3/23 IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT: Omega addresses match with Swann, Ace Austin vs. TJP, Anderson vs. Edwards, more

IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT
MARCH 23, 2021 (RECORDED)
AIRED ON AXS TV
REPORT BY DARRIN LILLY, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Matt Striker, D-Lo Brown

-A clip of Kenny Omega and Don Callis entering the building played. One of the security guards had a mullet and Omega asked if he was Brian Pillman Jr.

-A video package of highlights from last week’s show aired and included Trey Miguel vs. Sami Callihan and the Rich Swann/Don Callis confrontation.

(1) DEONNA PURRAZZO (w/Susan) vs. JAZZ (w/Jordynne Grace)

This was a non-title match. They locked up at the start and Jazz backed Deonna into a corner. Deonna took Jazz down to the mat. Jazz turned it around and got a hammerlock on Deonna. They wrestled on the mat for a bit. Matt Striker announced that next month’s Hardcore Justice special will have an early start time in the afternoon (it’s the same day as WrestleMania Night #1). Susan tried to interfere but she got punched by Jazz. Deonna used the distraction to get the advantage.

Jazz made a comeback. Deonna missed a charge into the corner and fell to the mats on the outside. They exchanged forearm strikes. Jazz got the best of it and scored a two count after a kick. Jazz got a face buster on Deonna. Jordynne chased Susan on the outside but ran into the post. Susan hit Jazz with a shoe while the referee was distracted, leading to Deonna getting the pin.

WINNER: Deonna Purrazzo in 6:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Good opening match. A solid win for Deonna, but she kept her heel heat by cheating to win. Jazz has looked good during this Impact run and can still hang with anyone.)

-The Good Brothers were backstage talking to some people who were seated. Eddie Edwards approached and told the Good Brothers they weren’t welcome here. The Good Brothers left and said they would hang out in the cool guy corner. They ran into Decay. Rosemary taunted the Good Brothers and Decay all laughed. [c]

-A fake ad aired for Swinger’s Palace. Johnny Swinger talked about opening his own casino. Alisha Edwards, a security guard, and John E. Bravo all gave testimonials. Funny stuff.

-Rohit Raju was walking backstage and bragging to himself. He saw Fallah Bahh, who was on the floor and sleeping in the studio. He said he was having a rough patch. Rohit said that Bahh was offensive to all of his senses. Rohit said that Bahh’s whole life was a rough patch. Bahh got angry and said he would see Rohit later.

-Matt Striker and D’Lo Brown ran down the matches for the evening and hyped an appearance by Kenny Omega.

(2) ACE AUSTIN (c) (w/Madman Fulton) vs. TJP—Impact Wrestling X Division Title Match

This was the rematch from the Sacrifice show where Ace won the belt. There was some mat-work early then Ace got a side headlock. TJP got out of it and turned it into a submission. They squared off again and Ace took TJP down. TJP put Ace in a head scissors. TJP put a series of moves together but Ace came back. Ace missed a charge and fell to the floor. TJP did a dive over the top rope on Ace. Ace came back and attacked TJP on the floor then threw him back in. TJP met Ace on the top rope and gave him a gourd buster. [c]

Ace was choking TJP in the corner when the show resumed. Ace put TJP in a single leg Boston Crab. TJP got out of it and battled back. Ace landed two knees, then put TJP in an armbar. TJP got out and put Ace in the abdominal stretch. Ace came back with a clothesline. They traded the advantage, then TJP had Ace down in the corner and wiped his boot across Ace’s face. TJP scored a two count after a kick. Ace landed a spin kick, followed by a jumping leg drop off the top rope.

Ace landed a series of punches. TJP got a back suplex on Ace. TJP had Ace in an octopus submission. Fulton pulled Ace’s foot to the ropes so TJP had to break the hold. TJP attacked Fulton. TJP went to the top but Fulton pulled on his leg. TJP missed a splash and Ace rolled him up for a two count. Both wrestlers were down after clotheslining each other. Ace connected with a double stomp. TJP came back and landed a frog splash. Fulton ran in to break up the count and caused a DQ.

Fulton attacked TJP after the match. Josh Alexander ran in with a chair for the save.

WINNER: TJP by DQ in 15:00.

(D.L.’s Take: A fast-paced match that I could barely keep up with. The cheap finish took it down a notch. It doesn’t appear that the TJP/Ace feud is done yet.)

-Gia Miller had a sit-down interview with Matt Cardona. Cardona said he loved it in Impact and it was a great opportunity. Gia talked about how Cardona was one of the first wrestlers to promote himself on social media. Cardona discussed that and said he is always ready. Miller brought up that Brian Myers said that Cardona was riding on his coattails. Cardona said he isn’t following Myers, he’s just here for an opportunity. Cardona talked about his history with Myers including their podcast and being friends since high school. Cardona challenged Myers to a match. [c]

-Trey Miguel was pacing backstage and knocked a bag off of a chair. XXXL approached and got mad because it was their bag. Dreamer walked in to separate them. He said they could settle it by having an exploding ring barbed wire match at Hardcore Justice. Trey and XXXL smirked and scoffed at the idea. Acey said “yeah, it worked so well the last time”. XXXL left. Dreamer advised Trey to not let someone get in his head and drag his career down, like Dreamer had done in his career.

(3) ROHIT RAJU vs. FALLAH BAHH

Rohit put Bahh in a headlock. They traded punches. Bahh hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Rohit. Bahh missed a crossbody block. Rohit got the upper hand with kicks and punches. Bahh fired up and got to his feet. Rohit cut him off with kicks. Rohit had Bahh in an armbar. Bahh slammed Rohit. Bahh climbed up for a Bonsai splash but missed it. Rohit landed a double stomp and got a two count. Bahh came back with a headbutt. Rohit connected with a jumping knee. Bahh missed a splash. Rohit rolled him up for a pin and pulled on the tights.

WINNER: Rohit Raju in 4:00.

(D.L.’s Take: A basic match, but a good win for Rohit. I’m not sure if the “down on his luck” storyline for Bahh is leading to something or was just for tonight.)

-Gia Miller was backstage and asked for a word from Don Callis and Kenny Omega. They brushed past her and headed to the ring. [c]

-AEW paid ad. Tony Schiavone and Tony Khan were joined by Kenny Omega and Don Callis. Schiavone said Omega would face Matt Sydal tomorrow on Dynamite. Khan discussed the match also. Omega said there was a zero percent chance that Sydal would win. Khan said Dynamite would be a great night of wrestling and anything could happen. Schiavone ran down the rest of the matches.

-The Good Brothers knocked on Omega’s dressing room door. There was no answer. They talked about regaining the tag team belts. They said they should walk off before people thought they were marks.

-Kenny Omega and Don Callis interview. Omega walked to the ring with his entrance video and music from AEW. They took their time getting in the ring. Omega complained that the person at ringside didn’t have the mic ready. He said they were wasting his time. Omega said “this land is my land.” Callis bragged that Omega would soon have the Impact title. He talked about his confrontation with Rich Swann from last week. They hyped up Swann as a great person and a great wrestler. Callis said that Swann would never be able to get the One Winged Angel out of his head from Hard to Kill.

Callis said that Swann could prepare all he wanted but he would lose to the One Winged Angel. Omega said that no one gets out of the One Winged Angel. Omega said he needed more gold. The fake crowd booed. Callis said that Omega was bigger than Flair, Hogan, Moxley, Thesz, and others. Callis speculated on what would happen if Omega won the Impact Championship. Callis said he would do anything to ensure the legacy of Omega and they wanted the best.

Callis said it would just take the One Winged Angel to win the title. Callis introduced a video dedicated to the One Winged Angel, which he called the greatest move in the history of wrestling. A video montage of Omega hitting the One Winged Angel ran as Omega and Callis raved. Callis said they would invite people over to watch the video.

Omega said there was fear in Impact when he arrived. He said he knows Swann wanted to make history, but he will go down as a footnote. Omega said the day he entered Impact was the greatest day in Impact history, but to him, it was just Tuesday. He said when he wins the Impact belt, the fears from Impact of looking weak and inferior would come true. Omega said that no one in Impact could beat him, unless he was sick or in the ground.

Omega said he was coming for Swann and he was taking those belts. He said this was more than wrestling, it is history. He told the fans to get their popcorn, soda, and ice cream and enjoy the show. Callis said they would do what they have planned for 27 years. Callis said “We. Will. Make. History!”

(D.L.’s Take: Good interview. It’s still really strange to see Omega in an Impact ring. I may have set my own personal record for typing the words “One Winged Angel.”)

-Violent by Design vignette. Eric Young said that remorse was a weakness. Clips were shown of Rhino in a cell. Young talked about showing Rhino the error of his ways. Rhino walked out of the cell and was shown sitting at a table across from Young. Young said “this world doesn’t belong to them”. Rhino finished the phrase and said “it belongs to us”. [c]

-Gia Miller interviewed Havoc and Nevaeh. They talked about going after the tag team titles again. Fire N Flava interrupted and ran them down. Kiera said they could step up to the plate again, but it wouldn’t be for the belts and they walked off. Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb walked up. Kaleb said Havoc and Nevaeh got lucky last week. Tenille said she needs a new partner. Havoc said that she said no. Tenille said she was talking to Nevaeh. Tenille and Kaleb said they might be able to fix up Tenille. Kaleb took a picture of Nevaeh. Kaleb and Tenille walked off.

(4) ACEY ROMERO (w/Larry D) vs. TREY MIGUEL

After some initial action, Acey took control with a backbreaker. [c]

Acey hit a rolling pin move and a splash. Acey worked on Trey’s back. Trey made a comeback. Trey landed a kick to the head. Acey hit a pounce for a two count. Trey battled back with kicks and a cutter. Trey connected with a meteora for the win.

Larry D and Acey attacked Trey after the match. The lights went out. When they came back on Sami Callihan was in the ring and made the save. The lights went out and Sami was gone when the lights came back on.

WINNER: Trey Miguel in 10:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Fine match and a good rebound for Trey after losing last week. Acey moves really well. The twist with Sami is intriguing.)

-Gia Miller interviewed Rich Swann backstage. Swann said that Omega’s talking and the video wouldn’t get in his head. Swann said he’s battled adversity his entire life, so mind games wouldn’t throw him off. He said the One Winged Angel did put him out at Hard To Kill but if you take everyone else in the match out of the equation, he got the best of Omega every time. He said he had some tricks up his sleeve. He asked what Omega would do when he gets the best of him. [c]

-Gia Miller interviewed James Storm and Chris Sabin backstage. Storm said he would celebrate his 1000th match in Impact by having a beer. He challenged Violent by Design to a match. Scott D’Amore walked up. He said that Storm and Sabin helped build Impact. He said Storm’s 1000th match in Impact would be next week against Eric Young. Scott walked off. Storm looked at the camera and said “Sorry about your damn luck”.

-Striker and D’Lo ran down the matches for next week:

• Fire N Flava vs. Havoc & Nevaeh
• Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs. TJP & Josh Alexander
• Kenny Omega & Don Callis will appear again

(5) KARL ANDERSON (w/Doc Gallows) vs. EDDIE EDWARDS

After some initial action, Eddie took the advantage with an overhead suplex and a dive to the outside. [c]

Eddie chopped Anderson in the corner. Anderson knocked Eddie off the top rope and to the floor. Referee Brian Hebner made Doc Gallows take a seat. Anderson attacked Eddie on the floor. Back in the ring, Anderson continued his attack. Anderson put Eddie in a chin lock. Anderson racked Eddie’s eyes with his boot. Eddie made a comeback with punches, but Anderson rallied back with a clothesline and returned to the chin lock.

Eddie and Anderson traded punches. Eddie hit a series of moves, including a suplex. Eddie did the backpack stunner on Anderson for a two count. Eddie hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. They traded punches. Anderson connected with a running kick and got a two count. Anderson went for the Gun Stun but Eddie blocked it. Doc tried to interfere. Anderson rolled Eddie up but kicked him off into a chair that Doc held up. Anderson hit the spinebuster for the win.

WINNER: Karl Anderson in 16:00.

-After the match, David Finlay and Juice Robinson appeared on the big screen from Japan. They congratulated The Good Brothers on getting on the winning track. Finjuice said that the Good Brothers should be happy since they don’t have to carry those heavy belts around now. They said the Good Brothers would get a rematch, then said they were going out for a drink and they would have one for the Good Brothers.

(D.L.’s Take: Good match. It was a solid main event without having to give away a marquee matchup.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: A good show that really flew by. The emphasis was on talking this week, although there was some good action, including Ace vs. TJP, the opener, and the main event. The Omega/Callis interview was the highlight of the show. Swann’s rebuttal was good too.

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S IMPACT TV REPORT: 3/16 IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT: Sacrifice fallout, Callis confronts Swann, Miguel vs. Callihan, more