wrestling / TV Reports
Jeremy’s Impact Wrestling Review 8.19.21
Image Credit: Impact Wrestling/Twitter
Loading...Hello there, Impact fans! It’s Thursday evening, and…
GUESS WHO’S BACK?
Yep, it’s Jeremy, and I’m stepping in to cover Impact Wrestling tonight. Jack should be back next week but in the meantime, I’m here with you for the next couple of hours! We’re just one day away from Impact Emergence where Brian Myers will challenge Christian Cage for the Impact World Championship. Tonight the champion will appear, Melina will make her Impact in-ring debut, we will get THE RETURN OF LOCKER ROOM TALK and more. There’s a lot to get into, 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.
Before The Impact
Tasha Steelz vs. Havok
Havok screams after the bell rings and the crowd chants “HAVOK’s GONNA KILL YOU!” Tasha doesn’t look impressed. She dodges a lunch and talks trash to the crowd, then dodges another lockup and does some pushups. One more dodge and she talks trash, but Havok comes up and Tasha turns around to get flung across the ring a few times, then picks her up in a chokehold and throws her into the corner. She charges in but Steelz ducks and kicks Havok in the head, missile dropkick and then chops and stomps in the corner. Tasha caught jawing with Rosemary and Havok throws her in the corner, then buffets her with punches. Double-hand lifting choke but Tasha with a thumb to the eyes and then several pump kicks and a side kick takes Havok down for a two-count. Chops across Havok’s back and jumping stomps by Steelz. She picks Havok up, Euro uppercut, and charges in with an elbow and then an Euro uppercut. Snapmare attempt blocked by Havok, who eats a spin kick and then the snapmare works. Punt kick and a cover gets two.
Tasha lays in with mounted punches and then lays in a kick, Havok up into jabs by Tasha. Third jab is caught, Tasha into the ropes, caught into a belly-to-belly for two. Havok takes aim, uranage backbreaker and then a clothesline. Tasha gets stomped in the corner and then hit with a couple of charging kicks. Tasha picked up, gets her on the corner, Savannah up on the apron and she kicks Rosemary. Havok charges but gets hung on the ropes, Tasha with a Backstabber for three.
Winner: Tasha Steelz (6:43)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: It was a perfectly okay match, exactly what you would expect for Before the Impact.
PREVIOUSLY: Christian wins the Impact World Title at AEW Rampage. Christian then cuts a promo about how deep his roots run with Impact and how he thoughts it was his duty to win it back for the fans.
* Josh and Gia are in the ring and talk about Christian’s World Title win and how Christian is here tonight. As they’re talking, W. Morrissey throws Eddie Edwards into the arena and is beating on him around the ring. He rolls Edwards in but is distracted by the crowd and Eddie dives onto him. Morrissey manages to shove Eddie into the ringpost and kicks his head off, then rolls him into the ring. Big charging splash and he goes for a powerbomb, but Sami comes out with a bat. He has control for a moment and goes to chokeslam Sami but Eddie makes the save. Sami and Eddie briefly fight over the bat before uniting and sending Morrissey out of the ring and security keeps them apart.
Eddie and Sami stare off and Eddie says he didn’t ask for help, while Sami gets a mic and says Eddie can thank him later. Eddie leaves and Sami says he doesn’t feel like waiting for his match tonight, so let’s start the show!
WE OWN THE NIGHT! (AKA Title Sequence!)
Impact still has the best show theme song and I will not be taking questions on that.
Sami Callihan & Chris Sabin vs. Ace Austin & Moose
Sami and Ace are starting us off, and Ace with a couple of armdrags. Ace says “Sabin can wrestle, get him in here!” And Sami decks him as a result. Off the ropes with a bodyblock, he comes off again and Austin leapfrogs but is caught and hit with a DVD. Short-arm clothesline by Callihan, Sabin tags in and snapmares Ace followed by a kick to the back. Elbowlock and Sami tags in, he kicks Ace in the back and Sabin wants in now, saying he can do better. Sabin with the snapmare and he kicks a field goal out of Austin’s back. Sabin climbs up and hits five mounted punches in the corner before getting shoves off, Austin with a spinning kick misses and Sabin kicks him in the head. Ace slides off Sabin’s shoulders and whips him across the ring, Sabin slides out and trips Moose, he comes in and gets kicked hard as we go on break.
Back from break as Moose chops Sabin hard and then follows him outside, hanging him up in the ropes by his arms and giving a big chop. He fakes another and then rakes the eyes before playing to the crowd, which lets Sabin unleash some fits. The ref is distracted by Sami and Fulton kicks Sabin in the head, and Moose drags him in and tags in Ausitn who lays in kicks. Sabin sent head-first into the turnbuckle and a chop follows up. Whip across the ring, he turns it around and sunset flips Austin for two. Callihan is tagged in and comes in hot, knocking Moose off the apron and taking it to Austin with stomps in the corner. Callihan off the ropes and flips Austin with a clothesline. He sets it up for the piledriver but Moose in to take him out — Sabin off the top with a DDT! Austin comes off the turnbuckle with a spin kick, kicks Sami and comes off the ropes — right into a powerslam! Cover gets two, and Sami is ready for the piledriver, but Sabin tags himself in and hits Cradle Shock for three.
Winner: Sami Callihan & Chris Sabin (11:51)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: Really good match between these guys. They played up the tension without getting dramatic about it until after the match, and everyone worked well.
After the match, Sami raises Sabin’s hand and then kicks him in the gut, delivering a piledriver. Because obviously.
* Striker and D’Lo preview Impact Emergence’s #1 contender’s match and run down tonight’s card:
– Christian is here
– Melina makes Impact in-ring debut
– Locker Room Talk returns with guest Tenille Dashwood
– Doc Gallows vs. Joe Doering
* We get a recap of the Good Brothers’ match against Jon Moxley and Nagata at MJPW Resurgence, which saw Mox take a Magic Killer on the outside and Nagata take one in the ring for the loss before the Guerillas of Destiny showed up and the Brothers left.
* Anderson and Gallows crow about their win over Moxly and Nagata, saying beating up Moxley is their favorite thing. Anderson asks G.O.D. if they realize what they’re about to start by getting into their faces? They’re not even going to start. Gallows talks about how Monster’s Ball put Impact on the map and they have two monsters in Gallows and Doering. They say it’s VbD’s fault that they’re in a triple threat match at Emergence, but will win regardless.
* Sami cuts a promo backstage and says that was fun and he wand Sabin were best friends, but he poked the lion and after the bell he was fair game. Callihan says he did what he promised to do in taking a piece out of Omega every week and the World Champion is welcome. Eddie Edwards comes in and says that he didn’t need Sami’s help and they argue before Sami walks off.
Shera vs. Matt Cardona
Lockup to start, no one gains the advantage. They GO AGANE and Cardona is slammed to the ground. He backs up and kicks Shera in the head, then locks in a headlock which Shera breaks, pushing Cardona into the ropes for a shoulderblock. He charges at Cardona but gets sent over the ropes, Cardona with a baseball slide drockick through the ropes and then a dive onto him. Shera back in the ring, Cardona decks him on the apron but Rohit grabs Cardona’s leg and Shera kicks him off the apron as we go to break.
Shera is stomping on Cardona as we return and he picks him up, slamming him into the corner. Hard whip across the ring and Matt is down. Shera with a bodyslam and an elbowdrop, followed by a cover for two. Chinlock by Cardona and then he stands and stomps Matt in the back before chking him against the ropes. As the ref’s back is turned, Rohit gets a shot in and Chelsea charges him. The ref gets involved and in the ring, Shera chokes Carona. Ref back in and we have a rear chinlock into a stretch, but Cardona with a jawbreaker. Shera cuts him off but gets taken down, Cardona with a big dropkick and then charging clotheslines in the corner. He goes for a third but gets caught in a chokeslam barkbreaker. Bodyslam gets a nearfall. Carona up and gets shouldered in the midsection in the corner, Shera charges in but Matt dodges and Shera hits hard. Rohit on the apron but Chelsea pulls him off and slaps him. In the ring, Cardona with a double boot to a charging Shera and then hits Radio Silence off the second rope for the pin.
Winner: Matt Cardona (10:10)
Rating: **
Thoughts: Shera continues to be not very good. Cardona was fine, but this was not the best matchup for him.
* Impact! Plus Moment of the week is Christian Cage beating Jeff Jarrett for his first NWA/TNA World Championship in 2006.
* IT’S LOCKER ROOM TALK TIME! Madison is back and is joined by Swinger, who was going for a French kiss. Rayne asks what he’s doing and he said it had been so long. She asks Swing what he’s been doing since the last Locker Room Talk and he talks about his illegal casino. “Well, it’s better than going on trial for shooting a man, right?” Rayne happily moves on and introduces Tenille on the set of her talk show (which is the same set). She says it’s her show and Rayne is interviewing her.
Madison asks why Tenille chose to align with her, and Tenille says they’ve been looking for the perfect partner for her for the tag team titles, and says it’s ironic because Rayne was her first partner. Rayne says maybe it was kismet, and Tenille says that’s what she was thinking. She reads her favorite quote about things coming full circle. Kaleb says “OMG” and Swinger thinks he means One Man Gang. Tenille butters Rayne up and says they’re more than just influencers; they’re “The Influence.” Swinger mocks Kaleb for being attacked by Amore and they go back and forth, and it’s awkward and not funny. Tenille and Madison tell Kaleb to stick up for himself, and he goes to do just that to Amore. Rayne and Tenille sweet talk each other to end the segment.
* We’re back and Gia is there with Josh Alexander, asking about facing a bigger and stronger opponent in Jake Something. Alexander says he’ll be the face of this company moving forward and has been saying it since Omega was champion. He says things have changed and Christian is champion, but he won’t carry the banner in the future. So to answer the question — and Jake shows up — he isn’t concerned no matter how big Jake is. Jake says he’ll give him a reason to be concerned and walks over to where Kaleb is arguing for a chance to compete. Jake says he wants a mask and Scott says they don’t just have catering full of talent — but wait, it’s his lucky night! Jake vs. Kaleb is on for tonight. Since they’re both wound up, it’s a No DQ match.
* Christian makes his way out to the ring. The crowd chants “Welcome back!” Christian says they’re going to make him blush, and it’s good to be back in the Impact Zone for the first time in nine years. He’s feeling the nostalgia and says it isn’t lost on him that he’s back as Impact World Champion. And even though he wrestles for AEW, it was an honor to take the titles from Omega and bring them back to the Impact Zone where they belong. He talks about how he left WWE and took a chance on himself years ago, and Impact took a chance on him. They gave him a shot and let him compete for titles, which is all he ever wanted. He says it’s surreal for him, and says thank you as the crowd goes into “YOU DESERVE IT!” chants.
He says talking about his history with Impact has him thinking that it isn’t about his history anymore. He says he talked to Scott D’Amore and the rest and they agreed it’s time to retire the TNA Championship because it’s not about his history or his past; it’s about the future and this Impact World Title. So as of now, the Impact World Championship is recognized as the biggest prize in the company.
He says that as Impact Champion it’s time to get down to business. That brings out Myers, who mocks Christian being part of Impact’s past and references Shark Boy and others who are maybe coming out. He steps in the ring and says it’s lovely and he has all the feels, but he doesn’t live in the past and isn’t here to talk about the past. He says he’s #1 contender and for a year he’s been killing it in Impact, backstage, on social media, and he’s even the best podcaster in the company. And at Emergence, that new shiny belt belongs to him. Christian says he’s glad Myers finally climbed out of Cardona’s shadow and showed his face. He mocks Myers’ pose and jacket, and says Myers has always been full of talent but never known how to realize it until now. Congratulations, but there’s a saying: you’ve gotta learn how to lose before you lose how to win. And Myers may have won the battle royal but hasn’t won anything yet. Myers my be the Most Professional Wrestler, but he’s the Best Professional Wrestler. They face off and Myers fakes out, then pushes his lackey into Christian. Christian takes him out and Myers bails.
* Melina is walking backstage and asks if Trey is still hanging in the treehouse, and he says no but he knows how to fly high. He asks her if she still knows how to do the splits and she says, “Well, you’ll see.”
* An ad for NWA EmPowerrr and NWA 73 airs to close the break.
* We get a recap of Deonna Purrazzo winning the Reina de Reinas Championship at AAA TripleMania.
Melina vs. Brandi Lauren
Melina charges right off the bat and locks in a waistlock, which eventually turns into an armdrag. Dropkick to Brandi and kicks in the corner, Melina charges in but Brandi gets the leg up and then dodges an attack. Brandi with a neckbreaker, then catapults her into the turnbuckle but she blocks it. Headscissors and then a kick to the top of the head by Melina, she comes off the ropes with a knee to the back and a snapmare hold drop. Melina dodges a kick and then locks in a Muta Lock into the California Dream for the tapout.
Winner: Melina (2:04)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: It was a squash match. Melina has a bit of ring rust and so it wasn’t great, but wasn’t awful.
After the match Purrazzo ambushes Melina and stomps her down, but Melina fires back with a double leg tackle. They trade punches until Matt Rehwold comes and grabs Melina, Purrazzo takes over but Trey comes into the ring and takes out Matt. Purrazzo and Trey jaw at each other, Trey tells Deonna to turn around and Melina with a Thesz press. Deonna gets sent outside the ring and Trey and Melina stare off with the heels.
* We get a recap of John Skyler’s win over Matt Cardona with Rohit’s help last week. We get a new Gia asks him about the win and how it feels. He questions whether it was shocking and says he was simply the better man. It wasn’t Rohit that nailed Cardona in the face or schoolboyed him. We hear someone shouting for help and the camera goes to the side where Juice Robinson has been attacked.
* Another NWA EmPowerrr and NWA 73 ad.
* We get a video of Jordynne Grace talking about her recent powerlifting win and Rachael Ellering being in her corner. Ellering talks about how Jordynne broke her own records and hopes to be able to help her do it again. In November, she’s going for the World National Title.
No Disqualification Match
Jake Something vs. Kaleb with a K
Kaleb attacks to start but Jake quickly turns it around, beats on Kaleb in the corner and whips him across the ring. He charges but Kaleb dodges, Kaleb goes for a suplex but Jake reverses and then hits a big clothesline. Double axehandle to Kaleb’s back, he picks Kaleb up, sit-out powerbomb. Jake rolls out of the ring and gets a table from under the ring. The table gets set up in the corner and Jake bodytackles Kaleb, then spears him through the table. Cover for three.
Winner: Jake Something (2:01)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: I’m pretty sure Jake just speared the “With a K ” off of Kaleb’s name.
Afterward, Alexander comes out and they stare off, nodding at each other.
* Su Yung appears with Kimber, holding a lock of Kiera’s hair. Kimber says she has collected the first soul, but not the last.
* We get an ad for Impact Emergence tomorrow, which we will have live coverage for.
* Matthews and D’Amore run down the Impact Emergence card:
– Deonna Purrazzo & Mathew Rewholdt vs. Melina & Trey
– Rohit Raju vs. Matt Cardona
– Decay vs. Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans, Fallah Bahh and No Way
– Petey Williams vs. Steve Maclin
– X-Division Championship Match: Josh Alexander vs. Jake Something
– #1 Contender’s Match: Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Chris Sabin vs. Ace Austin
– Impact Wrestling Championship Match: Christian Cage vs. Brian Myers
– Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship Match: The Good Brothers vs. Violent by Design
Doc Gallows vs. Joe Doering
They start clubberin’ to kick this off, Gallows shot into the ropes and sent out of the ring. Gallows pulls Doering out and slams him headfirst into the ringsteps as we go to break literally 50 seconds into the match.
Back from break and Gallo3s whips Doering across the ring, splashes him, then comes off the ropes and boots him down for a two-count. Roundhouse kick to Joe’s head, and Gallows charges in for a splash — but Doering holds on and hits a German suplex. Double clotheslines stagger both men, Doc with a big boot, he comes off the ropes into a shotgun forearm. Doering picks Gallows up for a delayed vertical suplex. My cable cut out briefly but now they’re trading shots on the outside, and Gallows throws Joe into the guardrail. Gallows with an elbow to Doering and then a kick, he picks him up but Joe fights back. Gallows grabs a chair and throws it into Joe’s face. Apparently this is no DQ? I missed that. Both men roll into the ring, Gallows is up and decks Gallows, they come off the ropes a few times and collide in the ring, both rolling out on various sides. Gallows is pissed and throwing stuff around. They finally meet again and Joe decks him, Gallows fires back with one of his own and then another. More punches by Gallows and a kick, followed by a headbutt. They’re brawling up the ramp and Joe fights back, hitting a couple of shots. Dog ducks a shot and hits a Sky High that goes through the ramp.
Anderson is trying to revive Gallows as the refs go in to check and Dr. Ross is there too. D’Amore out now. Gallows finally gets picked up and pulled out of the hole. The Big LG is crawling back to the ring, which lets Striker hilariously say “It’s the only thing he knows!” Doering is now crawling out of the hole. …apparently this match didn’t end yet? Okay. Glad I didn’t stop the timer then. Doering climbs into the ring. They’re both up, and Joe charges into a big boot, he leaps off the second rope and gets lariated by Doering to end this.
Winner: Joe Doering (15:00)
Rating: * 3/4
Thoughts: This would have been a semi-decent match if it hadn’t been ground to an absolute halt with the “through the stage” spot. Do that spot, fine. Don’t spend what felt like four hours (but was actually a couple minutes) having them lay there, then climb back to the ring for a couple moves to finish it. Bummer of a finish.
And we’re out.
