wrestling / TV Reports
Himanshu’s Impact Wrestling Review 04.06.23
Image Credit: Impact Wrestling
Loading...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, Eddie Edwards goes one-on-one with PCO, Jonathan Gresham takes on “Speedball” Mike Bailey for a shot at Trey Miguel’s X-Division Championship at REBELLION, The Motor City Machine Guns battle NJPW’s The Mighty Don’t Kneel — TMDK, Bully Ray joins forces with The Good Hands against the trio of Tommy Dreamer, Yuya Uemura and former NHL great Darren McCarty, Kushida collides with Lince Dorado and the IMPACT Wrestling debut of Jody Threat. 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
Location: St. Clair’s College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Date: 6th April, 2023
Match 1: Motor City Machine Guns vs TMDK
Shane Haste attacks Sabin outside to start off and TMDK double team on MCMG but Sabin and Shelley turn things around and take out TMDK with stereo suicide dives. Bad Dude Tito hits a back body drop on Shelley followed by a cannonball by Haste. Haste hits a basement dropkick followed by a Swanton off the ropes by Tito. Haste puts Shelley in a head lock. Tito hits a T-bone Suplex and goes for a splash off the top but Shelley moves away and tags to Sabin who clears Haste with a missile dropkick. Sabin and Shelley hit Haste with a forearm-kick combo followed by a tornado DDT by Sabin for two. Haste turns Sabin inside-out with a facebuster. Tito goes to the top rope but Shelley pushes him off and Sabin hits an assisted suicide dive on Haste and Tito on the outside. Sabin hits a hurrancanrana on Tito and a cutter on Haste. Shelley gets a Crucifix on Haste and Sabin rolls him up for three.
Result: Motor City Machine Guns def. TMDK by pinfall
Rating: ***½
Ace and Bey were backstage waiting for MCMG and sarcastically congratulated them. Sabin challenged them to an Ultimate X match at Rebellion. Ace and Bey agreed.
Eddie Edwards comes up to Kenny King and asked if he will have his back. Kenny said he was his crash test dummy against PCO and nobody was talking about him. He said if Eddie needed back up, call whoever ran over PCO.
Scott D’Amore is backstage and was informed that Josh Alexander just got there. Tommy Dreamer reminds Scott that his invitation to join Team Dreamer was serious. Scott says that’s not happening. Tommy said Scott has a history with Bully Ray and never had a final match. Tommy says it would be an honor for him to have Scott in his team. Scott says what happened, happened and he believes Tommy will do well.
Match 2: Mike Bailey vs Jonathan Gresham
Trey Miguel joins in on commentary. Bailey and Gresham lock up to start. Bailey pushes Gresham in the corner and whips him in the corner. Gresham moves out of the way and hits a dropkick. Bailey and Gresham run across the ropes and have a mid-air collision as we go to commercial break.
Back from commercial break and they struggle for control with their arms locked up before they get to the ropes and have to break it up. Gresham hits a moonsault on Bailey followed by a suicide dive. Gresham rolls up Bailey for a near fall. Bailey gets a Spanish Fly for two. Gresham gets Bailey in a Figure 4 but Bailey turns it around on Gresham before Gresham turns it back around. They roll around until they fall out of the ring. Bailey hits a moonsault on Gresham on the outside. They go back into the ring and Miguel hits a dropkick off the top rope on Gresham and Bailey.
Result: No contest
Rating: ***½
Trey Miguel looks to spray paint them but he sees them both get up and he walks away.
Deaner is backstage with Callihan and says in Step 6 Callihan proved that he can take a punishment like a man. But 2 weeks ago, Callihan cost them the match against Time Machine. Callihan says he sacrificed himself. Deaner asks if this was a ploy. Callihan says from day one he has done everything they have asked of him. Callihan says they can walk away or believe in him and move on to Step 7. Deaner says Step 7 is the deadliest of them all. Deaner says he needs to eliminate all other authority in his life. Callihan asks how is he going to do that. Deaner tells him to figure it out.
Bailey, Gresham and Trey are arguing backstage. Santino Marella says at Rebellion they will have a 3-way match. Trey said he just won in a 5-way match. Santino says it will be an elimination-style match. Dirty Dango says he can help them as he has been in a lot of 3-ways. Trey looks disgusteddly and walks off.
Match 3: Jody Threat vs Tara Rising
Jody Threat gets Tara in a headlock. They show footage of Santino backstage lying on the floor. Jody whips Tara in the corner and hits multiple clotheslines. Jody hits multiple forearms followed by clotheslines. She throws Tara on the middle rope and hits a German Suplex. She hits a F416 and gets the win.
Result: Jody Threat def. Tara Rising by pinfall
Rating: **¼
They go backstage where Dirty Dango is with Santino and Scott D’Amore shows up. Dirty Dango says The Design did this. He asks Scott to get a match against The Design. Santino says he needs to stand up for himself and says he, Dango and Hendry will face The Design.
Gia Miller is backstage interviewing Tasha Steelz. Gisele walks up to Tasha and says she does not appreciate Tasha getting into their business just because Savannah ditched Tasha. Tasha says she ditched Savannah. Tasha says if Gisele wants to take care of business they can do it next week. Gisele says Tasha has bitten off more than she can chew.
Match 4: Bully Ray and The Good Hands vs Tommy Dreamer, Yuya Uemura and Darren McCarty
Tommy Dreamer and John Skyler start off and Dreamer has Skyler in an armwringer but Skyler gets out of it and tags to Hotch. Dreamer tags to Yuya who hits an elbow drop for two. Hotch tags to Skyler. Yuya tags to Dreamer. Bully knees Dreamer in the back and Hotch and Bully step on Dreamer’s neck. Hotch and Skyler hit an elbow drop on Dreamer. Tag to Bully and he taunts Dreamer. Bully looks for the Bionic Elbow but Dreamer gets out of it and tags to Darren McCarty who hits a Lou Thesz Press on Hotch and clears the ring. Yuya hits a crossbody on the outside. Darren challenges Bully to get into the ring but Bully retreats. Skyler attacks Darren from behind but Darren reverses a whip and hits a Stunner for the win.
Result: Tommy Dreamer, Yuya Uemura and Darren McCarty def. Bully Ray and The Good Hands by pinfall
Rating: ***
After the match, Kenny King comes out for the attack before Kazarian comes out, then Masha Slamovich comes out to the ring and Killer Kelly attacks Masha. The heels are cleared out of the ring with the faces in the ring.
We get a video package on Josh Alexander’s record-breaking World Title reign.
We see photos from Jordynne Grace’s bodybuilding competition.
We see highlights from NJPW Multiverse United where Deonna Purrazzo won a 4-way match for the No. 1 contendership match at Rebellion.
A promo by Deonna who says she went from being a 2-time Knockouts World Champion to a tag team champion with her best friend to nothing. She says for most people that’s a bad thing, but for the Virtuosa, it’s a blank canvas. She says she proved she was prepared when she won at Multiverse United. She says Jordynne Grace has never defeated Deonna Purrazzo, but Deonna has never beat Mickie James. Deonna says at Rebellion she will be a 3-time Knockouts World Champion.
Match 5: PCO vs Eddie Edwards
Eddie digs his thumb into PCO’s eyes. Eddie climbs to the top but PCO hits a Frankensteiner off the top as we go to commercial break.
Back from commercial and they’re on the outside and Eddie goes for the Tiger Driver but PCO flips him over. Eddie hits a German Suplex but PCO gets back up and clotheslines Eddie. PCO goes to the top rope but Eddie hits a superplex. Eddie hits chest slaps on PCO but PCO no sells it and opens his shirt to reveal his bare chest. Eddie and PCO exchange chops until PCO grabs Eddie by the throat and pushes Eddie outside the ring and then hits a Suicide Dive on Eddie. PCO hits a chokeslam on Eddie as we go to commercial break.
Back from commercial and PCO places Eddie on the apron and hits a Swanton on Eddie. PCO rushes towards Eddie in the corner but Eddie pulls the referee in front of him who takes the splash from PCO. PCO hits a reverse DDT and climbs the ropes but Alisha comes out and begs PCO to stop. She then hits PCO with a kendo stick. Eddie Edwards hits the Boston Knee Party for the win.
Result: Eddie Edwards def. PCO by pinfall
Rating: ***¼
After the match, Alisha and Eddie kiss. PCO gets back up and chases Eddie who run away. PCO chases Eddie and Alisha to the parking lot who drive away from the arena.
Matthew Rehwoldt and Tom Hannifan run down the card for Rebellion.
Scott D’Amore is in the ring with Maclin and Kushida. Scott says sometimes reigns end abruptly. He says every ending brings a new beginning and at Rebellion we will crown a new IMPACT World Champion, and it will be either Kushida or Steve Maclin. He says there is one more order of business they need to take care of, and that is for the current champion to relinquish his title. He welcomes to the ring Josh Alexander.
Josh Alexander comes out to the ring wearing a sling with his wife and son. Scott says all the times he has stood in the ring with Josh, this is by far his least enjoyable. Josh says it wouldn’t be appropriate to come out here and not talk about opportunities. He said thousands of wrestlers walk away from opportunities. He said he grinded on the Canadian independents for years to get this opportunity. He said 4 years ago he signed a contract in this arena. He said he has busted his ass to pay back people like him and IMPACT for giving him the opportunity. He said he always worked harder than he peers because he knew his work ethic was what was going to set him apart which is why he became the longest reigning IMPACT World Champion. Josh says from the moment IMPACT announced their return to Canada he had this date marked. He said he had fully intended to defend this title in this ring in front of the same people who saw him grow as a wrestler. He said his triceps injury stopped that and now he will watch as a fan and at Rebellion they will crown a new World Champion. He says Kushida is one of the best pro-wrestlers in the business and he knows the damage that the Hoverboard Lock can do and he knows Kushida can make Maclin tap out. Josh said he may not agree with Maclin’s methods but he has earned his shot at the title and we will find out at Rebellion if he has what it takes to be Champion. He warns both of them that if they are Champion by the time he comes back he is coming for them. He says he has too much respect for the title. He is about to hand over the belt to Scott but Josh’s son grabs the title. Josh takes the title and hands it over. Maclin tells Scott to hand over the title. He says Josh fears Maclin and this is his way of walking out. He tells Josh’s son that his father is no hero. Scott says Maclin is challenging Josh now because he knows Josh is in no position to fight. If he wanted to fight he would’ve challenged him when Mike Bailey or Bobby Fish did. Scott says Josh challenged Maclin to a match but Maclin didn’t do it, he tucked tail and run. Scott says Maclin is so confident of winning but a couple of weeks ago, Kushida made Maclin tap out. Maclin says he’s not an idiot, he’s not going to put his pride on the line in a match where there is nothing from. Maclin says he tapped by his own choice and at Rebellion, he is going to be beat Rebellion. Kushida gets Maclin in a Hoverboard Lock but Maclin gets out of the ring and Kushida clears him with a somersault. Kushida poses with the title to end the show.
