Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE NXT UK Results & Report! (10/22/20)

Who will be the last one into the next round?

Published

4 years ago

October 22, 2020

Steven Mitchell

Will the wildcard trump Trent Seven in the Heritage Cup?

Kenny Williams isn’t just the Lucky Yin, he’s the wildcard! But will that be enough for him to overcome the Man from Moustache Mountain’s determination?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Eddie Dennis VS Oliver Carter; Dennis wins.
Amale VS Nina Samuels; Samuels wins.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Tournament Opening Round: Trent Seven VS Kenny Williams; Seven wins and advances to the next round.

PLAY BY PLAY

Eddie Dennis VS Oliver Carter!

The headmaster returns to in-ring action and is ready to teach NXT UK all about fear. But the Predator Killer has always wanted to fight a teacher! Will Carter slay the Welsh Dragon and climb up the NXT UK ranks?

The bell rings and Dennis circles with Carter. They tie up, Carter gets around to a waistlock and a slam, then floats to a facelock. Dennis is already frustrated with Carter as he fights his way up. Dennis pries his way out of the facelock to wrench the arm. Dennis clubs the arm, wrenches more, then hammerlocks to a headlock and takeover! Carter keeps his shoulders up but Dennis traps an arm. Dennis fights off the headscissor and pushes Carter down to a cover, ONE! Carter fights up to get that headscissor hold and he clamps on tight! Dennis endures, fights up and around, and pops out of the hold to then STOMP Carter in the gut! Carter gets up to throw body shots and haymakers! Dennis gets the arm again, wrenches and YANKS, then YANKS again!

Carter rolls, handsprings and kicks free to ROCK Dennis with a forearm! Carter fires off more body shots, whips but Dennis reverses. Carter stops himself and elbows back hard! Carter runs, Dennis back drops but Carter handsprings through to land on his feet! Dennis swings but Carter dodges and ducks to flipping headscissors! Dennis ends up on ropes, Carter runs to slide attack! Carter keeps going, getting on the apron. Carter shoulders into Dennis then slingshots over, only to turn into Dennis’ SLAP! Carter gets up and shakes the palm strike off, and that glare actually worries Dennis! Dennis dumps Carter out hard, and laughs! He was playing Carter there! The ref wants Dennis to stay back as Carter sits up in a daze. Dennis goes out, drags Carter up and ROCKS him with that right hand!

Dennis puts Carter in, takes his time following and covers, TWO! Dennis is annoyed again, but he has the arm and drags Carter up. Dennis toys with Carter, whips him corner to corner HARD, and Carter bounces off buckles! Dennis drags Carter up to a cravat but Carter endures. Carter fights up, throws body shots again and powers Dennis to a corner! Carter arm-drags free, counter punches Dennis, then CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! Carter rocks Dennis with an uppercut, but Dennis blocks the kick! Dennis ducks the enziguri but Carter reels him in for a victory roll! Cover, TWO! Dennis is up, he throws Carter out but Carter skins the cat! Dennis catches Carter but Carter hits a TORNADO DDT! Dennis flounders out of the ring, Carter builds speed and he DIVES! Direct hit into Dennis and the barriers!

Carter puts Dennis in, springboards and 450’s, onto KNEES! Dennis grabs Carter for the scoop and POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO!! Dennis is furious and he argues the count! Carter sits up, Dennis drags Carter up and Canadian racks, but Carter uses ropes to flip out! SUPERKICK! Carter pump handle URENAGES Dennis down, then LIONSAULTS!! Cover, TWO!! Dennis survives but Carter stays fired up. Dennis gets to a corner, Carter runs corner to corner but into a BOOT! Carter tries again, dropkick-flip and WINDMILL HEEL KICK! Carter hoists Dennis up but Dennis slips down to get the crucifix, SPLASH MOUNTAIN!! Cover, Dennis wins!

Winner: Eddie Dennis, by pinfall

Carter taught Dennis a thing about toughness, but the Welsh Dragon refused to be slain! Dennis gets the mic and tells Carter to get out of his ring. Go back to the tag division! “You’re dismissed.” Speaking of the tag division, isn’t it terrible what happened to Flash Morgan Webster? Of course, we all know who did it, don’t we? Who stood to gain the most from Flash being on the shelf? “Regardless, next week, in this very ring,” Dennis invites Flash and his “illustrious ‘best friend’,” Mark Andrews, for a “special mediation, led by yours truly, Eddie Dennis. Until next time, class adjourned.” What is Dennis implying about South Wales Subculture?

NXT UK hears from Joe Coffey.

“Where I come from, you have to be a wee bit insane. It’s about me, it’s about My opportunities.” The Iron King says he is born for greatness, and he leads Gallus in their takeover of NXT UK! He vows to bring more gold to the firm, and make this his kingdom! Joe Coffey is on his way back, who will he be aiming for when he returns?

NXT UK has a special start time next week!

Instead of 3 PM Eastern it will be 4PM Eastern! But it’ll be a big episode with Jordan Devlin returning to action as well as the NXT UK Championship on the line!

Amale VS Nina Samuels!

The French Hope and the Leading Lady couldn’t get along as teammates and that cost them. But now they can go head to head as opponents! Who will have the spotlight on them after this is said and done?

The bell rings and the two go right at each other! They tie up, Amale powers Samuels to the ropes but the ref calls for the break. Amale lets off but the two tie up again and Samuels powers Amale to ropes. The ref calls for another break but Samuels shoves Amale. Amale shoves and tackles Samuels to then rain down rights! The ref backs Amale off but she runs in and corner clotheslines! Amale whips Samuels out then in, but Samuels BOOTS back! Samuels kicks low, runs but Amale LARIATS her down! Cover, TWO! Amale kicks Samuels around and talks trash in French. Amale drags Samuels up an dinto a headscissor hold! It’s practically a triangle, and Amale turns over to ram Samuels into the apron over and over! Samuels gets to the apron, Amale runs in but gets caught for a hotshot!

Samuels stomps Amale down, rains down fists then covers, ONE! Samuels drags Amale back up, whips but Amale reverses! Samuels goes up and reels Amale in with DEADLY NIGHTSHADE! Then swings KNEES into Amale’s back! Cover, TWO! Samuels bounces Amale off the apron, snapmares her to a body scissors squeeze! Amale endures, even as Samuels forearms Amale over and over in the back. Samuels turns Amale over to a cover, TWO! Samuels still has Amale in the body scissors but Amale bridges back to a cover of her own! TWO, and Samuels gets the arms for a leg hook half nelson! Omoplata, shift to a hammerlock and then the far arm! Jim Breaks Special, Samuels style! Amale endures as Samuels tortures her arm! Samuels pulls and pulls, Amale refuses to give up!

Amale powers out of the hold so Samuels just focuses on the hammerlock. Amale fights up, gets around, and back drops Samuels away! Amale runs corner to corner but into buckles! Samuels blocks one boot but not the other, and Amale shotgun dropkicks her down! Amale goes side to side to BOOT WASH! Cover, TWO!! Samuels survives, and drop toeholds Amale onto ropes! Samuels drags Amale up against ropes to then dropkick her in the back! Cover, TWO!?! Amale survives and Samuels is losing her cool! Samuels clubs away on Amale, drags her up to a waistlock but Amale switches. Samuels elbows but Amale lets her slip around, NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO!! Amale is furious as she drags Samuels up.

Amale ROCKS her with a forearm then whips her to ropes, but Samuels holds ropes. Amale blocks the boot to ROLLING ELBOW back! Amale whips, Samuels slides under and CLUBS Amale, then hits the FINAL ACT! Cover, Samuels wins!

Winner: Nina Samuels, by pinfall

That Final Act was a real page turner, and Samuels has the spotlight on her. But will she finally make her way towards the NXT UK Women’s Championship?

BREAKING NEWS!

After Eddie Dennis called them out, South Wales Subculture will confront him in the ring, just as he wants! Are they playing right into his hands?

NXT UK Media catches up with Nina Samuels backstage.

After a disappointing loss two weeks ago, how did it feel to win tonight? Well, we can all see Samuels doesn’t work as a double act. “It deprives our audience of what we need, because we all know NXT UK needs more Nina.” This is the official relaunch of the Nina Samuels Show! And now for her next production, Ms. Piper Niven. Will the Leading Lady look to steal the show from Piper the Viper?

NXT UK Heritage Cup Tournament Opening Round: Trent Seven VS Kenny Williams!

The final opening round match is here! The Artful Dodger is more determined than ever to prove he still has it! But this is the biggest opportunity in the Lucky Yin’s career, too. Who moves on to take on Dave Mastiff in the next round?

The bell rings and we begin the British Rounds match! Williams and Seven circle and tie up. Williams powers Seven back but Seven turns it around to put Williams on the ropes. Seven lets off fast with a pat on the shoulder. Williams and Seven circle again, Williams rolls but Seven avoids that leg pick. They tie up again, Williams waistlocks and drags Seven down to the mat to then float to a facelock. Seven slips out and around to hammerlock an arm. Seven facelocks while also having the arm, but Williams gets up and gets to ropes for the break. Seven lets off, and the two circle again. We’re under two minutes in this round as Williams gets an arm. Williams wrenches, wristlocks and wrangle Seven to the mat. Williams has a cover, ONE as Seven gets a shoulder up.

Williams knuckle locks to get both shoulders, TWO as Seven gets the other shoulder up. Williams gets them down, TWO as Seven bridges! Williams sweeps the legs to get the cover, TWO as Seven kips up! The two are in a test of strength now and Seven trips Williams to a cover. TWO as Williams bridges! Seven uses his weight but can’t break the bridge! Seven tries again but Williams blocks and gets a wheelbarrow arm-drag! We’re under a minute as Seven reverses the whip but Williams hurdles the back drop. Seven hip tosses hard but Williams boots him away! Williams leaps but into Seven’s arms and a SLAM! And a leg drop, brother! Cover, TWO! Seven keeps on Williams with the facelock and grinds Williams down. Williams fights up, pries, 10 seconds left for the elbow breaker and headlock! Seven powers out, time’s up! Even Seven has to applaud that exchange.

Seven: 0; Williams: 0

Both men go to their corners and have their 20 second break. The clock resets and here’s round two of six! The two circle, Seven stays away from another testing roll from Williams. They tie up, Williams goes from waistlock to cravat to snapmare and cover, ONE! Seven and Williams tie up with knuckle locks again but Seven makes it a straitjacket stretch. Seven digs his head in to add pressure while he brings Williams to his knees. Williams endures, Seven toys with Williams a bit, but Williams fights up! Williams powers out of the straitjacket and arm-drags Seven away! Seven gets the arm back and wrenches to a wristlock. Williams rolls, goes up and around to back elbow hard! Williams runs, gets around to redirect Seven, and springboard back elbows! Down goes Seven!

Williams covers, TWO! Seven gets to a corner, Williams runs in but Seven dodges! Williams stops himself from hitting buckles but Seven snapmares. Williams gets moving and huricanranas! And dropkicks! Cover, TWO! Williams keeps Seven from getting away with a minute left! Headlock takeover and headscissors denied! Williams grinds Seven down, pushes him to a cover, TWO! Seven sits up, gets to his feet and pries free to headbutt low! Seven shoves and headbutts Williams low gain! He tries a third time but Williams sunset flips! TWO, and we have 10 seconds left! The two men circle, Seven tries to gut wrench but time is up before the lift! Williams is saved by the bell!

Seven: 0; Williams: 0

Another 20 second rest and round three begins already! Seven and Williams circle again, Williams gets that rolling leg pick and takedown! Williams wrenches the ankle but Seven keeps his shoulders up. Williams stands on the other leg as he twists the one in all directions. Seven shouts in pain but refuses to give up. Seven frees his trapped right foot, turns over and pries free with that leg. Seven gets a headlock and takeover but Williams headscissors! Seven grows frustrated as he’s stuck. Seven moves around, gets up to a headstand and then bridges over to a headlock! Williams bridges to avoid the cover and fights his way up. Williams throws Seven off and CHOPS! Seven CHOPS back!! Seven eggs Williams on, then dodges to CHOP! Seven fakes Williams out, and DDT’s! Cover, TWO! Williams survives with a minute left in this round!

Seven sees Williams go to a corner, runs in and CHOPS him! Seven whips Williams corner to corner, Williams goes up and over this time, and fakes Seven out to step over an droll to get the leg again! Takedown, turn, but Seven throws Williams off! Williams cartwheels through that, but Seven whips him at 20 seconds, only for Williams to headlock! Williams uses ropes to go up and over, he boots Seven’s punch away but Seven BACK HANDS him! Wristlock and ripcord, SEVEN STAR LARIAT!! Cover, Seven gets the first fall!! And with just four seconds to spare!

Seven: 1; Williams: 0

Williams has a hard climb now as he’ll need to win two of the last three rounds! The 20 seconds are up already and we’re in round 4! Seven wants another ripcord but Williams breaks free and rolls Seven up, TWO!! That was close! Seven whips, Williams slips around and underhooks for the backslide, TWO! Williams baits Seven in to KNEE him! Seven rebounds but Williams hurdles, then catches Seven into a sunset flip, and gets the fall!?! With 2:22 to spare, Williams ties this up!!

Seven: 1; Williams: 1

Seven is furious with himself for getting caught because with two rounds left, we’re back at square one! Williams rushes Seven to wheelbarrow victory roll, TWO! Seven swings but Williams blocks! Williams fires off haymakers and a slap, but Seven CHOPS! Williams BOOTS, Seven wobbles but he SUPERKICKS! Williams pendulum LARIARTS! #Lezkillit! Cover, TWO!! Seven barely survives but Williams aims from a corner. Williams wants Seven to stand and Seven rises slowly. Williams tilt-o-whirls and DDT’s! Cover, TWO!?! Seven survives that shot with two minutes left in this round! Williams drags Seven back up, throws forearms after forearms, and even more forearms! Seven guards to hit back! Williams wobbles, but comes back to wheelbarrow, but into a SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX!!

Seven gets Williams up, scoops him and hits EMERALD FLOWSION! Cover, TWO!! Williams survives but Seven gets up top?! Williams SHORYUKENS from the apron! Williams CHOPS with less than a minute in the round, and goes up, SUPER STEINER! But Seven rolls through for a high stack cover, SEVEN WINS!!

Winner: Trent Seven, with 2 falls; advances to the semifinals

With 38 seconds remaining in the fifth round, the Man from Moustache Mountain makes it through the opening round! Seven shows Williams respect as he helps him up and raises his hand. But as tough as it was against Williams, it’ll be that much harder against the Bomber! Will Seven survive the Proper British Heavyweight’s heavy hands?

Sid Scala presides over the NXT UK Championship contract signing.

“NXT UK Universe, welcome to the official contract signing for next week’s NXT UK Championship main event!” He welcomes first the challenger, Ilja Dragunov! The Moscow Madman goes to the ring, perhaps still sore from that epic tag match last week. And then, the champion, WALTER! The Ring General takes the belt into the ring and sets it down on the table. Both men take their seats and Scala hopes their time will be spent on the business at hand. Walter is first to sign the contract, and does so without a word. Dragunov has his turn to sign, which he does, and he stands up to shout, “UN! BE! SIEG!” Walter SLAPS Dragunov before he can finish his catchphrase! And SLAPS him again! Walter takes off his track suit jacket and rips Dragunov’s shirt off, literally! Walter CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS Dragunov! Walter shoves the table aside so there’s more room as he kicks and CHOPS Dragunov!

Walter brings Dragunov off, talks trash in German and brings Dragunov up, but Dragunov slips out of the bomb to ENZIGURI! Walter wobbles, Dragunov fires off fists! Dragunov shoves the chairs and table aside and goes up top! Dragunov LEAPS, into a CHOP!! Walter smacks Dragunov out of the air!! And then gives him an APRON WALTER BOMB!! Walter CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS Dragunov again, then makes him look at the belt! Walter says that belt is his forever, and he CHOPS Dragunov on the back! And reels Dragunov into a LARIAT! Referees rush out to keep Walter back but he powers through to BOOT Dragunov down! Dragunov bumps off steel steps, but he still comes back to TACKLE Walter THROUGH the barriers!!

Both men are down on the ground and the referees hurry over to check on them. Dragunov rises!? Dragunov still has to crawl back to the ring, but he grabs the belt! Walter is furious as he sees this, and as Dragunov throws the title back to him! Referees hold Walter back even as he and Dragunov shout at each other! Will Dragunov truly take that belt for his own when these two finally get to unleash all this fury in the ring?

My Thoughts:

A great, fiery episode right here! Dennis VS Carter was a really good return for Dennis in singles action, but you can tell he’s being careful with his repaired shoulder. The Next Stop Driver was more a powerslam, and instead of the full Severn Bridge, he stopped halfway for the “Splash Mountain” crucifix bomb. But in the end, all effective offense, and I like that he’s suddenly invested in the South Wales Subculture Whodunnit. He’s implying it was Mark Andrews but perhaps Dennis is forgetting the previous attack on Andrews himself. I honestly feel like it should be spun that it’s been Dennis the whole time. I’ve been waiting for Dennis to go after one of his former friends between Andrews or Pete Dunne so maybe that’s this.

Amale VS Samuels was great, in the same vein as Piper VS Isla last week. And it seems since Samuels and Piper both won, they’re going to face off just to bide their time waiting for the title since Kay Lee Ray VS Jinny is still the clear next match-up. It’s great to see a video package for Joe Coffey, meaning he is also at least found not guilty much like Jordan Devlin. Devlin is back in action next week, so that’s great. I think the special time for next week is NXT UK getting ahead of the Daylights Savings Time curve since that happens Halloween night going into November 1st. Seven VS Williams was perhaps the best, most dramatic British Rounds match yet, though Ohno VS Scala was great, too. I really thought this was going to go to the sixth, but again it ends in the fifth. I bet the sixth round is being saved for the semifinals, and that is going to be great with Dar VS A-Kid and Seven VS Mastiff.

The contract signing was actually a great segment. Sure it ended in a fight like many others, but it was the fact they skipped long promos to give us MORE brawling that made it work. Dragunov’s chest looked like ground beef again just from this much, he might look like cooked steak after the actual match. Dragunov stood tall in the tag match, he technically stands tall here, and he touched the belt. Usually the math says he’s losing, but honestly, who else could possibly do it? Walter’s ran through just about everyone in NXT UK, and unfortunately, Ridge Holland is hurt and was moved to NXT USA. If Holland was still in the UK, he could come back around and go behemoth to behemoth with Walter and get an incredible win. At this point, I’m hoping Dragunov defies math and wins to really change things to commemorate this restart for NXT UK’s rise.

My Score: 8.5/10

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

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Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (10/23/20)

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Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (10/21/20)

Coverage

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

It’s Draft Day!

Published

8 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

1 day 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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