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Credit: Impact Wrestling
On the heels of Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary pay-per-view, the company jumpstarted year 21 with a jam-packed episode that began the build to Against All Odds on July 1, introduced world champion Josh Alexander’s next contender and finally established Honor No More as the most dangerous entity in the company.
How did it accomplish those things and what else went down Thursday night on AXS TV? F
Find out now with this recap of the June 23 broadcast.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Honor No More, still reeling following a major loss at Slammiversary, hit the ring to kick off the night’s broadcast. Eddie Edwards, Mike Bennet, Matt Taven, Vincent, PCO and Kenny King voiced frustration following their loss until Impact Wrestling originals America’s Most Wanted’s James Storm and Chris Harris interrupted.
A back and forth verbal battle ensued before world tag team champions The Good Brothers arrived. A six-on-four beatdown ensued before The Briscoes hit the ring, making the save and clearing the squared circle of the heels.
The segment was interesting in that the Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows are apparently babyfaces now, joining AMW and The Briscoes to clear the ring of Honor No More. A few shared beers and some mutual respect will make that possible, apparently.
It appears as though The Good Brothers are now on a collision course with Honor No More and if that is the case, a battle between them and the duo of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett could go a long way in freshening up the tag team division.
Backstage, the heels confronted Scott D’Amore, who booked a six-man tag team match for later in the show pitting Edwards, Taven and Bennett against The Briscoes and Storm. At Against All Odds on July 1, Honor No More battles the aforementioned Briscoes, Storm and Good Brothers in a big 10-man tag.
Grade
B
Top Moments
- “There’s a reason TNA left Nashville,” Edwards said, tearing down the fans’ desire for nostalgia since Slammiversary.
- “That place would have closed its doors in 2019 if it wasn’t for me. I gave that place my life. MY LIFE! But go ahead and blame me for every problem you’ve ever had. But listen…I need you to listen…I didn’t kill Ring of Honor. I saved Impact Wrestling,” a clearly frustrated Taven said.
- “If you guys were good, you would have learned from that loss, gotten better and come back. The problem is…you suck,” Storm said, insulting the heel faction.
- “You keep mouthing off, I’ll make you cry harder than you did on The Bachelorette,” Harris warned King.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Chelsea Green and Mia Yim were still clearly banged up from their Queen of the Mountain match Sunday at Slammiversary as they took to the squared circle for the opening contest of this week’s show. “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo watched from the commentary position.
Green dominated the action and appeared to have Yim beaten on more than one occasion. Yim’s own resilience, and some assistance from Mickie James, who prevented Purrazzo from interfering any further, ultimately affected the outcome.
Yim delivered Eat Defeat and earned the hard-fought victory.
The match itself was very competitive and had some time to develop. Green has had her in-ring time limited thus far in Impact so this served as a nice reminder of her abilities between the ropes. Yim, as expected, was her typically great self.
The involvement of James and Purrazzo would seem to point to a tag team match at some point in the near future and the prospects of that are mighty appealing given the talent involved.
With those four women, and new champion Jordynne Grace guiding the division, there is plenty of reason to be excited about the Knockouts division.
Result
Yim pinned Green
Grade
B-
Top Moments
- Green allowed her hubris to get the best of her, trying to humiliate Yim by beating her with her own Eat Defeat finisher. She did not succeed.
- Purrazzo got involved, launching Yim from the top rope and drawing Mickie James out for the save.
- Green’s selling of the Eat Defeat was great and really put over the impact of the move.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Shark Boy sought to follow up his victory in the Reverse Battle Royal as he teamed with young Bhupinder Gujjar to battle Zicky Dice and the runner-up from Sunday’s pay-per-view preshow, Johnny Swinger.
The mostly comedic tag match concluded with Shark Boy flattening Swinger with the Chummer and Gujjar turning Dice inside out with the Gargoyle spear.
The match was little more than a fun way to get Shark Boy in front of the Impact Wrestling TV audience while simultaneously putting over Gujjar, who remains the focal point of a moderate push by management as one of the company’s future stars.
Harmless fun that gave way to Violent By Design’s Deaner and Joe Doering attacking and setting up the proceeding promo, this was fine for what it was.
Result
Shark Boy and Gujjar defeated Swinger and Dice (Gujjar pinned Dice)
Grade
C
Top Moments
- Backstage, Gisele Shaw campaigned to be Tenille Dashwood’s tag team partner while Madison Rayne nursed a face injury. After the Aussie dismissed Shaw, Rayne stopped her and appeared willing to see how things went.
- Matthew Rehwoldt asking if Shark Boy is finally Shark Man yet was good fun.
- Shark Boy may have been there for nostalgia but Gujjar still picked up the win, proving Impact still has a ton of faith in him.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Deaner and Doering called out Josh Alexander and the Impact world champion obliged, but not before asking where Eric Young was and saying he knew the latest message, delivered by Deaner, did not come from the leader of Violent By Design.
After Doering obliterated security and Impact officials and was subsequently ejected from the ringside area, The Walking Weapon squared off with Deaner in singles competition. The champion’s onslaught came to an end with a poke to the eye as Deaner turned the tide in his favor and sent Alexander into the guardrail.
The champ fought through the pain and applied the ankle lock, forcing the tapout from his opponent and running his win-loss record against VBD to 2-0 this week. Up next: the monstrous Doering, with the title on the line, at Against All Odds.
Alexander is on a red-hot streak right now and has entered the rarified air of the best in the business today. He is great and appears to be more than confident in his role as champion. His excellence was on display against Deaner who worked damn hard and proved that the days of the trucker-hat-waring comedy act from a few years back is far behind him.
The Doering match-up will be an interesting one for Alexander in that it will force him to break out his brawling side. It will be interesting to see what that looks like and if The Walking Weapon can get the big man’s best match out of him to date.
Result
Alexander tapped Deaner out
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Deaner opened up lacerations on Alexander’s forehead, looking to weaken the world champion in hopes of scoring an upset victory.
- Alexander delivered a series of German suplexes, fought through a brief escape, and delivered another in a cool spot.
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Credit: Impact Wrestling
Sami Callihan squashed Gut Check winner Jack Price, defeating him with the Cactus Driver ’97. Unwilling to accept his loss to The Death Machine from Sunday’s Slammiversary, Moose attacked the victor and drove him through a table.
The angle was fine and sets up a rematch for the Against All Odds event. While many will suggest the feud should have concluded at Slammiversary, it is understandable Impact would need to fill a show that takes place so soon after one of its signature events and a match between Callihan and Moose is far from the worst option.
The six-man tag match pitting Honor No More’s Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Eddie Edwards against The Briscoe Brothers and “Cowboy” James Storm was every bit as wild, chaotic and downright fun as expected.
Nonstop action, electric performances from Storm and Mark Briscoe, and a strong victory for the heels helped elevate this one’s grade and set Honor No More up to be the top, best and most dangerous faction in the company.
A post-match assault that saw them brutalize Mark’s ankle, while wrapped in a steel chair, only served to emphasize the damage and destruction they are more than willing to cause moving forward.
Results
Callihan pinned Price; Honor No More defeated The Briscoes and Storm (Bennet pinned Mark Briscoe)
Grade
C for Callihan vs. Price; A for the main event
Top Moments
- Backstage, Callihan encountered Gail Kim and pitched Raven’s Clockwork Orange House of Fun vs. Moose at Against All Odds. The Hall of Famer granted the match, ensuring the July 1 show will be the first time we see that particular match type in over a decade.
- Storm’s love of wrestling is infectious. He exploded into the match early and went on a tear, dismantling Honor No More.
- Mark Briscoe’s hot tag was equally as energetic and even more awesome.
- Honor No More brutalizing the babyfaces and standing tall after essentially writing Mark Briscoe off the show was a great finish to this post-Slammiversary episode.
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