Cazer’s Impact Wrestling Review 11.18.21

It’s Thursday Night ladies & gents and we’re in store for a helluva night of Impact Wrestling. We are just a few days away from the next Impact wrestling live special Turning Point this Saturday. Before we get there we have a dream match set for tonight’s show. Josh Alexander has been pissed for weeks after Moose cashed in and stole the Impact championship from Josh at Bound for Glory. Before Josh can get his revenge on Josh he has a score to settle with the legendary Minoru Suzuki first. Suzuki has been a thorn in Josh’s side since appearing for Impact weeks ago. This match is bound to be a banger and could easily main event a pay per view, we’re fortunate to get it on Thursday night.

Also set for Impact tonight we’ll see Cassie Lee and Jessie Mckay take on The Undead Bridesmaids. Last week the Undead Bridesmaids couldn’t take out The Decay so now they’ve got to deal with the Knockout tag team champions. The Champions will look to make this a quick matchup as they have to defend their titles this Saturday. The Good Brothers will also be defending their titles this Saturday against the Bullet Club. We’ll get a preview of that match tonight when big Doc Gallows takes on Hikuleo in a singles match. Steve Maclin will face Laredo Kid in singles action as well that could have championship implications, if Maclin wins then Laredo Kid’s X Division championship match against Trey Miguel will become a triple threat match!

All this and more on tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling. Make sure to join everyone in the comments to let us know what you think of tonight’s episode and who you got in their respective matches this Saturday!

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active. If you’d like to make a donation, that would be awesome! Thank you to everyone who’s done so thus far.

Before the Impact: Brian Meyers defeats Sam Beale in a singles match and hits him with a conchairto post match. Willie Mack and Rich Swann make the save but the damage is already done. 

– Impact opens with a promo from Moose running down the challengers from last week’s main event and their issues with Moose. We see some highlights and the stare down between Moose and Eddie Edwards.

Steve Maclin vs. Laredo Kid
If Steve Maclin wins he gets added to the X-Division Championship match

Laredo takes control of this one early but Maclin wrestles out. We get a wristlock from Laredo and he transitions it into a sweet submission but Maclin fights out and slams Laredo to the mat. Maclin with a roll up for one. Laredo with a school boy of his own but its only good for one. Both men to their feet and recompose themselves. Lockup in the center and Maclin sends Laredo into the ropes drops down leap fog, Laredo rolls through and takes Maclin out of the ring with a huricanrana. Laredo dives but Maclin dodges. Laredo lands on his feet but eats a tope from Maclin going through the bottom rope. Maclin sends Laredo back into the ring and covers for a two count. Maclin tells a fan to kiss his ass and then goes for a german suplex on Laredo but Laredo lands on his feet and hits Maclin with some strikes. Maclin fights back and hands Laredo up in the tree of woe. He looks to slide into Laredo but Laredo sits up just in time. Laredo kicks Maclin in the face keeping him outside. Laredo with a dive from the top rope onto Maclin on the outside. Laredo tosses Maclin in and covers but Maclin kicks out at one. Maclin in the corner and Laredo kid hits him with a michinoku driver in the corner and follows it with a moonsault and hits a second one moments after for a two count. Laredo stomps away at Maclin and climbs to the top he looks for a third moonsault but Maclin moves, Laredo lands on his feet but eats a running knee from Maclin. Maclin with the cover 1…2.. no Laredo kicks out just in time. Maclin to his feet lifts Laredo up for a suplex but Laredo reverses out. Both men hit some stiff forearms and follows with reversals and Laredo drops him with a slam. Laredo with a cartwheel into a DDT but Maclin gets back to his feet and drops Laredo with a huge clothesline. Double count but both men to their feet. Laredo hits a reverse rana on Maclin for a two count. Laredo Kid stomps away at Maclin and climbs to the top rope, Maclin drops his legs out from under him and Laredo falls into a tree of woe. Maclin hits the spear on Laredo hung up in the corner. Maclin hits Mayhem for all and covers Laredo Kid 1…2…3! That it Maclin wins!
Rating: **3/4
Review: This was a solid singles opener between Maclin and Laredo Kid. Hopefully Maclin can finally win a multi man match and become champion so he has no more excuses. Maclin looked fantastic in this match and Laredo Kid is always awesome. I love how Impact consistently opens with great x division matches. 

– We get a recap from the attack on Sam Beale on Before the Impact earlier tonight.

– We go backstage and see Beale getting loaded into an ambulance. Swann says this is not what we do around here, he says Beale came here to make a name for himself and Meyers did this. Swann says he wants Meyers in a singles match at Tuning Point and he’ll take him under his learning tree.

– Trey Miguel is backstage and discusses Maclin getting involved in the championship match. He says at Turning Point he’s going to make it a point to pin Maclin so he has nothing to complain about.

– Gia catches up with Ace Austin and Madman Fulton and asks if he accepts Sabin’s match. Austin says his silence should’ve answered the question he’s not doing it because she can read the shirt, he beat Chris Sabin. Sabin walks up and says Ace looks ridiculous, he’s supposed to be the future. He tells Ace if you can beat him without cheating he should accept the challenge and prove himself. Austin says he has nothing to prove and he accepts but why do it at Turning Point and a brawl breaks out. Sabin takes the upperhand but Fulton fights back. Fulton charges Sabin and runs head first into a locker of some sort and gets locked in there. Sabin toys with him and knocks on the door before walking away. Pretty fun way to set up the match.

The Iinspiration vs. Undead Bridesmaids

The Undead Bridesmaids get no entrance which is not a good sign of things to come. The Iinspiration look fantastic as always. Cassie and Brandi Lauren start this one off relatively slow. Brandi with a headlock and we get a blind tag from Kimber Lee. She takes control preventing Cassie from tagging in. Cassie exits the ring and runs away. Kimber Lee chases her and Cassie jumps back in to tag Jessie McKay. They catch Kimber Lee off guard and drop her as we go to break.

Back from break and Cassie has control of Kimber Lee. Kimber Lee drops her with a jawbreaker and tags in Brandi. Brandi drops both women with clotheslines and sends Cassie into the ropes before sweeping her feet out from under her. Brandi drops Jessie off the apron and hits Cassie with a dropkick to the outside. Brandi sends Cassie back into the ring and kicks Jessie off Cassie kicks Brandi and drops her. The Iinspiration drop Kimber Lee off the apron and hit Brandi with a double team powerbomb. Cassie covers and 1..2..3! The Iinspiration win!
Rating:**
Review: Nothing too crazy but nothing awful either. Love me some Iinspiration.
Post Match: All four members of Decay come out to the ring and surround the Iinspiration instilling total fear in them before crawling backwards out of the ring. The Iinspiration are shook and I just hope our girls are ok.

– Flashback moment of the week, we get a flashback courtesy of Impact Plus featuring Rhino and Heath vs. Reno Scum at Victory Road 2020.

– A recap from earlier this week and Chelsea Green defeating Alisha Edwards for an opportunity at the Digital Media championship.

– Chelsea is backstage with Matt Cardona. Gia asks her about her match with Jordynne Grace. Chelsea says she knew she wanted the digital media championship and it doesn’t matter who is in her way she’s going to get what she wants. Gia asks what’s next for Cardona. Cardona says Edwards earned it so best of luck to him. He says he came to Impact for opportunities he never got before. He says after Turning Point he wants a title shot. W. Morrisey comes up and says Cardona doesn’t get a title shot because he’s always ready and he’s not getting a title shot because he’s standing in his way. Cardona says sounds like Turning Point is the place to be so he’ll see Morrisey there.

– Eddie Edwards is backstage with Gia and she asks him about his match this Saturday with Moose at Turning Point. Edwards says they have a history and Moose has laid hands on his wife. Moose comes up and beats own Edwards and a brawl breaks out in the back. They fight on the stage and Moose looks for a urinagi off the stage but Edwards fights out and hits Moose with a backdrop on the stage. Moose with a urinagi on the apron. Moose lifts Edwards up and drops him with a powerbomb on the apron. Moose sets up a table on the outside and commentary questions if Moose is doing this so he doesn’t have to fight Eddie Saturday. Moose with a chairshot to Edwards. He wraps the chair around Edwards neck and slams him into the ring post. Edwards removes the chair and fights back slamming it into Moose’ face. Edwards uses the chair and hits Moose a number of times. Edwards lifts Moose up and drops him with a powerbomb of his own. Moose is on the apron and Edwards drops him with a knee that drapes Moose over the table. Edwards teases climbing to the top rope but instead grabs a ladder and sets it up. Eddie slides the ladder back into the ring and smashes Moose in the head with the chair again. Edwards sets the ladder up in the ring and climbs to the top of it. Moose rolls off the ladder and heads to the back. This segment was cool but I don’t love Edwards having the strength to fight back after two rough apron spots. I’m glad they at least saved the ladder dive for Saturday. That’ll be insane.

– Moose is backstage and says if Edwards thinks he’s evil now wait till he sees what he’s capable of at Turning Point. Scott D’Amore shows up and says if he wants to be a tough guy then on Saturday it’s going to be a full metal mayhem match. Scott seems to think he’s affected Moose but Moose did just say he’s about to get more evil so he seems to be alright. 

– Mercedes Martinez says Mickie should’ve known better than to turn her back on her. She said she came to the knockouts division to dominate. The first night she was here she took out three knockouts. She says in two days she’ll beat Mickie and become the new Knockouts champion.

Hikuleo w/ Chris Bey & El Phantasmo vs. Doc Gallows w/ Karl Anderson

Gallows opens this one up with strikes right to Hikuleo sending him into the corner. Hikuleo goes to the outside to create some distance and hits Gallows with a right of his own but Gallows regains control beating Hikuleo around the ring. Gallows tosses Hikuleo into the ring but Hikuleo takes control as Gallows follows him in. Hikuleo tosses Gallows into the corner and both men go for lariats but neither can drop the other. They go back and forth momentarily then El P gets on the apron and Gallows drops him with a right hand. Anderson gets on the apron to dispute this but it just distacts the ref. Hikuleo goes for back to back pinfall attempts but only gets a two count both times. Hikuleo lifts Gallows up and hits him with a big chop. Gallows eats it and Hikuleo hits him with two more but Gallows is unphazed and hits Hikuleo with some chops of his own. Hikuleo with a knee to the midsection and sends Gallows into the corner. Hikuleo with a splash and rips open Gallows vest. Hikuleo smashes him with a stiff chop and it drops Gallows to his knees. Hikuleo chokes Gallows on the ropes and Bey slaps Gallows as the referee reprimands Hikuleo. Hikuleo goes for a cover but only gets a two count. Hikuleo locks in a sleeper hold but the crowd wills Gallows out of this one. Hikuleo drops Gallows and goes for a cover but Doc kicks out at two. Hikuleo locks in a chin lock on Gallows but he can’t get the big man to submit. Gallows fights out and bounces off the ropes he ducks a Hikuleo clothesline and both men drop eachother with not one but two back to back double clotheslines. Both men are down for a count of six before they get to their feet. Hikuleo goes after Gallows in the corner and eats two big boots from Gallows, he follows with a pump kick and a super kick right after. Gallows covers and only gets a two count. Gallows with a splash in the corner and drops Hikuleo with a shoulder block. Gallows covers but Hikuleo kicks out at two. Gallows waits for Hikuleo to get up he goes for his slam but Hikuleo fights out. Hikuleo drops Gallows with a powerslam of his own and follows up with a two count. Hikuleo goes for a firemans carry but Gallows fights out. Gallows hits his finisher on Hikuleo and goes for the cover 1…2…3! Gallows with the victory over Hikuleo!
Rating: **1/2
Review: Solid match, kinda hard to tell which team is the face team, though I think they’re both just keepin it heel and letting the crowd decide. Overall this was a good big man match.

– Gia meets with Deonna Purazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt and asks where Deonna has been. Deonna says she has been home. Gia asks when she will be back but Deonna says everyone doesn’t wrestle every week and she’ll be back when she decides to. Gia says with all due respect she agreed to this interview. Deonna says she’s just here so she don’t get fined. She doesn’t owe the fans anything and it does nothing for her to tell anyone what she’s dealing with. She says they will all have to wait and see what he next moves are.

– Finlay is backstage with Juice and says Vegas has not been kind to them. He runs down their shortcomings thus far in Impact. He says they’re back at the bottom of the tag team division. They’ve been the biggest losers before and been the lowest members of the NJPW roster and overcome it all. Scott D’Amore walks up and says he knows they’ve had a rough patch but they’re former world champions. He says they just lost their focus it’s not about getting knocked down it’s about getting back up. Scott says that on the Turning Point preshow they’ll face Decay in a tag team match.

– We get an Eric Young promo and he runs down Rhino’s history with VBD. He says Rhino made a choice and with choices come consequences. He says Heath and Rhino want them at Turning Point, Eric says it’s fitting because this will be a turning point in their life. Eric says he’s going to set Rhino free again but it will be a permanent freedom. Eric says he will lay Rhino down and lay his partner over him creating a permanent monument of his failures. He says Rhino made the wrong choice and at Turning Point it’s over forever. I questioned this feud last week, and I still have some gripes with it, but i’ll be damned if Eric Young isn’t an incredible promo. This was awesome.

Fallah Bah, Hernandez & Johnny Swinger vs. Decay & The Demon 

Taurus and Swinger kick this one off. Swinger asks for Hernandez bandana and taunts Taurus with it Taurus charges the bandana and Swinger does a great job being a bull fighter. Swinger does it a second time but eats a headbut from Taurus soon after. Taurus tags in Crazy Steve and they hit a double team on Swinger. Steve with a cover but Swinger kicks out Swinger tags in Hernandez who lifts Steve up and rocks him like a baby and gives him a sweet little kiss before smashing him with a powebomb. Fallah Bah tags in and he teases a drop onto Steve, Hernandez says not yet so Fallah does an elbow drop instead. Swinger calls for the tag and goes for an elbow drop of his own. Steve moves and bites Swinger. The demon tags in and drops Swinger with two clotheslines and a strike. Bah attacks the demon but gets dumped outside. Hernandez tries as well but gets dumped as well. Steve and Taurus take them both out with dives to the outside. Demon locks Swinger in a submission and Swinger taps out almost immediately even though it didn’t look painful at all.
Rating: *1/2
Review: That was what it was. A short filler match to give Decay something to do ahead of their match with Finjuice. Not a fan of the Demon but i’m sure people love it. 
Post match: Swinger says he’s reached rock bottom and walks off. John E Bravo is joined by Decay who say they could help bring the old Swinger back if he helps them.

– Jordynne Grace is backstage and says she respect Chelsea Green. Rachel Ellering says Chelsea was in the original championship match but isn’t champion. Grace says she couldn’t do it then and she wont do it now.

– Mickie James is backstage and says she should’ve known better than to trust Mercedes. She says she thought she was coming to help a friend but at Turning Point she will know better. She says Mercedes can be the OG but she’s about to step into the ring with Hardcore country and she better watch out.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Josh Alexander

This one kicks off with a lock up and Josh locks in a wristlock but Suzuki fights out and gets one of his oown. Josh rolls through and takes suzuki with a single leg. Suzuki counters out and goes for an armbar but Josh rolls out and goes for an ankle lock on Suzuki. Josh gets Suzuki on the ropes and the ref forces a count. Suzuki with a kick to the mid section on Josh and hits him with a knee sending him into the ropes. Josh off the ropes and drops Suzuki with a shoulder tackle. Josh lifts Suzuki up and sets Suzuki on the apron. Josh takes Suzuki out with a crossbody to the back of Suzuki sending both men to the outside. Josh back in the ring and Suzuki fights back with an armbar on the ropes. The ref forces a break and Suzuki pulls Josh to the outside. Suzuki tries to hit Josh with a chair but a security guard tries to stop him. Is this the first time security has tried to interrupt something like this, seems like their job. Suzuki drops the security guard and we find out quickly why they dont get involved. Suzuki continues to attack Josh as we go to commercial. Back from break and Suzuki is in control beating Josh up the ramp. Suzuki waits for Josh to get in position and drops him with a running kick to the face. Suzuki lifts Josh up and they exchange strikes outside of the ring. Both men back in the ring and Suzuki hits Josh with a forearm dropping him in the corner. Suzuki stomps at the face of Josh before lifting him to his feet. The crowd is split for this one. Suzuki sends Josh into the opposite corner but Josh catches him with a back elbow to take control. Josh looks for the piledriver but opts to forearm suzuki in the back instead. Suzuki reverses Josh and catches him with a kick to the face in the corner. Suzuki kicks at Josh in the back of the head and smashes him in the face with his palm just toying with Josh. Josh to his feet and he’s getting irritated. Suzuki is trying to get in his head and we get a chop exchange between the two. Neither man can take clearr advantage and it turns from a nasty chop battle to a forearm exchange. Suzuki takes Josh down with a hard forearm/elbow strike to the face. Suzuki lets Josh get up and hits the ropes but catches a boot to the face on his way back. Josh off the ropes and Suzuki ducks to take the back. Josh locks in a sleeper hold. Josh tries to get to the ropes but Suzuki pulls him to the center. Josh begins to fade but he fights back. Suzuki sets Josh up for the gotch piledriver but Josh blocks it. Alexander with the backbody drop to Suzuki sending him to the mat but he’s quick to his feet. Josh catches Suzuki in the corner with a forearm and a firemans carry roll through. Josh with a knee from the middle rope to the back of Suzuki’s head. Josh with an ankle lock on Suzuki in the center of the ring. Suzuki reverses out into a submission of his own but Josh rolls through and gets an ankle lock again. Suzuki fights out and catches Josh with a forearm. Suzuki with two more forearms and locks in the sleeper hold. Suzuki calls for the piledriver again but Josh reverses out Suzuki locks in the sleeper again but Josh reverses out and drops Suzuki with two forearms. Josh hits the C4 spike on Suzuki and covers 1..2..3!! Josh Alexander defeats Minoru Suzuki.
Rating: ***1/4
Review: What a match. This was a great back and forth tv match as was expected. It’s absolutely a dream match. I think these two would absolutely tear it up on PPV and its too bad they couldn’t book this one as the championship match for Turning Point. Screw you Moose!

– John E Bravo is backstage and brings Swinger to meet everyone and says next week on Impact it’ll be Wrestlehouse 2! Well alright then.

– Solid episode of Impact not to be overshadowed by the unfortunate news of even more WWE releases. Check out Drake Maverick/Rockstar Spuds sweet promotional video he put out moments after the news broke. Thanks for sticking with us and all of the feedback until next week!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

All of the wrestling on this show was either really good or relatively short so it didn't matter. Impact kills it with their weekly openers, it's something I have come to count on at the very least. You pair that with a hoss fight and a fantastic main event and it's guaranteed to be a great episode of Impact. I do wish that Impact's backstage segments had a different feel to them but that's really a nit picky thing over a show that overall was pretty good. I'm not a big fan of the Kiss Demon but Swinger is a lot of fun. I'm unfamiliar with the Wrestlehouse gimmick so i'm hoping it'll be enjoyable.