SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT
MARCH 2, 2021 (RECORDED)
AIRED ON AXS TV
REPORT BY DARRIN LILLY, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Matt Striker, D-Lo Brown
-A recap video of last week’s events, featuring clips of the Good Brothers, David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Moose, Jake Something, and Rich Swann aired.
-The weekly intro video played.
(1) BLACK TAURUS vs. ACE AUSTIN (w/Madman Fulton) vs. CHRIS BEY
This match determined who gets the X Division title shot at Sacrifice. Bey and Ace attacked Taurus at the bell. Taurus made a comeback with clotheslines and kicks. Bey and Ace teamed up to double dropkick Taurus and to do a double dive on him to the outside. Bey and Ace finally squared off while Taurus was on the outside. They traded the advantage until Taurus finally pulled Bey off the ring apron.
Taurus caught Ace on a dive to the outside and slammed him on top of Bey. Taurus took over on Ace in the ring. Ace toppled to the outside. Bey and Taurus squared off in the ring. As Taurus was suplexing Bey, Ace flew in with a dropkick. All three wrestlers were in the ring and traded the advantage. Bey knocked Taurus over the top rope. Madman Fulton tripped up Bey, leading to Ace hitting his finisher on Bey for the pin.
WINNER: Ace Austin in 8:00.
(D.L.’s Take: Good action and a great way to start the show. Ace vs. TJP should be an excellent match at Sacrifice.)
-Gia Miller interviewed Jordynne Grace and Jazz backstage. Jazz and Jordynne said they knew it was Deonna Purrazzo who attacked ODB backstage last week. Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz approached and mocked them. They warned Jordynne and Jazz to stay focused on the upcoming tag team title match. Kiera and Tasha said they would be at ringside for Jordynne vs. Jazz. Jordynne said she would talk to Scott D’Amore about making the match a triple threat. [c]
-Brian Myers approached Matt Cardona backstage and tried to kiss up to him. Cardona said he had to call the match tonight down the middle. Myers urged Cardona to side with him, but Cardona said it just wouldn’t be professional and he walked away.
-D’Lo and Striker appeared on camera and ran down the matches for the show.
(2) TENILLE DASHWOOD (w/Kaleb with a K) vs. HAVOC
Tenille tried to avoid Havoc early, but Havoc caught her. Havoc set Tenille on the ring apron. Tenille used a distraction to get the advantage. [c]
Tenille had Havoc tied up in the ropes, then splashed her in the corner. Tenille continued her attack with kicks and chokes. Kaleb took selfies at ringside. Havoc made a comeback and landed a big boot, a backbreaker, and a clothesline. Havoc missed a charge into the corner and got rolled up for a two count. Havoc connected with a kick to the head. Havoc went for a piledriver but got distracted by Kaleb. Havoc missed a leg drop, then Tenille hit her with the Spotlight Kick for the pin.
WINNER: Tenille Dashwood in 10:00.
-After the match, Tenille and Kaleb tried to attack Havoc after the match, but Nevaeh ran in for the save and beat up Kaleb. Nevaeh checked on Havoc. Tenille ran back to ringside to grab her phone so she could take pictures on the ramp. Havoc and Nevaeh hugged in the ring.
(D.L.’s Take: Good match and another big win for Tenille. There were no signs of dissension between Havoc and Nevaeh.)
-A Sami Callihan promo aired. Sami was at a wrestling school in Ohio that he said was the home of Trey Miguel. Sami talked about the pictures and plaques on the walls. He said that the Rascalz realized Trey had no passion for wrestling. Sami went in an office and asked where Trey was. The guy didn’t know so Sami knocked him over the desk. Sami went to the wrestling class and attacked the students. Sami got in the ring and confronted the trainer. Sami called the trainer a has-been and said he was responsible for Trey being a quitter. Sami attacked the trainer and the students. A wrestler named Sam Beale ran in for the save and Sami tried to persuade him to talk. They left out of the ring and Sami told the camera that Beale was in good hands. [c]
-Swinger’s Palace. TJP and Alisha were at the table. Ace and Fulton approached TJP and said Ace was going to be a two-time X Division champion. Bey entered the room and said that Ace needed Fulton to win. Ace tried to hit on Alisha. Johnny Swinger told John E. Bravo to go set up a match.
-Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting vs. Rob Van Dam from Sacrifice 2011.
-A Violent by Design vignette aired. Eric Young taunted Deaner for failing to beat Jake Something. Joe Doering took Deaner in another room. There was the sound of smashing and Deaner screaming. Deaner crawled out of the room and was coughing. Young said they only did this because they care. Deaner said “I know”. Young and Doering put Deaner back in the room then walked off. [c]
-The AEW Paid Ad played. Tony Schiavone promoted the big week ahead for AEW, including Dynamite and Revolution. Khan said it was the perfect time to give an assessment of the state of pro wrestling. Khan said that he and Impact might argue, but they are on the same side. He said Impact and New Japan were part of “us”. He said it was us against them and he doesn’t have to tell you who “they” are. He talked about granting Don Callis the barbed wire explosion match. Khan talked about Paul Wight coming through the Forbidden Door. He said the Forbidden Door must be huge for someone the size of Paul Wight to be able to walk through it. Khan talked about the Shaq match and Tully Blanchard’s return on Dynamite. Schiavone ran down the rest of the match for Dynamite and the matches for Revolution.
-Video feature on Moose. Highlights were shown as Moose talked about facing Rich Swann for the Impact title.
(3) DOC GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON & DAVID FINLAY & JUICE ROBINSON vs. XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero) & RENO SCUM (Adam Thornstowe & Luster the Legend)
Finlay and Luster started it out. Juice tagged in, but quickly made the tag to Anderson. Juice and Finlay double teamed Larry D. Gallows and Acey squared off. The Good Brothers doubled teamed Acey. Anderson made a hard tag to Finlay and they faced off for a bit. Finlay got trapped in the corner and was attacked. Finlay escaped and made a hot tag to Gallows, who ran wild. Gallows and Anderson picked up Luster for the Magic Killer but they got distracted. They tried it again and hit it this time for the win.
WINNERS: Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson in 4:00.
-After the match, the two winning tag teams tried to battle for the victory pose.
(D.L.’s Take: A short and basic tag match to tease more dissension between The Good Brothers and Finjuice.)
-A video feature on Rich Swann aired. Highlights played as he discussed his match with Moose at Sacrifice. [c]
-The Good Brothers and Finjuice argued backstage. They agreed to a match at Sacrifice. Juice and Finlay fist bumped after the Good Brothers left.
(4) BRIAN MYERS vs. EDDIE EDWARDS
Matt Cardona was the special referee. Myers kept complaining to Cardona. Myers put a thumb in Eddie’s eye and took the advantage. Eddie made a comeback and Myers went to the floor. Eddie dove over the top of Cardona and on to Myers on the outside. [c]
Myers had the advantage coming out of the break. Eddie made a comeback and landed a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Myers landed a kick to the head and flatliner for a two count. Eddie came back with a kick to the head and a backpack stunner. Eddie went for the pin, but Myers got his foot on the ropes and rolled out. Myers pulled something out of his boot and put it in his elbow pad, then landed a clothesline. Cardona called for the bell. Myers and Cardona squared off. Cardona checked on Eddie as Myers left the ring and went backstage.
WINNER: Eddie Edwards by DQ in 12:00.
(D.L.’s Take: The match was broken up by the commercial and had trouble getting momentum. It was mostly a backdrop to further the Myers and Cardona angle.)
-Gia Miller interviewed Deonna Purrazzo (with Kimber Lee and Susan) backstage. Deonna said she expected a one-on-one match tonight but now it was a triple threat, however changing her game plan is her specialty. She said Kimber Lee and Susan would be at ringside. She laughed and admitted it was her that laid out ODB last week. [c]
-D’Lo and Striker appeared on camera and ran down the matches for Sacrifice:
- Rich Swann vs. Moose
- The Good Brothers vs. Finjuice
- TJP vs. Ace Austin
They also talked about two matches for next week’s show:
- Ace Austin vs. Chris Bey
- Shera & Rohit Raju vs. Chris Sabin and James Storm
(5) DEONNA PURRAZZO (w/Kimber Lee & Susan) vs. KIERA HOGAN (w/Tasha Steelz) vs. JORDYNNE GRACE (w/Jazz)
Jordynne and Kiera attacked Deonna at the start and threw her out of the ring. [c]
Deonna and Kiera teamed up to stomp on Jordynne in the corner. Kiera and Jordynne battled in the ring. Deonna tripped Jordynne from the outside. Deonna had Kiera in a submission, but Jordynne broke it up. Deonna had Jordynne in a submission but Jordynne reached the ropes. All three wrestlers traded the advantage. Jordynne hit a nice suplex on Kiera. All three wrestlers hit big moves and were down.
The wrestlers got to their feet and slugged it out. Deonna hit an exploder suplex on Kiera for a two count. Jordynne double clotheslined Kiera and Deonna. Tasha got into it with Kimber Lee and Susan. Jordynne dove through the ropes on the pile. Back in the ring, Jordynne hit a series of moves on Kiera. Tasha pulled Kiera out of the way of a splash. Deonna snuck in to roll up Jordynne for the pin. Jordynne and Tasha brawled up the ramp. ODB ran in and attacked Deonna and left her laying. ODB raised the Knockouts belt and stood over Deonna.
WINNER: Deonna Purrazzo in 14:00.
(D.L.’s Take: A really good match. Deonna and Jordynne are considered at the top of the Knockouts singles division and Kiera hung right with them. It was refreshing to have her in the main event spotlight and she delivered. Looks like ODB is headed for a title match, which could be fun.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Fun show that went by really fast. The in-ring action was highlighted by good matches from the Knockouts Division and the X Division. Rich Swann and Moose weren’t on the show, but the video features on them were really well done. Good angle with Sami Callihan to further his feud with Trey Miguel. A fun two hours.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S IMPACT REPORT: 2/23 IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT: Moose vs. Jake Something, The Good Brothers in action, and more
The Tony’s taking shots at the WWE is fine and peachy, because it worked so well for Impact 10 years ago. One comes across as a spoilt brat, the other comes across as hey, I spoilt Foley’s WWF Title win, and look at their ratings. AEW/Impact/NJPW should do what they do, and let the WWE shoot themselves in the foot.