SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
•Overall – HIT: Here we have a rather good show with two excellent matches in Tessa & Eddie vs. The North and Daga vs. Chris Bey. The mid-card stuff worked for me with only the OVE vs. ECW match really bringing things down. To clarify, The Rebellion event has been cancelled but I’m operating under the impression that the matches built for Rebellion will happen as intended at some point down the line so I am treating the storylines and angles as if they’d be paying off on April 19th, 2020.
•Willie Mack vs. Reno Scum – PUSH: An angry Willie Mack comes out and calls out Ace Austin and Reno Scum (Adam Thornstowe and Luster the Legend) for their attack on Rich Swan last week. Reno Scum comes out and Mack decides to take them both on. Despite being outnumbered, Mack pulls out the victory, pinning Luster the Legend after hitting his Six-Star Frog Splash. After the match, Austin attacks Mack with Reno Scum joining in. The match had its intended effect of adding more heat on Austin. It’s fine but nothing to write home about.
•Chris Bey vs. Daga – HIT: While this is not the breakout match I’m looking for from either of these two guys, it was damn solid none the less. Great athleticism from these two as they kept the pace up for most of the match. I really like Bey’s confidence in the ring. There was one really scary spot (the fear mitigated by the fact this show is taped) where Daga runs down the ramp and leaps, head first, at Bey who Daga either overshoots, or Bey misses catching completely, and Daga plants face first into the ground. Bey wins by pinning Daga, using the ropes as leverage. If you can insert either of these two into a good story, you might have something.
•Taya beats the hell out of Bravo backstage – HIT: This moment made my night as Taya Valkyrie beats a padded John E. Bravo over and over with a steel chair, ostensibly training for a Full Metal Mayhem match at Rebellion (unless I missed something, which I possible, this is the first I’ve heard of it). Not much more than that, so if you hate Bravo… enjoy.
•Rascalz backstage – PUSH: I didn’t hate this Rascalz skit, it was mildly amusing. Dez invited the Deaners to join them, unbeknownst to the other two, and upsetting them since they also had invited guests (that they didn’t tell anyone about either), Wentz inviting TJP and Bahh, and Trey inviting XXXL. Some hijinks ensued including a call back to the Rascalz inability to handle drink.
•Madison Rayne vs. Jessicka Havok – HIT: Madison attempted her cheerleader-that-peaked-in-high-school locker-room leader shtick on Havok, and Havok pretty much killed Madison, figuratively. (I need to include “figuratively” since Havok literally killed Father James Mitchell in the universe of Impact Wrestling a few weeks ago). Madison did try to put up a fight, but her offense slid off Havok like water off a duck’s back. This was fun for what it was. Havok wins with a tombstone piledriver.
•Ken Shamrock interview – HIT: Jimmy Jacobs interviews Ken Shamrock who updates us on what he’s gone through since Sami Callihan fireballed him, mentioning that there will be a contract signing next week in the process. Shamrock puts over how dangerous a man Sami is. As the interview begins to ramp up, there are technical difficulties Shamrock blames on Sami, so he goes looking for him.
•OVE vs. Tommy Dreamer & Rhino – MISS: Sorry, but I am having a hard time getting excited for a Tommy Dreamer and Rhino match. It’s cool to see them once in a while, but when they are beating younger talent like Dave and Jake Crist (Jake took the Gore and pin), I am not sure what you are accomplishing. This leads to an angle with Madman Fulton returning (he had been kicked from ringside for interfering) and attacking Tommy and Rhino.
•Rosemary and… Swinger? – HIT: Rosemary continues looking for souls at the bar when she runs into Johnny Swinger. Swinger complains about “young bucks” and says he’s bringing one, an “M. Jackson” next week to teach him a lesson. Yeah, I can’t wait to see where this is going. Meanwhile, while Rosemary has decided to “enjoy” her immortal life, she won’t be doing so with Swinger since “The Valkyrie” would never let her live it down.
•Kiera Hogan vs. Susie – HIT: Earlier on the show, Kylie Rae wandered around backstage, reconnecting with former coworkers, when she ran into Susie. The two immediately became fast friends, sharing a similar innocent outlook. Kiera Hogan, playing the role of the mean girl, talked about facing Kylie at Rebellion, and challenging Susie to a match tonight. They have a good match, but Susie lacks the killer instinct to beat Hogan.
•Tenille Dashwood interview – PUSH: Okay, so I obviously missed something because I do not remember Tenille talking about Taya last week so either I missed it on Twitch or it was left on the cutting room floor due to any changes they’ve had to make due to current events. In any case, Tenille says she has a match with Taya next week.
•Eddie Edwards & Tessa Blanchard vs. The North, Tag Team Championship match – HIT: Earlier in the show, Tessa confronted Eddie over his unwanted help last week. He accused her of being a stubborn as he has been in the past, but now it is time to put aside their egos and work together to win tag team gold. He left the ball in her court. It was a really good moment for Eddie. Later, Elgin confronted Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, threatening to replace one of them in the match. Josh was having none of it and got in Elgin’s face (Oh! Now I want a match between these two) but Page defused the situation. Elgin took a parting shot at Page and said it was for motivation for the match. The match itself was excellent. Great action throughout. At one point, a beaten down Tessa gets the opportunity to make the hot tag, but she pauses, then turns her back to Eddie, refusing the tag, and returns to the match where she finally succumbs to the North. The North skedaddles leaving Tessa and Eddie to argue. Eddie leaves her in the ring where a wild Elgin appears and attacks Tessa. After briefly considering helping, Eddie leaves Tessa to her fate and walks away. I really like the story. They’ve been pushing the fact that Tessa’s biggest flaw is her ego, which has driven away a possible ally and may ultimately spell her doom at Rebellion.
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