2/9 IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT: Digital Media Championship, No Surrender hype, more

IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT
FEBRUARY 9, 2023 (RECORDED)
KISSIMMEE, FL AT OSCEOLA HERITAGE PARK
REPORT BY DARRIN LILLY, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

-Recap of last week’s events.

-Matt Cardona arrived at the building and a man showed him to his own private area. The guy found out he was Matt Cardona, said he made a mistake, and showed him to a different area — a storage area, which Cardona complained about.

(1) BRIAN MYERS vs. DIRTY DANGO

This was a qualifying match to be in the number one contender’s match at No Surrender. Shortly into the match, the action spilled to the floor with Myers getting the advantage after underhanded tactics. Myers stomped Dango. Dango eventually made a comeback to the approval of the crowd. They brawled on the outside, with Myers getting the best of it again. Back in the ring, Myers hit the Roster Cut and got the pin.

WINNER: Brian Myers in 6:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Decent opener. Myers looked strong heading into the number one contender’s match, so perhaps this is a sign of him being booked stronger going forward. Dango received a positive reaction from the Impact crowd.)

-Gisele Shaw and Jai Vidal went into the lunch area and Shaw kept messing up people’s food. Deonna Purrazzo confronted her and said Shaw’s plans would blow up in her face. Deonna dumped chili on Shaw. Santino stepped in and made a match between the two at No Surrender. Deonna laughed as Shaw and Vidal fumed. [c]

-Gia Miller interviewed Trey Miguel. Trey complained about Crazzy Steve. The lights went out. When they returned, Steve’s logo appeared on the screens and we could hear Steve laughing. Trey shouted “no!”

(2) TOMMY DREAMER & MICKIE JAMES vs. THE GOOD HANDS (Jason Hotch & John Skyler)

Mickie and Hotch started the match. Mickie took Hotch to the mat with an arm drag. Dreamer and Mickie double teamed Hotch. Hotch gave Mickie a knee to the stomach and tagged Skyler. Mickie arm dragged Skyler, then Skyler was double teamed. Dreamer sent Skyler over the top onto Hotch, then clotheslined them both on the floor. Mickie hit the Hands with a crossbody block from the top rope to the floor. Dreamer put Skyler in a Boston Crab but Hotch broke it up. The Hands took over on Dreamer. Dreamer finally made the hot tag to Mickie, who ran wild on the Hands. Mickie and Dreamer did DDTs to the Hands. Mickie pinned Hotch to get the win.

WINNERS: Mickie James & Tommy Dreamer in 5:00.

Bully Ray attacked Dreamer from behind after the match. Mickie confronted him but she was attacked by Masha Slamovich, who gave her the Snow Plow.

(D.L.’s Take: Fun tag match. Mickie went toe to toe with the Good Hands and even got the pin. This was mostly to continue the feuds with Bully Ray and Masha.)

-Santino ran into Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice. They were joined by Dango. Swinger asked for a match, but Dango declared himself the deputy and denied the match. Santino and Dango argued and walked off. Dice said he thought of a guy that Swinger could beat to get a win. [c]

-Rich Swann promo. He talked about cementing his legacy by winning the Impact World Title. He said he couldn’t share the win with fans in the arena. He discussed unifying the titles against Moose. He talked about losing to Kenny Omega and watching what happened with the title, including Josh Alexander winning it. He said the chance to win the title was finally here and he had his mojo back. A well done video as always.

-Steph De Lander walked to the ring. Hannifan talked about De Lander’s prior experience in Shimmer and NXT. Steph took the mic and said all the Knockouts were shaking in their boots and they were losers. She insulted Jordynne Grace and said she would lose to the new girl. She said she was Grace’s worst nightmare. [c]

(3) JORDYNNE GRACE vs. STEPH DE LANDER

After trading the advantage, the action spilled to the floor. Steph had the upper hand back in the ring. Steph splashed Grace in the corner. Steph taunted the crowd and kicked Grace. Steph put Grace in a chinlock. Steph suplexed Grace, but Grace fired up. Grace took Steph to the mat and suplexed her. Steph dropped Grace’s head on the top turnbuckle and got a two count. Grace backdropped Steph. Grace delivered the Grace Driver and got the pin.

WINNER: Jordynne Grace in 5:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Good win to re-establish Grace after the title loss. Steph got in a lot of offense and looked good in her debut.)

-Matt Cardona complained about changing in a broom closet. He was led through another door. He was led outside and a guy threw out his bag. [c]

-Gia Miller interviewed Josh Alexander. He talked about Rich Swann and said he carried Impact during the most chaotic times. He said Swann was his friend but at No Surrender they would be opponents. Kenny King confronted him, said he was playing “tickle butt” with his friends, and said he wanted a title shot. King said if Josh’s wife didn’t wear the pants in the family, Josh would have lost the title. King said Swann wasn’t a threat. Swann confronted him and said to keep his name out of his mouth. Swann punched King. Swann challenged him to a match but King declined for now.

(4) DEATH DOLLZ (Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie w/Jessicka) vs. KILLER KELLY & TAYLOR WILDE

This was a non-title match. Taya and Kelly started the match. Taya suplexed Kelly. Rosemary stretched Kelly over the ropes. Wilde looked at her tarot cards then tagged in. Rosemary clotheslined and punched her. Wilde gave Rosemary a backbreaker and choked her over the top rope. Kelly gave Rosemary a cradle suplex. Wilde threw punches at Rosemary. The fans chanted for Rosemary. Wilde and Rosemary clotheslined each other. Taya made the hot tag and hit a series of moves on Kelly, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Kelly made a comeback.

Wilde read the cards and didn’t tag in. She pulled out the devil card and showed it to Kelly. The Dollz double teamed Kelly. Taya pinned Kelly for the win.

WINNERS: The Death Dollz in 6:00.

Mysterious music played. Father James Mitchell walked to the stage. He said it’s been awhile since he crossed paths with the Dollz. He said Jessicka reminds him of someone he knows. He said Rosemary hadn’t paid proper respect to his boss, her father, and it makes him unhappy. So he was sent to put a hex on her. Rosemary confronted him on the stage. Meanwhile, The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle) attacked the Dollz from behind and left them laying.

(D.L.’s Take: A fun match and I continue to be intrigued with the interactions between Kelly and Wilde. It doesn’t look like the partnership will work out, but the feud will continue. I like the Hex showing up to challenge the Death Dollz, which should lead to a good, fresh feud.)

-Eddie approached Shera and Raj Singh. Eddie wanted Shera to take care of PCO. Singh said it would cost Eddie a little extra. Eddie said whatever it takes to get the job done. [c]

-The Motor City Machine Guns ran into Kushida backstage. Kushida congratulated them on winning the tag team belts. Chris Bey and Ace Austin walked in and said they aren’t the same team as before their New Japan visit. They agreed to a match at No Surrender. Bey and Ace said that KENTA would be on their team.

(5) PCO vs. SHERA (w/Raj Singh)

This was another qualifying match for the number one contender’s match. They brawled at the start. PCO threw Shera out of the ring and did a dive over the middle rope. Fans chanted “PCO”. PCO went after Singh, but Shera hit him and threw him back in the ring. Shera threw PCO around but he fired up. PCO bled from over the left eye. Shera made a comeback. PCO gave Shera a reverse DDT. PCO gave Shera a moonsault from the top rope and got the pin.

WINNER: PCO in 4:00.

(D.L.’s Take: A short brawl to re-establish PCO after being gone for awhile. There was strong fan support for PCO.)

-Gia Miller interviewed Matt Cardona. He complained about changing in the parking lot. He said the issue was personal and said he would find Joe Hendry right now. He ran into Brian Myers, who had a cocktail. Three guys came through a curtain and sang the Joe Hendry song. Cardona was mad at Myers for clapping along. Cardona ran off furious. Myers said it was a catchy song. [c]

-Frankie Kazarian asked Callihan why he wanted to join The Design. The rest of The Design confronted him. Deaner said Kazarian should ask why the sickness is coursing through his veins. Kazarian asked Kon if he wanted a match — if his “dad” would let him.

-Hannifan and Rehwoldt went over the matches for No Surrender and for next week including:

• Chris Bey vs. Kushida
• Eddie Edwards vs. Heath
• Steve Maclin vs. Rhino
• Kenny King vs. Rich Swann
• They also pitched to Kevin Kelly to talk about the matches on tonight’s NJPW show.

-Matt Cardona did his ring entrance. [c]

(6) JOE HENDRY (c) vs. MATT CARDONA — Impact Wrestling Digital Media Title Match

Hendry did mic work and said the fans believed in him. Cardona scored an early near fall. Hendry got back on track, but Cardona regained the upper hand. Hendry slammed Cardona. Hendry gave Cardona a delayed suplex. Cardona regrouped on the outside. Cardona dropped Hendry on the ring apron and gave him a neckbreaker on the floor. [c]

After the break, they were back in the ring and Cardona had the advantage. Cardona gave Hendry a neckbreaker for a two count. Hendry powered out of a front face lock. They traded punches. Hendry delivered clotheslines and a powerslam for a two count. Cardona used a referee distraction to give Hendry a DDT. Cardona scored a two count. Hendry blocked the Re-Boot and gave Cardona the Trust Fall for a two count. Hendry gave Cardona a cutter for a two count. Cardona gave Hendry Radio Silence for a dramatic two count. Hendry powerbombed Cardona coming off the ropes.

Myers slid the belt into the ring. As the ref was distracted, Myers got in the ring and accidentally clotheslined Cardona.. Hendry threw Myers out of the ring. Hendry gave Cardona the Standing Ovation (chokeslam) and got the pin.

WINNER: Joe Hendry in 14:00.

After the match, Moose ran in the ring. Hendry sidestepped Moose, who accidentally speared Cardona. Hendry walked up the ramp and played the goofy Cardona song on the screen. Fans chanted along with the “Edge’s bitch” part, then chanted it after the song finished.

(D.L.’s Take: It was a good match and the fans were into it, especially the quick start and the finishing sequence.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Another solid show. No pun intended, but it looks like Impact believes in Hendry, since he main-evented the show. PCO and Jordynne Grace got dominant wins to re-establish themselves. I’ll enjoy the Deonna Purrazzo vs. Gisele Shaw feud, which should deliver in the ring. The Hex debut was a nice surprise and should rejuvenate the Death Dollz, who needed fresh competition and a focused feud. The Killer Kelly/Taylor Wilde feud is mysterious and I’m intrigued at where it’s headed. It’s notable that none of the matches had commercial breaks except the main event.

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CATCH-UP: 2/2 IMPACT WRESTING TV REPORT: Eight-man main event, Bullet Club in action, more