Coverage

Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (9/1/18)

Published

6 years ago

September 7, 2018

Ring of Honor Wrestling Television, Episode 363

The Last Real Man disappointed the resident Bully of ROH, but tonight is a chance for redemption in the Hall of Famer’s eyes. Will Silas Young come through?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

WOH Championship: Sumie Sakai VS Madison Rayne; Sakai wins and retains the WOH Championship.
Shane Taylor VS Josh Woods; Taylor wins.
2018 Top Prospect Tournament, Opening Round: Charles Zanders VS Marcus Kross; no contest.
Bully Ray & Silas Young VS Best Friends; Best Friends win.

PLAY BY PLAY

We have NEW ROH World Six Man Tag Team Champions!

The Bullet Club’s American Nightmare and Young Bucks took on The Kingdom, took them to the limit, and succeeded in dethroning them! However, there is a point of controversy, as they pinned Vinnie Marseglia while Matt Taven was the legal man. Taven and TK O’Ryan shouted up and down that this was wrong, but the referee’s decision was considered final. Is the conspiracy a reality!?

WOH Championship: Sumie Sakai VS Madison Rayne!

The Queen Bee earned this title shot through a Fatal 4 Way match with Tenille Dashwood, Karen Q and Kelly Klein, where she proved to be more opportunistic than even the crafty Queen of Queens. However, the inaugural champion has been undefeated since winning the WOH Championship Tournament. Will the Ray of Sunshine have to take a Rayne Check in tonight’s forecast?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and the Code of Honor is upheld. The bell rings and these two circle, with Mandy Leon on commentary. The Exotic Goddess respects both these women and their accomplishments, and knows this is a great match-up. Sumie and Madison tie up but break. Madison applauds, as do the fans. The two circle again, then tie up again. Sumie gets a waistlock but Madison the standing switch. Sumie bucks her off but Madison dodges to arm-drag into a cover. TWO, but Sumie backslides. ONE, and Madison rolls for a leg cradle. TWO, and Sumie kicks low. Sumie goes to suplex but Madison small packages. They roll around and around and around, and stop on Sumie’s shoulders. TWO, and the two back off. Fans applaud, they love this evenly matched exchange already.

Madison and Sumie tie up again, and Madison backs Sumie to a corner. She lets Sumie out cleanly, but then swings on her. Sumie counters with those Mongolian Chops! Sumie chops once, twice, then several times in a row. Fans fire up but Madison runs Sumie over with an ambush forearm! Madison drags Sumie up and bumps Sumie’s head off her knee a couple times before hitting the modified DDT. Cover, TWO, and Madison grows frustrated already. Another cover, TWO! Madison drags Sumie back up but Sumie fights back. Sumie runs, but Madison pursues to stop her with forearms. Madison runs but Sumie follows to forearm her. They both run and hit each other with clotheslines! Both women are down while we go to break.

ROH returns and both women brawl with forearms! Madison throws a forearm, Sumie throws one back, and repeat. Sumie gets an edge and whips but Madison reverses. Sumie comes back with a dropkick, then rallies with more forearms. She brings Madison up and hits TJ Neckbreaker! Cover, TWO! Madison survives that but Sumie is not deterred. Sumie climbs up while Madison stands, and she hits the missile dropkick! Cover, TWO! Sumie grows frustrated now, but she keeps on Madison. The fans rally behind the champ as she walks over Madison and climbs up top. Moonsault misses! Madison gets up and boots Sumie away. She hops up and grabs Sumie, for a tornado DDT! Madison crawls to a cover, TWO!

Madison is frustrated again but she won’t stop, either. She drags Sumie up again, but Sumie slips out to fire forearms. Sumie tries the fisherman again, for the Fisherman Buster! Cover, TWO!! Sumie can’t believe it, but she has more to give. She drags Sumie up but Madison spins and rolls her up, TWO! Sumie runs in, to the Rayne Check! Cover, TWO!! Madison is now the one who can’t believe it! Madison grits her teeth and takes aim at Sumie. Sumie slowly stands and Madison runs, but into Smash Mouth! Cover, Sumie wins!

Winner: Sumie Sakai, by pinfall; still WOH Champion

The first champion is still the champion, even after facing the five-time Knockouts Champion! But both women still respect each other so deeply, and keep the Code of Honor with a hug in celebration. How far will Sumie’s historic inaugural run go? What will it take for someone to dethrone her?

ROH looks back at the grudge between Shane Taylor and Josh Woods.

The Notorious Hitman wants to prove he’s the baddest man in the business, and believes he had The Goods “dead to rights” in Palm Beach back in April. It was only because of King Mo, Muhammed Lawal, that Woods survived Taylor. But when it was rematch time, Taylor used the referee as an advantage to hit that notorious One Hitter Quitter. Both Woods and Taylor have been fighting their entire lives, but Taylor hits harder than anyone Woods has ever met. Woods wanted round three in NYC, but “Big Money Shane don’t fight for free.” What’s the Hitman’s price to make this tiebreaker happen?

Shane Taylor VS Josh Woods!

ROH must have met the price Taylor needs, because here is round three! The Hitman wants everything in ROH, from titles to glory to money, but will his desire be enough to overcome Mr. Top Prospect 2017 once and for all?

ROH returns from a break as the bell rings and Woods runs at Taylor with a flying knee! Woods throws haymakers from both sides, high and low. Taylor shoves him away but Woods comes back. Woods gets a waistlock but Taylor is too much to lift. Taylor switches and shoves Woods away. Taylor backs off to a corner, and Woods accuses Taylor of hiding something inside his new gloves! The Hitman says that’s just an excuse for getting knocked out. Woods and Taylor circle and Woods avoids a punch to go for a leg. Taylor elbows Woods off then clubs him on the back. He whips but Woods dodges to sunset flip. Taylor stays up but Woods switches around to catch his arm! Woods has Taylor in a triangle hold, then takedown to a kneebar! Taylor shouts as Woods gets a full ankle lock!

Woods holds on as Taylor drags himself towards ropes. Woods keeps that leg trapped and waistlocks Taylor for a deadlift! But Taylor fights out before the German Suplex is complete. He rocks Woods with an elbow, but Woods pump kicks and knees. Woods runs back in but Taylor puts him on the apron. Taylor sends Woods down with a swift right forearm! Taylor catches his breath before going out to fetch Woods. He stalks Woods around the corner, to then snake eyes him on the railing! The referee starts a count to get this match back in the ring. Taylor puts Woods in, but then on the apron to club away. Taylor climbs up onto the apron, for the guillotine leg drop! Woods rolls away while Taylor grins and even gives a fan a fist bump.

Woods is in a corner, but Taylor has him with body shots. Taylor rocks Woods with another forearm, but Woods gets back up. Taylor scoops and slams, then splashes! Cover, ONE! Taylor is definitely surprised but also amused. He looms over Woods as Woods gets to ropes. Taylor drags Woods up but Woods fires forearms of his own. Woods runs but Taylor ducks, and dodges the springboard super punch. Taylor scoops but Woods slips out to roundhouse! Taylor drops to the mat but Woods is also down. Both men slowly stand as fans rally up. Woods throws body shots and forearms and knees, then a back elbow. He runs corner to corner, for a big shining wizard! He throws Taylor with an exploder! Woods crawls to the cover, TWO! Taylor is reeling while we go to break.

ROH returns to see Woods throwing hands on Taylor at the ropes! The referee backs him off but Woods is still fired up. But Taylor blocks his boot to give him a knee! Woods rolls away as Taylor fires himself up. Fans rally up, too, and Taylor swings. Woods judo arm-drags into an armbar! Taylor resists, but Woods pries the hands apart! And he pulls off the glove! Woods lets Taylor go, to reveal there was an extra weight in the glove! Woods’ accusations are justified! The referee sees the illegal item, and says he has to throw this match out. Woods insists to keep it going, sot hat there is a true winner! Woods grabs Taylor, goes for the arm, but Taylor clubs him with the other arm. Taylor scoops, for Greetings from the 216! Cover, Taylor wins!

Winner: Shane Taylor, by pinfall

Oh the irony! Woods could’ve won by disqualification, but his pride as a fighter wanted more, and now he loses! Taylor gets away with it all, but will he take everything in ROH for his own?

SoCal Uncensored speaks.

Christopher Daniels fired a warning shot at Best in the World, but The Briscoes have gotten back at them twice. Two separate attacks with chairs, yet The Addiction is still coming for those ROH World Tag Team titles! #DemBoys come from Sandy Fork, but Sandy Fork is in fact THE worst town they’ve ever been in. Frankie Kazarian promises to even the score against “Mr. Bawk Bawk” Mark Briscoe, SCU style! Will the Heavy Metal Rebel make fried chicken out of the Sussex County Chicken next week?

We are one week away from the ROH World Championship Ironman Match, Jay Lethal VS Jonathan Gresham!

The Franchise’s first match with The Octopus was one of his favorite matches ever, and Gresham worked hard for 13 years to reach this point. Lethal knows Gresham will never forget the losses, because Lethal won’t. Gresham pushed him to his limits, so it’s not just Gresham who wants this rematch. Lethal wants this rematch and the fans want this rematch, the fans deserve this rematch. Gresham needs that one win to truly establish himself as the best pure wrestler in the world today. He’s wanted something like this his entire career. Gresham is 0-2 but he’s still getting the chance of his life time.

Gresham promises to bring his best and wants Lethal’s best. There is no better place for Gresham to win that title than in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. No less than 30 minutes, but it will be more than enough for Lethal to prove to everyone, including himself, that he’s the best. Just seven days and this guaranteed wrestling clinic begins. Who will prove that they are the best wrestler in ROH?

2018 Top Prospect Tournament, Opening Round: Charles Zanders VS Marcus Kross!

This year’s TPT had a rough start, as both Eli Isom and FR Josie were bulldozed by THE Jeff Cobb! There has yet to be a decision on how that match factors into the brackets, and for that matter, we have yet to see official brackets. Will Alabama’s Prodigal Son and The Kick Master Kross be able to have their match?

The Code of Honor is upheld by these two Future of Honor prospects, and fans chant “Goku! Goku!” and “Super Saiyan!” for the wrestling DBZ cosplayer. Kross and Zanders circle, tie up, and Zanders gets a headlock. Kross slips out to get his own headlock, and he shouts “Over 9000!” The fans applaud for his power level, but Zanders pries his way out back to his own headlock. Zanders holds on but Kross powers out. He sweeps and covers, TWO. Zanders whips, sweeps and covers, ONE. Kross whips but Zanders sees the sweep coming. Zanders dropkicks Kross down, then gets the wristlock. Kross spins and arm-drags then whips. Zanders somersaults over, but so does Kross. Kross runs and slides off Zander’s back. Kross unleashes the kicks! Zanders is out on his feet and fans fire up, but not for the action. They’re on fire for JEFF COBB!!

Yes, Jeff Cobb is back again, and though the referee reprimands him, he CLOBBERS Kross! Then he headbutts Zanders!

No Contest

Two weeks in a row, Cobb shows these Top Prospects that they don’t stack up to his standards. He throws Kross with a pumphandle Fall Away Slam, then reels Zanders in for a cradling saido suplex! But wait, Eli Isom appears! Isom is furious over having his match thrown out and now throws forearms on Cobb. But they do nothing! Cobb just smirks as fans chant “This is Awesome!” Isom gets scooped, for a Tour of the Islands!! Cobb proves he’s greater than three “Top Prospects” at once. Is Cobb just going to be named Mr. Top Prospect 2018 without a single match?

Bully Ray & Silas Young VS Best Friends!

The Hall of Fame legend of hardcore has made it his personal mission to show Millennial wrestlers they don’t belong, and his favorite targets have been Cheeseburger and Flip Gordon. So when Flip Gordon got the better of the Last Real Man, Bully was sorely disappointed. Now Bully and Silas team up to pick on Trent and Chuckie T. Will Silas redeem himself in the eyes of the ECW original? Or will even Bully be beat by the younger generation?

As Bully makes his way to the ring, he gets a rise out of Colt Cabana. Caprice Coleman wants Cabana to keep his cool, but then Bully just mouths off on him and Ian Riccaboni. Bully wants the camera to stay on him, because HE is the money draw, HE is the (WWE) Hall of Famer. Cabana miraculously keeps his cool, but he’s also ready to go if things get any more heated.

ROH returns from break as the bell rings. Trent starts against Bully and they circle. But Bully tags right out to Silas! Silas takes off his shirt while Trent flexes the pecs. Silas throws the shirt at Trent, Trent catches it, and tosses it aside. They tie up and Trent gets a waistlock. Silas pries out to a wristlock, but Trent rolls and reverses to then get a takedown. Silas gets a headscissor but Trent pops out. Roles reverse as Silas gets a headlock takedown but Trent headscissors. Silas pops out and Trent chops him down! Trent dares Silas to come back, but Bully is again disappointed. Bully practically demands Silas tag him back in, so Silas tags him in. Bully then eggs Trent on, mocking his return by daring him to “do something!” Fans want Trent to do something, even Ian wants him to do something.

Trent and Bully tie up, and Bully scoop slams Trent hard. Bully says that’s how you do a body slam. He brings Trent up and wrenches the bad arm, trash talking the entire way. Bully even slaps the shoulder to add insult to injury. Bully looms over Trent, then wrenches and yanks the bad arm. He brings Trent up and whips, but Trent ducks and dodges to huricanrana! Fans fire up as Trent runs in at Bully for the big back elbow. Trent keeps going and hits a leaping lariat! Trent brings Bully over and tags in Chuckie T! The Kentucky Gentleman fires off on Bully, then dropkicks him to a corner. Chuckie runs in, but into a Thesz Press! Cover, TWO! Bully drags Chuckie over and tags in Silas. Silas stomps Chuckie in a corner, grinds in his boot, and backs off at 4.

Bully shouts for Silas to stay on him, so Silas whips Chuckie corner to corner. Chuckie goes up and over to then scoop slam Silas. Tag to Trent, for the World’s Most Dangerous Move… the slingshot face scuff! That’s one dog, but Chuckie swings in for the second, Two Dog Night! And then the Best Friends DON’T get to hug as Silas gets in the way! Silas throws Chuckie out then keeps on Trent in a corner. Silas bumps Trent off buckles, then whips him to his corner. Bully trash talks but gets a back elbow! Trent elbows Silas away, but Silas distracts the ref while Bully trips Trent and rams the post right up the middle! Trent’s bad bicep was one thing but this is uncalled for. Bully just soaks up the heat while we go to break.

ROH returns once again, and Bully tags Silas back in while Trent is down. Bully holds Trent down for Silas to stomp. Silas drops knees on the bad bicep, then covers. TWO, but Silas keeps on Trent with an armlock. Fans rally up and Trent feeds off the energy. Trent fires forearms and chops, but Silas rocks him with a haymaker. Silas ducks the enziguri, then drags Trent up in the full nelson, but Trent slips out to victory roll! TWO, but Trent flounders up. Bully grabs hair and yanks Trent down! Silas and Bully grind their boots into Trent while Chuckie protests. Bully tags in and mocks Trent as he crawls for a tag. Fans rally up but Bully stays between Trent and Chuckie. Bully throws jabs, winds it up, but Trent kicks out the legs! Trent gets to a corner while Bully has a bloody nose.

Trent runs out but into a back drop! Bully tags Silas back in and tells him to cover. Silas covers, TWO. Chuckie and the fans rally up again, but Silas has Trent in a corner. Silas whips him corner to corner hard, then hits a corner clothesline. Trent sits down and Silas dares him to stand back up. Silas runs but misses, Trent tornado DDT’s! And he flips Bully off! Hot tag to Chuckie! Chuckie clotheslines Silas, then hops up for a missile dropkick. He whips but Silas reverses, only for Chuckie to reverse back into Sole Food! Falcon Arrow on top, cover, TWO! But Chuckie keeps his eye on Bully as he positions Silas. Chuckie climbs up, MOONSAULT! He lands on his feet and scoops Silas into a Samoan Driver! Cover, TWO!

Bully shouts that Silas is embarrassing himself. Chuckie brings Silas up for chops, then runs, but Bully gets a cheap shot. Silas scoops Chuckie but Trent tags in. Silas fights Chuckie off but gets an enziguri. Then the long dart cutter! And yes, the Best Friends hug! Bully runs in and clotheslines them both down! Bully shouts at Silas to get this tag. Silas drags himself over, but Bully abandons him?! Bully is the most selfish man in the business, and he says Silas is going to “learn a lesson”. According to Bully, Silas isn’t the man he used to be. Trent scoops Silas, and Best Friends hit Dude Buster! Cover, Best Friends win!

Winners: Best Friends, Trent pinning

Bully blames Silas for everything, but that’s because his ego is too big to allow anything else. Will someone finally put Bully in his place? But while Bully gives up on this match, The Best Friends gain some ground back towards the top. Can Trent & Chuckie make it back to a match for those ROH World Tag Team Championships?

My Thoughts:

A pretty good episode here, given this is All In weekend. Sakai VS Rayne was good, but it just made sense with Madison still in Impact as well as competing in WWE’s Mae Young Classic, she wasn’t going to be taking the ROH women’s title anywhere just yet. Sumie still has many more contenders waiting to challenge her, but it will surely be at a PPV that she finally loses. Woods VS Taylor was also pretty good, and I liked the story element of Woods exposing Taylor as a cheater. At the same time, Taylor still wins, so I bet there will be an even better rematch down the line. Taylor wants it all, so I wonder if he’s going to find himself challenging for a title before the year is out.

I nailed it. I knew Jeff Cobb would continue to interject himself into the Top Prospect Tournament. He actually let this week’s match pick up some speed before destroying it, though, so that was nice of him. Isom going after him for payback was great, too, mostly because it allowed Cobb to escalate by wrecking three guys instead of two. I really hope my idea of Cobb VS half the tournament entries happens, with Isom and Kross being two of them. In fact, just have the four he decimated all face him together for him to still steamroll through to then earn the title of Mr. Top Prospect 2018. If Martinez is still ROH World TV Champion by then, then I want Martinez VS Cobb to be a title match.

The main event was pretty great. There was so much story and character work just from Bully Ray himself. He only stopped talking at the end when the match was finally over. I almost thought Silas was going to stand up to him and be the one to leave, but Bully’s not going to take the pin just yet. Bully VS Silas should happen to freshen things up from Bully always picking on Flip or Cheeseburger, and from Bully and Cabana always fighting. Silas doesn’t have to turn Face, he just has to stand up to a bully, to show that a real man isn’t a bully, and a bully isn’t a real man. Silas doesn’t even have to win, him standing up to Bully will be enough for the fans to like him.

My Score: 8/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Related Topics:Bully Ray Coverage Featured Featured Coverage Ring of Honor Wrestling ROH

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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

20 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Steven Mitchell

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

Andrew Balaz

Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Ratings:

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.

.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!