the better of him.

As Cage hit the ring to confront Callihan, the members of OVE attempted to fight him off while Callihan eventually tried to flee through the crowd. As Cage was near the guardrail chasing after Callihan, a fan patted him on the back and Cage mistook him for a member of OVE. Cage tossed the fan from the stands into the ring area and police in attendance ended up taking him away in handcuffs.

Later in the night, Callihan was seen in the back trying to tell Mellissa Santos what happened was an accident.

Tessa Blanchard Backs Up Daga Against OVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9sjVJc8a6M

Daga qualified for the X-division ladder match at Bound for Glory by defeating Chris Bey this week. X Division champion Jake Crist was at ringside and he and his brother attempted to soften up Daga before the Pay-Per-View after the match. Daga received some backup from another wrestler who has qualified for that match, however, Tessa Blanchard.

It looks like it Jake Crist’s title reign could be coming to an end in Chicago and it looks like Tessa won’t stop until she’s gotten revenge on the members of OVE.

Michael Elgin Is Ready For Marufuji

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5rjvYTfOsg

Michael Elgin has a dream match upcoming at Bound for Glory when he takes on Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji. This week Elgin defeated TJP in the main event and sent a message to his upcoming opponent for the PPV.

Eddie Edwards Teams With His Kendo Stick And Defeats Reno Scum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDnSWip3Grw

Eddie Edwards was seen in the back this week talking with Tommy Dreamer. He told Dreamer that he wasn’t drunk last week at the wedding but had actually been drugged by the members of Reno Scum. He told Dreamer he learned this by watching Impact Wrestling on TV. This also means Edwards has likely witnessed Ace Austin making “advances” on his wife since the summer.

Dreamer offered to team with Eddie to take on the members of Reno Scum this week but ultimately Eddie decided to team with his inanimate object kendo stick named Kenny instead. Not only that, Eddie and Kenny would pick up the victory utilizing some slick double team maneuvers on the Nevada-based tag team. While the win was likely cathartic for Edwards, He’s likely got his eyes on Ace Austin next.

Ace Austin was also seen in the back this week speaking with Alisha Edwards. As usual, Austin was not altogether genuine in his words or actions.

Tenille Dashwood is Ready For Taya But The Champ Has A Plan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYaaC13Bh4o

Tenille Dashwood picked up a win in triple threat action to kickoff Impact Wrestling this week. Dashwood managed to take advantage of Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne’s enemy/friend relationship and pinned Rayne to win the match.

Dashwood will challenge Knockouts champion Taya Valkyrie in Chicago at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view. While Dashwood is coming into the match on a roll, we would see Taya Valkyrie enlist the help of Havok later in the show. Taya was shown in the back explaining to Havok and Father James Mitchell that if they take out Dashwood before Bound for Glory, they can have the title shot in her place.

Moose & Ken Shamrock Come To Blows Ahead of Bound For Glory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vKrc_eiiwo

Moose announced that Frank Trigg will help train him for his upcoming match against Ken Shamrock. Shamrock interrupted Moose’s promo, however, and belittled Moose’s NFL career.

Moose refused to answer questions but Josh Matthews attempted to organize a face-off for a photo-op but the disdain between the two was too intense and things came to blows.

Johnny Swinger Is Stuck In the 80s But Back In Impact Wrestling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqUBO-yIFuo

Johnny Swinger is stuck in the 1980s but despite this managed to pick up a victory over Owen Travers this week in his return to the promotion. We have seen several vignettes in recent weeks featuring Swinger doing “curls for the girls” and generally seeming stuck in a decade fans under 30 never experienced.

In addition to being a regular on the ECW roster, Swinger was also with TNA from 2003-04.

Quick Results:

  1. Tenille Dashwood defeated Madison Rayne vs Kiera Hogan (triple threat)
  2. Johnny Swinger defeated Owen Travers 
  3. Eddie Edwards & Kenny defeated Reno Scum 
  4. Daga defeated Chris Bey
  5. Michael Elgin defeated TJP

Next Week:

Posted October 5th, 2019 in TNA, News. Tagged: , , .

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