IMPACT Wrestling 12-10-19
From the Melrose Ballroom in New York City
Available on AXS TV, Twitch, and IMPACT Plus
By Dylan Hager
It is time for some IMPACT!! We start this weeks show with a video package recapping last weeks show. Josh Matthews and Don Callis are on commentary, and we are ready for the first match!
Old School Rules Match: Rob Van Dam (with Katie Forbes) vs Rhino. Special Referee - Tommy Dreamer
"Old School Rules" means no rules for these hardcore legends. This match quickly spills to the outside. We see some brawling and both wrestlers introduce some weapons, including a mop! Rob teases some vintage RVD maneuvers, but chooses to do otherwise. Rob stops to kiss Katie on multiple occasions. Van Dam misses a split-leg moonsault that leads to a Gore through a table. Katie pulls Tommy out of the ring at two. Rhino goes for another Gore, but Rob moves and Rhino runs into a trash can. Five Star Frog Splash and it is a win for RVD. After the match, Rob makes Tommy raise his hand. RVD and Tommy shake hands, but Rob lays out Tommy. Very solid match between the legends. Rob and Katie are so easy to hate. Winner: Rob Van Dam
We go backstage to OVE. Sami says that Jake and Dave are going to win the tag team open and move onto Hard to Kill to win the tag titles. He says that Tessa will have to face the unleashed monster tonight, and he tells Shamrock that he is the world's real most dangerous man. OVE is here to take over everything.
Back to ringside with Josh and Don. They tell us ODB has been added to the Knockouts Title match at Hard to Kill, making it a triple threat. Eddie Edwards vs Michael Elgin has also been added to the ppv. They hype up the tag team open, Tessa vs Fulton, and Sami vs Shamrock for later in the show.
Moose vs Acey Romero
Time for the battle of the big men! I believe this is Romero's television debut. Acey gets off to a hot start. He hits a giant suicide dive. Both men exchange power moves. Romero goes to the middle rope, but Moose stops him with the Go to Hell. Moose only gets a two count. The two exchange strikes, and Acey hits a HUGE pounce that sends Moose flying. Moose hits the No Jackhammer Needed for the win. Fun match that really got Acey over. Ready to see what the next big feud is for Moose. Winner: Moose
We see Father James Mitchel and "Suzie" walking backstage. Suzie grabs the noose that was used in the Su Yung and Havoc brawl a few weeks back. She has a flashback to that brawl upon touching the noose. Mitchel tells her to let go and tells her that he is the only person she can trust. He says she can't trust the lady with the big smile. Love this storyline and can't wait to see where it goes.
Gabby Loren is interviewing Michael Elgin backstage. Elgin says he entered the Eddie v Cage match last week because Cage has been running from him and Eddie has the Call Your Shot trophy. Elgin wants Eddie to put the trophy on the line at Hard to Kill.
Raj Singh (with Gama Singh and Rohit Raju) vs Fallah Bahh
Nice, fairly quick match here. Bahh starts out hot, but interference leads to Singh taking over. Bahh regains the momentum. Gama distracts the ref, allowing some double team action. Bahh gets the upper hand on both members of the Hit Squad, and hits the Banzai Drop for the win. More double teaming after the bell. TJP makes his return to even the odds, and TJP and Bahh hold the ring to end the segment. Winner: Fallah Bahh
There is absolutely no way I could do this next segment justice. Joey Ryan is backstage. Random stage hand tells him to go talk to management, which turns out to be Tommy Dreamer in the men's room, and it is time for WRESTLERS COURT! Dreamer is the judge, and Ryan is being "sued" by Johnny Swinger. Joey is basically accused of breaking kayfabe and killing the business. We see appearances by D-Lo Brown, Madison Rayne, Kiera Hogan, The North, Gama, Brutal Bob Evans, and KM. Ultimately, Joey is found guilty and Tommy sentences him to a match with Acey next week. Incredible comedy segment. Go out of your way to watch this.
Tag Team Open: OVE vs The Rascals vs Reno Scum vs Rich Swann and Willie Mack
All eight men are legal in this tag match with no tags. The match starts with a lot of action. Swann and Mack take the upper hand. Willie hits a big dive to the outside and comes up with a bum knee. The doctor says he cannot continue, and Mack is taken to the back. OVE, the Rascals, and Reno Scum all have good spots. OVE hits a double stomp-spike pilerdriver for a two count. Rascals hit their finish for a two count. OVE sets up Swann for their double team cutter, but Swann rolls up Dave for the win. Another great match involving Swann. Rich continues to have one of the best years out of anybody at IMPACT. With the win, Swann and Willie become number one contenders for The North at Hard to Kill. Winner: Rich Swann and Willie Mack
The North is shown watching the match. Josh wants to go out and attack Swann immediately. Ethan stops Josh and says they are going to do things his way. He tells Josh to trust him.
Taya is backstage for an interview with Gabby. Taya questions why Jordan would help ODB get added to their title match. She says she is going to prove that she is the woman to beat at Hard to Kill.
This weeks Flashback Moment of the Week is ODB vs Gail Kim vs Brooke Tessmacher from BFG 2013. I miss seeing Brooke and Gail in wrestling. I also miss Tazz and Mike Tenay.
Jimmy Jacobs is backstage interviewing Cage. Cage admits he has been losing a lot since BFG. He says he wants the winner of Sami vs Tessa, and he will earn his shot between now and the ppv. RVD and Katie crash the interview in the middle of making out. Cage tells them to leave. RVD tells the camera that Cage has stolen a lot of RVD's moves, but losing to a girl is all Cage's move.
Josh and Don announce Grace vs Tenille, Daga vs TJP, Swann vs Ethan, and Joey vs Acey for next week.
Tessa Blanchard vs Mad Man Fulton
Time for the first half of the main event. The two have a face off in the middle of the ring. Tessa starts hot with several forearms and a slap. Fulton uses his size to manhandle Tessa. Tessa counters a slingshot powerbomb into a code red. Tessa starts gaining momentum, but Dave and Jake interfere. Winner: Tessa Blanchard by DQ
The Crist brothers double team Tessa, and Ken Shamrock is out to make the save. He takes out the brothers on the ramp and gets rid of Fulton. Out comes Sami for the second part of the main event.
Sami Callahan vs Ken Shamrock
Sami starts by slapping the legend and spitting in his face. Probably not the best idea as Ken answers back with a flurry of strikes. The two brawl on the outside. Shamrock gains the advantage in the ring. Sami pulls the ref in the way of Shamrock, and the ref goes down. Sami attempts a belt shot, but Shamrock counters with a belly to belly. Shamrock has the champ tapping out to the Ankle Lock, but the ref is still down. Fulton comes back out and lays out Shamrock. Sami puts the Ankle Lock on the unconscious Shamrock. The ref recovers and awards the match to Sami. Winner: Sami Callahan
Fulton continues to attack Shamrock after the bell. Sami tries to pull his monster off of Shamrock, but he is shoved to the ground. Fulton throws Shamrock over the top to the floor. Sami has to plead for Fulton to stop, and the show goes off the air.
I really loved the last two segments. Tessa continues to be outnumbered by Sami and OVE. If Fulton is actually unleashed and not exclusively listening to Sami, that is a whole new monster for the roster to worry about. Another great episode from IMPACT.
Don't forget you can still order IMPACT's No Surrender show from this past weekend of Fite at https: //bit.ly/36m1afS.