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Credit: Impact Wrestling
The march to Victory Road continued Thursday on AXS TV as Moose battled Eddie Edwards in a star-studded main event.
That bout headlined a show that also saw former world champion Rich Swann battle Karl Anderson in a Bunkhouse Brawl, Rosemary square off with Tasha Steelz and Petey Williams conclude his feud with Steve Maclin.
Who emerged with momentum on their side ahead of the next live event special?
Find out now with this recap of the September 9 episode.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Rosemary and Tasha Steelz kicked off the show in singles competition, writing the latest chapter in the rivalry between Decay and Steelz and Savannah Evans over the Knockouts tag titles.
The Demon Assassin found herself on the defensive midway through the bout, forced to fight from underneath if she wished to continue her winning ways. She did just that, flattening Steelz with an inverted DDT.
Steelz caught her with kick to the face, stunning her momentarily, but Rosemary recovered and put her down with a spear for the win.
After the match, Steelz and Evans stole the Knockouts tag titles to intensify the rivalry.
Result
Rosemary defeated Steelz
Grade
C
Analysis
The effort was there but this was a rather one-dimensional match that never had an opportunity to kick it into second gear, thanks to a shorter run-time and the abrupt ending from out of nowhere.
Rosemary and Decay are perpetually over and one of the longer-running acts in the company. The Demon Assassin could have afforded a loss to Steelz, who could use a bit of momentum on her and Evans’ side as they chase the titles.
Instead, they had to resort to stealing the gold to drum up heat, which is hardly the most interesting direction things could have taken.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Rich Swann sought revenge for an attack levied by The Good Brothers that left him and best friend Willie Mack lying when he battled Karl Anderson in a no disqualification Bunkhouse Brawl.
Swann started hot but Anderson drove him into the entrance ramp to seize control of the bout. Swann fought back into the match after the commercial break but found himself driven into a sheet of plywood by an alert Anderson.
The former world champ wrestled control of the match back and appeared to be on his way to victory late when Doc Gallows interfered, crouching him on the rope. Machine Gun capitalized on his partner’s interjection, delivering a cutter from the ropes onto a table that refused to break. Three seconds later and the heel emerged victoriously.
After the match, Gia Miller interviewed Mickie James, who vowed to introduce Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo to Hardcore Country in retaliation for a sneak attack back at NWA Empower.
Result
Anderson defeated Swann
Grade
B
Analysis
It makes sense that the competitor who had his tag team partner there at ringside earned the win, especially given the stipulation of the match. Why wouldn’t Gallows interfere given the lack of rules? In that regard, it was not at all heelish. It was two wrestlers taking advantage of the rules and padding their win-loss record.
The question now is whether or not Swann and Mack will eventually emerge from the feud with the titles. If the answer is no, the question becomes why Anderson needed to win this match and why The Good Brothers continue to be so protected by booking.
The James promo was short and sweet but put over the idea of a match between the future Hall of Famer and Purrazzo, which is certainly worthy of the Bound For Glory pay-per-view in October.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
David Finlay’s feud with Bullet Club’s Chris Bey escalated this week as the second-generation star battled The Ultimate Finnesser in singles competition.
The back and forth match, featuring an intense Finlay, culminated with the babyface trapping Bey in a crossface. The former X-Division champion answered with a spinebuster for two. An exchange gave way to an attempted cheap pinfall by Bey. Juice Robinson appeared, though, and broke it up.
Finlay capitalized on the momentary distraction provided by his returning partner to score the win.
After the match, Bullet Club’s Hikuleo attacked the victor and his partner after the match, then worked with Bey to brutalize Robinson’s previously injured knee. The heels stood tall to close the segment.
Backstage, Scott D’Amore presided over a contract signing for the X-Division Championship Match between Josh Alexander and Chris Sabin at Victory Road. Impact world champion Christian Cage caught up with Sabin afterward and offered him a position on his team for next week’s 10-man tag against Ace Austin’s team.
Result
Finlay defeated Bey
Grade
B
Analysis
Finlay and Bey have some killer in-ring chemistry and a longer, higher-stakes PPV match between them would likely result in something special. While that may not be in the cards, a match pitting FinJuice against Bullet Club looks likely.
Bey is the home-grown Impact star and probably should be winning matches like this. He got his heat back, though, in a post-match angle that introduced the Impact stars to Hikuleo. In terms of presenting the heels as heartless villains willing to threaten an opponent’s career, this worked and intensified the program.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Petey Williams and Steve Maclin settled their rivalry Thursday on AXS TV, the latter looking to excise Williams from his path to greatness in Impact.
He dominated early, using his fury and strength advantage to turn the tide in his favor. A late-match surge and teased Canadian Destroyer by Williams, though, was interrupted by No Way’s conga line. The distraction allowed Maclin to flatten the X-Division influencer and score the win.
Result
Maclin defeated Williams
Grade
C
Analysis
Why did Maclin need interference from No Way to beat Williams? It is out of character for a competitor that had been so dominant to this point. To win the way he did weakens his character and for what? To promote Williams’ feud with No Way, TJP and Fallah Bahh?
It’s counterproductive, unfortunately, and a rare total miss from a company that typically does right by its core group of talent.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Eddie Edwards entered Thursday’s main event with the prospects of an unlikely partnership with Sami Callihan weighing on him and a feud with W. Morrissey and Moose threatening his career.
He battled Moose in a hard-hitting main event that saw the heart of Impact Wrestling on the defensive often. The former world champion fought back from underneath, though and rolled early until well-timed interference from Morrissey allowed Moose to recover and deliver Lights Out for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Chris Sabin came to the aid of Edwards, as did X-Division champion Josh Alexander, but both men found themselves beaten down by Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. Morrissey and Moose attacked Edwards some more until the babyface’s wife Alisha hit the ring, looking to save her husband with a cane.
Callihan arrived on the scene, better late than never, and joined Edwards in clearing the heels out of the ring. Christian Cage stood alongside them ahead of next week’s massive 10-man tag match.
Result
Moose defeated Edwards
Grade
B
Analysis
A star-studded main event gave way to a fun post-match brawl that hyped up next week’s blockbuster tag team match. Moose winning means little as both he and Edwards have traded wins over the years. They are established stars whose credibility is rarely in question so dropping a television match that is designed to set up the brawl moments later will not hurt.
Next week’s show will be the go-home for Victory Road, with a main event that would not be totally shocking if it ran for a significant portion of the broadcast. The talent may demand it. With so many stories at play and characters involved, it has the potential to be an extraordinary bit of wrestling television.
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