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IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT
DECEMBER 15, 2020 (RECORDED)
THE IMPACT ZONE
AIRED ON AXS TV
REPORT BY DARRIN LILLY, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne
-Recap video featuring clips of last week with Kenny Omega and Don Callis, plus highlights of Final Resolution. The recap began and ended with Omega/Callis stuff.
-Intro video
(1) TENILLE DASHWOOD (w/Kaleb with a K) vs. ALISHA EDWARDS (w/Eddie Edwards)
Tenille was introduced by Kaleb with a K. Alisha was aggressive early and took Tenille down with punches and a senton. Tenille got the advantage with a neckbreaker. Kaleb took pictures with his phone at ringside. Alisha finally made a comeback with an offensive flurry, including a bulldog for a two count, which Kaleb broke up. Kaleb hit Eddie at ringside, then Alisha dove onto Kaleb. When Alisha got back in the ring, Tenille caught her with the Spotlight Kick for the win.
WINNER: Tenille Dashwood in 5:00.
(D.L.’s Analysis: Fun match but too short to really get going. It mostly served as a backdrop to forward the Sami/Eddie issue).
As Eddie tended to Alisha in the ring, Sami Callihan popped up on the big screen. Sami challenged Eddie to a match after the holidays.
-Josh and Madison appeared on camera. They talked about the Sami/Eddie feud and said that Kenny Omega and Don Callis are here tonight and the bus was outside. Josh said that Omega would be watching tonight’s match between Karl Anderson and Chris Sabin.
-Gia Miller interviewed the Motor City Machine Guns. Alex Shelley talked about their three-step plan. Sabin said the third step was beating the Good Brothers to regain the tag team belts. His match tonight against Anderson would be a preview. Sabin said Impact had room for only one Machine Gun and it was them.
-Omega, Callis, and Anderson were on the bus. Omega and Callis were fired up about Sabin’s interview. Anderson left to get ready for the match. Omega and Callis said they were looking forward to seeing the match tonight. [c]
-Anderson charged back in the building and was looking for Sabin, but he ran into Rich Swann. Swann told him to wait until the match later to find Sabin. Swann asked if Anderson was going after Sabin because Kenny said so. Anderson told Swann to call Omega “champ”. The Motor City Machine Guns showed up and flanked Swann. Anderson decided to leave and returned to the bus.
-Moose entered the ring and took the mic. He talked about how he injured Willie Mack but all anyone could talk about was Rich Swann. He told Swann to ask Mack what pain felt like. Mack walked down the ramp, but security stopped him. Mack was mad that the referee had stopped his match against Moose. He challenged Moose to an I Quit match at Genesis. Mack charged the ring and he brawled with Moose but security held both men back. Moose broke loose and knocked Mack down. Moose’s suit was torn during the brawl, so he attacked security and laid out one of the security guys.
Gia Miller interviewed Moose when he got backstage. Moose said he was tired of independent wrestlers working as security and trying to make a name for themselves. He said they couldn’t last three minutes in the ring with him and next time they touched him they would get hurt.
-Chris Bey entered Rohit Raju’s dressing room and gloated that Rohit lost the X Division title. Rohit pointed out that Bey lost on Saturday too. Bey told Rohit that if he pulled off Manik’s mask to reveal TJP, they would probably give the belt back to Rohit. Rohit enthusiastically agreed. Bey invited Rohit to accompany him in his match tonight. [c]
-A paid advertisement from Tony Schiavone and Tony Khan aired. Schiavone said to stay tuned after the show on AXS TV to see a city council meeting. Khan said he would continue to allow the Impact fans to still see Omega. He said he would teach Callis a thing or two about the wrestling business. Schiavone questioned how to even find AXS TV then ran down the card for tomorrow’s Dynamite show. Schiavone said he asked Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels if they remember when Impact had fans and they said no. Khan welcomed Callis to show up on Dynamite.
-Video segment with Eric Young sitting at a table. He talked about sickness, life, and death. Cody Deaner appeared sitting across Young at the table. Young said he would introduce Deaner to the holy water of change.
(2) MANIK (c) vs. CHRIS BEY (w/Rohit Raju)
This was a non-title match. Bey attacked Manik right at the bell, as Rohit cheered on. Josh acknowledged the AEW paid advertisements and said it has been a strange year. Manik made a comeback and had Bey in a Samoan Drop. Bey charged Manik but missed and flew out to the floor. Bey dove on him to the outside. [c]
Manik was still in control after the break. Bey delivered his flying elbow with Manik draped over the rope. Manik mounted a comeback but it didn’t last long before Bey was back on offense. Manik and Bey went back and forth. Bey dropkicked Manik out of the ring. Manik disappeared under the ring. Manik appeared on the other side of the ring and landed a crossbody block. Bey kicked Manik low while the referee’s back was turned. Rohit entered the ring and the referee and Bey yelled at him to get out. Rohit hit Bey for the DQ.
WINNER: Chris Bey by DQ in 12:00.
-Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting’s entrance at Final Resolution 2006.
-Josh Alexander and Ethan Page were backstage. Page assured Alexander that everything would be fine, despite their recent losses. Alexander said Page needed help. Page said “we” would always have Alexander’s back, then walked off. Brian Myers entered and told Alexander he needed to move on. He offered to team with Alexander. Alexander said he would rather kick Myers’ ass. [c]
-On the bus, Omega was angry at Swann disrespecting him. He called him “Rich the Bitch”. Callis and Omega hyped up Anderson to go out and take his name back in the match tonight. Anderson walked off. Omega said he was mad and continued to complain about Swann.
(3) KIERA HOGAN & TASHA STEELZ vs. TAYA VALKYRIE & ROSEMARY—Impact Wrestling Tag Team Title Tournament match
Tasha and Taya started it off and traded the advantage. Rosemary tagged in and got the better of Tasha. Kiera tagged in and didn’t fare any better. Tasha interfered from the outside to turn the tide. Kiera and Tasha tagged in and out and kept Rosemary in the corner. Rosemary eventually stretched Tasha over the ropes and tried to make a tag, but Kiera pulled Taya off the apron.
Rosemary backed Tasha into the corner and broke a sleeper. Rosemary speared Tasha and made the tag to Taya. Taya speared Kiera. Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee walked down the ramp and attacked Rosemary. Josh pointed out that Taya & Rosemary had defeated Deonna & Kimber Lee in the first-round match of the tournament. Deonna gave a flatliner to Rosemary on the stage. Kiera took advantage of a distracted Taya to apply her neckbreaker and get the pin.
WINNERS: Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz in 8:00.
(D.L.’s Analysis: Good match. The angle at the end supports my theory that Taya might be next in line to get a title shot at Deonna).
-Eric Young and Cody Deaner were at the table again. Young talked about being lied to in life. He said pro wrestling was sick. He said the sickness of wrestling never gives back. Deaner repeated some of Young’s words back. The segment ended with Joe Doering opening a cell door. [c]
-Hard to Kill ad featuring Rich Swann (coming January 16th on PPV).
-Kiera and Tasha celebrated their win in the dressing room. Kiera asked Tasha about the money roll, but Tasha said she didn’t know where it was. She opened her bag and there was nothing in it. Johnny Swinger entered and laid down on the table. He asked if they wanted to hear a story about Buddy Rose. Kiera and Tasha walked off and took his beer. Swinger found the money roll in a secret compartment.
(4) JOSH ALEXANDER vs. BRIAN MYERS
After the initial lock up, Myers started getting the upper hand. Ethan Page ran to ringside. Myers shoved him into the ringpost. Myers punched and kicked Alexander. Alexander had a brief comeback but Myers quickly regained the upper hand. Page rose up in his “Karate Man” alter ego and attacked Myers. The referee called for the bell.
WINNER: BRIAN MYERS in 4:00 by DQ.
Alexander and Page stared each other down and Alexander walked off.
(D.L.’s Analysis: Both of these wrestlers are very good, but the match was a backdrop to forward The North’s breakup).
-More with Eric Young. Young said he was only offering the truth. Deaner continued to repeat Young’s words. Young told Deaner that people were laughing at him, not with him. Young said Deaner was no longer sick and contaminated. Water poured down Deaner’s face. Young said Deaner was free. Deaner looked at his hands and said “I am free”. Young said “the world doesn’t belong to them, it belongs to us”. [c]
-Acey Romero approached Tommy Dreamer backstage and said that Larry D had been set up for the shooting of John E. Bravo. Dreamer told him to go out and prove it. Dreamer approached Rhino and Cousin Jake. Dreamer said that they needed to end Eric Young’s group before things get worse.
-Josh and Madison were on camera. They said the next two weeks of Impact would be holiday specials. They hyped that Eddie Edwards would take on Sami Callihan when the week after the specials.
(5) KARL ANDERSON vs. CHRIS SABIN (w/Alex Shelley)
During his introduction, Anderson did his machine gun mannerisms with the accompanying sound effects. After Sabin’s entrance, they went to a picture in a picture showing the ring in one box and Kenny & Callis on the bus in the other box. [c]
The match was in progress coming out of the break. The advantage went back and forth. They cut to Omega and Callis on the bus in the picture in a picture again. Anderson started to get the upper hand. He gouged Sabin’s nose and raked his boot over Sabin’s face. Sabin made a comeback. The action spilled to the outside with Anderson getting the better of it. [c]
Anderson had the advantage coming out of the break. Sabin and Anderson ran into each other and both were knocked down. Sabin made a comeback with a flurry of moves. Shelley encouraged Sabin from ringside. Sabin and Anderson traded punches. Anderson caught Sabin with a spinebuster but Sabin kicked out of a pin at two. Sabin got a backslide for a two count. Anderson rolled up Sabin for a pin and pulled the tights for a win.
WINNER: Karl Anderson in 16:00.
-Omega and Callis celebrated on the bus. Rich Swann came out and confronted Anderson. They walked backstage. Omega walked off the bus and told Callis to watch a master at work. Anderson attacked Swann backstage. The Machine Guns made the save, but Doc Gallows attacked them. Rich Swann ran in but Kenny Omega laid him out. He squatted over Swann and said that Swann may be the Impact champion but “as long as you’re a wrestler, this is my world.” Omega said he and the Good Brothers could reform the old Bullet Club. Omega made a challenge for Hard to Kill. Don Callis said he had the power to make matches, so he made Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Swann & The Motor City Machine Guns for the Hard To Kill PPV.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Great angle at the end and this will surely continue the buzz for Impact. As for the rest of the show, the in-ring portion of the show wasn’t at its strongest this week, except for the tag team tournament match and the main event. The main focus was on Omega/Callis and the Eric Young segments. This episode was more about setting the table for 2021. With that said, it was a fun watch, the angle at the end was great, and the two hours flew by.
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