wrestling / TV Reports
Himanshu’s Impact Wrestling Review 10.20.22
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 (@Himanshu_Doi) and you know how this works. The fallout from BOUND FOR GLORY continues this week as The Kingdom defend the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles against Heath & Rhino. With his sights set on IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander, Frankie Kazarian relinquishes the X-Division Title. Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer reunite to battle the Bullet Club in tag team action. Rich Swann and Eric Young renew hostilities one-on-one. Plus, Taylor Wilde takes on Mia Yim. 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.
Juice Robinson and Chris Bey are talking backstage and they wonder where Ace Austin is. Bey walks to the parking lot and sees Ace Austin laid out. Bey and Juice ask for help. Tommy Dreamer comes in as Bey and Juice blames Bully Ray.
WE OWN THE NIGHT!
Match 1: Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer vs Juice Robinson and Chris Bey
Bey and Dreamer start off. They exchange arm wringers and Dreamer hits Bey with a inverted pumphandle slam. Bey with the tag to Juice and Dreamer with the tag to Bully. Juice is fired up and hits him with punches but Bully gets the advantage and lits him with chops. Bully gives the tag to Tommy who gives away the advantage and Juice tags out to Bey. Dreamer slides to the outside where he gets scoop slammed by Juice and thrown back into the ring. Bey with a headlock on Dreamer and whips him into the corner. Dreamer counters, but Bey goes for the Art of Finesse and Dreamer counters with a cutter. Both tag out and Bully drops Bey with a flapjack. Bully hits the spinebuster on Juice for two. Juice goes to the top rope and goes for a splash and misses. Bully hits the Bully Bomb for the win.
Result: Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer def. Juice Robinson and Chris Bey
Rating: **3/4
Review: Decent match. Unfortunately for Bullet Club, they haven’t been booked very strong in IMPACT and always tend to be the guys you turn to when you want to get someone else over, which is a shame because Chris Bey and Ace Austin are both very talented guys. Here’s hoping Chris Bey signing a new contract will turn their fortunes around in IMPACT.
Bully tells Bey after the match that he doesn’t know what happened to Ace but he wasn’t responsible for it.
Rhino and Heath are backstage. Heath says says tonight is the night. He said he made Honor No More’s life a living hell for attacking Rhino. Rhino says he will rip them in half with the gore.
Tommy Dreamer asks Bully Ray to look him in the eye and tell him that Bully didn’t lay out Ace. Both argue as Moose shows up and says that once a scumbag, always a scumbag. Tommy says Moose has no family, not in the NFL, not in IMPACT. He calls Moose a bastard and asks how can he say Moose didn’t do it. Moose says he is a scumbag and if he did it, he would deny it too.
Match 2: Mia Yim vs Taylor Wilde
Lock up between both as they have a back and forth exchange that ends in double dropkicks and a stand off. Lockup and Taylor gets Mia in the corner and gets her with the Monkey Flip. Taylor controls the arm of the grounded Mia. Mia tries to get up but Taylor gets her down again. Mia Yim whips Taylor which is countered and Yim clips Taylor Wilde’s legs as we go into commercial.
Mia Yim drops Taylor with a vertical suplex for two. Whips Taylor into the ropes and a clothesline for another two. Mia hits a gutwrench suplex for another two. Mia unloads with punches and puts her in the bow and arrow. They exchange punches as Taylor whips Mia into the ropes and clotheslines her down. Hurracanrana on Mia. Mia gets a schoolboy for two. Taylor gets a rollup but shoulders were up. Taylor whips Mia into the corner but Mia Counters and boots Taylor in the face. Cannonball. Mia goes for Eat DaFeet but Mia fights out if it and hits the Wilde Ride for the win.
Result: Taylor Wilde def. Mia Yim
Rating: ***
Rating: Good match. Taylor Wilde stood out when she first joined TNA in terms of what she could do in the ring and despite being out of the game for so long, she hasn’t lost a step, so it’s great to see her back. This is Mia’s last match with IMPACT (for now) as her contract ran out.
Mickie James comes out after the match and asks for a mic. She says it is good to have Taylor Wilde back in IMPACT. She says she watched Taylor Wilde as she entered the business in 2007. They were both climbing the ladder together but now they are in the same locker room. As she was speaking, VXT and Gisele Shaw attack them. Jordynne Grace comes out and hits the spinebuster on Gisele Shaw.
Honor No More are seen backstage.
Mickie James, Taylor Wilde and Jordynne are backstage and they challenge VXT and Gisele Shaw next week to a 3-on-3 match.
Match 3: Jason Hotch vs Joe Hendry
Joe Hendry says that with his talent, he can get people to listen to him but he also is a good listener himself and he has been listening to the people and they believe.
Bell rings and Joe Hendry dominates the match. The crowd are behind Joe Hendry as Jason Hotch gets him down and taunts to the crowd but Hendry gets up and hits Hotch with the chokeslam for the win.
Result: Joe Hendry def. Jason Hotch
Rating: *
Review: Little more than a squash match. Joe Hendry was over with the crowd as they were chanting his name all through the match. I’d like them to do more with Jason Hotch though as I think he’s got potential.
Joe Hendry celebrates by chanting with the crowd after the match.
Flashback Moment of the Week is Sabin beating Bully Ray to win the World Title.
Scott D’Amore is out and says Mike Bailey history making reign was ended when Kazarian became a 5-time X-Division champion and the only one to win the X-Division champion in 3 different decades. But he also surprised everyone by exercising Option C. He introduced Kazarian who makes his entrance.
Scott D’Amore says he wants Kazarian to understand that there is no turning back and if he hands his title, the title is immediately vacated. He asks if he is sure this is what he wants to do. Kazarian says he has never been sure of anything more in his life. He recalls when he won the title for the first time in 2004. He says beating Mike Bailey makes it just as special. He said he heard this phrase “Option C”. He says the business has given him a lot but most of all it gave him his wife Traci and his child and he owes it to IMPACT. He says he owes it to the fans and he does everything for them. He begins to realise how proud they are of him. He says he is not fulfilled because he is never been World Champion and it eats at him. He sees men like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle but he sees names that he knows he is better than them and still never won the World Title. All the blood, sweat and tears will be for nothing if he doesn’t win the World Title. That is why he is choosing Option C.
Maclin attacks Kazarian from behind. He hangs Kaz in the corner and hits the Spear. Josh Alexander comes out for the save.
Review: Solid promo there from Kazarian, at least in terms of delivery. Of course, it makes sense that Kazarian would want to be World Champion since he’s never won it. What still doesn’t make sense is why no one else exercised Option C since the last time Josh Alexander did so. Does Mike Bailey have no aspirations of being World Champion?
Alisha asks Eddie where he has been. Honor No More show up. Eddie says he has been thinking and he will make his decision clear soon.
Kazarian and Josh Alexander are backstage and Kazarian tells Josh not to ever trust Bully Ray.
Match 4: Eric Young vs Rich Swann
Eric Young attacks Swann to start with and gets the advantage. Swann counters and hits a kick for two. Swann hits a cutter for two. He is about to go to the top rope but Cody distracts him. Eric looks for the piledriver but Swann counters with the roll up for the win.
Result: Rich Swann def. Eric Young
Rating: **
Review: Okay match. I’m still unsure as to what’s going on with Violence By Design. Are they going to introduce actual wrestlers under those yellow hoods? Has anyone identified who they are yet?
After the match, Violence By Design attack Swann but the lights turned out and when it turns on again, Sami Callihan is in the ring and he clears everyone out.
Rhino and Heath are shown backstage as we go to commercial.
Cardona and Myers are backstage and Cardona says he is proud of Myers and there is more titles for them to collect and they are looking at the tag team championships.
The commentary team goes through the card for next week as VXT And Gisele Shaw takes on Mickie James, Jordynne Grace and Taylor Wilde. The X-Division tournament kicks off as Laredo Kid faces Black Taurus on BTI and Alan Angels faces Trey Miguel on IMPACT.
Match 5: Heath and Rhino vs Matt Taven and Mike Bennett for the IMPACT World Tag Team Championships
We join the match after the commercial in progress as Rhino hits Taven with the elbow and Taven goes to the outside. The Kingdom teases leaving and going to the back as Rhino gets them back. Rhino gets the tag to Heath. Heath continues on the advantage on Mike Bennett as Rhino gets the tag back in. Bennett and Taven attack Rhino’s surgically repaired knee. Taven tags in Bennett and Bennett hits a dropkick on Rhino’s knee. Taven and Mike Bennett hit a clothesline on Rhino for a two count. Bennett drops Rhino with a dropkick to his knee for two as we go to commercial.
Mike Bennett hits a dropkick on Rhino for two. Tag to Taven who hits a side Russian legsweep. Taven goes for the moonsault but Rhino moves out of the way. Rhino tags to Heath who comes in hot. Powerslam to Bennett and goes for the cover but Taven breaks it up. Bennett hits an elbow for two. Bennett and Heath clothesline each other and everyone is down. Vincent comes out an the referee stops them at the entrance. Rhino grabs Heath but gets attacked from behind. Maria pulls out a bag of powder but Rhino moves out and Bennett gets blinded. Taven drops Rhino down. Rhino goes for the Gore but Taven moves out and Maria eats it. Heath hits the Wake Up Call and Heath and Rhino are the new Tag Team Champions.
Result: Heath and Rhino def. Matt Taven and Mike Bennett and become the new IMPACT Wrestling World Tag Team Champions
Rating: **3/4
Review: Solid match and while one can debate whether Heath and Rhino are the best guys on the roster to hold the titles, storyline-wise it makes sense for them to take the titles off The Kingdom as Honor No More were the ones that took out Rhino. Will be interesting to see which way they go for the tag team titles from here with Motorcity Machine Guns also looking for a tag title shot and the Major Players also announcing their intentions of going for the tag titles.
The Kingdom are outside the ring as Eddie Edwards makes his entrance with Kenny King and PCO. Eddie Edwards says Alisha gave him and ultimatum and either this ends or we end. The this she was referring to was Honor No More. Eddie says their beginning was public, so it is only fair that this is public as well. Eddie says he asks to himself time and time again, if Honor No More worth saving. Because all he says is failure. Eddie asks Bennett and Taven if they are loyal to Honor No More. They say they are. Eddie Kenny King. Eddie says he sees Vincent as the Peacekeeper. He asks if he is loyal to Honor No More or to PCO. Eddie says he looks at PCO and he sees failure. He lost at Bound For Glory because he was dealing with PCO’s bullshit. He wants to know if PCO is loyal to Honor No More. Eddie says that hesitation is all he needed. He says Eddie is nothing but a bitch. PCO has had enough and attacks Eddie. He hits Taven with the clothesline and drops Bennett with the powerbomb. He is about to chokeslam Vincent but The Kingdom save him. PCO clears the ring. Vincent hits him with the chair but it makes no difference on PCO. PCO punches through the chair onto Vincent and hits a running suicide dive on The Kingdom outside. He then hits a chokeslam on Vincent onto the chair. PCO celebrates to end the show.
Review: The post-match was all about the break-up of Honor No More. At the end, it was PCO standing tall above everyone else. One would assume that PCO is a guy that IMPACT has signed to a longer deal, but you never know with IMPACT. Mike Bennett and Matt Taven showed up with Maria in AEW this past week, so this was likely a way to write them off TV. Vincent and Kenny King? Wonder which one of them stays.
Either way, I can’t say I’m too disappointed that Honor No More has broken up, though I was just starting to get into The Kingdom. Eddie Edwards can hopefully concentrate on being a singles guy without the group with PCO now emerging as a new singles guy that the company is looking to push on the babyface side of things.
