5/4 IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT: Trinity debut, Bailey vs. Gresham IV

IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT
MAY 4, 2023
CHICAGO, IL AT CICERO STADIUM
AIRED ON AXS TV (RECORDED)
REPORT BY DARRIN LILLY, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

 

-Clips from last week’s show.

-A montage of news articles played, reporting that Trinity has signed with Impact Wrestling, followed by Hannifan saying that Trinity will have a live mic later in the show.

(1) BHUPINDER GUJJAR & YUYA UEMURA vs. MOOSE & BRIAN MYERS

No ring introductions — everyone was already in the ring. Yuya and Bhupinder double teamed Myers early. Yuya knocked Moose out of the ring with a forearm shot, then Yuya and Bhupinder sent Myers out of the ring. Yuya followed with a dive to the outside. Back in the ring, Yuya bulldogged Moose. Moose used interference by Myers to get the upper hand. Myers put Yuya in a chinlock, followed by a back suplex. Yuya avoided the Roster Cut and suplexed Myers. Bhupinder and Moose tagged in. Bhupinder took on Moose and Myers by himself. Bhupinder gave Moose a spinebuster for a two count. Bhupinder missed a spear, but threw Moose into the corner and followed up with a sling blade. Myers gave Yuya a faceplant. Moose speared Bhupinder and got the pin.

WINNERS: Moose & Brian Myers in 6:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Good opener that was all action. This seems to be leading to Yuya and Bhupinder building towards a win at some point.)

-Gia Miller interviewed Steve Maclin, Champagne Singh, and Shera. They talked about teaming up. Maclin said no one is dumb enough to team up with PCO. They sent Gia away. [c]

-Footage of last week of Santino Marella recovering from an attack.

-Backstage, Joe Hendry appeared and joined Dirty Dango in the investigation of finding out who attacked Santino. There was a board that said “Who Attacked Santino?” with pictures of various Impact wrestlers and others such as George Michael and Tyler Breeze. Dango first selected Mike Tenay as the guilty person. Hendry said it was Trey Miguel.

(2) SAMI CALLIHAN vs. KON (w/ Angels and Deaner)

Before the match, Deaner took the mic and said that Sami made the biggest mistake of his life. Fans chanted “You deserve it”. Deaner said the fans gave Sami false hope that he could survive The Design. Deaner said that Sami would actually be fighting Kon and not him. Kon chokeslammed Sami and they attacked him. They brawled at the bell. Sami sent Kon out of the ring. Sami kicked Kon, but Kon sent Sami to the floor. The Design taunted Sami on the floor. [c]

Back in the ring, Kon had the upper hand. Sami dug into Kon’s eyes to get out of a bearhug. They traded punches and chops. Sami gave Kon a Death Valley Driver. Sami threw Angels into the ring and got distracted by Deaner. While the referee was distracted with Angels, Sami kicked Kon low. Deaner got on the apron and gave the thumbs down. The Army of Violence (all in yellow hoodies) swarmed the ring and attacked Sami. Deaner called them off and they paused. Sami said “come on bitch!”, then Deaner hit him with a baseball bat. Sami was left laying as The Design stood over him.

WINNER: Sami Callihan by DQ in 10:00.

(D.L.’s Take: A commercial break took a large chunk out of the match, but it was mostly a backdrop to the post-match angle.)

-Backstage, Dango and Hendry interrogated Trey Miguel. Miguel denied it and said he had no motivation to do it. They checked his hair. Dango asked if Trey shaved his entire body to hide the evidence. Trey left.

-Trinity’s dressing room door was shown. [c]

-Jimmy Jacobs interviewed Nick Aldis. He said when he returned to Impact he never expected to waltz right in and get a title shot. He said he would prove that he is worthy of a title shot and will work his way up. Kenny King interrupted and complained about the attention Aldis was getting. King questioned if Aldis really wanted to work his way up. Aldis challenged him to a match. King said Aldis needed to work his way up to a match with King.

(3) JODY THREAT vs. ALISHA EDWARDS

Threat attacked Alisha at the bell and didn’t let up. Threat clotheslined Alisha repeatedly. Threat missed a charge and Alisha threw her to the mat by her hair. Alisha drove Threat’s head into the mat and got a two count. Threat made a comeback and suplexed Alisha. Threat gave Alisha the F-416 and got the pin.

WINNER: Jody Threat in 3:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Strong win for Jody over a name opponent.)

-Gia Miller interviewed the Motor City Machine Guns. Gia said that Chris Sabin had earned a title shot against Trey Miguel. Sabin said they could be successful in singles action as well as a team. He vowed to be a nine-time X Division champion. Alex Shelley said he’s been called the best Impact wrestler to never win the world title, so he would go win that.

-Trinity’s debut was teased. [c]

-Part Two of Gia Miller’s sitdown interview with Frankie Kazarian. Frankie talked about going to Ring of Honor in 2014 and teaming with Christopher Daniels. He talked about being friends with the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes and getting in on the ground floor of something new in 2018 (AEW). He said he enjoyed his time there, but you could either bet on yourself or go with the status quo. He said he bet on himself and his future is with Impact Wrestling.

(4) PCO & HEATH & RHINO vs. STEVE MACLIN & CHAMPAGNE SINGH & SHERA

Heath and Rhino were PCO’s surprise partners. They received an enthusiastic reception. They did a little mic work before the match. Rhino said they had beef with “those clowns”. PCO faced off with Maclin, but Singh tagged himself in before they locked up. Fans chanted “PCO” as PCO attacked and stomped Singh. Rhino knocked Singh to the mat. Singh had a brief advantage but Rhino came back with chops. Heath tagged in and hit Singh with punches. Shera decked Heath. Shera slammed Heath and got a two count. Maclin choked Heath and put him in a chinlock. Maclin knocked Heath to the mat and knocked Rhino off the apron. Heath slammed Maclin. PCO and Singh tagged in and brawled. PCO clotheslined Singh, followed by a DDT. PCO dove on Singh on the outside. PCO hit the De-Animator on Singh. Shera attacked PCO from behind on the outside. In the ring, PCO was triple teamed but he made a comeback on Singh and Shera. PCO chased Maclin out of the ring, but right into a Gore from Rhino on the floor. In the ring, Singh tried to pay off PCO, but Heath gave him a Wake Up Call. PCO gave Singh the PCO-sault and got the pin.

WINNERS: PCO & Heath & Rhino in 7:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Basic tag match, but a decent teaser of the upcoming World Title match. Fans were satisfied with Heath and Rhino as the surprise).

-The Coven vignette. Taylor held a candle. She said Jordynne Grace and Deonna Purrazzo weren’t taking them under consideration. KiLynn asked her about the candle. Taylor said when the candle goes away, so will they.

-Trinity’s dressing room door was shown again as a teaser. [c]

-Rosemary and Jessicka argued. Rosemary summoned Father James Mitchell and he appeared. Rosemary explained that someone blocked their access to the Undead Realm. Jessicka said it was The Coven, but Mitchell said they didn’t have that power. Mitchell said he would help them, but Rosemary wanted to know what he wanted in return. He said it could take him a while to figure it out. Rosemary said that Jessicka couldn’t go with her. Rosemary gave her an hourglass and said they would be back by the time it ran out. Rosemary and Mitchell disappeared and presumably went to the Undead Realm.

(5) JONATHAN GRESHAM vs. “SPEEDBALL” MIKE BAILEY

This was the fourth match between the two in Impact. They are currently 1-1-1. Fans chanted for both. They shook hands at the start. They took it to the mat early. Gresham had Bailey down. They exchanged the advantage. They went to the ropes and broke cleanly. [c]

After more back and forth action, they had a test of strength. Gresham took Bailey to the mat and worked on his wrist. Gresham got a two count. Gresham kicked Bailey’s arm. Bailey came back with a dropkick. Bailey gave Gresham a series of kicks and a shooting star press for a two count. After a Gresham two count, Bailey put Gresham in a submission. Bailey gave Gresham double knees, then a series of kicks. Bailey kicked Gresham on the apron. Bailey flew into Gresham with his knees. Bailey nailed Gresham with a moonsault from inside the ring to the outside. [c]

After the break, Bailey was still on offense. Gresham came back with offense of his own. Bailey caught Gresham and slammed him for a two count. Fans chanted “This is awesome”. Gresham had Bailey in an armlock. Bailey fought back with punches and kicks. Bailey landed his tornado kick. Bailey missed Ultimate Weapon. Gresham put Bailey in an Octopus hold and Bailey tapped.

WINNER: Jonathan Gresham in 22:00.

(D.L.’s Take: A super match from two of Impact’s best in-ring competitors. Both wrestlers shined and it gave Impact a chance to put its best foot forward on a big night. I have a feeling we’re not done with this series, which is just fine.)

-Sami Callihan was backstage. He talked to someone off camera and said he needed help. The camera revealed Rich Swann. Sami talked about how he has helped Swann. Swann said that Sami is always picking fights. Sami said he didn’t want a lecture. He said as a brother, would Swann help him. Sami walked off.

-A graphic said that Trinity is next. [c]

-Hannifan and Rehwoldt appeared on camera at ringside. They showed footage of Steve Maclin complaining to Scott D’Amore. Scott said that Maclin would face Rhino next week and the title would be on the line.

Hannifan and Rehwoldt plugged the matches for next week:

-Steve Maclin vs. Rhino

-Part 3 of the Frankie Kazarian interview

-Nick Aldis vs. Sheldon Jean

-Masha Slamovich vs. Killer Kelly

-The Coven vs. Jordynne Grace & Deonna Purrazzo

They pitched to Kevin Kelly for a preview of tonight’s NJPW show.

-Fans went wild as Trinity’s video played on the screen. She walked to the ring in a neon green coat. She took it off as she got in the ring and danced around a bit, as the fans reacted very enthusiastically. Fans chanted “Trin-i-ty!” She seemed touched by the reaction and thanked the fans. Fans chanted “Welcome back!” She said it felt good to be back in the ring and back in a place where she could glow. She said she was re-introducing herself as Trinity and she has arrived in Impact Wrestling.

Fans continued to chant “Trinity!” She said she liked the sound of it. She said she chose Impact because it has the most storied women’s division. She said the Knockouts division is the place to be for fierce competition. She talked about the history and brought up Awesome Kong, Gail Kim, Mickie James, Deonna Purrazzo, and Jordynne Grace. She said she is here for titles and she is ready to shine. Fans chanted her name again. She said she was there to make an Impact and she wanted the Knockouts title.

Deonna Purrazzo’s music played and she walked to the ring with the title. Deonna said that Trinity invoked her name so she thought she would be the first to welcome Trinity to Impact Wrestling. She said it seems like Trinity has done her homework. She said that Trinity was walking into the New Age of the Virtuosa. She said she has been where Trinity has been and it can be nerve racking walking into a new place. She said when Trinity steps in the ring with Deonna, it’s not something you can just walk out on. Fans “oooh’ed”. Trinity said when Deonna steps in the ring with her, she’s going to wish she had gotten fired… again.

At that point, Jordynne Grace’s music played and she walked to the ring. Grace asked if it was hot in here or was it the heat between them. Grace reminded Deonna that they have a rematch later this month and she doesn’t plan on losing. Grace said that Trinity could fight Deonna, but if she’s looking for the title, it’s going to be Grace’s. Fans chanted “Triple Threat”. Trinity said she would be waiting for the winner of their match. Her music played and she danced up the ramp. She danced on the stage as the show went off the air.

FINAL THOUGHTS: They did a really good job of promoting Trinity’s debut throughout the show and paid off with an effective segment at the end. Her debut was a major deal for Impact and it was treated as such. With possible extra viewers, it was a good idea to showcase a Bailey vs. Gresham match to display what Impact has to offer. Everything else was mostly kept short or promoted future matches to give a nice sampling to fans who might be tuning into Impact for the first time or the first time in a while.