SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
IMPACT WRESTLING & HOUSE OF HARDCORE
JUNE 8, 2019
PHILADELPHIA, PA. AT THE FORMER ECW ARENA
STREAMED LIVE ON FITE TV & IMPACT PLUS
REPORT BY BILL DAVIDSON, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT
If you attend a live event, please send results with details on the matches, crowd reactions, and attendance to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
The usual crazy crowd from the old ECW Arena. Maybe around 400 people strong and into it from the first match to the last. Fun show with a mixture of old and new and all styles, so something for everyone. I was there live, so I don’t know much about commentators or backstage segments, but the live show was hot.
PRE-SHOW
(A) Ace Romero lost to a wrestler I think was named JWT but not familiar with him.
MAIN SHOW
(1) The Rascalz beat OVW. Hot match, non-stop action that got the crowd going for the night. Lots of OVE supporters in the crowd. Rascalz won off a standing 360 splash.
(2) Moose beat Luchasaurus. Two big guys that still hit a number of highspots in addition to the typical big guy moves. Moose has improved since the last time I saw him. Luchasaurus had Moose beat after a ref bump, but no one to count. Moose followed with a low blow and spear for the pin.
(3) Guido beat Clayton Gainz. Guido was huge over as an ECW guy and the crowd went nuts for his every move. Gainz has a good build and some talent, but still sloppy and green. Guido won with an Unprettier.
(4) Taya Valekerie beat Jordynne Grace. Not a big fan of Grace or her style, so to me the match was pretty uneven. Grace hit the Grace Driver, but Johnny Bravo pulled the ref out of the ring (might have been the bump of the night as he hit hard outside the ring right by me). Taya pinned her while Grace was distracted by Bravo. Worst match of the night. A fan was all over Bravo and Taya which plays into the main event later.
(5) Willie Mack beat Rich Swann and Teddy Hart to retain the House of Hardcore Title. Not usually a huge fan of three-ways, but these guys went all out. The most entertaining match of the night and the crowd was as into Teddy Hart as anyone all night. Each guy had their moments to shine and too many amazing moves to even list. One that stuck out to me was Swann being up on Mack’s shoulders and Hart coming off the top rope to nail Swann with a huracanrana. Match ended with Mack hitting Hart with a stunner and then a top rope splash for the pin.
(6) Sami Callahan beat Eddie Edwards in a no holds barred match. Typical garbage match that they’ve done before. Creative spots with weapons brought by fans, trash cans full of apparatus, and the standard chairs and tables. Mad Man Fulton came down to interfere when Edwards was about to win and then Sandman came down to chase him off obviously to a big ECW pop. While all that distraction was going on, Callahan rolled up Edwards for the pin. Scary moment during this one. Edwards had the trash can over Callahan’s head and was banging on it with a couple baseball bats. He lost his grip and it went flying into the crowd, but amazingly landed without hitting anyone.
(7) Joey Ryan pinned D-Lo Brown. Billy Gunn was scheduled to face Joey Ryan in a Touch It vs. Suck It battle. Ryan came out and did his routine with the lollipop and all. D-Lo Brown then came down and announced that Gunn wouldn’t be there due to travel issues. He apologized to the fans and Ryan and said they’d redo the match at another time. He went to shake Ryan’s hand and Ryan shoved it down to “Touch It.” D-Lo resisted and knocked Ryan around for a little bit, but eventually Ryan got his spots in. Must have been running long because this seemed rushed.
(8) Great Muta & Tommy Dreamer beat Johnny Impact & Michael Elgin. Fans went nuts for Great Muta and Tommy Dreamer as they came out – except for my wife who is like the biggest Johnny Impact fan, so she got a lot of stares. The same fan who was all over Taya in her match continued on in this match with Taya, Bravo, and Impact. I was on the opposite side of the arena but at some point Elgin dropped down from ringside and went to confront the fan. Eventually Dreamer stopped the match and tried to calm everything down. The fan eventually was escorted out. Thought maybe this was a takeoff of the Bully Ray situation last weekend, but could have been real. Muta got his spots in, but most of the match was the heels beating up on Dreamer. Impact grabbed his Ultimate X and went to hit Dreamer with it. Muta came in and hit him with the red mist. Elgin then grabbed Dreamer and tried to powerbomb him, but got hit with the green mist. Taya then came in and tried to save her guys and got caught between Muta and Dreamer. She ducked the mist, but then Dreamer hit her with a mouth full of water and a stunner. They then pinned Impact.
The night ended with Dreamer talking about all the great partners he’s had over his career and what an honor it was for him to tag with Muta. Muta left to a huge ovation. Dreamer then announced after they went off the air that the next big event they had would be on a “bigger platform” and that he had three different offers to consider.
Overall, a fun night with a lively crowd and some good action. Lots of activity at their meet and greet for Muta, Morrison, Taya, and Grace. Brian Cage was there, but did not appear during the show.
If you attend a live event, please send results with details on the matches, crowd reactions, and attendance to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
As always, a great and enjoyable analysis. Much appreciated.