SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT
JUNE 7, 2019
TAPED IN PHILADELPHIA, PA.
AIRED ON PURSUIT & TWITCH TV
REPORT BY JACK IRENE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Josh Mathews, Don Callis
For the last show in the set of ECW Arena tapings, we get a title match between LAX and The Rascalz, as well as Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary in a non-title affair.
– Boring Impact intro
(1) ACE AUSTIN vs. COUSIN JAKE
Cousin Jake used his power early on, identifying the size difference between the two. Austin started getting things going with a clothesline in the corner before getting slammed once more. Austin lured him outside where his Fosbury Flop was countered into a slam on the apron. Jake sent himself into the limp body of Austin against the ropes for a two count. Ace Austin attempted his double jump kick but was sent down with authority. Austin gained momentum, distracting the ref with some cards and paper cutting Jake’s fingers with another hidden card. The fans rallied behind one half of The Deaners as Austin worked some joint manipulation. Jake kicked out of a rollup attempt but ate a big roundhouse kick for it. Austin lined him up for The Fold but Jake countered with a big clothesline. A huge Michinoku Driver from Jake resulted in a close near fall followed by his big spear in the corner. With the momentum shifted, Austin was in deep trouble until The Desi Hit Squad attacked Cody Deaner on the outside, distracting Jake, and allowing Ace Austin to nail The Fold for the win. (c)
WINNER: ACE AUSTIN (**3/4)
(J.I.’s Thoughts: This was a fun little match. I suppose The Deaners and The Desi Squad is a full-blown feud.)
(2) ROSEMARY vs. TAYA VALKYRIE
The crowd went nuts for Rosemary as usual. Taya nailed a double leg takedown right at the bell, leaving Rosemary in an immediate hole. Rosemary locked in The Upside Down on the ropes before the ref was forced to break it up. Rosemary whiffed on a missile dropkick and received a German suplex. Rosemary earned a near fall with a reverse DDT as the crowd got going. Rosemary locked in a submission as a siren sounded over the ECW Arena. A returning Jessicka Havok walked down the ramp and locked eyes with Rosemary in the center of the ring. Havok nailed a tombstone piledriver on Rosemary followed by a chokeslam on the champ. James Mitchell freed Su Yung as they posed with the newest arrival in Havok. (c)
WINNER: N/A (n/a)
(J.I.’s Thoughts: This wasn’t much of a match but featured the return of Jessicka Havok to Impact which got a good pop. Havok is a former champ and can easily be inserted into the top feud.)
– The Rascalz were in The Treehouse and Trey was excited. His partners made it clear that he was not competing. As a result, he took a long sip of an alcoholic beverage.
– Josh Mathews went over the events on the IMPACT schedule.
– The Impact Plus Flashback Moment of The Week is The Great Muta vs. Mr Anderson from a TNA ONO in 2015. This match is pretty bad and I would like to know who decided on Muta’s opponent.
– The Sandman was backstage on the phone, as Eddie Edwards approach him with Kenny. Sandman drew on Kenny, deeming him Kenny 2.0.
– A cool video package aired featuring Brian Cage training. Michael Elgin followed up on this by cutting a promo on Cage.
(3) MADMAN FULTON vs. TWO GUYS
Fulton began dominating from the start to finish with not much in between. Fulton deadlift chokeslammed both guys. Callihan started slapping the taste out of Fulton leading to the Better Than Baron for the win. Callihan grabbed the microphone, voicing his frustrations with Knockouts such as Scarlett Bordeaux. He demanded that oVe fights Scarlett Bordeaux and Fallah Bahh right now.
WINNER: MADMAN FULTON (n/a)
(J.I.’s Thoughts: This was another fun Madman Fulton squash.)
(4) oVe vs. SCARLETT BORDEAUX & FALLAH BAHH
Fallah and Jake kicked it off with Bahh getting the better of the exchange. Callihan and Fulton grab the legs of Bahh, leading to their immediate ejection from the ref. Bahh started moving, unleashing offence on Dave Crist with no hesitation until Jake assisted his partner. The Crists now maintained control with frequent tags. With the crowd behind him, Bahh attempted a comeback but the Crists continued their rough, double team, assault. Scarlett, on the apron, continued to encourage her partner despite the mauling from the Ohio natives. Jake went after Bahh in the corner but got sent straight down by the big man. Bahh nearly earned the tag but Dave, outside the ring, yanked Scarlett down. Bahh planted his buttocks on Jake as a receipt and finally connected for the tag. Scarlett sent Dave into the corner for a stinkface as well as a double headscissors to Jake. She followed up with a crossbody onto the brothers, allowing Bahh to meet them on the outside with a suicide dive. Scarlett joined them shortly after with a big flip to the outside. The crowd went nuts but transitioned to boos when Jake slammed her in the ring. Scarlett regained momentum with a reverse rana on Jake followed by a Doomsday Device by her and her partner for a near fall. Fallah backpacked Scarlett for a double Bonsai Drop attempt but whiffed. Jake handed Dave a roll of quarters as he nailed Bahh in the face while the ref was distracted for the cheap win. oVe snatched Scarlett following the match, but Tessa Blanchard arrived to take them out.
WINNERS: oVe (***)
(J.I.’s Thoughts: This was way better than I expected, with a really good near fall and a hot crowd. Tessa interfering here suggests that she may be next in line for Sami Callihan which should be interesting, to say the least.)
– Willie Mack was interviewed backstage, previewing his match against Michael Elgin next week. Rich Swann promised to have his back as a favour for Mack’s history of help. Johnny Impact approached, claiming that people are hungry for “Peanut Butter and Johnny.” Swann and Mack laughed this off. (c)
– Callihan was found outside yelling at his stablemates. He promised to wipe out this Knockouts Division that has been pestering him.
(5) KIERA HOGAN vs. JORDYNNE GRACE
Kiera Hogan came out to her inexcusably awful theme song, followed by the arrival of Jordynne Grace. Thick Mama Pump attempted a handshake but Kiera declined. They got off to a quick start, favouring Grace. Grace absolutely crushed Kiera with a second rope senton for an early near fall. Grace didn’t hold back, nailing a Jackhammer right after for another close one. Kiera begged for a break, followed by a failed cheap shot. Kiera caught her with a kick to the knee, grounding the powerhouse. Kiera pinned her with some rope assistance, that was caught immediately by Kid Ref. Kiera becomes frustrated with Kid Ref for supposedly counting slow. Kiera attempted to lift Grace, only to be on the receiving end of a suplex. They had a strike exchange, resulting in a spinebuster from Grace. Grace went off, delivering high impact moves in the corner including a splash for a near fall. Kiera attempted a sunset bomb but settled for a neckbreaker from the second rope. The crowd began to rally for Grace, leading to a Torture Rack slam variation for another two count. Kiera missed a big roundhouse, leaving her open for a Grace Driver, finishing the match.
WINNER: JORDYNNE GRACE (**3/4)
(J.I.’s Thoughts: This was a solid bout with some fire (no pun intended) from Kiera, as well as some nice power moves from Grace.)
– The Clubhouse featured LAX eating to Konnan’s frustrations with their lack of interest in this title match. (c)
– Moose went on a passionate rant towards the ECW stars of the past, making their presence known in Impact. He advanced by challenging RVD to a match at Slammiversary. He promised to make his life a living hell until he accepts.
– Josh previews Impact’s return to NYC next week as Willie Mack takes on Big Mike Elgin.
(6) LAX vs. THE RASCALZ
Both teams entered to some good pops. Ortiz and Wentz engaged in a nice sequence off the ropes, ending with a corkscrew splash from The Rascal. Frequent tags and double team action kept The Rascalz in control. Santana came in uninvited to a flurry of strikes. Wentz soared off the back of Dez onto LAX followed by a dive from his partner. They met LAX back in the ring for a near fall broken up by Santana after a Swanton and Final Flash. © LAX unloaded on Wentz with some innovative moves for their first break. They continued their control with some more flashy moves, even taking Dez out on the apron. Wentz hits a handspring knee to shift momentum, allowing him to get the hot tag. Dez met Ortiz with a superkick and a dropkick. Santana came in, eating a cutter and allowing Dez to connect with Ortiz on the outside with a suicide dive. Dez whiffed on the Pele Kick but connected shortly after. Wentz sneakily scored the tag, only to eat a ton of offence from LAX. They had a sick exchange leading to a two count that was a little too close on Wentz. Dez saved his partner, as they nearly won the belts with the Hot Fire Flame. Ortiz accidentally spit alcohol into the eyes of the ref, blinding him. Wentz hit the UFO Cutter followed by a Meteora from Trey as a new ref entered to count a three count for him. The Rascalz celebrated as Trey just scored the win despite not being in the match. The original ref soon came in to reverse the decision, as a DQ win for LAX.
WINNERS: LAX (***1/4)
(J.I.’s Thoughts: This was a really fun match, leaving a lot left in the tank for a likely Slammiversary matchup. The booking here kept the challengers strong as I could see them joining the lineage of tag champions in Impact Wrestling.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: 7.0 (out of 10). This was a really good show establishing a build to Slammiversary while featuring good matches and character progression. It will be interesting to see how they continue next week in the last set of tapings before the big summer PPV.
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