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MCMAHON’S IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT
NOVEMBER 3, 2016
ORLANDO, FLA.
AIRED ON POP TV
Announcers: Josh Mathews, “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero
[HOUR ONE]
— Impact opens with a video recapping the history between Lashley and Eddie Edwards, including Edwards winning the TNA World Title from Lashley on the Impact following Bound for Glory.
– In the arena, Brandi Rhodes comes to the ring to open the show with a promo. Rhodes is alone, without her husband, Cody.
Brandi thanked everyone for checking in on her husband Cody. She said that they had been through a lot in their three years of marriage and they had to make some tough decisions. Brandi said that Cody has been very supportive of her decision to come to Impact, and she couldn’t be prouder of the way he performed in the last week.
Brandi had some bad news for Lashley. She sent a message to Lashley that Cody is a fighter. She said that Lashley would find out the type of fighter Cody is. She told Lashley she is going to wish she took Cody out, because Cody is going to be back.
As Brandi begins to transition to talking about herself entering the TNA Knockouts division, Maria makes her entrance with Sienna.
Maria said that she wants to talk about Brandi’s future. She said if you have no one in this business, you’re nothing, and now Brandi is all alone.
Brandi asked if Maria was threatening her? Maria said that she doesn’t threaten anyone, she just opens doors and sometimes she shuts them in people’s faces, like Allie. Maria said Allie had a lesson to learn, and she learned it. Now, Allie will be a better assistant and people can stop chanting for Allie.
Maria invited Brandi to join her, Sienna and Laurel Van Ness. Maria said that she’s 50-50 with her husband, Mike Bennett, and they had a lot of power. Brandi said she is her own woman and she makes her own decisions. She also said her name is Rhodes, and that means something around here. Brandi said she doesn’t need Maria’s respect, or her help, for anything.
Maria asked if she was sure about that? Sienna then stepped up in Sienna’s face. Brandi throws right forearms to back Sienna into a corner and then Brandi turned her back, about to attack Maria, and Sienna attacked her from behind. Sienna picked up Brandi and dropped her with an AK47, allowing Maria to stand over Brandi’s lifeless body and raise Sienna’s hand.
(McMahon’s Analysis: Not a bad promo from Brandi, given that it was her first time out there solo. You can tell she had some WWE training when it comes to working the mic, although she was primarily an interviewer. She made some good points here and looked strong. She did a good job delivering Cody’s message while he’s not on the show selling injuries from the Lashley attack last week.)
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– Back from the break, TNA airs a video on Eddie Edwards, highlighting his history including his childhood and how he was brought up through Killer Kowalski’s school.
(1) ARON REX (c) vs. JESSIE GODDERZ – Grand Championship match
Round 1
Godderz controls some of the offense early. Pope said everyone wants a piece of this “prestigious” title. I wasn’t aware something could become prestigious in only 30 days of existence.
Godderz rolls Rex into a pin for a two count. Godderz has Rex locked in an armbar and corks him down to the canvas before Rex gets to the rope to break the hold. The time runs out as Godderz again was controlling Rex.
Scores: Jessie Godderz, 30-27
Round 2
Rex has Godderz in a headlock on the mat. He’s shouting at Godderz that “he can’t win.” Godderz gets up and fights out of it.
After some more mat work, Rex has Godderz locked in the patented “WWE coming out of the commercial break” chinlock. Godderz gets up and rolls Rex into an inside cradle for a two count.
Rex misses a splash and Godderz again gets a two count after a schoolboy. With one minute left, Godderz lands a boot and gets another two count.
Rex misses a splash and Godderz responds with a clothesline and two elbows for another two count. Then with two seconds left in the round, Godderz locks in an Adonis Crab but it’s broken up by the bell.
Scores: Jessie Godderz, 29-28 [c]
Round 3
Someone actually scored that second round for Rex? Are we allowed to complain about horrible pro wrestling judges the way we are about horrible MMA judges?
The third round begins after the break and Rex begins it by raking Godderz’s face. Rex again rakes Godderz’s eyes and then lands a huge right hand while wearing those rings on his fingers and it knocks out Godderz.
WINNER: Aron Rex via pin in the third round.
After the match, Jeremy Borash announces Rex as the winner and he gets his hand raised while Godderz recovers by the rope. Rex grabs a mic and says that there should be a round of applause for Jessie Godderz, “who had a very hard-fought loss.”
(McMahon’s Analysis: For a company that has tried to implement some reality with this Grand Championship division, there’s nothing less real than someone cheating like this to win. I understand heels need heat, but this Grand Championship is mimicking MMA. If a UFC fighter used brass rings in his fight, it would be a HUGE controversy, and he would probably be thrown out of the promotion. I mean, it’s preposterous to begin with from a reality perspective. But in TNA, when the announcers see and talk about this guy cheating, no one in the company has an issue with it? They leave Jessie Godderz looking confused? He didn’t watch last week’s show? There’s no figure of authority in the company who wants to watch the damn show and do something about it? This is where I have a hard time suspending disbelief. Same as when there are backstage segments with some heel coming up with a scheme, unaware that the camera is in the room with them. It’s lazy.
– After the match, Mathews throws to a video highlighting the X Division. D.J. Z’s team, with Braxton Sutter and Mandrews, are talking about why they’re such a good team. Again, this is apparently something that is going to change the business, from what this promo is saying. [c]
– Back from the break, Trevor Lee, Andrew Everett and Marshe Rockett make their ring entrance. Rockstar Spud and Decay are out next and then D.J. Z’s team, with Mandrews and Braxton Sutter, are out next.
(2) D.J. Z, BRAXON SUTTER & MANDREWS vs. ROCKSTAR SPUD, ABYSS & CRAZY STEVE vs. TREVOR LEE, ANDREW EVERETT & MARSHE ROCKETT
One member of each team is in the ring. We start with Lee, D.J. Z and Crazy Steve.
D.J. Z hit a dive on the outside. In the ring, Mandrews stops on Steve. Lee then plants Mandrews with a turnbuckle powerbomb. Mathews, in the first two minutes of this match, has plugged TNA’s online store and now Wolf Creek, some PopTV show that they’ve been plugging for weeks.
Rockett tosses Spud out of the way and he stomps on Mandrews. Spud goes face-to-face with Rockett for a moment and then decides to tag in Abyss. Rockett and Abyss go nose-to-nose and begin trading blows in the center of the ring.
Mathews said this is the “new X Division, right? No limits! No boundaries!”
What does that even mean?
Abyss drops Sutter with a chokeslam and then hits a chokeslam on Everett before chokeslamming Steve on top of Everett. Spud is screaming that Abyss will get them disqualified.
The official then ejects Abyss and Steve from the match, leaving Spud to fight for himself. Sutter then pins Spud about 30 seconds later.
WINNERS: D.J. Z, Braxton Sutter & Mandrews in 5:00.
(McMahon’s Analysis: There were more guys in this match than minutes in this match. Also, since when did we start ejecting people from pro wrestling matches instead of disqualifying teams? This is TNA trying to be different for the sake of being different, without a single explanation on why Spud’s team just wouldn’t be disqualified, as has been the case in pro wrestling for decades. After the match, Mathews said that #IMPACTonPOP, #TeamXGold and #GoForBroke were all trending worldwide on Twitter. They weren’t. They weren’t even trending in the U.S. … Oh, they also said, when Abyss and Rockett were in the ring, that this was “the new X Division! No limits! No boundaries!” What exactly does that mean? I mean, Crazy Steve and Abyss were “ejected” from the match, so apparently there are limits and boundaries.)
– Back from the break, more highlights on Eddie Edwards’ career are shown, including why he has been a singles competitor with Davey Richards injured. Edwards is then shown backstage taping his wrist.
– Reby Hardy is playing the piano on the stage, bringing out Broken Matt Hardy and Brother Nero for a TNA Tag Team Title defense against The DCC.
Hardy is cutting a promo before the match. Hardy called out The DCC and said they wanted to point at the greatest tag team in the history of time and space. Matt, calling them “masked businessmen,” said that instead of pointing at them, they should face them in the ring. Matt said he was summoning them, now.
The arena goes black and when the lights come back up, The DCC is standing in the right under a black light. Hardy and Nero are looking at the stage but turn around and attack The DCC. The three-man DCC quickly overwhelms Matt and Jeff, though.
One member briefly holds up the TNA Tag Titles and then drops it. After the beating, the DCC goes to leave but Jeff grabs the mic and tells them to come back.
[HOUR TWO]
(3) MATT HARDY & BROTHER NERO (c) vs. THE DCC – TNA Tag Title match
It’s 2-on-2, with the third DCC member nowhere to be seen, it seems. Matt gets whipped into the corner and dropped with a double clothesline.
After getting back up, Matt tries to rip off the mask of one of the DCC members. At this point, the third member can be seen walking around ringside and Pope acknowledges that he’s there.
Jeff hits a double clothesline on the two men in the match. The third man runs in the ring and Earl Hebner calls for the bell.
WINNER: Apparent no-contest in 3:00.
After the match, the fight continues. Jeff is fighting one of them on the stage and that spills backstage. In the ring, one of the masked men throws down Earl Hebner and begins choking him with his boot. Josh wonders where this fight is going to go?
Backstage, we see more brawling. Jeff gets thrown into some tables while Matt throws a DCC member into another table while corny action movie music plays in the background.
Matt and one DCC member begin brawling outside. Someone gets thrown into a trailer, where we can see a Harris brother looking out a window. Back inside the building, but still backstage, Jeff is fighting another DCC member.
Grado is being interviewed backstage and Jeff and a DCC member fight by. Grado asks Jeff for a selfie and they pose.
One DCC member hits Jeff with a low blow. Matt said Jeff needs a refresher and throws water from the Lake of Reincarnation on him. Jeff turns into his old TNA persona, “the antichrist of pro wrestling.”
Matt has one DCC member backstage while another is beating up Jeff elsewhere backstage. That DCC member locks Jeff in a crate and throws it into a wall. Matt convinces a forklift operator to lift him up and he’s fighting that DCC member with the forklift all the way ip. Matt pulls off his mask to reveal just another mask underneath. The DCC member then kicks Matt off the forklift.
Jeff pops out of the crate and screams, “Jeff in a box!” Jeff runs over and asks Matt if he’s OK? Matt said, “of course … who are you?”
– ECIII is walking backstage and he said that Eli Drake has been annoying him since Bound for Glory, so tonight he’s going to the ring and he’s calling him out. [c]
(McMahon’s Analysis: Ironically, Matt took a big fall and what’s broken is his memory. Or perhaps, it has simply been deleted? This fight was sort of a repeat of what they did with Decay at Bound for Glory. It was fine, but it was also something we’ve seen before.)
– Back from the break, ECIII is in the ring already and he said that tonight’s main event is Lashley vs. Edwards, and that’s a spot he wants. ECIII said he’s not there to waste anyone’s time, though. ECIII called out Eli Drake.
Drake stays on the stage, and said that ECIII is waiting to hate. Drake told ECIII to use his indoor voice, because if not, he’ll put him outside. Drake said ECIII wants him to come down there and get in a fight? Drake said he’s OK where he is right now. ECIII said that was fair.
ECIII took exception to Drake saying that ECIII didn’t have to earn anything. ECIII said he was given a name and an opportunity, but he damn-sure earned everything else. ECIII said he earned the fact that he went undefeated. ECIII said he earned everything he has had. ECIII said that he has earned the fact that when you mention TNA, it’s synonymous with ECIII. ECIII said he earned the fact that he’s the damn man around here. He said he earned the fact that he looks like a million bucks, dressed to the nines. ECIII said that Drake has a golden ticket and he’s too scared to cash it in.
ECIII said that Drake wants so bad what he has earned, he’s open. ECIII told him to earn it. Drake said he’s gold and ECIII said he was gutless (he used another word) and had no stones. ECIII egged on Drake to put his title shot on the line in a match. Drake said that was a horrible deal. ECIII again said that was fair. But ECIII said there was a caveat to his offer. ECIII said if he wins, he’s No. 1 contender. But if Drake wins, ECIII said he would disappear. ECIII call in “Ethan Midcarder III” because he’ll go to the bottom of the barrel. ECIII said that he will never challenge for a World Title again if he loses.
Drake said let’s make history. Drake said let’s make a match for next week … “Next week, it will be me vs. … whoever the TNA World Champion is because I’m cashing next week.”
– Backstage, Borash brings in Lashley, who said that Cody was in the wrong place at the wrong time last week. Lashley said he has been training for this match for weeks, and tonight’s match would be a slaughter.
– More highlights of Edwards’ TNA career are shown, including the first time Edwards challenged Lashley for the TNA Title and lost.
– Back from a break, Lashley and Eddie Edwards both make their ring entrances.
(4) EDDIE EDWARDS (c) vs. LASHLEY — TNA World Title match
Pope said at the start of the match that Lashley didn’t take Edwards lightly in the match because he’s the challenger.
Lashley begins by working Edwards over with knees in the corner before dropping him with a clothesline. The match goes to the outside where Edwards dives on Lashley. Edwards then begins to chop Lashley against the railing.
Lashley catches Edwards and throws him onto the ringside mats. Lashley then picked up Edwards and threw him into the front row before rolling back in the ring to break up the count. Lashley begins choking Edwards on the outside of the ring as the show crashes to a break. [c]
– Back from the break, Lashley has Edwards in the ring as Mathews notes he had to break the choke he had Edwards in on the outside as the show went to a break.
Lashley continues to control the match, dropping Edwards with a right hand.
Lashley tries to hit a delayed vertical suplex but Edwards counters and both men are down on the mat. Lashley and Edwards get up at the same time. Lashley charges but Edwards ducks and fires some chops. Edwards then hits a flurry of back elbows and Lashley falls to the outside after he charged Edwards and Edwards pulled the top rope down. Edwards followed up with a suicide dive through the ropes.
Lashley hits what is the equivalent of a backwards suplex, getting Edwards up on his shoulder and flipping him over so he lands on his face.
Lashley gets caught with a kick on the top rope, and he calls to the outside. Edwards then hits a second suicide dive.
Back in the ring, Lashley sets up Edwards for a superplex off the top but Edwards blocks it and throws Lashley off the top rope.
Edwards goes for a stomp off the top but Lashley moves. After a ref bump – Lashley pulled the ref in front of him – the official is down. Lashley hits a spear for goes for a pin but there’s no referee. After a second official runs down, Edwards kicks out at two.
Lashley then punches out the second official. Brian Hebner is back up and he calls for the belt. Lashley rips the belt out of Hebner’s hand and as he turns around, Edwards hits Boston Knee Party for the win.
WINNER: Eddie Edwards in 18:00.
Final Thoughts: This was a really strong main event. Edwards and Lashley, despite the size and perceived style differences, really have a chemistry. They have delivered in every single one of their matches and told a good, long story here. I’m not bothered by the heel getting screwed on the ref bump, considering it was the heel who caused the ref bump purposely. That also helps protect Lashley a bit. This was, by far, the best thing on the show. Overall, aside from the final 20 minutes, there felt like a lot lacking on this episode. The announcing was weird, the booking was weird, and it felt slower than some previous episodes.
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