Coverage

Mathew’s Stardom World Champion Wars 2019 Results & Review (10/14/2019)

The 5 Star Grand Prix winner, Hana Kimura, gets her shot at the red belt! Does she beat Bea Priestley? Mathew gives us the complete run down!

Published

5 years ago

October 24, 2019

Mathew Sarpraicone

The 5 Star Grand Prix winner, Hana Kimura, gets her shot at the red belt! Does she beat Bea Priestley? Mathew gives us the complete run down!

Now that the flu has disappeared and anniversary plans are over, it’s time to get back to work and we’re going to get right into it with Stardom’s last big show, World Champion Wars 2019.

This is the show where Hana Kimura will use her championship opportunity against Bea Priestley in the main event along with another title match on the show.

Will we have a new champion and star made? Let’s find out as we…dive right in.

Star Rating System:

0 Stars: Dave Meltzer
1 Star: Vince Russo
2 Stars: Tony Schiavone
3 Stars: Eric Bischoff
4 Stars: Bruce Prichard
5 Stars: Jim Cornette

Singles Match
Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano

Review: Our first match of the show kicks off with Tam Nakano taking on one of the newer rookies of Stardom, Saya Kamitani. These past few rookies in Stardom have been impressing a lot of people lately. First, it was Utami Hayashishita, then it was Saya Iida, and now Saya Kamitani is another one that the people have been keeping an eye on since her debut two months ago. Tam is a fine opponent for Saya to see if she can go to that next level and even have a chance to win. Will Saya be able to get a big victory or fall in a valiant effort?

This match was more of a beatdown than anything in this match since it was mostly Tam schooling Saya in the ring while she took the beating like a good rookie. Not sure how I feel about Saya just yet since this is the first time I’m watching her as I was more focused on the Grand Prix, she did sell well at least when she did get hurt on her back and such. My one little complaint that I have about her is her multiple uses of the Dropkick since she would do it immediately as she got up in awkward positions at times and I get wanting to take your opponent down but didn’t always fit and would just come off as sloppy. We did get a small glimmer of hope with Saya potentially winning when she flipped over a Backdrop and rolled her up for a two count. Tam would eventually hit a Spinning Kick to knock her out and score the pinfall victory. Standard pro vs rookie type of match but gonna keep an eye on Saya and see how far she can go.

Now on https://t.co/q8dHnF58vW! Saya Kamitani battles her mentor Tam Nakano at Korakuen Hall! pic.twitter.com/g1h4z7X6va

— We Are Stardom (@we_are_stardom) October 16, 2019

Rating: Tony Schiavone and a quarter

Gauntlet Tag Team Match
Oedo Tai (Andras Miyagi & Jamie Hayter) vs. Oedo Tai (Hazuki & Natsuko Tora) vs. Queen’s Quest (Hina & Leo Onozaki) vs. STARS (Saya Iida & Starlight Kid) vs. Tokyo Cyber Squad (Death Yama-san & Konami)

Review: In our next match, we have a tag team gauntlet match for people not involved in the tag league or their partners are in bigger matches later on. We got two members from each group except for Oedo Tai who will have four of their members taking part with two different teams. Not much could be expected from this except to showcase some of the talent, some quick eliminations, and then someone winning while it leads to nothing big. Either way, this should still be a fun little contest for everyone and the fans love it. Does one of the Oedo Tai groups in or will it go to one of the other units?

So it looks like the first two teams that will start this one will be Konami and Death taking on Hina and Leo, so let’s see who gets eliminated first. Death was going her usual taunts and Leo would come in with the weak strikes, and she did no cutters during her time in her match, I’m shocked as my Leo counter is now depleted. Hina showed more progress than Leo in this match and would almost win when she does the Gedo Clutch to Death but Konami would break it up as Death hits the Senton to eliminate them in a quick two-minute match. That’s my problem with most of these since they’re so short that not a lot gets done or it’s just there just for the sake of putting them on the card to do a few things. I know the fans like it but they’re also mostly useless. Starlight Kid and Saya Iida are out next to take them on. The two would hit Death with a Double Dropkick before Starlight hits a Moonsault for Death to kick out at two. Konami would get a combo in when she hooked Starlight’s legs for submission and hits Saya with a DDT in the process while Death taunted around them. Death and Starlight are in the ring as Starlight hits a Springboard Crossbody for a two count as Konami and Death would do their kick and Senton combo again but kicked out. Death goes to the top rope and Starlight hits her off with a Dropkick and delivers one more to eliminate her.

We now know that two teams from Oedo Tai are left and the first one that comes out is the team of Andras Miyagi and Jamie Hayter and they immediately go into the attack without waiting for their intro and bell. A little sloppy sequence between Andras and Starlight when Andras caught her during a Crossbody and it looked like Starlight was gonna roll her up but overshot it. Saya does a blind tag when Starlight was in trouble and would deliver a Small Package to Jamie for a two count but she would keep rolling Jamie up to try and tire her out with all of these quick pins but ended when Andras broke the cycle finally. After a Double Suplex, Jamie would pick up Saya for the Ushigoroshi and pinned her to eliminate STARS as Hazuki and Natsuo come out next. Weird that Natsuko and Hazuki seem like a more balanced tag team than Andras and Jamie. Hazuki was able to get Andras to the apron and our assault commander would share her around the apron to try and lose her, but she’s too fast. Natsuko would grab Andras’ leg to distract her while Hazuki Dropkicks her to eliminate her as Hazuki and Natsuko win.

Rating: Tony Schiavone and a half

Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League 2019 Blue Goddess Block Match
Oedo Tai (Martina & Natsu Sumire) vs. Tokyo Cyber Squad (Bobbi Tyler & Zoe Lucas)

Preview: It’s time to begin the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League as the ones starting it off for the Blue Stars is Tokyo Cyber Squad members, Bobbi Tyler and Zoe Lucas taking on members of Oedo Tai, Martina, and Natsu Sumire. I won’t be covering the tournament but I’m still gonna cover the two matches that are on this show. While I’m not a fan of Session Moth Martina, I do like her teamwork with Natsu and curious to see how the team of Bobbi and Zoe turns out. Who will get the first win for the Blue Stars Block?

Martina would offer Zoe a beer at the beginning of the match and when Zoe took it, Martina told her to drink but Zoe chucked it out of the ring. This triggered Martina but I hate beer, so it doesn’t bother me as Martina would hit a stiff forearm in retaliation. Despite my feelings for Martina, she can hit a great forearm. Overall, the match was nothing fully special since it seemed like Zoe is about the same with little improvement and Bobbi looked like she downgraded a little bit, so not sure what happened since it’s been a while since I’ve seen her. Martina and Sumire are mediocre solo but do have a unique charm and chemistry together as a tag team, which is why I don’t mind them paired up whenever Martina is around for a tour or two. I will give praise to Martina for the finish when she hits the Jagerbomb onto Bobbi to get the win and two points since it looked like a cool move. Average match with a nice ending.

Rating: Tony Schiavone and a half

Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League 2019 Red Goddess Block Match
Queen’s Quest (AZM & Momo Watanabe) vs. STARS (Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima)

Review: Now that the Blue Stars block is done, it’s now time to go to the Red Stars block with their first match of this tournament as we have Momo Watanabe and AZM from Queen’s Quest taking on STARS members, Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima. It’s no surprise that Mayu and Saki are pairing up again since they were former champions and could have a chance to win and regain the gold that they lost. AZM has impressed a lot of people during her time in their 5 Star Grand Prix and now she has a chance to keep impressing people when she teams up with Stardom’s ace. Which one of these top teams will win?

I love how Saki and Mayu just switched their gears for the match with Saki being colorful and Mayu just wearing black and pink, which doesn’t look bad on her. We got AZM and Saki starting this matchup with their usual quickness but Saki did look like she delayed one of the spots when they were going back and forth, but they were able to make up for it. Mayu and Momo are in the ring now as Momo started to work on Mayu’s taped up leg and had her in a Boston Crab to apply more damage to it. Some double teamwork with Momo applying the Camel Clutch on Mayu while AZM hits a Dropkick. A little underwhelming from what I can see but still a very solid tag match and much better than the previous two matches we had in here. I mostly cared about the sequence between Momo and Mayu since they’ve been tearing it up against each other recently. Mayu would attempt to hit a Double Stomp off the top rope as Momo moved out of the way, leading AZM to hit her with a kick and then Momo would hit her with a kick before hitting the Tequila Sunrise and then a Somato as Saki broke the pinfall before it was a three count. Momo and Mayu were both on top and Mayu hits a Hurricanrana, then Saki would hit a Double Stomp from the top rope, and then Mayu tops it off with a Frog Splash and goes for the cover but AZM broke the pinfall. Mayu attempts to go for the Moonsault and Momo would grab ahold of her for the Peach Sunrise but Mayu rolled forward to pin her as Momo kicked out. Mayu would hit Momo with a Roundhouse Kick to knock her down and would then go to the top rope to hit the Moonsault and gets the pinfall victory. Surprise win for Mayu to get the pinfall on Momo, wonder if it’ll lead to something.

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a half

Wonder Of Stardom Title Match
Arisa Hoshiki (c) vs. Kagetsu

Review: It’s time for our first title match as we have Arisa Hoshiki defending her Wonder of Stardom Championship against Kagetsu. On the final show on September 22nd, she fought Arisa Hoshiki and the match would end in a draw due to the fifteen-minute time limit expiring. Since it ended in a draw, Kagetsu wanted to fight Arisa again and this time, she wants to do it for the white belt. This will be another big match for Arisa and these two have a chance to steal the show if they do go all out. Will Arisa be able to successfully defend the title for the sixth time or will our Emperor win the white belt for the first time?

The two started it off slow with the both of them trying to get small hits onto one another until Arisa would get the first advantage. Arisa would attempt to jump the ropes but slipped in the process, however, she still fixed it when she just jumped and landed her knees onto Kagetsu’s back, which was what she wanted to do but was able to correct herself and not ruin the flow of the match. It was Kagetsu’s turn to get some action in as she threw Arisa to the outside and would perform multiple dives to the outside and was able to hit them all before she slaps her around outside of the ring. Our emperor would bring Arisa in to do some damage on her leg and back to minimize the damage Arisa could do with her running and kicks since Arisa has deadly kicks. I felt like this match was a much better improvement over their encounter in the Grand Prix since it had a much better flow in the match and was able to tell us a story that made sense. Arisa would introduce a new move in her arsenal, courtesy of Will Ospreay as she does the Oscutter which she calls the Shining Star Cutter. She acquired this move after defeating Bea Priestly in the tournament and was able to have one move from Will’s arsenal and this was what she chose.

Arisa would attempt to go to the top rope but Kagetsu caught her to hit a German Suplex. This lead to Kagetsu hitting a series of moves, firstly, the running knee and then she would hit a couple of Michinoku Drivers to get her down before climbing to the rope to hit the Oedo Coaster, which she misses. Arisa wasted no time once she moved out of the way and hits a knee to the face and the two would go down. The two would then have a battle of kicks with none of them budging until Kagetsu would hit the one to make Arisa go down as Arisa kicked out at two. Kagetsu quickly grabbed her arm when she kicked out to apply the Kimura but Arisa had her foot on the rope. The two started to kick each other again as Arisa would come out the victor this time but Kagetsu still kicked out. Arisa would attempt to hit her running knee as Kagetsu ducked but would get hit anyway with two knees before going down but our emperor still kicked out. Arisa went for the Brazillian Kick as Kagetsu pulled the ref out of the way after ducking to spray Green Mist into her eyes and hits a Michinoku Driver along with the Oedo Coaster but Arisa kicked out! Kagetsu attempts another Michinoku Driver as Arisa fought out of it and knees her jaw when Kagetsu tried to spray green mist again. Arisa would then hit her Brazillian Kick as Kagetsu goes down and Arisa retains the title!

After the match, she would pay her respect to Kagetsu and talked about retaining the championship six times. She told the crowd she respected Kagetsu despite the group she’s in and was satisfied with the win after the time limit draw. She now ponders who she would fight next and said she had some unfinished business from the Grand Prix, which is why she’ll be challenging Jamie Hayter next since she was the first one to pin her in singles action since her return. Looking forward to it and a great match from both of them.

Now on https://t.co/q8dHnF58vW from yesterday at Korakuen Hall! Arisa Hoshiki defends the Wonder of Stardom title vs Kagetsu! pic.twitter.com/OPZL3Yct3A

— We Are Stardom (@we_are_stardom) October 15, 2019

Rating: Bruce Prichard and a quarter

World Of Stardom Title Match
Bea Priestley (c) vs. Hana Kimura

Review: It’s now time for our main event as we have Bea Priestley defending her World of Stardom Championship against the winner of this year’s 5 Star Grand Prix, Hana Kimura. Hana was lucky enough to win the tournament to have herself get elevated to that next step in being the top star but not to solidify it, she would need to beat Bea and win the championship. Bea is still mixed with some people and still believes that she is just a transitional champion to drop it to the winner of this tournament, however, she could change those opinions here if she were to win and prove to be the top gaijin. Will Hana win the big one or does Bea retain her position?

After a tiny little stalemate at the beginning, Hana would offer Bea a handshake in which Bea replied by flipping her off and saying fuck you. Hana still kept her cool and would offer a handshake again but the crowd would cheer for Hana as Bea would attempt to shake her hand until Hana spat at her face and flipped her off, which Bea would do the same thing. The two would fight outside for a little bit with Hana getting the advantage before getting her inside. Bea would start to get an advantage of her own and held Hana’s hand as she jumped to the top rope and walking across it to slam Hana’s hand onto the rope instead of pushing her off since Hana had plenty of time to do anything since Be was just standing there for a few seconds before she dropped. One thing I did like about this match was that this did have a feel of a main event type match since we had a big match for both of them here where it could lead to a permanent spot as one of the top women in the company. We had a nasty bump occur when Hana was hanging between the ropes and Bea would be on the top rope to hit a Double Stomp and it looked like her back bent there when the two of them fell to the outside. Both looked to be in a lot of pain and Hana would take off the fuzzy parts of her boots off for some reason and Bea would get her back into the ring.

Here come the Bea-Triggers here from Bea once Hana would eventually get back into the ring, see what I did there? Bea calls for the Queen’s Landing but Hana would fight her off while on the top rope and Bea kicked her head in and joins her to the top as the two would fight back and forth until Hana would get the advantage and hits a Brainbuster off the top rope and Bea kicked out at two. Hana is getting a comeback now after she abuses she took and would start to apply the Hydrengia and she almost had it locked in except for the feet as Bea would have her foot on the rope to break the hold. Hana would call for the Tiger Lily but Bea fought out of it and tried to attack Hana but Hana caught her for a German Suplex as Bea kicked out at two. Hana attempts to hit it again but Bea ducked to kick her and nails a Kamigoye as she sent for a pin but Hana had her hand on the rope to save herself! Bea would then hit a Regalplex onto Hana as she kicked out at one this time and Bea is starting to get frustrated over this now. The two charges in at each other as Bea hits the Bea-Trigger and would hit one more for good measure before having her on the top to hit the Queen’s Landing and retains the title!

That honestly shocked me as I was expecting Hana to get the victory here but it looks like Stardom is high on Bea as their World of Stardom Champion and is here to stay as the top gaijin of the company. After the match, Bea would talk about her fourth victory after defeating the winner of the 5 Star Grand Prix and she wants to know who wants to step up next to the top gaijin. Mayu Iwatani would come into the ring as she looks to make a challenge for the title on November 4th. After the challenge has been made, Stardom President Rossy Ogawa would have a special announcement as he introduces a new addition to the roster which was former Ice Ribbon star, Giulia! That’s right, Stardom has poached talent from Ice Ribbon and Giulia would jump ship as soon as she left her Ice Ribbon contract. Giulia has introduced herself to the roster and is looking forward to competing in the top Joshi promotion. Heard there were some issues during her departure from the company, so not entirely sure how I feel about this but I’ll keep an open mind for the time being and see how she does in Stardom. I will say that a bridge has been burned between the two promotions now.

Now on https://t.co/q8dHnF58vW from earlier today at Korakuen Hall! Bea Priestley defends her World of Stardom title vs Hana Kimura of Tokyo Cyber Squad! pic.twitter.com/OSKsJJhjYr

— We Are Stardom (@we_are_stardom) October 14, 2019

Rating: Bruce Prichard

Overall: A slightly above average first half of the show but the second half of it would leave a better impact with two great title matches to close off the show. Very excited to cover the November 4th show to see how the outcome will take place when Mayu and Bea fight off for the World of Stardom Championship. With how Bea has been doing, I think she’s here to stay on the top spot for a while.

Favorite Match: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Kagetsu

Least Favorite Match: Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano

Score: 8/10

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GO! ACE! GO! ACE!

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Steven Mitchell

Tanahashi’s Final Road to New Beginning!

Evil couldn’t end President Ace, but will The House of Torture still take the NEVER Openweight Six Man Championships from him?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Kickoff – Masatora Yasuda VS Daiki Nagai; Time Limit Draw.
YOSHI-HASHI & Katsuya Murashima VS Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson; Oiwa & Jackson win.
8 Man Tag: El Phantasmo, Jado, Shota Umino & Togi Makabe VS The United Empire; ELP, Jado, Shota & Makabe win.
Taichi & Taka Michinoku VS SANADA & Taiji Ishimori; Sanada & Taiji win.
Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma VS Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi; Naito & Hiromu win.
Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club War Dogs; War Dogs win.
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg VS The House of Torture; The House of Torture wins and become the new NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions.
Six Man Tag: Hirooki Goto, El Desperado & YOH VS TMDK; TMDK wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg VS The House of Torture!

Evil tried to make WrestleKingdom 19 the last time we saw President Ace in this ring but he failed! However, his minions will not stop in trying to ruin the rest of Tanahashi’s last year. Will Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Sho take these titles back to the House? Or will The Ace, Joker & Rook stand tall?

The House walks out here showing off the belts they literally stole back at New Year Dash, but now the tables have turned! Tanahashi and team attack The House from behind! The fans cheer as The House finally tastes their own medicine! Tanahashi snatches back the belts so that he, Yano & Oleg can stand with them in the ring. The House protests but they’re one to talk. The introductions are skipped, the bell rings, and the brawl is back on as Tanahashi’s team goes back out after The House! Yano whips Sho, but Sho reverses to send Yano into railing! Sho stomps away on Yano, then helps Ren mug Oleg!

Yujiro turns things around on Tanahashi, and then he brings Tanahashi out to No Man’s Land! Sho bends Oleg’s fingers, puts his hand through the railing and pulls! The fans rally for Tanahashi’s team while the ref reprimands The House. Yujiro puts Tanahashi in, then he, Sho & Ren all stomp away! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but The House all put one out on Tanahashi. Yujiro stands Tanahashi up, then he and Sho double whip Tanahashi corner to corner. Yujiro runs in but Tanahashi dodges! Tanahashi then dropkicks Sho’s leg, then he dropkicks Narita’s leg! The fans fire up and Tanahashi runs at Yujiro.

Yujiro dodges, but Tanahashi ELBOWS him away! Tanahashi goes up to CROSSBODY! The fans fire up again as Tanahashi air guitars. Tag to Yano and he TOSSES Yujiro out! Yano then brings Yujiro out into No Man’s Land, then to the back of the crowd to THROW into some open chairs! The fans cheer as Yano brings out that Great Bash Heel side, but the ref reprimands Yano. Yano tells the ref to leave him alone, and he has a chair! The ref stops Yano from hitting Yujiro! Yano argues with the ref, but now Sho & Ren mug Yano! The ref reprimands them but the mugging continues. Ren leads the ref away so Sho & Yujiro can CHOKE Yano with a chair!

The fans boo while The House also beats up Oleg & Tanahashi. Yujiro drags Yano up and then brings him back to ringside to POST him! Ren brings Oleg around with a headlock and sends him into railing! Then more railing! Then into the crowd! Yujiro uses Yano’s red chair to CHOKE him! The ring count finally starts, but Ren JAMS Oleg up with a chair! The count reaches 10 of 20 and The House returns to the ring. Yano is still down at 15! The fans rally, Yano rises up at 17, and he lurches in at 19! The fans cheer but Yujiro is annoyed. Yujiro drops a leg, then an elbow, then a HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO!

The fans cheer as Yano stays in this, but Ren sends Tanahashi into railing! Yujiro tags Sho, Sho CHOKES Yano with a boot to the neck! The ref counts, Sho stops, then Sho TOSSES Yano out! Sho keeps the ref distracted while Ren JAMS Yano up with a chair! Ren pushes Yano in, Sho covers, TWO! Yano survives and Sho is frustrated. Tag to Ren, he drags Yano up, and Ren whips Yano to ELBOW him down! Cover, TWO! Ren BLASTS Tanahashi off the apron! Ren grins as the ref now keeps Oleg back. Ren CHOKES Yano on the ropes, Sho joins in to CLAW Yano’s eyes, but then the ref counts. Ren lets off and Yano flops down.

Ren drags Yano up, but Yano pulls hair! Ren breaks free, knees low, then runs up. Yano dodges, clinches, and BELLY2BELLY SUPLEXES! The fans fire up, Yano hot tags Oleg! Oleg jumps in and CLOBBERS Ren! Oleg then deadlifts Ren, but Sho attacks! The fans boo, Sho runs, SPEAR bounces off of Oleg! Oleg then deadlifts Sho! Shake, Shake, Shake! But Yujiro CLUBS Oleg! Yujiro & Ren double whip, but Oleg DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLES! The fans fire up and Oleg runs at the corner to SPLASH Ren! Then he scoops and TOSSES Ren! The fans fire up as Oleg then runs to SPLASH! Cover, TWO!

Ren survives but Oleg deadlifts Ren right to the fireman’s carry! Ren fights free, CHOKES Oleg, but Oleg breaks free! Oleg winds up but Ren ducks the chop! Ren CHOKES Oleg, the ref counts, but Oleg CHOKES Ren! The fans cheer, and then Oleg TOSSES Ren to the corner! Tag to Tanahashi and the fans fire up! Oleg and Tanahashi haul Ren up, double whip him corner to corner, then Tanahashi sends Oleg in! Oleg ELBOWS Ren, then Tanahashi SPLASHES! Tanahashi scoops and SLAMS Ren into the drop zone! Oleg goes up, up and VADER BOMBS! Tanahashi goes up to SUNSET SENTON! Cover, Yujiro breaks it!

Oleg CLOBBERS Yujiro for that, then goes out after him. The fans fire up as Tanahashi powers up. Tanahashi runs, but Sho gets a cheap shot in! Ren BOOTS Tanahashi, tags Sho, and Sho BLASTS Yano! Yujiro turns things around on Oleg and now The House double whips President Ace! Sho runs in to forearm SMASH! Yuijro BOOTS! Ren ELBOWS Tanahashi! Ren & Sho snapmare Tanahashi, then hold the legs open! Yujiro shoves the ref aside, then FALLING HEADBUTTS Tanahashi down low! The fans boo but now Sho covers, TWO!! Tanahashi survives and Sho argues with the ref! The fans rally for Tanahashi, but Ren has his repaired pushup bar!

Ren takes aim, Tanahashi dodges, SHOTEI! Sho kicks, Tanahashi blocks to DRAGON SCREW! Yujiro runs up, but gets caught into a TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! The fans fire up as Tanahashi crawls for his corner! Hot tag to Yano! Yano unties a buckle pad! The fans cheer, Yano whips, but Sho reverses! Yano stops from hitting the buckles, then he dodges Sho to send him into bare buckles! Yano rolls Sho up, TWO!! Sho escapes but Yano hurries to get Sho’s legs! Oleg hops in, CATAPULT into Oleg’s BELLY2BELLY! The fans fire up as Yano then stands Sho up, ONIGO- NO, Sho fights free! Sho dodges, but the ref stops him from hitting a low blow!

The ref and Sho argue, but Yujiro & Ren mug Yano! They double whip Yano, but Yano grabs ropes. Yano then sends Ren into Yujiro to DOUBLE LOW BLOW them! Atomic drop for Sho! Tanahashi runs up, SLINGBLADE! Oleg deadlifts Sho right into a fireman’s carry and DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! But YOSHINOBU KANEMARU is here! The Heel Master gets on the apron, but Young Lions already apprehend him! Yano hauls Sho up, for ONIGOROSHI!! Cover, KANEMARU TOSSES THE YOUNG LION ONTO THE REF! The fans boo but Kanemaru attacks Yano! But then Yano hits him with an atomic drop!

Kanemaru WHISKEY MISTS!? Sho LOW BLOWS Yano!! Sho rolls Yano up, HOUSE OF TORTURE WINS!!

Winners: The House of Torture, by pinfall (NEW NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions)

What a travesty! A miscarriage of justice! Evil isn’t even here, but his army of darkness just won the gold! Yano is upset, Tanahashi is disappointed, but Oleg is mad! Oleg storms back in, only for Yujiro to BELT SHOT him down! Yujiro then kicks Oleg out, and shows he’s pretty sore from the low blow. Will these belts help the House feel much, much better?

Six Man Tag: Hirooki Goto, El Desperado & YOH VS TMDK!

The Fierce Warrior won the New Japan Ranbo to earn his shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, so that means he and Zack Sabre Jr. will do battle for the New Beginning! Will the Rogue Luchador & Direct Drive help Goto gain the upper hand? Or will Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles help The Mighty Front Man prepare for war?

The teams sort out while all of TMDK’s title belts are put aside. The Japanese Young Punk steps to Despy, so Despy accepts. The fans cheer and the bell rings. Despy and Fujita stare down while the fans rally. Despy has the majority, and the two circle. They feel things out, Despy facelocks but Fujita slips around to waistlock. Despy slips out, moves around, but Fujita stays on him. They go around, break, and the fans cheer. They tie up, Despy wrenches to hammerlock, but Fujita elbows free to hammerlock back. Despy switches, Fujita switches, repeat! They go hammerlock for hammerlock, but then Despy top wristlocks to wrangle FUjita!

The fans cheer, Fujita fights up, but Despy shifts to a cording hold. Fujtia whips but Despy reverses and arm-drags! Fujita comes back, he avoids the arm-drag, and then he CHOPS! Despy is stinging, but Fujita CHOPS him again! And CHOPS him again! The fans cheer, Fujita CHOPS again, but now Despy CHOPS! Fujita CHOPS, Despy ends up in the Mighty corner, and Eagles tags in. Eagles CHOPS, but then Despy CHOPS! Eagles shoves Despy and says he’s bored. He wants Yoh! The fans rally for Yoh, so Despy tags him in. The fans cheer as Yoh and Eagles circle. Wait, Yoh starts up the “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” “OI OI OI!”

Eagles is rather amused, and says not bad. Eagles starts it up for himself, but Yoh sneaks up! Eagles stops the schoolboy and sits on the cover, TWO and Yoh has the sunset flip! TWO, both men stand and point at the other! The fans applaud, then Yoh kicks low. Yoh whips, Eagles reverses to go up and around to arm-drag! Eagles runs in, Yoh sidesteps but Eagles hurdles. Eagles RANAS then WHEEL KICKS! Eagles kips up and the fans cheer. Eagles puts Yoh in a corner, and he says “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” CHOP CHOP CHOP! “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” CHOP CHOP CHOP! “ROBBIE!” CHOP! “ROBBIE!” CHOP! “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” CHOP CHOP CHOP!

The fans cheer while Yoh flounders around. Eagles whips, Goto sneaks a tag, then Goto & Yoh DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE Eagles! They BLAST ZSJ and Fujita, then call to Despy! Despy says no thanks, they can go ahead. “Se~ no!” DRUM BEAT on Eagles’ back! Goto asks if Despy is sure he doesn’t want in, and Despy says it’s fine. Goto CLUBS Eagles, but Eagles fires body shots! Eagles fires a forearm, but Goto knees low! Goto fireman’s carries, but Eagles fights free. Eagles waistlocks, Goto elbows free and runs, only for ZSJ to trip him up! Eagles BLASTS Yoh & Despy off the apron while Fujita basement dropkicks Goto!

ZSJ spins Goto around to be on the apron, then gives him a NECK TWIST! The fans cheer and ZSJ brings Goto out to UPPERCUT him down! ZSJ brings Goto up to UPPERCUT again, then UPPERCUTS him again! Goto stumbles and falls, Eagles CHOPS Yoh, and Fujita CHOPS Despy! ZSJ brings Goto up and wrenches his arm, then wrenches it again. But Goto fires forearms in return! ZSJ UPPERCUTS Goto again, the CHOPS continue by the ramp side, and ZSJ puts Goto in. Eagles tags ZSJ in whiel Fujita and Despy CHOP each other back and forth. ZSJ clamps on a headscissors and he squeezes tight!

Goto endures, reaches out, ROPEBREAK! ZSJ lets go cleanly and brings Goto to the corner. Tag to Fujita and he stomps Goto. Fujita drags Goto up while fans rally, and Fujita wrenches to an ELBOW BREAKER! Fujtia wrenches again, ELBOW BREAKER! And again, ELBOW BREAKER! Fujita wrenches, top wristlocks, and he wrangles Goto to the mat. Fujita STOMPS that arm, then he tags Eagles. The Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions get Goto’s arms while ZSJ steps in to have a leg! Goto endures as TMDK cycles through the armlocks and leglocks! Red Shoes counts but TMDK keeps rotating before he reaches 4!

Then TMDK returns where they started, and Goto endures the DOUBLE STRAIGHT ARMBARS and INDIAN DEATHLOCK! Red Shoes counts, all three men let go at 4! ZSJ stands, he still has the deathlock, and he bridges back! Goto endures, keeps his shoulders up, but ZSJ stands to tag in Eagles. Eagles drags Goto around, then hits a KNEE JAMMER! Tag to Fujita, they drag Goto up, and they double whip him to ropes. They DOUBLE ELBOW Goto down, ZSJ hops in for a NECK TWIST! Goto sits up into a DOUBLE PENALTY KICK! Cover, Despy breaks it! The fans cheer but Red Shoes reprimands.

Despy stands down, but Fujita BLASTS him off the apron! Fujita drags Goto up, wrenches, and whips him to a corner. Fujita runs up to CHOP, then he snapmares to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer but Fujita coordinates with TMDK. Fujita drags Goto up, and he wants to do the Chaos drum thing? ZSJ isn’t so sure but Eagles is for it. Eagles steps in, but Yoh runs up! Eagles kicks Yoh, and “Se~ no!” Eagles & Fujita DRUM on Yoh! The fans cheer and ZSJ acts like he doesn’t know what’s going on. The fans cheer for ZSJ to join in, but he puts up the X, that’s not for him. Eagles & Fujita DRUM away on Goto!

Goto stands up and grabs Fujita by the face! Eagles CLUBS Goto, he and Fujita double whip, but Goto DOUBLE LARIATS first! The fans fire up while they’re all down! ZSJ storms in and grabs Goto’s leg! ANKLE LOCK! Goto endures, fights around, and rolls through to throw ZSJ! ZSJ comes back to RAM Goto, then he runs, only for Goto to RUN him over! The fans fire up while both men are down! Goto crawls, hot tag to Despy! Despy runs at the corner to ELBOW Fujita! Despy reels Fujita in for a suplex, high and hard! Cover, TWO! Despy fires up and the fans are with him! Fujita underhooks, PINCHE- NO, Fujita fights free!

Fujita swings but Despy blocks the chop! Despy knees low, whips, but Fujita reverses to GAMANGIRI! The fans cheer while both men are down! Fujita roars while he rises up, and he storms back to Despy. Fujita waistlocks, deadlifts Despy, but Despy fights the suplex with elbows! Despy is free, but Fujita runs up to slip around and backslide! Despy rolls through, Fujita KICKS him down! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up and Fujita fires up again. Fujita drags Despy back up, reels him in, and suplexes, but Despy fights that. Despy wrenches, but Fujita ROCKS him! Despy ROCKS Fujita in return!

Fujita and Despy keep the wristlock while they fire forearm after forearm back and forth! The fans rally up as the shots go faster and faster, but then both men wobble! Fujita fires a forearm, then another! Despy ROCKS Fujita in return! Despy runs, Eagles slips in, SOBAT! Fujita UPPERCUTS! Eagles scoops Despy but Yoh makes the save! Eagles kicks Yoh, he and Fujita double whip, but Yoh reverses to crisscross them into each other! FALCON- NO, Eagles slips out, but Yoh switches! Yoh feeds Eagles to Despy’s ELBOW! Yoh reels Eagles back in, FALCON ARROW! The fans fire up but Fujita runs up!

Despy & Yoh double kick, double whip, but Fujita DOUBLE SHOTGUNS! Fujita kips up, the fans fire up, and Fujita whips Despy, but Despy reverses to SPINEBUSTER! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Fujita and Despy crawl for their corners, hot tags to Goto and ZSJ! The fans fire up as both men run in, Goto LARIATS ZSJ! Goto roars and the fans are with him! Goto fires a flurry of forearms, then whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, MURAMASA! Then SAIDO! Cover, TWO! ZSJ survives and Goto fires up again! Goto fireman’s carries but ZSJ pulls on an arm! Goto powers out and ROCKS ZSJ!

Goto runs, ZSJ wrangles him to a FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Eagles & Fujita BLAST Yoh & Despy off the arm! They have Yoh & Despy stuck on the outside with armlocks while ZSJ has the DISARMER! Yoh breaks free of Eagles and DROPKICKS ZSJ! Eagles returns to SUPERKICK Yoh! Despy is in, Eagles slips around and feeds him to Fujita’s MISSILE DROPKICK! The fans fire up and TMDK drags Goto up. But Goto fires forearms on Eagles & Fujita! They DOUBLE CHOP, then double wrench! MAX- NO, Goto fights free and kicks Fujita! Goto deflects Eagles’ kick to LARIAT! Fujita kicks Goto, runs, but Goto follows! LARIAT!

ZSJ RAMS Goto, whips, but Goto reverses! Fireman’s carry, USHIGOROSHI! The fans fire up while ZSJ clutches his head. Goto hauls ZSJ up, dragon sleepers, but ZSJ drops down! Goto drops onto ZSJ for a cover, TWO!! ZSJ is up, Goto sends him into a corner! RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP, into a GOTO SAN SHIKI!! Cover, TWO!! ZSJ escapes, BOOTS Goto, then runs! DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Neither man falls, so DOUBLE LARIATS collide again! Goto roars, runs, but ZSJ KCIKS the lariat, PELES the other arm, then SWEEPS the legs! Goto falls, but then sits up, into a PENALTY KICK! The fans fire up and ZSJ hurries to drag Goto back up.

ZSJ scoops, ZACK- NO, Goto slips free and has the SLEEPER! Goto sits ZSJ and rolls him, GOTO NI SHIKI!! TWO!! ZSJ has the legs, JAPANESE LEG ROLL CLUTCH, with bridge!! TMDK WINS!!

Winners: TMDK, by pinfall

It was a fast and furious finish of technical holds, but who else but the best technical wrestler in the world would pull it out? Goto is frustrated for getting caught like that, but will he avenge himself in just 12 days?

As for TMDK, Eagles starts off by saying, “G’day, Sendai!” Eagles then pretends to check his watch, and asks, “Rocky doki desu ka? <Where is Rocky?> Zabishii. <How lonely.>” The fans chuckle at Eagles’ fake crying, and Eagles then tells Yoh & Rocky that next month in Osaka, see you then! The fans applaud, and then Eagles offers the mic to Fujita. The fans cheer Fujita on, and Fujita accepts. “That lariat turned me inside out, so I’ll keep this short! I’m beating El Desperado!” The fans cheer that, ready to see Fujita challenge Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on Tuesday, February 4th!

And lastly, that brings things to The Front Man. ZSJ takes the mic to say, “People of Sendai, thank you very much!” The fans cheer, but then ZSJ tells “Ko-kun” and “Robbie-chan” to “cut that drumming bit. It was lame.” The fans chuckle again, and ZSJ says 2025 isn’t the Year of the Snake. No, it’s all orange! ZSJ promises that TMDK won’t just paint NJPW orange, but the entire world! “Osaka will be here soon enough. Goto, this is your last chance. Let’s make the most of it.” The fans like the sound of that! ZSJ says they’ll end with this: This year revolves around TMDK! Arigato gozaimashita! The fans are ready, will the New Beginning in Osaka be Mighty?

My Thoughts:

A very good event for NJPW, though “Road to” always indicates more tune-up filler than thriller. Gabe Kidd going after Yota Tsuji and the Global Heavyweight Championship is an interesting development, but that is going to be a great match. The NEVER Openweight Six Man Championship match was really good stuff, and I was only a little surprised that The House of Torture won. Firstly, Tanahashi has to lose those titles at some time, so might as well pull off the Band-Aid now before The New Beginning events. Then this works with the story from Oleg and Josh Barnett where Barnett wants to help Oleg reach that singles title level.

And very good Six Man Tag main event to not only build Goto VS ZSJ but also Desperado VS Fujita. Great win for TMDK, but we have a lot of other Road to New Beginning events to build Goto VS ZSJ. A lot of filler 10 Man Tags are on the schedule, but I probably won’t be bothering with those. Despy VS Fujita will be great, but Fujita and Eagles are already the tag champions, so I don’t see Fujita winning. As for Goto VS ZSJ, ZSJ said it himself that this is very likely Goto’s last chance at ever being the top champion in NJPW, but I don’t see Goto winning. It’ll be an epic battle, but I feel like ZSJ is going to stay on top.

My Score: 8.7/10

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Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 1.30.25

Are we gonna get consecutive weeks of momentum or we gonna get the “LOL TNA” moment already?

Published

6 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Andrew Balaz

Coming off the first Live iMPACT! in 8 years, it has been pretty universally agreed upon that it was not a bad show. Good favor, a larger audience then they’ve had in years and TNA actually did fairly well establishing themselves as not a third rate duelist.

Let’s see if the good tidings continue or if things start to well…TNA.

The official liaison between @WWENXT and TNA, @AriannaGraceWWE, was rudely interrupted by Tessa Blanchard while speaking with @MeanGiaMiller!

Watch #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/9IIhMDrtkn pic.twitter.com/8ImgauBAiO

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 31, 2025

Ratings:

Cora Jade vs Hyan: Cora wins via Jaded – ** 1/2
Brian Myers w/The System vs Leon Slater: Myers wins via Roster Cut – ** 3/4
Laredo Kid vs Mustafa Ali: Ali wins via 450 – ** 3/4
Eric Young & Josh Alexander vs Sinner & Saint: No Contest? EY Turned Heel – N/A
Ace Austin vs Wes Lee w/Tyson & Tyriek: Wes wins via Cardiac Kick – ***
Kaiba Boys (Nic & Ryan Nemeth) vs Fir$t Cla$$: Kaibas win via Danger Zone – ***

Results:

Nic Nemeth comes out to talk, doesn’t complain and says he’s just gonna dust himself off and start again. Ryan comes out to complain on behalf of “hiissss brrooother” and run down Hendry. Nic is playing babyface still and Ryan is instigating is typical little brother fashion. Nic tries to appease Ryan saying this could be a big year for both of them, so Fir$t Cla$$ music hits and KC Navarro cuts them off and hands off to AJ Francis. Ryan get mad at them interrupting, Nic tries to calm the situation but Ryan decides to agree to a tag match that Nic doesn’t seem like he wanted to go there. But Santino comes out and makes it official.

EXCLUSIVE: @XiaBrookside welcomed @WWENXT's @CoraJadeWWE to #TNAiMPACT, but things got HEATED fast!

Don't miss #TNAiMPACT TONIGHT at 8/7c on @AXSTV in the US, @Sportsnet 360 in Canada, and streaming worldwide on TNA+!

Get 1 month FREE of TNA+ with code: NXTNA pic.twitter.com/LP8ghA78Pv

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 30, 2025

Cora Jade vs Hyan

Hyan tries a Pump Kick, Cora catches it, lays her out and kicks her feet up in the corner getting cocky. Snapmare with the Hair, into a Springboard Single Stomp from Cora, Hyan is getting throttled along the ropes and putting up much of a fight to start. Hyan is usually just enhancement talent in TNA, even though she does have a solid pedigree in the indies and internationally. Hyan finally moves so Cora smashes herself into the corner, Wasteland from Hyan for a 1 count, Cora counters Hyan’s attempted offense and then hits Jaded for the win!

The match did what it needed to, Cora tried to lay in the boots further, Xia runs out to make a save but Cora baits her into a false sense of security and goes after Xia. So Masha comes out for the save on the person who made the save. Cora comes off looking pretty good and Masha scaring her off helps Masha’s aura.

.@MeanGiaMiller tries to get answers out of @WesLee_WWE, @TyriekIgwe_WWE and @_Tysonwwe_ for his attack on The Rascalz ahead of Lee's match with @The_Ace_Austin TONIGHT on iMPACT!

Watch #TNAiMPACT now on TNA+: https://t.co/9IIhMDrtkn

Get one month FREE with code: NXTNA pic.twitter.com/UIU5GgiylE

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 31, 2025

Brian Myers w/The System vs Leon Slater

Myers grabs the quick Headlock into the Shoulder Tackle and welcome back to 1997 wrestling starts. Myers got cocky, shot Leon into the ropes and eats a Shoulder Tackle from Leon, so a little showboating from Leon gets under Myers skin and causes him to make a few missteps. Leon hits the Feint Mule Kick into the Handspring Back Elbow for 2, but when he tries to continue, Myers pulls him down into the buckles. Myers looks for a Spear, Leon Leap Frogs and Myers eats turnbuckle. He powders, the System shields him from a dive, and we’re starting to see the numbers game come into play.

A Thrust Kick from Myers rocks Leon as he’s coming back in, Strong Irish Whip into a Gator Roll and then Sleeper Hold. Again, offense brought to you by Bill Clinton. Leon gets away from the Sleeper, tries to hit the ropes and Myers does his Baseball Slide Trip. Slow heel moves from Myers, Sleeper, Facelocks, Back Elbows…just slow classic heel offense. Leon tries to fire, eats a Knee Lift. Irish Whip but Leon counters by hoping the ropes to the apron, quick pop shot and then Springboard Crossbody into a series of Lariats and a Shotgun Kick! Leon has the momentum, Blue Thunder Bomb for two! Leon goes to the top, Myers is up, Leon rolls to the other side to avoid Myers, Myers eats a Leg Lariat from Leon and Myers pushes off, Bicycle Kick, Thrust Kick into Implant DDT for only two! Myers looks to Spear, gets rolled up in a Small Package, Kick out, dumped outside, Leon flies over the corner onto Myers!

System surrounds Leon, tries to get a few shots, but Leon has some quick offense for everyone. In the chaos, Lish puts a Ring on Myers’ hand so a Loaded Punch into Roster Cut and Myers wins!

Laredo Kid vs Mustafa Ali

Slow start with Ali being arrogant into a Lucha stalemate section where there’s Satellite counters, Headscissors and a powder to break the nonsense. Corner counters, Overhand Chops from both, they tussle on the top rope, Ali backflips off the ropes, Laredo tries a Crossbody but Mustafa hits a Dropkick. Grounded Abdominal Stretch from Ali, Laredo tries to fight up and out, but Ali slams him back down, talks smack, slaps him and then eats a Michinoku Driver out of nowhere! But only a two count! Ali manages to pull Laredo into the corner pads, tries a dirty pin with feet on the ropes but the referee sees it, Laredo tries a Roll-Up in the disarray, Ali kicks out, they run back and forth, Ali just slides out thinking he’s outsmarted Laredo but Laredo hits the Suicida for a solid pop. Ali pokes the eye and grabs at the mask, Laredo is off kilter, Ali baits Laredo through the corner, hits the Draping DDT off the apron, slides Laredo back in and 450 for the win.

Eric Young & Josh Alexander vs Sinner & Saint

Jabroni duo comes out, and they look stupid, their music is generic Hot Topic trash and the one with hair walks like he’s pretending to be a Delirious fused with a Dinosaur. They look so insanely pathetic.

Dino-nerd tries a stand switch and suplex but Josh no sells and looks like the older sibling judging the little sibling’s stupidity. Bald jabroni tags in, does nothing, blind tag just for Josh to single handedly lay both out. Of course they’re trying to establish the loser squad, so the eventually have a good defensive moment that catches Josh and isolates him in their corner. He still mostly takes care of both of them. This is honestly pathetic.

Locomotion counter switches in the corner before a Shotgun Kick wipes out Josh, Dino-nerd tries a Lio Rush style splash but misses, Josh tags out, EY looks to tee off but he turns and lays out Josh. EY turns heel…that was not on my Bingo Card, but I’m not mad about it. EY has the maniacal look in his eyes again, so Sanity or Violence by Design could be back? Can he call the group SAnitY since they’re working with WWE now?

Ace Austin vs Wes Lee w/Tyson & Tyriek

Things start slow then a few quick strike spots from Ace. A grounded Heel Kick and Enzuigiri rocks Wes, Wes slingshots back in, Sunset, Ace dodges tries to stay crouched to get cute but Up Kick from Wes kicks Ace in the face. Wes crotches Ace on the top rope, Enzuigiri, Suicida leaves Ace laying on the ramp. Wes hits the Street Fighter combo in with Ace shoved in the corner, the crowd chants “Boring” so Wes revels in the negativity and mockingly does the Rascalz taunt. A few quick shots and Ace kicks out at one and holds the ropes as Wes just lights him up with kicks. Ace asks for more, and goes full Strong Style. A few round kicks to the chest before Wes decides to do the hell thing and a Spinning Thrust Kick to the side of the face. Wes puts Ace in a Key Lock and Ace struggles to his feet before barely slipping the lock.

They trade strikes, Triangle Kick misses for Ace but he manages to connect after with a strike, a few more, Click Click Boom, Seated Miz Lariats in the corner, Wes falls out of the corner, Triangle Kick for the near fall, but the offense isn’t over and Ace hits the Gutwrench Sitout Powerbomb! Ace looks for The Fold, Tyson and Tyriek make their presence felt, Ace does the apron dance and kicks them both in the face. Wes gets dumped out of the ring, Ace with a Fosbury Flop (not the best one he’s done), Tyriek picks the ankle long enough to slow down Ace as Ace walks into the Cardiac Kick!

Wes and crew attacks Ace after the match, so The Rascalz make the save. We’re obviously going to get a 6 man soon, and this is perfectly fine.

Kaiba Boys (Nic & Ryan Nemeth) vs Fir$t Cla$$

AJ starts with Ryan and just shoves him away and demands Nic, Nic gets the best of AJ but AJ tags in KC and KC gets in a few quick shots, some cute counters and showboating before eating a Dropkick from Nic. AJ comes in to try and take out Nic, the Kaibas take out AJ and then dump KC into AJ’s arms and hold the ring going to commercial.

During the commercial a little blind tag and Spiderman in the ropes taunt from KC caught Ryan off guard so First Class is in control. AJ is beating the hell out of Ryan in the ropes, then hits Tennessee Whiskey for the “Money Money Money” taunt. KC tags himself in and starts slapping Ryan around, Dropkick into 305 as KC cuts off Ryan from Nic, throws Ryan in the corner, Rolling Uppercuts, Snapmare, Roll through, Chest Stomp into a near fall. KC tags in AJ and a little tandem offense gives them another near fall but Mokuba refuses to lose…so far. AJ steps on Ryan’s chest and then lays in a few Overhand Chops. AJ slowing things down, looks for a power move but Ryan slips it into a Sleeper Attempt but AJ counters and slams Ryan down for another two count. Two Sidewalk Slams after getting bounced out of the corner, but Ryan keeps kicking out.

AJ takes Nic off the apron, looks for another Sidewalk Slam but Ryan turns it into a Satellite DDT. Simultaneous tag time, KC eats the fire from Nic, two Lariats, Stinger Splash, Rude Awakening, 10 Count Shots to the Heart for…AJ breaks it up! AJ looks for a Down Payment but Nic slips, Superkick, Ryan tries to rock AJ to no avail so they both Lariat AJ out and Avalanche Polish Hammer from Ryan lays out AJ. KC tries the Flash Pinfall but Nic rolls out, a few quick shouts, Spinning Heel Kick from KC for a 2 count. Nic hits a FAMEasser into Danger Zone after Ryan’s blind tag so Ryan gets the cover as Nic just laughs and takes it in.

Overall Score: 6.25/10

Nothing to really be offended by. Some of the stuff was a little low stakes or obvious filler, but stories moved forward with Cora, Wes and the Kaibas. Plus you know, Eric Young turning on Josh is a little unexpected. EY has been the fill in Dreamer/Scott with the “Ra-Ra” speeches and feel good crap for significant shows, so having him go back to Maniac is a nice twist.

Tessa also steering into this “Locker Room bully” persona is smart. It’s not a stretch from what people already think, so steering into the skid is very smart. I may not have been blown away by anything in this episode, but it was definitely decent and did a solid enough job showcasing the partnership and not making the TNA talent feel like an after thought.

All in all, very nice.