Csonka’s Impact Xplosion Review 5.01.20

Csonka’s Impact Xplosion Review 4.25.20

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Brent Banks defeated Tyler Tirva @ 7:10 via pin [**½
– From TNA Victory Road 2011: AJ Styles defeated Matt Hardy @ 18:00 via pin [***¾]
– From Impact Wrestling 5.07.20: Champion Willie Mack defeated Chris Bey & Ace Austin @ 19:05 via pin [***½]

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Brent Banks vs. Tyler Tirva:Tyler Tirva was the Gut Check runner up. This was taped back at the IPWF gimmick tapings at the Don Koloff Arena. They lockup and work to the topes as Tirva shoves Banks away. They work into some counters, separate, but Banks picks up the pace and they work to the corner as Tirva cheap shots Banks. Banks counters back, hits a head scissors and a springboard elbow. He follow with a slam, heads up top and Tirva cuts him off. Banks quickly dumps him, and follows with the suicide dive. Back in and Tirva counters back, stuns Banks of the ropes and posts him, covering for 2. Tirva lays the boots to him, follows with rights and Banks fires back and fake shim out and then hits the sunset flip for 2. Tirva cuts him off, grounding things and attacks the arm. Tirva hits a head stand splash for 2. He grounds things again, Banks fights back and follows with strikes. The clothesline follows and then an uppercut and dropkick. Tirva cuts him off Banks fires back and sliced bread follows for the win. Brent Banks defeated Tyler Tirva @ 7:10 via pin [**½] This was solid stuff as Banks looked good, while Tirva was ok, but felt very generic heel #5 here.

– We go around the ring with Josh interviewing Jake Crist. Jake yells at the production crew to quiet down, and talks about his leather jacket and hair. He still lives in Ohio, as does Josh. Jake feels he’s one of the best wrestlers in Impact, slides under the radar, and he likes tomes around and will be a triple crown champion. Jake talks about beating up some junkies, and while not trained in martial arts, he watches a lot of Kung Fu movies. He plans to become a triple crown champion in the future and that’s that.

AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy w/Ric Flair: Lock up to begin, to the corner they go and they trade rights. Chops by AJ, and works the side headlock. AJ transitions to a front facelock, Hardy escapes and tires to work the arm, and AJ back to the headlock. Takedown by AJ, and keeps control. Hardy to his feet, elbow by Hardy and then AJ gets the dropkick combo as hardy ran the ropes. AJ looks to slingshot to the floor, Hardy stops that, brings AJ in, and then tosses Hardy to the floor. AJ hits the ropes, Flair trips him up, distracts him and that allows Hardy to clothesline AJ out of his boots and cover for 2. Elbow drop by Hardy, forearms follow. Hardy charges, AJ ducks down and Hardy flies to the floor. AJ with a moonsault from the apron to the floor. Rights by AJ, but Hardy pulls AJ into the ring apron and then slams AJ’s shoulder into the steel post. The ref counts, Flair watches on as AJ tries to get back into the ring. Hardy to the floor, rights follow. He whips AJ to the railing, AJ slides UNDER it and then slingshots onto Hardy with a forearm. Back into the ring we go, chops by AJ. Rights follow that, a whip, reversal and AJ tries a German, elbow by Hardy, counters and then Hardy SLAMS AJ into the corner German style. Hardy with elbows to the back of AJ’s head, and then tosses him to the floor. Flair with chops to AJ, rights as well. Flair and the ref get into it, AJ back in and Hardy gets the catapult in the ropes on AJ, and covers for 2. Rights by AJ, but Hardy with the butterfly submission, hanging on AJ. AJ rolls and gets a cover for 2. Hardy really needs to transition to the guillotine here, but AJ gets the ropes. Hardy chokes AJ out with his boot, goes for the move again, AJ slams him to the corner but as he charges, Hardy drops him onto the turnbuckle and then gets a DDT for 2. As Hardy distracts the ref, Flair GRABS AJ’s BALLS. That is just not cool. Elbow drops by Hardy, Hardy then works a cravat, keeping AJ grounded. AJ fights to his feet, rights and chops follow. Off the ropes, and the clothesline each other. Enziguri by AJ and BOTH men are down. They trade rights from their knees, AJ in control and off the ropes, clothesline to Hardy. Another, back elbow and then the Death Valley Driver into the neck breaker for 2. Suplex into a neck breaker by AJ gets 2. AJ sets Hardy, goes up top, Hardy up and AJ jumps over him, but Hardy gets the side effect for 2. Hardy to the second rope, leaps off and gets the elbow. Twist of hate try, countered and AJ with the back slide for 2. Clothesline by AJ drops Hardy, and AJ now looks for the clash. Hardy counters it with the Alabama Slam for 2. Back elbow by AJ, Asai DDT connects, but Flair distracts the ref, and AJ only gets a cover for 2. AJ grabs Flair, Flair pokes him in the eyes, but AJ PELEs Flair. DDT but Hardy, and he sets AJ up, and climbs up top. MOONSAULT connects for 2! AJ slams Hardy to the corner, PELE from AJ as Hardy was on the ropes and Hardy is down. AJ up top…SPIRAL TAP~! 1…2…3! AJ Styles defeated Matt Hardy @ 18:00 via pin [***¾] This was a really good match and the best performance from Hardy in this TNA run. Hardy actually worked a very different style (more of a brawler, used his size against AJ well) than he usually does, which is a good thing because he keeps talking about reinventing himself. AJ is AJ as always, which is a good thing.

Champion Willie Mack vs. Chris Bey vs. Ace Austin: Austin looks to attack, and we’re underway. They work into fast and furious counters for the hot start. Post break and Mack is working over Bey, then Austin and hits the stacked Samoan drop. The standing moonsault follows. Bey & Austin argue, then talk until Austin posts Bey. Back in and Austin cuts off Mack, and grounds him as he attack with his laminated playing card. He dumps Mack, Bey attacks Austin and Mack then cuts off the dive. He follows with strikes, Bey cuts him off with kicks and a RANA. Austin trips him up and they brawl on the floor. Mack follows with a tope. Post beak and Mack is in control, delivering chops to Austin. Bey flies in with a missile dropkick on Mack, Austin cuts him off and grounds things. He follows with knee strikes, and picks up a near fall. Bey fires back with kicks, chokes out Austin and follows with a back suplex for 2. Bey then works over Mack, but Austin cradles him for 2. He follows with kicks, a slam and then the second rope leg drop for 2. They work into a double down, Mack is back in and they all trade strikes. Austin takes control with a flurry, corner strikes as well and then gets cut off by Mack. He follow with corner clotheslines, a cannonball, XPLODER and heads up top. Austin cuts him off and follows him up. Mack fires back, slips out and Bey joins in to German Austin. Mack then cradles Bey for 2. Stunner to Bey and Mack heads up top, The frog splash is countered, RANA by Austin and the fold follows and Bey breaks up the pin. Mack is dumped, Bey follows with kicks on Austin but the fold gets 2 as Mack makes the save. Austin hits trouble in paradise, hits it again but Mack counters the avalanche RANA and the frog splash connects as he retains. Champion Willie Mack defeated Chris Bey & Ace Austin @ 19:05 via pin [***½] It took a while to get going and really get locked in, but once it did, they had a really good match. Mack winning right now I feel was the right call, as was Austin taking the pin to protect Bey,

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 115. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Steve Cook break down the news of the week and then review NXT vs. AEW (5.13.20) & NWA Super Powerrr! The show is approximately 113-minutes long.

* Intro
* News Roundup: 3:51
* NWA Superpower (5.12.20) Review: 41:40
* AEW (5.13.20) Review: 56:55
* NXT (5.13.20) Review: 1:21:25
* The Head to Head Comparison: 1:45:10

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This week’s episode of Impact XPLOSION was an overall good show.