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Welcome to the Impact Wrestling report for Friday 6/14. I am filling in for the vacationing Stu Carapola, who is off backpacking through Parts Unknown!
Impact emanates this week from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City and we open up with a shot of the NYC skyline before running through a quick recap of everything that has gone down in recent weeks as the company heads towards Slammiversary in Dallas.
The North vs. Rob Van Dam & Sabu (with Super Genie)
BIG pop for Sabu and RVD. Sabu started out with Josh Alexander, who was cautious. He tried to out-wrestle Sabu but was nailed with a big right. RVD tagged in with a legdrop over the ropes. He nailed a suplex for a two count. The North took control and worked over RVD, who came back with a spinkick and an armdrag on Ethan Page. Van Dam ducked a clothesline and used a takedown. Sabu and RVD nailed Rolling Thunder. Sabu flung a chair at Page. Van Dam covered him for a two count after dropping Sabu atop of him. The North cut off RVD and began double-teaming him. Alexander began working over Van Dam’s leg. He nailed a suplex for a two count. They worked over RVD for a long time as Sabu was dying to get in the ring. Page missed a charge in the corner and was kicked by RVD. Sabu made the hot tag and began flinging chairs into The North’s faces. Sabu and RVD worked over Alexander but Page made the save. Sabu and RVD brought a table into the ring, getting a “ECW” chant. They set up to do a double legdrop through the table but Moose ran out and knocked RVD off the top to the floor. Sabu hit the Arabian Facebuster through the table anyway. Moose interfered and allowed The North to double team Sabu and pin him with a double team Styles Clash variation.
Your winners, The North!
Fun match. The North are a great tandem. RVD and Sabu dished out a lot of punishment here. Given all the mileage on Sabu’s body, he had a good showing. RVD looked good as well.
Dreamer hit the ring and attacked Moose after, tossing him in the ring. Van Dam teases a Van Terminator, but Moose escapes.
In the back, Jim Mitchell is talking to Havok and Su Yung. They are coming up next.
Backstage in a hallway, Moose is berating The North for not saving him when he was potentially going to be hit with the Van Terminator. They’ve had enough of him and Ethan Page tells Moose he is lucky Page doesn’t let Josh Alexander take him out. They walk off. Moose says he will take out the ECW guys himself starting with Tommy Dreamer.
Havok (with James Mitchell and Su Yung) vs. Masha Slamovich.
Havok drilled the Slamovich with a clothesline and worked her over. She nailed a snap suplex and then flung her by her hair across the ring. Masha made a comeback but was kicked down. Havok nailed a tombstone and scored the pin. Good squash match.
Jim Mitchell cut a promo, saying that he had to unleash his kaiju queen Havok, his secret weapon to get back Su Yung after Rosemary put her hands on Mitchell. He said that to pay Havok back for helping him by making sure she becomes the next Impact Knockouts Champion. He said that Rosemary’s carcass will be the launching pad for that. Mitchell’s delivery is great.
Gama Singh introduces his son, Raj Singh.
Cody Deaner (with Cousin Jake) vs. Raj Singh (with Gama Singh)
A short back and forth match. Cousin Jake went after Gama on the floor when he tried to interfere and Singh acted like he was feigning a medical emergency. That allowed Singh to drill Deaner with a Rocker Dropper type move and score the pin. Fine for an undercard storyline. Singh looked solid and Deaner has always been very good.
Melissa Santos interviewed Michael Elgin. No acknowledgement of her marriage to Brian Cage. Elgin promises to take out Willie Mack. Johnny Impact arrives with John E. Bravo and mocks Elgin by saying he’s calling the hospital and there’s no Willie Mack listed. He tells Elgin that if he needs some help, he knows who to come to. Elgin says he doesn’t need help from Impact and certainly not from Bravo. He walked off. Impact is miffed Elgin didn’t praise the blonde highlights in his hair so Bravo does so. Impact has really found himself in his current role.
After a commercial, they air a Rosemary promo from somewhere. She warns Jim Mitchell that he has a history of trying to acquire monsters he can’t control. Nice Abyss reference. She says there’s a mission to return the Knockouts title to her hive and Mitchell has put them on a collision course with each other.
Josh Mathews and Don Callis run down the Slammiversary matches and note that The North will challenge LAX for the Impact Tag Team titles the night before at the Bash at the Brewery event.
Backstage, Masha Slamovich comes into the women’s locker room and sits down, hurting. Alisa Edwards offers her water when Sami Callihan storms in and remarks how much nicer the women’s locker room is to the men’s locker room. Alisha tells him he cannot be there and he smarmily remarks that he thought everything was supposed to be equal now. Tessa Blanchard steps in the middle of this and tells him he doesn’t belong in there. He said that’s just like she didn’t belong in the ring attacking his boys. Blanchard said she belonged right there kicking their asses and told him to bring Jake Crist to the ring next week. Callihan held up his baseball bat and said he’s glad they did this “the easy way” and walked out. Everyone involved here did a really good job. The Tessa thing works because she’s believable as a competitor again OVE. Callihan does a great job playing the white trash, despicable villain.
Madison Rayne vs. Jordynne Grace
Keira Hogan came out to commentate. Lot of chants for Grace. Grace used her power early to keep Rayne off balance. Rayne took a nasty looking bump to the outside. Grace shoulderblocked her down when she returned to the ring, then hit a long delayed vertical suplex. Grace nailed a series of clubbering blows and locked on some unique submissions. Rayne nailed several kicks and a dropkick. They battled outside on the apron. Back in the ring, Rayne nailed Grace with a crucifix bomb for a two count. They battled in the corner. Grace caught him and nailed the muscle buster for a two count. Rayne battled back but was nailed with a clothesline. Grace went to the ropes but had words with Hogan. Hogan distracted her by coming towards the ring, which allowed Rayne to escape a hold and drill her for the pin.
They air a video package on the Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross storyline.
The Sandman vs. Killer Kross
Killer Kross was in the ring. Sandman hit the ring from the crowd from where he was signing autographs but was cut off with a right hand. They rang the bell. Kross worked him over but Sandman made a comeback and worked him over with punches in the corner. Sandman began caning Kross. Kross ducked a shot and locked in a choke. Sandman tried to nail him with the cane but was choked out. The referee stopped the match. This was short and probably all Sandman could do, honestly but it made sense to use him as the aging veteran to put Kross over.
Eddie Edwards hit the ring with a ton of fire and clotheslined Kross over the top to the floor. He challenged him to return to the ring, wielding the cane but Kross walked out.
LAX are in their clubhouse, which looks mysteriously like the bar at the Melrose Ballroom. LAX are celebrating but Konnan isn’t having it, warning them they didn’t take The Rascalz seriously and because of that, they almost lost to them. Santana blew that off, saying the person who pinned them wasn’t even in the match and praise LAX’s accomplishments. The Rascalz stroll on in and want a rematch and they don’t care which two of them are in the match. Santana gets shoved and there’s a brawl that ends with LAX beating them all down. LAX tells them they got their rematch. As they prepare to walk away from the beaten down Rascalz, Laredo Kid makes his Impact return and leaves with LAX but not before robbing one of the Rascalz of a wallet.
Scarlett Bordeaux, with Fallah Bah, has Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie and Johnny Bravo as her guest on a pre-taped Smokeshow. Scarlett has Fallah open a bottle of champagne. She drinks from the bottle. Taya is completely disgusted at being here. She is asked about having the pants in the house now that she is the only Champion in her household. She blows off the question and says whatever happens in Slamtown, stays in Slamtown. Okaaaaaaaay….Scarlett then tells her that she’s really over with the office and spends lots of time with them (NOW, THAT WAS FUNNY given the behind the scenes issues) and learned Taya has to defend her title every 30 days or she will be stripped. She also knows that if Taya doesn’t wrestle “next week” she will lose the title and that she’s going to have to wrestle Su Yung. Taya is pissed and storms off, but not before she grabs a bottle of alcohol to take with her. Bordeaux is far better utilized in the role of the antagonist then she is in the ring in my opinion, but this was the weakest thing on the show in my opinion. It just felt forced and rushed.
The announcers officially announce LAX vs. The Rascalz for Slammiversary.
Michael Elgin vs. Willie Mack
A good back and forth match. Elgin worked over Mack on the floor and tossed him back into the ring for a two count. Elgin locked on a side chinlock and scored several two counts but Mack kept kicking up. Elgin worked him over in the corner but Mack kicked him off after being whipped into the corner. Mack nailed a spinkick and slammed Elgin. He nailed a big legdrop for a two count. Mack nailed a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Mack went for a stunner but it was blocked. Elgin drilled him with several strikes and a superkick. Elgin nailed a superplex off the top for a two count. Elgin missed a charge into the corner and nailed his shoulder into the ring post. Mack went for a dive but Elgin pulled Rich Swann in the ring, then slammed Swann on the ring apron. Elgin nailed a bucklebomb and a sit-down powerbomb for the pin.
Your winner, Michael Elgin!
Really good match.
Elgin went to powerbomb Mack but Swann attacked him. Johnny Impact got involved and he and Elgin laid out Mack and Swann. Elgin and Impact shook hands but Elgin then turned on him and nailed a German suplex, leaving Impact laying as well. He powerbombed Mack on the floor into the ringpost.
Elgin stands tall as they fade to black….
Overall, a solid episode but there seemed to be some audio mixing issues on the episode. At least the right show aired this week and with Pursuit TV, that’s probably a minor miracle.
Rich Swann vs. Johnny Impact vs. Willie Mack, Moose vs. Tommy Dreamer, Tessa Blanchard vs. Jake Crist, Taya vs. Su Yung have been officially announced for next week.
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