7/6 IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT: MGMG vs. Aldis & Rush, PCO vs. Good Hands

IMPACT WRESTLING TV REPORT
JULY 6, 2023
ATLANTA, GA AT CENTER STAGE
AIRED ON AXS TV (RECORDED)
REPORT BY DARRIN LILLY, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

-Recap video of last week’s highlights.

(1) FRANKIE KAZARIAN vs. EDDIE EDWARDS (w/Alisha)

They went after each other as soon as the bell rang. Alisha yelled at Frankie from ringside. Frankie got an early two count. Eddie sent Frankie to the floor. With the referee distracted, Alisha gave Frankie a tornado DDT on the floor. Eddie punched and chopped Frankie on the floor. Back in the ring, Eddie got a two count after a back elbow. Eddie choked Frankie on the ropes and Alisha did the same while the referee was distracted. Eddie sent Frankie to the floor and Alisha hit him again. Eddie hit Frankie from behind. Eddie and Alisha kissed at ringside. Frankie did a leaping DDT on Eddie on the apron. Frankie made a comeback and gave Eddie a legdrop for a two count.

Frankie gave Eddie an unprettier for a two count. Eddie escaped the chicken wing and delivered a superkick. They exchanged moves. Eddie gave Frankie a Tiger Driver for a two count. Fans chanted “This is awesome.” Frankie locked in the chicken wing, but they knocked down the referee, who was arguing with Alisha in the corner. Alisha hit Frankie in the back with a kendo stick. Eddie gave Frankie the Boston Knee Party and got the three count.

WINNER: Eddie Edwards in 10:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Solid match and a good start to the show. Alisha’s interference was so overt that it makes me think Frankie may bring someone to counter her.)

-Clip from last week of Nick Aldis and Lio Rush attacking Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. Sabin challenged Rush at a match at Slammiversary.

-Gia Miller interviewed Lio Rush. He said he isn’t here to make friends. He said he was in Impact to win the X Division Title. Aldis interrupted. Rush said he didn’t want Aldis’s advice. Aldis said they both want to win titles and that’s about the only thing they have in common. Aldis said they had to win tonight. He said they could go their separate ways after that. Aldis warned Lio to not let his ego get in his way and to not let Lio’s ego get in Aldis’s way either. [c]

-Frankie Kazarian was backstage and said that Eddie Edwards didn’t win the way Killer Kawalski taught them. He challenged Eddie to a match at Slammiversary and said he would bring his wife Tracy Brooks to counteract Alisha.

(D.L.’s Take: I was right!)

(2) RICH SWANN & SAMI CALLIHAN vs. CHAMPAGNE SINGH & SHERA

Shera and Singh had the early advantage on Swann. Swann made the hot tag to Sami. Sami clotheslined Shera. Sami and Swann double teamed Shera. Swann and Sami superkicked Singh. Swann kicked Singh as Sami gave him a piledriver and got the pin.

WINNERS: Rich Swann & Sami Callihan in 3:00.

-Gia Miller approached Moose & Brian Myers, who were watching the match on a monitor. Gia noted that Swann had beaten Moose. Moose challenged Sami and Swann to face real competition and to have a match against them next week. [c]

-Clip from BTI of Santino Marella yelling at Dirty Dango. He said he would destroy Dango. Heath gave Dango a Wakeup Call from behind.

-Dirty Dango video. He said he hadn’t watched wrestling since it was cool. He said he saw that some of his heroes weren’t as cool in person. He named some of his WCW favorites like Villano IV and Asya. He said he would advise young Impact talent to go back to school. He said he has moved past Santino and the Cobra gimmick. He called Santino a one-hit wonder. He said seeing fans at the merch stand was like being at a Star Trek convention. He said he wished he could persuade Heath to go into a different profession, like working at Home Depot.

(3) JOHNATHAN GRESHAM vs. ANGELS (w/Deaner & Kon)

Angels dropkicked Gresham. Hannifan noted that both wrestlers are from the Atlanta area. Deaner yelled at Angels to do what he said. Gresham made a comeback and dropkicked Angels out of the ring. [c]

They traded the advantage. Angels punched Gresham in the corner. Angels suplexed Gresham for a two count. They traded pin attempts. Gresham tied Angels up in the Octopus and took him to the mat. Angels tapped.

WINNER: Jonathan Gresham in 11:00.

After the match, Gresham wanted to shake hands. Angels teased leaving the ring and yelled at Deaner that he didn’t need him anymore. Deaner got in the ring and yelled at Angels. Kon tried to be a peacemaker. Angels pushed Deaner’s hand out of his face. Angels shook Gresham’s hand and walked up the ramp by himself.

(D.L.’s Take: Good match and they worked really well together.)

-Chris Bey and Ace Austin backstage promo. Ace said the odds were stacked against them like at Against All Odds. Bey said it didn’t matter. The Rascalz approached. They wanted to be added to the Slammiversary tag team title match. Bey said they had never been Impact champs. Wentz challenged Bey to a match to get into the title match.

-PCO and Scott D’Amore were backstage playing with fireworks. [c]

-Clips from the Impact Down Under Australian tour, including wrestlers touring the zoo, at a press conference, at schools talking about mental health awareness, and in the ring. The wrestlers shown included Moose, Joe Hendry, Steph De Lander, Deonna Purrazzo, Steve Maclin, and others.

-Footage of Deonna Purrazzo and Trinity from the last few weeks.

-Trinity went into Deonna Purrazzo’s dressing room. Trinity thanked Deonna for having her back last week. Trinity noted that Deonna was slow in making the save, saying maybe Deonna didn’t want her at 100%. Deonna said they didn’t need each other’s help. She said she would have an open challenge next week. Deonna rolled her eyes when Trinity left.

(4) PCO (w/Scott D’Amore) vs. THE GOOD HANDS (Jason Hotch & John Skyler)

Scott joined the broadcast team at ringside. On the way to the ring, Skyler got on the mic and complained about facing PCO instead of Scott. He said they would slay the monster. The Good Hands attacked PCO at the bell. PCO double clotheslined them and followed with a dive to the floor. Fans chanted “PCO”. PCO did the De-Animator on Hotch. In the ring, PCO gave Skyler a reverse DDT and followed with a moonsault from the top rope for the pin.

WINNER: PCO in 2:00.

Scott got in the ring and celebrated with PCO after the match. Hotch came in the ring and got in Scott’s face. Hotch slapped Scott. Scott chopped and punched Hotch. Scott gave Hotch a Sky High. He was about to give Hotch a Canadian Destroyer when Bully Ray’s music hit. Maclin came from behind and gave PCO a low blow. Maclin hit Scott with a chair. Bully hit Scott and PCO with a chair. Maclin handcuffed Scott to the top rope. Hotch brought a table in the ring. Scott tried to go after Bully and Maclin but he couldn’t get loose. Bully and Maclin put PCO through a table. Bully threw PCO down a ramp on the side. Bully and Maclin followed PCO down the ramp and backstage.

The camera cut to Bully and Maclin attacking PCO further. Bully put a chair on PCO’s throat as Maclin poured “battery acid” into PCO’s mouth. Bully poured a liquid on PCO and lit him on fire. [c]

(D.L.’s Take: Excessive, but a strong angle to justify this match getting so much airtime.)

-Hannifan and Rehwoldt appeared on camera and were somber. They re-showed the PCO angle from moments ago.

-Backstage, Scott D’Amore was looking for PCO. Gia Miller asked how this would affect their match at Slammiversary. Scott said he didn’t care and continued his search.

-Gisele Shaw and Courtney Rush did their ring entrances. [c]

(5) COURTNEY RUSH (w/Jessicka) vs. GISELE SHAW (w/Savannah Evans & Jai Vidal)

Hannifan noted that Shaw and Gail Kim had been eliminated from Amazing Race Canada. After some back and forth action, Rush got the upper hand with a reverse DDT. Vidal got on the ring apron to cause a distraction that let Shaw get the advantage. Shaw got a two count after a running uppercut. Shaw stomped Rush on the ropes and got another two count. Shaw slapped and suplexed Rush for another two count. Rush gave Shaw a Samoan Drop. Evans got on the apron and Jessicka pulled her down. Evans sent Jessicka into the steps. Rush knocked Vidal off the apron. Shaw rolled up Rush and pulled the tights to get the pin.

WINNER: Gisele Shaw in 7:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Fun match that looks like it’s setting up something further.)

-Kenny King and Sheldon Jean were walking backstage. A fan asked King for an autograph. He pulled away when she tried to fondle him. King blamed Joe Hendry’s video for fans coming after him. Another fan approached but she said she was a fan because he was on The Bachelor. Joe Hendry appeared. Jean asked what would stop them from attacking him right there. King said Hendry didn’t have any backup. Yuya Uemura appeared out of nowhere. King and Jean left.

-Hannifan and Rehwoldt appeared on camera. They ran down the matches for Slammiversary. For next week they announced:

*Zachary Wentz vs. Chris Bey

*Kevin Knight vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey

*Moose & Brian Myers vs. Rich Swann & Sami Callihan

*Deonna Purrazzo open challenge

-The Motor City Machine Guns did their ring entrance. [c]

(6) MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. NICK ALDIS & LIO RUSH

Sabin and Aldis started the match. Aldis gave Sabin a back elbow. Rush used his speed to avoid Sabin, then landed two kicks. Rush put Sabin in a sleeper hold on the mat. Rush slapped Sabin in the back of the head. Sabin pulled Aldis off the apron. The Guns double teamed Rush. Sabin got a two count on Rush. Sabin put Rush in an abdominal stretch. The Guns kept the advantage on Rush. Rush kicked Shelley and knocked Sabin off the apron. Aldis clotheslined Shelley on the floor. [c]

Aldis knocked Shelley to the mat with a clothesline, then choked him over the middle rope. Rush and Aldis kept the advantage on Shelley. Shelley ran Rush into the corner and sent Aldis into the turnbuckles. Shelley finally made the tag to Sabin. Sabin ran wild on Rush and Aldis. The Guns double teamed Rush and gave him the Magic Killer for a two count. Fans chanted “This is awesome”. Sabin gave Aldis a dragon screw and sent him to the floor. Rush knocked the Guns to the floor and followed with a flip to the outside. Fans chanted “Lio”. Rush clotheslined Sabin. Rush got a two count on Sabin after a slam. Rush missed a frog splash. The Guns double teamed Rush. Sabin gave Aldis a cutter. The Guns double teamed Rush, but Aldis broke up the pin attempt. Aldis put Shelley in the cloverleaf. Sabin superkicked Aldis to break it up. Aldis threw Shelley into the ring steps. Rush gave Sabin a low blow while the referee was distracted. Rush gave Sabin the Final Hour and got the pin.

WINNERS: Lio Rush & Nick Aldis in 18:00.

(D.L.’s Take: I enjoyed this and the last few minutes were really exciting. This bodes well for the two title matches at Slammiversary.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: The big angle of the show was Bully Ray and Steve Maclin setting PCO on fire, which certainly added to the importance of their Slammiversary match. The Frankie Kazarian vs. Eddie Edwards match was good, but was a stepping stone to their match at Slammiversary with the wives in the corner. The main event was a good preview to the title matches at Slammiversary as well. The build has been steady and logical for all of the key matches at Slammiversary.