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Himanshu’s Impact Wrestling Review 01.12.23

January 12, 2023 | Posted by Himanshu Doi
Impact Wrestling Eddie Edwards Image Credit: Impact Wrestling
7.8
The 411 Rating
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Himanshu’s Impact Wrestling Review 01.12.23  

Hey there, IMPACT fans! It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for another episode of IMPACT Wrestling. I’m Himanshu (you can follow me on @Himanshu_Doi) and you know how this works. Tonight, IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander and challenger Bully Ray will have a digital face-off ahead of their monumental Championship clash on Friday night, Brian Myers goes one-on-one with Heath, “Speedball” Mike Bailey takes on newcomer Anthony Greene. Savannah Evans battles “The Demon Assassin” Rosemary in Knockouts action, the team of Eddie Edwards, Moose & Steve Maclin takes on Jonathan Gresham, Joe Hendry & Rich Swann and The Design shaves Sami Callihan’s head in an initiation ceremony. So let’s jump right in!

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.

IMPACT Wrestling

Josh Matthews is on a Zoom call with Josh Alexander and Bully Ray. Josh Matthews asked Josh Alexander about Bully Ray attacking Scott D’Amore and Josh says there’s no limit to what Bully Ray would do and he does whatever he wants. Bully Ray said he’s in Josh’s head. Josh admits that Bully is in his head but it doesn’t give him any advantage. Bully says there’s a reason why Scott D’Amore found himself through a table. Because he knew Josh would have to beat him at his own game. He invented the Full Metal Mayhem. Bully says he’s admitted before that he can’t wrestle Josh for 60 minutes. He says Josh is a wrestling machine. He says Josh should’ve wrestled him in a regular match. He asks Josh if he’s wrestled in this type of match before. Josh says he hasn’t. Bully Ray says he’s going to do things to Josh has he’s never felt before.

Match 1: Brian Myers vs Heath

Heath takes Brian Myers in to the corner and Heath hits the 10 punches on the turnbuckle. Brian Myers drops with a Flair Flop and goes to the outside. The ref sees Rhino get involved in the match and ejects him from ringside. Then she does the same to Matt Cardona. Brian Myers has the advantage as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial as Heath takes down Myers with a leg lariat. Heath goes for a Wake Up Call but Myers kicks him and hits the Implant DDT for two. Myers goes for the Roster Cut but Heath kicks him and Myers hits the Spear for two. Myers goes to the top rope but Heath runs to the top and hits a Powerslam for two. Heath and Myers exchange punches and Heath puts Myers on the top rope, but Myers fights out of it and drops Heath. Myers hits an Elbow Drop for two. Heath goes for a quick pin and gets two, then hits the Wake Up Call for the win.

Result: Heath def. Myers by pinfall
Rating: ***
Himanshu’s Hot Take: Solid match with a good closing stretch. Heath and Rhino, I think, would be the least likely team to come out winners at Hard To Kill.

Promo from Ace Austin and Chris Bey. Ace says it’s time that they returned to IMPACT. Ace says they did so well in Japan that it’s clear to IMPACT that they are top contenders. Ace said it would be easy as ABC and 1, 2 Sweet.

Rosemary is backstage and Jessicka comes to find her and brings Rosemary to Taya who had been attacked. Taya says Rosemary needs to go out to the ring with Jessicka and Rosemary is not happy.

Match 2: Rosemary vs Savannah Evans

Rosemary goes on the attack right from the bell. She takes Savannah in the corner and bites her head. She takes Savannah down with a Judo takedown and unloads forearms. Rosemary runs to the second rope and hits a forearm on Savannah. Savannah goes to the outside and Rosemary goes to the top rope and hits a crossbody to the outside as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Rosemary locks the Tarantula on Savannah Evans. Rosemary gets distracted by Gisele Shaw and Tasha on the outside and Savannah hits a Big Boot on Rosemary. Gisele chokes Rosemary as the referee wasn’t looking. Savannah hits a butterfly suplex on Rosemary. Rosemary gets back in it and hits a Slingblade. Rosemary hits a forearm smash in the corner followed by a T-bone Suplex for two. Savannah hits a Spinebuster followed by a bridging Fisherman Suplex for two. Rosemary hits a Spear but she gets distracted by Tasha on the outside. Savannah hits a Full Nelson Slam for the win.

Result: Savannah Evans def. Rosemary
Rating: ***
Himanshu’s Hot Take: Surprisingly good match. Rosemary has been working well of late and you can see the improvement in Savannah Evans too as she’s trying to expand her moveset.

After the match, Gisele, Savannah, Tasha and Jai Vidal beat down on Rosemary and Jessicka.

Our IMPACT Flashback Moment of the Week is Rhino vs Moose from Hard To Kill 2020.

A Taylor Wilde vignette where she says at Hard To Kill, the dark feminine will rise. The People’s Witch, Taylor Wilde.

A promo package for Mickie James recaps her Last Rodeo story. Mickie says no matter what happens, there’s going to be one more moment for Mickie James.

The Design comes to the ring. Cody says Sami Callihan wants to join the Design. In order for that to happen, he needs to go through a process. That process is shaving his head. He calls Sami Callihan out to the ring. The lights turn off and when they come back on, Sami is in the ring with a baseball bat. Cody says the he needs to lose his identity, he needs to lose the bat. He tells Sami to give the bat to Kon. Sami gives the bat to Kon. Cody tells him that was the right choice. Cody tells the story of Samson and how he lost his power when he lost his hair. He asks Sami if he is willing to become weak. Cody says Sami needs to see the process until the end, and it is going to be long and violent. Sami asks if Cody is going to talk forever or if he is going to cut his hair. Alan places a steel chair and Cody asks him to sit. Sami sits on the chair and Alan cuts his hair. Cody says Sami is making the right choices. He says he doesn’t need to care about these people because they don’t care about Sami. Cody takes the clippers and says that this is the right choice and he goes to shave Sami’s head. Sami stops him before shaving his head himself. Cody hands Sami a mirror and tells him to look at what he’s become. Sami breaks the mirror on his head and walks towards Cody with the scissor, before handing it over to Cody. Cody says this is the death of the Death Machine and the birth of Callihan.

Himanshu’s Hot Take: Interesting segment. They were teasing Sami Callihan turning on The Design throughout the segment but it never came. Maybe they plan to stretch out the story until he destroys it from within.

Gia Miller backstage with Gail Kim and Gia asks if Gail Kim is going to fill in Scott D’Amore’s shoes now that he’s gone. Gail says they have found the perfect person for the role and that person will be announced tomorrow at Hard To Kill.

Himanshu’s Hot Take: Three names come to mind: Raven, who will be inducted into the IMPACT Hall Of Fame, Santino Marella, who’s WWE name was recently trademarked by IMPACT and Eric Bischoff who will be at Centre Stage along with Conrad Thompson during Hard To Kill weekend. Based on the three choices, Bischoff would fit the role perfectly.

Match 3: Mike Bailey vs Anthony Greene

Greene gets a single leg Boston Crab but Bailey gets out of it. Bailey hits a twisting Shooting Star Press for two. Anthony drops Bailey into the corner turnbuckle. Greene hits a powerbomb for two. Bailey hits the knees on Greene and hits a spinning kick in the corner followed by Ultima Weapon for the win.

Result: Mike Bailey def. Anthony Greene by pinfall
Rating: ***½
Himanshu’s Hot Take: Another very good match from Bailey. A good showing from Anthony Greene too who would be a solid pick-up for IMPACT for either the X-Division or the Digital Media Championship.

A promo package airs for Josh Alexander vs Bully Ray. Bully Ray compares Josh to Kurt Angle and says even Kurt got beat. Bully Ray says he wants the IMPACT World Title and he doesn’t care what he needs to do to win it. He says he’s going to bury a knife straight into Josh’s back at Hard To Kill. Josh says when it’s all said and done, the only thing that’s going to be left is all the relationships that Bully pissed down the drain and when he loses, no one is going to care.

The commentary team runs down the card for Hard To Kill.

Himanshu’s Hot Take: It is interesting to note that the commentary team announced that the IMPACT World Championship match will open the show. So would Mickie James vs Jordynne Grace main event Hard To Kill? Does that also telegraph the result of the match?

Match 4: Eddie Edwards, Moose and Steve Maclin vs Jonathan Gresham, Joe Hendry and Rich Swann

Joe Hendry says when you think of Friday the 13th you think of bad luck, but when you see dancing Moose and his two backup dancers, the only thing you think of is “We believe”.

Rich Swann takes down Eddie Edwards with armdrags and a spinning headscissors. Swann takes out everyone outside with a moonsault from the apron and Maclin comes in and takes out Swann with a running dropkick as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Swann gets the hot tag to Jonathan Gresham. Jonathan Gresham hits a dropkick from the middle turnbuckle and a springboard somersault. Moose catches Gresham and throws Gresham into Eddie who hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Gresham gets the hot tag to Joe Hendry who hits the Fallaway Slam on Maclin but Moose breaks up the pin. Moose takes the tag from Maclin and Hendry hits a pop-up powerbomb on Maclin but Moose hits a Spear on Hendry for three.

Result: Eddie Edwards, Moose and Steve Maclin def. Jonathan Gresham, Joe Hendry and Rich Swann
Rating: ***½
Himanshu’s Hot Take: Very good main event on the last IMPACT before Hard To Kill. Gresham has been a much-needed signing for IMPACT as he can fit in both the X-Division and the World Title scene. Joe Hendry continues to be one of, if not the, most over faces on the show with the live crowds.

After the match, Eddie Edwards is left in the ring, and the lights go out for a bit and a thunder rumbling sound can be heard. Eddie Edwards looks confused.

7.8
The final score: review Good
The 411
A pretty good edition of IMPACT as we got some good matches, some good promo work and some interesting segments on the final IMPACT before Hard To Kill. The Sami Callihan segment was interesting as it seemed like it was a ruse but it seems like Callihan is now in The Design. Bully Ray had some solid promo work as expected to build to his match with Josh Alexander. Mike Bailey had another good match with Anthony Greene and we got a good main event with Eddie Edwards, Moose and Steve Maclin against Jonathan Gresham, Joe Hendry and Rich Swann. A big thumbs up!
legend

article topics :

Impact Wrestling, Himanshu Doi