A highly anticipated matchup airs on tonight's episode of Impact Wrestling.
For the first time ever, Will Ospreay and Josh Alexander share the ring on Impact tonight. The match was taped at Impact's post-Bound for Glory television tapings and has received rave reviews,
Ospreay defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey at Bound for Glory and also competed at Impact's Turning Point special, picking up a win over Eddie Edwards.
Alexander was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the Impact World Championship from Alex Shelley at Bound for Glory.
Another first-time-ever bout on tonight's show will see Trinity face off with Sonny Kiss.
Myron Reed makes his Impact debut tonight, joining up with his Rascalz stablemates against the luchador trio of Laredo Kid, Black Taurus & Juventud Guerrera.
Steve Maclin & KiLynn King vs. Bully Ray & Jordynne Grace, Ace Austin & Chris Bey vs. Kenny King & Sheldon Jean, and Moose vs. Heath are also part of the lineup for tonight.
Impact World Tag Team Champions ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (Bullet Club) defeated Kenny King & Sheldon Jean to retain
Good opening tag match, which aired just as it was reported that Kenny King had been granted his release from Impact.
King and Austin started the match, locking up. Bey and Austin dominated King in the early parts of the match until Sheldon jean pulled Bey from the ring allowing King to throw Austin to the outside, while Jean sent Bey flying into the ring post to begin getting the heat. Bey managed to tag in Austin after dodging some attacks and leaping off the back of King. Austin hit a kick on King for a 2-count.
Bey tagged back in and they went for the 1-2-Sweet, but Jean made another save, pulling Austin from the ring and hitting a leg lariat. Bey took Jean out with a dropkick but turned into a Tiger Driver for a 2-count. King hit a nice blockbuster off the apron on Bey and Jean hit a pop up neckbreaker on Bey for a 2-count.
King missed a toreno to the floor and Bey hit him with a tope con giro before ABC hit the 1-2-Sweet for the pinfall on Jean.
–MK Ultra claimed to be the ones that controlled the Knockouts Division, and that they were going to reshape reality, and that they were unstoppable.
Moose (w/ Brian Myers) defeated Heath
It’s a bit ironic that this show featured two guys back to back who are leaving (or likely leaving) Impact, with Heath being the second one. Solid match here, but nothing too special. Moose actually getting a win and looking to establish some momentum before Hard to Kill is a good thing though, since he’ll be challenging for the title then.
Moose used his power and size to dominate the early parts of this match, dumping Heath to the floor in a hard floor bump, but Heath fought back with a hurricanrana to counter a powerbomb and hit a tope to the floor where it looked like Moose saved his life by catching him. Heath hit a flying knee and leg lariat back in the ring, and a powerslam after Moose hit the ropes for a 2-count. Myers interfered, allowing Moose to hit a spear and get the pinfall.
–Moose and Myers continued the assault on Heath after the bell, but Moose bailed as Rhino ran in and hit a Gore on Myers.
–Myers and Moose cut a promo on Rhino backstage, where Moose promised to end the career of Rhino at Final Resolution.
Laredo Kid, Black Taurus, Juventud Guerrera defeated The Rascalz (Trey Miguel, Zachery Wentz, & Myron Reed) in a Lucha Rules Match
The finishing sequence of this match was awesome, and Black Taurus looked awesome and like one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the world as he defeated Reed.
Myron Reed made his debut in this match, along with Juventud Guerrera returning to Impact after a very long time away from the company. Konnan also joined the commentary team. Seeing Juvi is always cool. The pace of this match was fast, as expected, and the lucha rules allowed there to be dives early on with Miguel hitting a top con giro to Black Taurus.
The Rascalz were able to isolate Kid, letting Miguel hit the Three Amigos on Kid. Matt Rehwoldt compared it to Eddie Guerrero and Konnan said to Hannifan “Our partner is completely wrong.” I laughed. Konnan talked about Impact returning to the TNA name, saying they have gone full circle. Kid went for an O’Connor Roll but Miguel blocked it and there was a triple team back suplex, into a neckbreaker, into a standing shooting star press for a 2-count. That as awesome.
Miguel tried to super plex Miguel, but Kid rolled through and powerbombed him off the ropes, allowing Juvi to tag in. Juvi hit a crossbody on Reed and Wentz, before hitting a combo flatliner and DDT on them both. Juvi hit a hurricanrana and a basement dropkick on Miguel before hitting a lariat before tagging out to Kid who ate a super kick from Wentz. Taurus came in and hit a pop up Samoan drop on Wentz before setting up Juvi for the 450 splash.
Wentz and Miguel cut him off and they immediately went to work on Laredo Kid, hitting and awesome triple team dropkick that involved Reed and Wentz flipping Miguel into the air before hitting the basement dropkick. That was awesome. Laredo Kid hit a flipping DDT on Wentz, while Myron Reed flew over the ropes into a cutter to the floor on Taurus who was on the apron. Wentz hit a UFO Cutter on Kid, and Juvi hit a Gory Special on Wentz. Black Taurus came in and hit Destination Hellhole on Reed for the pinfall.
Bully Ray & Jordynne Grace defeated Steve Maclin & KiLynn King
This was a decent tag match, with Grace going over as she should have as they build to her title match at Hard to Kill.
Grace and Ray did not seem happy to be teaming together, but decided to work together against their common enemies. Ray & Maclin started the match, with Maclin showing clear cuts and scars from the barbed wire he fell into in Monsters Ball at Bound for Glory. Maclin hit a flying forearm on Ray to drop him before tagging in to KiLynn King.
King did not hesitate to go after Ray, who was her trainer, hitting a series of hard forearms. Ray hit a back elbow and led the fans in chants for Jordynne Grace, so it seems he really has turned babyface. Grace hit a shoulder block on King, but King shrugged it off. Grace went for a suplex on Grace, but King fought it off and hit a kick before hitting a choke bomb into the corner.
Grace fought out of a fireman’s carry and tagged out to Ray, who was thrown off the top rope by King. Maclin tagged in and continued beating on Ray, but Ray hit a spear, sort of, after Maclin hit the ropes. Ray tagged out and Grace went right after King, hitting a series of strikes ending with a low European uppercut on King and a Vader Bomb for a 2-count that Maclin broke up. Ray dumped Maclin to the floor allowing Grace to hit the Juggernaut Driver for the win.
–Bully Ray grabbed the Call Your Shot trophy and held it while standing behind Grace. Instead of hitting her with it, he told her to take it, and she pulled it away from him, while Ray looked on with intensity as he clearly wanted to win it at the PPV. However, Ray offered his hand to Grace, and they shook, and Ray raised her hand in victory.
Trinity defeated Sonny Kiss
Kiss and Trinity had an equal exchange in the opening portion of the match, with both going for a dropkick at the same time and kicking up afterwards. Kiss countered a wheelbarrow attempt from Trinity, spinning Trintiy around the ring. Kiss hit a snap suplex and a standing moonsault for a 2-count.
Kiss hit a handspring back elbow to Trinity, who was caught in the tree of woe for a 2-count. Kiss got double underhooks on Trinity, but Trinity rolled through and then hit a bulldog on Kiss. Trinity hit a springboard kick and the splits into a legdrop on Kiss for a two count. Trinity hit a bulldog into the middle turnbuckle and hit a split legged moonsault for a 2-count.
Kiss draped Trinity across the middle rope in the corner and hit a handspring into a legdrop in the corner. Trinity dodged an attack, hit a headscissors into a DDT before hitting a full nelson bomb for the pinfall.
–Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin were backstage, and the Motor City Machine Guns talked about Josh Alexander facing Ospreay tonight, while talking about Josh Alexander and Zach Sabre Jr. teaming together to face them at Impact Wrestling Final Resolution.
Will Ospreay (The United Empire) defeated Josh Alexander
My goodness, this was a great match. This should surprise anyone as Ospreay and Alexander are two of the best wrestlers alive today. This was not quite as good as Ospreay/Bailey, but I suspect there will be some that liked this one more. Excellent match.
Ospreay picked up the speed after a brief lock up, hitting a hurricanrana that sent Alexander to the floor before hitting a tope to the floor. As they came back from break, Ospreay was chopping Alexander in the corner. After slamming Alexander’s head into a turnbuckle a third time, Alexander fired back with a forearm that sent Ospreay crashing to the mat. Ospreay went for an enziguri, but Alexander caught it and went for an ankle lock.
Ospreay tried to escape, so Alexander transitioned into a Scorpion Death Lock but Ospreay made the ropes. Ospreay hit a mafia kick and then a backbreaker on Alexander. Ospreay went for an OsCutter, but Alexander caught him and went for a German suplex, but Ospreay charged the corner, ducking at the last second to drive Alexander face first into the turnbuckle again, and then hit a standing shooting star press for a 2-count.
Alexander ducked a clothesline and hit a series of German suplexes. Alexander flipped out of one, hitting an enziguri and went for a hurricanrana, but Alexander stopped it and powered Ospreay into a powerbomb onto his knee for a 2-count. Alexander stopped a springboard from Ospreay with a forearm and his a crossbody to the seated Ospreay, who was on the apron.
Alexander hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a 2-count. Ospreay managed to hit a spinning kick off the ropes after a few minutes where Alexander was throwing Ospreay repeatedly into the turnbuckles. Ospreay hit a series of Kawada kicks and then some hard chops. Alexander ate the chops and begged for more, and Ospreay obliged.
Alexander caught Ospreay with one arm in a torture rack, but almost lost Ospreay. He cleverly waked to the ropes, let Ospreay stabilize himself on the ropes, and then hit a torture rack bomb for a 2-count. Alexander picked Ospreay up in a fireman’s carry and hit an avalanche rolling fireman’s carry off the middle ropes for a 2-count. Ospreay countered a clothesline from Alexander by grabbing the arm and flipping backwards into a tiger driver on Alexander for a 2-count.
Ospreay hit a Yakuza kick in the corner and the Cheeky Nandos kick before going for something off the top rope, but Alexander cut him off. Alexander went for a German suplex off the top rope, but Ospreay drove the back of his head into the face of Alexander to send him off the ropes and going for a twisting moonsault, but Alexander moved and Ospreay landed on his feet but his knee or ankle went out.
Alexander immediately responded with an ankle lock. Every time Ospreay would escape and go for a move, Alexander would immediately counter into the ankle lock, finally forcing Ospreay to grab the ropes. Ospreay managed to hit a Stundog Millionaire when Alexander picked Ospreay up on his shoulders, and then hit an OsCutter while limping for a 2-count. Opsreay went for the Hidden Blade, but his leg gave out and he collapsed.
Alexander responded with some headbutts, as both men were on all fours before hitting hard forearms back and forth. Alexander managed to hit a Chaos Theory for a 2-count. Ospreay managed to hit the OsCutter on Alexander, and held on transitioning into the Storm Breaker, but as he spun Alexander in the air, he transitioned into a tombstone on Ospreay for a 2-count. Alexander went for the C4 Spike, but Ospreay floated out and nailed Hidden Blade for a 2-count. Ospreay immediately transitioned to the Storm Driver 93, and hit another Hidden Blade and a Storm Breaker for the win.
Final Thoughts
This was a one match show, and Impact knew it. The wrestling on the show other than that match really didn’t matter, despite most of the show being really great. In fact, this episode was very much so total nonstop action in a very literal sense. The rest of the show featured a few hints for Final Resolution and Hard to Kill.