Coverage

Mitchell’s NJPW AXS TV Results: New Year Dash 2019, Part 2!

It’s MORE of NJPW New Year Dash 2019 on AXS TV!

Published

5 years ago

February 1, 2019

NJPW New Year Dash coverage continues! Will Kazuhicka Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Yoshi-Hashi get revenge on Jay White for all of his 2018 treachery?

Coverage of New Year Dash 2019 will be as aired on AXS TV.

Gifs can be found courtesy of http://frentique.tumblr.com/

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens VS Honma Tomoaki & Toa Henare; Takahashi & Owens win.
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Taiji Ishimori & The Guerrillas of Destiny VS Toru Yano, Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi; Ishimori & the Guerrillas of Destiny win and retain the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships.
Six Man Tag: Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & YOSHI-HASHI VS Jay White, Gedo & Bad Luck Fale; White, Gedo & Fale win.

PLAY BY PLAY

NJPW and AXS TV set the scene!

Wrestle Kingdom Fallout continues! The Ace is the NEW IWGP Heavyweight Champion after defeating Kenny Omega, but the Switchblade promises to switch things up. The Bullet Club has been transformed in this Cutthroat Era after Jay White defeated the Rainmaker, but now he aims for the top. Will this new Bullet Club destroy the Ace Age once and for all? Or will its second coming mean a big defeat to start 2019?

Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens VS Honma Tomoaki & Toa Henare!

Bullet Club is also represented by Tokyo Pimp and the Crown Jewel as they go against The Innovator of Lighttube Deathmatches and the young New Zealand star. Will Bullet Club get a strong start to start the night? Or will they just be the first to fall?

The bell rings and Honma starts against Chase. The two circle and tie up. Chase pushes Honma to the ropes then wipes his hands. He pie faces Honma but Honma pushes him back. Chase goes to chop but Honma ducks and hip tosses. Honma whips but Chase reverses. Chase runs but misses in the corner, and gets another hip toss. Honma drops ax handles then drags Chase up for a scoop slam. Fans fire up as Honma runs but Chase dodges the falling headbutt. Chase gets all the way out of the ring then tags in Yujiro. Toa tags in and he circles with the Tokyo Pimp. They tie up and Toa pushes Yujiro to the ropes. Toa backs off but ducks the punch. Yujior ducks to kick and punch and pie face. Toa kicks him back then puts on a thrashing headlock. But Yujiro bites him!

Yujiro runs but into a CHOP! Toa chops and whips but Yujiro reverses and boots. Yujiro runs but Toa runs him over! Toa stomps Yujiro around then runs, but Chase kicks him! Toa swings on Chase but Yujiro boots Toa down. Yujiro hits Honma for good measure, then Chase whips Toa at the barriers. Yujiro keeps on Honma on the outside with stomps. Muffin even gets a SLAP on Toa! Chase puts Toa in the ring and Yujiro kicks him down. Yujiro drags Toa around to stomp the leg. Tag to Chase and Chase keeps on that leg at the ropes with a springboard sit-down! Chase gives another but the referee reprimands him. Chase drags Toa up for a scoop slam, then mocks Honma as he runs, falling headbutt! It hurts Chase as much as Toa, though. Chase tells Honma off then tags in Yujiro.

The Bullet Club mug Toa, then Yujiro drags Toa up. He puts Toa in a corner for a big boot, then snapmares him out for a corner. TWO, but Yujiro keeps his cool. Yujiro drags Toa up but Toa CHOPS back! Toa chops again, but Yujiro kicks the legs out. Yujiro snapmares again and dropkicks Toa down. Cover, TWO! Yujiro drags Toa up into a facelock, but Toa denies the fisherman. Toa lifts Yujiro for a BIG suplex! Fans rally up as both men crawl, hot tag to Honma! Honma rallies on Bullet Club and then he scoop slams Yujiro. He CHOPS Yujiro to a corner, then whips him corner to corner. Yujiro goes to boot but Honma blocks and clobbers him back. Bulldog, and falling headbutt misses! Yujiro shotgun dropkicks! Yujiro drags Honma up, Fisherman Suplex! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally up but Yujiro drags Honma back up. Yujiro wants to bomb but Honma blocks. Honma powers out but Yujiro slaps him. Yujiro runs but Honma runs him over, then hits the Kokeshi headbutt! Both men crawl, hot tags to Chase and Toa! Toa runs into forearms but he eggs Chase on. Chase keep shitting, then mule kicks. Chase whips but Toa dodges and hits a big shoulder tackle! Yujiro returns but Toa whips him to a corner. Toa hits a big corner clothesline to Yujiro, then one to Chase. Fireman’s carry, Toa uses Chase to hit Yujiro, then he drops Chase with a Death valley! Cover, TWO! But Toa keeps going, only for Chase to fight out of the urenage. Chase drags Toa up but Toa slips out. Chase victory rolls and rolls again to an ankle lock!

Toa endures while Yujiro intercepts Honma. Honma breaks through to attack Chase. Honma hits both Bullet Club members but gets drop toehold’d into a dropkick! Chase drags Toa but Toa counters to a backslide! TWO! SUPERKICK! Chase lifts, PACKAGE PILEDRIVER! Cover, Bullet Club wins!

Winners: Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi, Chase pinning

The Crown Jewel gets it down for the reinvented Bullet Club! Will this victory lead to bigger things for him and Tokyo Pimp as a duo?

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Taiji Ishimori & The Guerrillas of Destiny VS Toru Yano, Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi!

The Bullet Club’s combination of the Bone Soldier Reborn, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa have made quite the combination in defending these titles, but now they face quite a unique combination in the ring. The Producer, the Unchained Gorilla & The Funky Weapon joined forces in the Six Man Tag Gauntlet and won, earning the right to this match. Will they be able to shock the world with a victory? Or will Bullet Club be #TooSweet for them to beat?

Makabe starts against Tonga Loa at the bell. Fans are on Makabe’s side as he ties up with Loa. He powers out of a headlock and the two collide. Neither man falls and Loa even dances. They collide again and again, but neither man falls. Loa kicks low then runs, then dodges Makabe to run him over! Loa brings Makabe up for forearms and runs again, but now Makabe runs him over! Makabe tags to Yano and Yano fires up. Tama tags in and Yano’s fire goes out. Taguchi gives signals but they don’t make sense. Tama whips but Yano grabs the ropes. Yano dodges, and goes for the buckle pad! He gets it free but Tama clobbers him down! Tama laughs at the crown prince as he clubs him down. Tama gives Yano body shots then runs for a superman punch. He eggs Yano on and throws more hands.

Tama runs but Makabe grabs him! Yano runs, but Jado appears with a kendo stick! Tama gets free and runs Yano over. Tama remembers he’s a good guy now, so instead of raining down stomps, he puts Yano in the Bullet Club corner. He still throws big body shots, though. Tag to Taiji and Taiji grinds his boots into Yano. He lets up at 4, and Loa checks if Yano is conscious. Taiji drags Yano up for more body shots, then bumps him off buckles. Tag to Loa, and Loa brings Yano out for a headbutt. Loa taunts Yano, and lets him crawl towards his corner. But Loa stops him before he can reach for tag, covers, TWO! Loa drags Yano up and whips him to the bare buckles! Yano collapses while Tama scolds his brother. Loa stomps Yano at the ropes but Tama still wants them to play fair.

Loa drags Yano up and tags Tama in. Tama headbutts Yano and Loa clubs Yano down. Tama drags Yano and whips him to the safe corner. Then he snap suplexes Yano down, covers, TWO! Yano survives but Loa tells Tama to use the bad corner. Tama is torn, but he does bring Yano up. Loa says, “We came to win!” Tama whips but Yano reverses, Tama gets the bad buckles! Yano crawls but Tama follows to club him down. Tama whips but Yano reverses and pulls hair! BOth men are down and crawling for their corners. Loa runs in to blast Makabe, then coaches his brother up. Tama drags Yano up to whip but Yano reverses and pulls hair again! Both men are down, but we go to break.

NJPW on AXS returns as hot tags to Taiji and Taguchi! Hip attack hits Taiji! And then another! And then one for Loa! Taguchi fires up and hits Taiji with another hip attack. And then another, and another, and another! Taguchi does his best Nakamura, and dodges Taiji’s dropkick in the process! Taguchi drags Taiji up for a snap suplex. THat’s one amigo, then a second amigo. Taguchi goes for the third but Taiji slips out. Taguchi elbows out but runs into Jado’s SMACK! Jado cheats but Taji doesn’t care. But then Taguchi gets the ankle lock! Taguchi has it on tight, and drags Taiji from ropes. Taiji fights back and gets the ropebreak!

Taguchi keeps on Taiji with chicken wings, Dodon countered into a victory roll! TWO! Mule kick from Taguchi, but handspring enziguri from Taiji! Both men are down but headed for their corners. Taiji tags Loa, Loa goes right at Taguchi. Loa whips Taguchi to a corner but runs into a boot! Taguchi runs but gets an atomic drop on his funky weapon! Loa runs but still gets the hip attack! Fans fire up and Makage tags in! Makabe blasts Bullet Club then clotheslines Loa in a corner. Makabe climbs for corner punches! He laughs as he goes past 10, then goes to suplex. Loa blocks then runs, but Makabe clotheslines him down. Makabe drags Loa up for another clothesline! Cover, TWO!

Makabe drags Loa up again but Loa fights back with body shots and an uppercut. Loa runs but into a drop toehold. Yano jabs Loa with a chair! Makabe lariats Loa again! cover, but Taiji drags the ref out! Jado gets in but Yano gives him a low blow! Tama dropkicks Yano but Makabe is right on him. Loa hits Makabe, and GoD combine, only to get DOUBLE clotheslines! Makabe drags Loa up and scoop slams him. He hurries up top, but wait! Yujiro and Chase attack! Chase gives Makabe the Package Piledriver! Chase helps Loa get up and Loa finishes Makabe with the gutbuster! cover, Bullet Club wins!

Winners: Bullet Club, Tonga Loa pinning; still NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions

Bullet Club is truly united as they continue to beat down Yano and Taguchi! Tokyo Pimp and Crown Jewel make it official with a Too Sweet salute, and Tama makes it official with a big hug. The club rolls deep, will they soon take over NJPW?

Six Man Tag: Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & YOSHI-HASHI VS Jay White, Gedo & Bad Luck Fale!

The Rainmaker, the Ace and the Head Hunter all want to get back at the Switchblade for everything he’s done to them. But White now has allies in Okada’s former mentor and all of the Bullet Club’s Firing Squad! Will White continue to do what he wants how he wants in his Cutthroat Era? Or will Okada and Tanahashi combined, with help from Yoshi-Hashi, finally get one over on White?

NJPW on AXS returns, and White starts against Okada in a Wrestle Kingdom rematch of sorts. White taunts Okada that he’ll just beat him again, but then Gedo attacks! Gedo throws Okada out while White goes after Tanahashi. They brawl in the ring while Okada baits Fale into running into Gedo! Okada then blasts Fale before getting back to the ring. Tanahashi throws forearms and uppercuts, then Okada boots White down! Tag to Yoshi-Hashi! Hashi wants payback for the bad shoulder and scarred head. Okada and Tanahashi double whip and elbow White down, Yoshi-Hashi adds a basement dropkick! Hashi covers, ONE! Fans cheer Hashi on as he stomps White around. Hashi drags White up for clubbing forearms and he stalks White to a corner.

Hashi CHOPS White against ropes, but he doesn’t let up. He drags White up for more clubbing forearms, then whips. White reverses but Gedo drags Hashi out! White blasts Tanahashi and Okada while Gedo beats Hashi down. Fale whips Okada into railing! White stomps Tanahashi on the other side while fans boo and jeer. White drags Tanahashi up and chokes him with a camera cord! Gedo uses a chair on Hashi’s bad shoulder! Gedo drags Hashi back over while White returns to the ring. Hashi gets thrown right into a post! Gedo waits until about 15 to put Hashi in for White. White drags Hashi up for a back suplex! Cover, TWO! Hashi survives the beatings but White won’t let up. White feeds Hashi to Gedo’s boot then tags Gedo in. Gedo taunts Hashi as he drags him up.

Gedo throws Hashi out and White goes right after Hashi. He and Fale throw Hashi into the railing! Gedo taunts Okada and Tanahashi as they do it again! White puts Hashi back in for Gedo, Gedo covers, ONE! Fans fire up for Hashi’s toughness, but Gedo rakes the eyes! Fans boo while Gedo toys with Hashi. Gedo slaps Hashi around but Hashi glares at him. Hashi throws forearms but Gedo rakes the eyes! Gedo tags Fale and now the Underboss clubs Hashi down. Fale stands on Hashi’s chest at the ropes! Fans boo and jeer but Fale lets up at 4. Fale toys with Hashi while fans rally up for him. Hashi grits his teeth but Fale drags him up to bump him off buckles. Fale throws body shots but Okada comes over to coach Hashi up. Fale sucker punches Okada then tags Gedo.

Gedo hits Tanahashi for good measure while Fale whips Hashi corner to corner. Hashi dodges Fale but runs into Gedo’s kick. Gedo drags Hashi up but Hashi kicks back! Fans fire up again and Hashi drags himself for his corner. Okada holds onto the broken tag rope as Hashi makes it! Hot tag to Okada and the string goes flying! The Rainmaker blasts White with a big elbow! Okada has Gedo, his treacherous mentor. Gedo pokes his eyes! Gedo whips but Okada runs him over with an elbow! Okada fires up with the fans as he whips Gedo corner to corner. Okada runs for a big elbow and Gedo staggers into a DDT! Rainmaker kip-up! Okada drags Gedo up for a big scoop slam, then goes up top. He aims at Gedo, but Gedo gets under.

Okada uppercuts him back, then whips. Gedo reverses but Fale kicks Okada down for him. Gedo crawls, tag to Fale. Fale walks into Okada’s forearms. Okada runs, but into a back drop! Cover, TWO! Fale drags Okada up to whip Okada to a corner. Fale runs in for a big corner splash! He grabs Okada but Okada dropkicks the Grenade away. Okada tries but he can’t scoop big bad Fale! Fale scoops but Okada slips out. Okada blocks the kick to a dragon screw! Tanahashi gives a thumbs up on that great move. Tag to Tanahashi, but Fale tags White. White hits Tanahashi, Tanahashi hits White. White CHOPS Tanahashi, but Tanahashi SLAPS White. Tananashi and White get forehead to forehead with trash talk and the brawl starts again with forearms!

Both men hit again and again as fans cheer The Ace on. Tanahashi backs White down then whips him corner to corner. White reverses and runs in but Tanahashi dodges. Tanahashi blocks the boot and drags White out for a dragon screw of his own! Okada returns the thumbs up. Tanahashi grabs the legs and ties them up but White fights out. White kicks Tanahashi away then ducks to a waistlock, saido suplex! But Tanahashi gets right up to Slingblade White down! Both men are down but fans fire up again. Tanahashi sits up and sees Hashi. Hot tag to the Head Hunter! Hashi goes right at White with strikes and chops! He whips but White reverses, only for Hashi to headscissor! Hashi fires up again and runs corner to corner for a CHOP! He drags White out for a suplex, to neckbreaker, but White fights out.

White misses on the clothesline and gets a block buster! cover, TWO! Okada goes after Fale and Tanahashi has Gedo on the outside. Hashi clubs White more then drags him back up. White punches but Hashi CHOPS. Fisherman but White blocks. White fights out but gets another CHOP! Hashi runs but into a waistlock. He elbows out but runs into an urenage! White scrambles to his feet and slashes the throat. He drags Hashi right up, but Okada boots White down. Fale tackles Okada, but Tanahsahi dropkicks Fale’s legs out. White has Tanahashi, but Tanahashi reverses to Twist ‘n’ Shout! Hashi fires up with the fans, runs, BIG lariat! But that’s not all, Fisherman Buster 2.0!! Cover, TWO!? How?!

But Hashi doesn’t care, he keeps going! Pumphandle, but White grabs the ref! White fights Hashi off but runs into a SUPERKICK! Hashi pumphandles again, but White slips out, Half ‘n’ Half! White drags Hashi up, slashes the throat, BLADE RUNNER!! Cover, Bullet Club wins!

Winners: Bullet Club, Jay White pinning

And he looks right at Tanahashi. White tells The Ace that he’s coming for that title. Will Bullet Club take the top prize and make all of NJPW #BreathwiththeSwitchblade?

Jay White speaks.

Okada can keep walking, he was light work for White. But Tanahashi, “I want that belt.” White proved 2018 was his year. He told Okada he was better and he proved it at Wrestle Kingdom. But White’s also better than Tanahashi and will prove it. This isn’t the Ace Age, this is the Cutthroat Era! That will be White’s belt! Tanahashi starts walking back. The old man can barely walk, and he wants to prove White wrong? Tanahashi’s on his death bed, it’ll be so easy to take that belt. But Tanahashi is right at the apron as fans cheer him on. Tanahashi joins White in the ring again, but Tanahashi is surrounded! Gedo, Fale and White beat Tanahashi down! So Okada comes back to fight them off! But Fale hits him with the Grenade!

Fale looms over Okada while White circles Tanahashi like a shark. White drags Tanahahsi up, for a BLADE RUNNER! White picks up the mic and the belt and has Tokyo look at their stars. He beat one, he’ll be the other, and become the NEW IWGP Heavyweight Champion! “All you can do, is BREATH with the Switchblade in the New Year, in my new era!” White also makes sure commentary understands that when he says something will happen, it WILL happen! Is it only a matter of time before White ushers in the new age of NJPW?

My Thoughts:

A great bit of action to finish the New Year Dash coverage. It was also clearly a Bullet Club night, as Yujiro and Chase join up with the remaining “OG BC” faction. Yujiro and Chase win in a pretty solid 2v2 tag match, which perhaps means they might be the Bullet Club’s choice for tag titles down the line, given the Guerrillas of Destiny are in the NEVER Openweight Six Man Division. The GoD and Taiji Ishimori have a fun match with Taguchi, Makabe and Yano. They win in large part thanks to Yujiro and Chase officially rejoining them in Bullet Club, and can continue to dominate the NEVER Openweight Six Man Division. Taiji himself is the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and can have a great string of defenses, who knows who steps up to take that title from him.

The main event solidifies Bullet Club’s night as White, Fale and Gedo find many sneaky ways to help themselves win. White’s transformation over the last year has been incredible, probably one of the best in wrestling in a log time. It feels like he really could find a way, by hook or by crook, to take that title from Tanahashi and become THE champion. At the same time, the story would dictate Tanahashi overcoming the odds and remaining champion, no matter what White and Gedo and the Bullet Club as a whole tries. Tanahashi winning is the crowd pleaser but White winning is the shocker, so either could happen and NJPW would be just fine with either choice.

My Score: 8.4/10

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

Related Topics:AXS TV Coverage Featured Featured Big Featured Coverage Kazuchika Okada New Year Dash NJPW

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

It’s Draft Day!

Published

21 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.

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