8/16 IMPACT WRESTLING RESULTS: McMahon’s live report on Callihan vs. Fenix, OGz vs. LAX in a street fight

MCMAHON’S IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT
August 16, 2018
Taped from Toronto, Ontario (Rebel Complex)
Aired on Pop TV

Announcers: Josh Mathews & Don Callis

Immediately following Impact on POP TV, head over to pwtorchlivecast.com and listen to Mike McMahon and Andrew Soucek break down this week’s Impact and talk anything and everything Impact Wrestling on the Thursday PWTorch Livecast. Call the show at 515-605-9345. 

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— A highlight package aired recapping last week’s episode.

— The Impact opening graphic aired.

(1) Fenix def. Sami Callihan (w/ OVE)

After OVE got involved in the match, Pentagon came to ringside to even the odds for his brother.

(McMahon: Wow! That was an incredible match to open the show. I’m not sure it was as good as Callihan vs. Pentagon from Slammiversary, but it was just one notch below that match. Pentagon-Callihan was a different type of match for sure, but Fenix and Callihan was just as athletic with a lot of believable near falls.

I really like giving Fenix the win, even if it’s clean over Callihan. I understand the idea that Callihan is too hot to be losing matches right now, but someone has to lose, right? This sets up Fenix as a title contender against Brian Cage, and it also gives Callihan something to stew about. It gives him something to be upset about, and he’ll probably force Jake Crist to shave his head now as well, copying Sami and Dave Crist (from last week). There’s still the ultimate OVE vs. Pentagon, Fenix (and a third partner) match that has to happen at some point. Pentagon was established as a main-eventer as soon as he joined Impact in April, and this match (the quality and the win) felt like this was a good effort in attempting to get Fenix to that level as well).

— Josh Mathews and Don Callis reset the show at ringside.

— A vignette aired on LAX vs. the OGz, who will face off in a street fight later tonight.

— After a commercial break, Fenix was informed backstage that because of his win over Sami Callihan, he’ll face Brian Cage for the X Division Championship in two weeks. Fenix said Cage has never faced a real animal of Lucha Libre. Cage walked into the shot and stood across from Fenix in silence before raising the X Division Championship in the air.

— The GWN Moment of the Week aired, featuring Rob Terry beating Bobby Roode (seriously), and then a big brawl after the match between pretty much the entire roster, spilled between the arena, backstage and outside.

(2) Johnny Impact def. Jimmy Jacobs via disqualification

Prior to the match beginning, Kongo Kong attacked Johnny Impact during his ring entrance and threw him in the ring. Jacobs went for a pin but Impact kicked out and then Impact made a short comeback before Kongo Kong hit the ring again and took out Impact.

After the bell, Kong chased the referee out of the ring and he ran to the back. Kong and Jacobs set up the ring steps on the ramp and Kong went for a powerbomb on the steps but Impact held on and landed kicks on Kong. Impact landed a springboard DDT to take Kong to the floor. Jacobs hit Impact with a chair and Impact chased Jacobs around the building and eventually caught him, kicking Jacobs head off. Impact picked up the steps and rammed them into Jacobs head, saying “eye for an eye, Jimmy.”

McMahon: I’m guessing this was the blowoff for this angle, which frees up Impact to do something more near the top of the card. Impact returns and gets his redemption and I figure now he should move on to something closer to the World Title picture. He shouldn’t be in that spot against Austin Aries just yet, but he should be closer to the top of the card than Kongo Kong right now. The only issue is that I’m not sure there is a heel there who is freed up to feud with Impact. Maybe they could pair him with Killer Kross before an eventual feud with Aries?

— KM and Fallah Bahh run into each other at a restaurant. KM is concerned because he said he was supposed to have a date there tonight, and apparently they were both there to meet the same woman. That woman was Scarlett Bordeaux. Bahh and KM fight over who will sit next to Scarlett. Bordeaux spits champagne back in KM’s face and said that the quality of champagne was for “side chicks.”

Bordeaux tries to solve the issues between KM and Bahh, who are arguing over whose way is better in the tag team. Bordeaux suggested that they try things her way. KM said Scarlett was right and they should do things Bahh’s way. KM said he was going to get matching gear and they’d be on the same page.

— A promo aired for Bound for Glory.

— Austin Aries came to the ring and introduced Killer Kross, calling him his “insurance policy.” Kross said that everyone will eventually pay the toll. Aries grabbed the mic and said Eddie Edwards and Anthony Carelli both paid the toll, getting taken out by Killer Kross. Aries said that one man can only change so much, so he picked Kross to watch his back, because Kross is the best. Aries said that he was unbeatable before Kross, but now he’s unbeatable and unstoppable. Aries took a shot at Eddie Edwards’ wife. As Aries and Kross tried to leave the ring, Edwards came out from backstage and he had his kendo stick. Edwards hit Kross with the kendo stick, but he was no-selling the shots. Edwards took out Kross with a cutter and then cornered Aries. Kross grabbed Edwards ankle and Aries ran him with a cheap shot. Kross then choked out Edwards.

(3) Eli Drake (w/ Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley) def. Joe Hendry (w/ Grado & Katarina)

Grado got up on the apron in an attempt to help Hendry, but it backfired and Drake got the win. After the match, Hendry and Katarina looked upset with Grado. Hendry threw his hands up and walked off. Katarina began yelling at Grado in the ring and then she walked off along with Hendry. Grado walked behind them and Hendry finally walked back down the aisle and grabbed Grado to bring him back up with the group as they walked to the back.

(4) Allie def. Su Yung via disqualification

The match ended when Tessa Blanchard interfered and attacked Allie. Tessa went for a DDT but Su Yung locked in a mandible claw. Allie took out Tessa with a kick and hit a Codebreaker on Su to stand tall as her music played.

— Backstage, Sami Callihan challenged Pentagon to a Mexican Death Match next week.

— LAX and The OGz met in the street for their street fight. Konnan and King talked about the rules, saying the bosses would lay back and allow LAX and the OGz to battle 2-on-2. The match was taking place in a parking lot near a river or lake. There were other gang members there, it seemed, to watch the street fight (they were wearing bandanas to cover their faces). The teams were brawling up against a fence near the river (you can see the Toronto skyline in the background). Ortiz hit Homicide with a loaded sock. Hernandez powerbombed Santana onto a bunch of onlookers. Hernandez choked out Ortiz with a rope. A woman handed Hernandez what looked like a switchblade and he was going to, I think cut Ortiz’s throat? Seriously, he picked up his head, but Santana made the save. Santana and Ortiz picked up their Impact Tag Team Championship belts. Santana said it was over. Konnan walked over and hugged his team.

King said it wasn’t over, and he tried to wake up Homicide and Hernandez. King said that LAX didn’t have the heart to take him out. LAX begged for the word from Konnan to attack King. King got in Konnan’s face and said that he didn’t have the balls to tell them to attack King. He screamed at Konnan to do it. Konnan grabbed the sock loaded with pennies, or rocks, and said “my pleasure, mother f***er” and as he swung at King’s head the show ended.