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MCMAHON’S IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT
Oct. 5, 2017
Taped from Orlando, Fla. (Universal Studios)
Aired on Pop TV
Announcers: Josh Mathews & Jeremy Borash
Immediately following tonight’s Impact Wrestling, tune in to the PWTorch Livecast. Mike McMahon and Andrew Soucek will discuss tonight’s show with callers. Listen at www.pwtorchlivecast.com and call the show at 515-605-9345 or email impactlivecast@gmail.com
— Impact aired a graphic remembering Lance Russell.
— Impact aired a “Pray for Vegas” graphic.
— A recap of last week’s show aired with some new interview clips, focusing mostly on Impact vs. Drake.
— The Impact opened aired.
— Eli Drake and Chris Adonis walked to the ring for a promo to open the show. Drake gloated about his win last week and said that Johnny Impact wasn’t in the building tonight. Drake complained that Jim Cornette sent him to Mexico and said that he is sending him to Japan next week. Drake said Cornette is trying to find anyone he can to pull the belt off of him. Drake said that no one is ending his title reign. Drake was looking for women in the crowd to celebrate with, telling them to “head on over to the DoubleTree and ask for the champ.” Drake told Adonis that he sees the terror in his eyes. Drake said he can tell there is a fire inside Adonis, and because of that, he has set him up for a match tonight. Adonis looked confused. Drake said that he will run through whatever idiot he’s facing tonight. Adonis looked upset that he had a match tonight.
Garza Jr. emerged from backstage. Adonis was in jeans and a shirt.
(1) GARZA JR. vs. CHRISTOPHER ADONIS
Eli Drake went to the backstage area at first, but then went to the commentary table. Adonis wrestled in jeans and dress shoes, unaware he was going to have a match. Garza Jr. went for a couple of quick pins but Adonis kicked out. Adonis also has his jeans (comically) rolled up around his ankles. Drake said there are a line of females outside his room at the DoubleTree. Adonis worked over Garza Jr.’s shoulder and arm, wrenching his wrist and fingers. Garza Jr. came back with kicks and moonsaulted Adonis over the top rope to the floor. Garza Jr. hit a diving cross body over the top. Garza Jr. tried for a second dive but missed.
[c]
Back from the break, Adonis was on control with a hold in the middle of the ring. Garza Jr. avoided an Adonis Lock and hit a kick from the corner. Drake said he needed to feed the meter on his car and then left the announce table. Mathews said that Johnny Impact had arrived at the building. Garza Jr. covered for a two count. Garza Jr. missed a moonsault. Impact hit the ring and charged Adonis, causing the DQ.
WINNER: Christopher Adonis in 12:00 via DQ from interference.
Garza Jr. tried to stop Impact and he took Garza Jr. down as well. Impact kept pummeling Adonis as security ran down. Cornette came to the ring and said if Impact and Garza Jr. want to fight so bad, they can do it next week. Cornette told Drake that he knows his plan. He knows he’s trying to turn people on themselves so he can skate by. Cornette said the winner of Garza Jr. vs. Imapct would face Drake at Bound for Glory.
After some words in the ring, Garza Jr. and Impact brawled again.
McMahon: What?!?!?! First of all, what the hell has Garza Jr. done to deserve a potential World Title match? He’s been a singles wrestler for all of three minutes. Also, why do Impact and Garza Jr. hate each other so much all of a sudden. It feels like they’re flying by the seat of their pants from a booking standpoint. Garza Jr. and Impact have such a deep heated hatred (apparently) and they’ve been in the ring together twice, I believe. Garza Jr. was the comedy guy ripping his pants off three weeks ago, and now all of a sudden we’re supposed to take him seriously as a potential title contender? I’m sure it will be a great match, but the lack of logic in setting it up is ming boggling.
— Moose was on video looking for Bobby Lashley. Moose was in his car, talking on the phone, saying that Lashley was going to have to finish what he started. Lashley was shown arriving at American Top Team headquarters. [c]
— A video aired on oVe vs. LAX. Then, in their clubhouse, Konnan yelled at Ortiz and Santana and said they were losing money because they lost the tag titles. He told them to figure out how to get them back.
(2) oVe vs. TREY MIGUEL & JOHN BOLLAND
Mathews plugged Bound for Glory tickets, which are on sale now. oVe hit a cross body off the top rope. Borash said LAX would speak again before the end of Impact tonight. Bolland charged Crist and he threw him to the outside. Crist hit a dive on both men to the outside and the other Crist brother followed up with a moonsault to the outside. Bolland had Jake Crist up for a vertical suplex but he fought out with knees. oVe hit a double kick for the win.
WINNERS: oVe in 3:00.
— A video aired advertising Bound for Glory tickets, with tickets starting at $20 for the pay-per-view and $15 for the taping.
— Sienna and KM were heading to the ring.
[c]
— Sienna came to the ring with KM and asked the crowd why she wasn’t wrestling at Bound for Glory. She said she was the most important champion, and she should be wrestling at the most important show. Sienna mockingly announced that she was going into the 2017 Hall of Fame. Sienna told KM he needed to induct her. Sienna said Gail Kim can never retire as champion because that’s only something the greatest champion of all time can do, and she’s the greatest champion of all time.
Gail Kim came to the ring. Gail said that she hear Sienna talking trash and she worked too long and hard to take disrespect. Gail said that Sienna never would have won at Destination X if not for Taryn Terrell. Gail said she wants a rematch at Bound for Glory.
Terrell emerged onto the stage. Taryn came to the ring to give Sienna and Gail a history lesson. She said that she had the longest title reign in history. Allie came to the ring and took encouragement from the crowd, before trying to throw herself into the title mix. Karen Jarrett came to the aisle and said no one would be honoring Sienna in the Hall of Fame at Bound for Glory. Karen announced that Sienna will wrestle on the show, and she will defend the title against Gail Kim, Taryn Terrell and Allie in a Fatal Four Way.
[c]
— Borash and Mathews reset the show.
— Joseph Park and Grado were at his first VIP meet and greet. Grado was shown meeting fans, signing autographs and Park was in the background, counting money. Park gave Grado $20 and told him to go get some rest.
(3) TREVOR LEE, CALEB KONLEY & ANDREW EVERETT vs. SONJAY DUTT, PETEY WILLIAMS & MATT SYDAL
Konley and Dutt began the match. The babyface team hits a triple dive to the outside to send the show crashing to a break.
[c]
Back from the break, Sydal is working on Caleb Konley. Borash said that Sydal’s offense is different than just about everyone in Impact. Dutt and Sydal hit simultaneous standing moonsaults for a two count. Williams tagged in and worked on Konley. Everett tagged in to work on a downed Sonjay Dutt. Sonjay got tossed into the corner and Konley tagged in. Dutt hit a tornado DDT on Konley while taking out the other two opponents with kicks as he swung around. Dutt tagged in Williams, who hit a Codebreaker on Lee. Williams hit a leg sweep on Konley for a two count. Everett tried to break up a pin with a top rope moonsault but Williams moved and he splashed Konley. Sydal hit knees off the top on Lee. Everett hit a kick on Sydal and then climbed to the top but Sydal threw Lee into the corner. Sydal landed a standing hurricanrana on Everett and then hit a Shooting Star Press for the win.
WINNERS: Matt Sydal, Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams in 13:00.
After the match, the babyfaces celebrated. Sonjay took the mic and challenged Trevor Lee to a 1-on-1 match at Bound for Glory. Williams grabbed the mic and said that, with all due respect to Sonjay, he deserves a title shot. Sydal, of course, said he deserves a shot. Williams stole the mic and the babyfaces bickered over who should get a title shot.
McMahon: Andrew Everett lives! But seriously, is nothing at Bound for Glory going to be original? It seems like we’re going to get Impact vs. Drake, and the Knockouts match is also a sort of rematch. The X Division match, like with the women, could be a form of a rematch and then it certainly appears like the tag title match will be a rematch as well. Tell me again why I should spend $55 for an HD feed when these are all matches I’ve seen before?
— The next episode of Global Forged aired.
[c]
— Backstage: The babyfaces argued in Cornette’s office for who will get the title shot at Bound for Glory.
— In-arena: Laurel Van Ness was in the crowd in a motorized wheelchair. She was wearing all black and she was looking for men in the crowd again.
— Moose drove up to the American Top Team facility. After getting out of his car, Moose walked into the gym and and went right to the cage where Lashley was training. Moose shoved Dan Lambert aside and stepped into the cage where Lashley was sparring. King Mo punched Moose and Lashley threw him into the cage. Lambert yelled at the MMA guys to “get him!” and they ganged up on Moose. Lambert told them to “get this piece of garbage out of our gym.” Moose was tossed from the cage to the floor and then dragged out of the building.
McMahon: Way to make Moose look like a total buffoon. What did he think was going to happen? Moose, without any help, walked into a gym full of MMA fighters and thought he was going to walk out OK? I think the idea here was to make Moose look like a tough guy, which I guess it did (even though he mounted no offense) but it also made him look like a stupid tough guy. We’re supposed to feel sympathy for babyfaces, but it’s hard to feel sympathy for someone who knowingly walked into the hornet’s nest.
(4) ECIII & JAMES STORM vs. TEXANO JR. and EL HIJO DEL FANTASMA
The bell rings and Texano jumped James Storm. Storm couldn’t make an early tag and Texano went to work, but Storm came back with a right hand. ECIII tagged in and he stared at Storm. Texano used that as an opportunity to punch ECIII. ECIII took down Texano with some clotheslines and a jawbreaker, followed by a splash in the corner and a flapjack. ECIII dropkicked Fantasma and then hit a TK3 on Texano for a two count. Fantasma kicked ECIII in the head and Texano covered for a two count. Texano kicked and laid a knee into ECIII’s back. Fantasma kicked ECIII in the face and then hit a dropkick for a two count. ECIII laid in heavy chops on Fantasma. Texano kicked ECIII to stop him. ECIII clotheslined Fantasma. Pagano walked down the aisle. Storm tried to confront him but the referee got between them. In the ring, Fantasma hit ECIII with a knee.
[c]
Texano was in control back from the break. Pagano choked ECIII at ringside. ECIII powerbombed Storm and both heels off the top after they were all set up for various moves. Pagano got involved from the outside. Texano held ECIII for Fantasma to hit a dive through the ropes, but ECIII moved and he hit Texano. On the apron, Storm tried to suplex Fantasma but he was tripped by Pagano and Fantasma fell on top of him, getting the cover.
WINNERS: Texano & Fantasma in 20:00.
After the match, Storm argued with the referee. ECIII was on the outside. Fantasma grabbed a Mexican flag to celebrate, laying it on the corner. Borash said this situation was far from over.
— Konnan was at LAX’s clubhouse with the rest of LAX. Ortiz and Santana argued and Konnan walked in. Konnan and Low Ki told Ortiz and Santana that they had a solution. Low Ki said that they would challenge oVe to a 5150 street fight. Konnan told them to “take these fruit rollups to school.”
McMahon: More rematches for Bound for Glory. Sure, there’s a new spin to it, but more rematches the merrier, I guess. Overall, this episode was just OK. It felt like it was missing some starpower, despite most of the big stars being on the show. That’s a bit of a concern moving forward. But they did make some moves to set up the pay-per-view, and even if I’m not excited about the rematches, at least there is some build, considering the show is one month away.
terrible show.The AAA “partnership” is killing Impact
Loved the show, better than anything I saw on WWE tv this week.
Garza and Impact have been in ring before together in AAA.