IMPACT REPORT: Alexander vs. Callihan, More Slammiversary Teases

Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/07/07/impact-report-alexander-vs-callihan-more-slammiversary-teases/

IMPACT Wrestling

July 7th, 2020

Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee

By: Davie Portman

Commentary: Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne

Rosemary & Taya w/ John E Bravo vs Susie & Kylie Rae

This week’s Impact opens with a Knockouts Division Tag Match. The match starts with Rosemary taunting Susie and Susie insisting that she is “good”. The two begin to brawl and Susie makes a few pin attempts. Susie and Kylie double team Taya with a Running Bulldog and pick up a two count. Rosemary hits a Pump Kick into a German Suplex from Taya to Susie for a near fall. Kylie Rae and Rosemary both get tagged in for a fun sequence that sees Kylie hitting a Tilt-a-Whirl Leg Scissors followed by a Rolling Senton in the corner. Kylie hit a really cool looking Wheelbarrow into a Stunner but Rosemary fires up and manages to make the tag. Taya hits a beautiful looking Northern Lights Suplex with a Bridge to Kylie who comes back with a Superkick but Rosemary breaks the pin. Rosemary gets knocked to the floor and Kylie capitalizes with the Smile To The Finish Submission on Taya. Taya tries to get help but John E Bravo is too busy looking after Rosemary at ringside.

Susie & Kylie Rae defeat Rosemary & Taya via Pinfall in 8 mins 18 secs

Davie’s thoughts: Not a bad opening match with some fun action. All four women seem to know their characters very well and that came across. I like the story development with John E Bravo being in the middle of Taya and Rosemary and feel they are building it well to an eventual Rosemary vs Taya match. Kylie Rae seems in a different league from the other women and the match is much better when she is in the ring. I look forward to seeing her in the title picture.

Chris Bey and Johnny Swinger

Chris Bey is backstage with Johnny Swinger admonishing him for running his mouth and getting banned from ringside. Swinger says that Bey doesn’t need to worry as he always has a plan

The Deaners vs Reno Scum vs XXXL vs TJP & Fallah Bahh

All eight men immediately start to brawl in the ring. TJP & Fallah take out Reno Scum and Cody Deaner follows up with a top rope Crossbody taking them both out. XXXL then takes out Deaner with a Double Splash. All the men are brawling on the outside when Cousin Jake hits a huge Dive over the top rope taking them all out before going to a commercial break. As we come back Luster The Legend is on top of Cody Deaner and rubs his face into Adam Thornstowe’s armpit. The match breaks down with all the men in the ring. TJP, Fallah Bahh and Reno Scum all start brawling towards the back leaving The Deaners and XXXL in the ring. Larry D hits Cousin Jake with a Spinebuster but Cody Deaner breaks up the pin. Acey Romero Pounces Deaner out of the ring, which allows Larry D and Cousin Jake to continue to fight. Cousin Jake catches Larry D with a Sidewalk Slam for the win.

The Deaners defeat Reno Scum, TJP & Fallah Bahh and XXXL via Pinfall in 7 mins 59 secs (plus commercials)

After the match, TJP, Fallah Bahh, and Reno Scum are seen brawling backstage. TJP jumps off a Cherry Picker with a Crossbody. He is then placed in a wheelie bin by Fallah Bah and is wheeled towards Reno Scum to take them out with a chair shot. Reno Scum comes back and buries TJP under some barricades.

Davie’s thoughts: I thought the match started at really high energy with some fun spots. The match very quickly broke down with barely any tags taking place. I feel this happens far too much in modern tag team wrestling and would much prefer that they just made it a Tornado Tag match rather than have everyone involved disregarding the rules. I found TJP & Fallah Bahh brawling with Reno Scum a lazy way to get them out of the match and the finish felt abrupt. I think the majority of the men in the match are talented but I’m getting tired of these kinds of tag matches with little thought going into it.

With the post-match angle, it looks like they might be setting up for some kind of extreme rules/backstage brawl between TJP & Fallah Bahh and Reno Scum at Slammiversary.

Johnny Swinger in Disguise

Johnny Swinger is backstage complaining about not being allowed at ringside. He’s looking for a costume he can wear as a disguise. First, he picks up Super Eric’s costume from last week, and then he finds the Suicide costume, which he decides to wear.

Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week

This week’s Impact Plus Flashback Moment of the Week is from Lockdown 2010 and is a Steel Cage Tag Team Match between The Beautiful People (Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky) and Angelina Love & Tara for both the TNA Knockout and TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship.

The World’s Most Dangerous Tag Team

Ken Shamrock meets Sami Callihan backstage and tells him that he doesn’t know why he helped him but they now have a chance to do something special and win the Tag Team Championships. Shamrock tells Callihan that if he needs his help, he has his back. Sami says that they have the chance to be “The World’s Most Dangerous Tag Team”.

Kimber Lee vs Jordynne Grace

Kimber Lee tries to go for a test of strength immediately but Jordynne Grace completely outpowers her. Kimber Lee bites the finger of Grace to break the hold. Grace hits a big Spinebuster for a two count. Kimber Lee applies a modified Full Nelson submission using her legs to apply the hold but Grace manages to break free and hits a Vertical Suplex followed by a Powerslam. Jordynne Grace hit a deadly looking Michinoku Driver, planting Kimber Lee on the back of her head for a near fall. Kimber Lee hits a series of kicks followed by a Swanton Bomb for a two count. Kimber Lee tries to use the brass knuckles but Grace catches her with the Grace Driver for the win

Jordynne Grace defeats Kimber Lee via Pinfall in 6 mins 21 secs

After the match, Deonna Purrazzo’s music hits and she appears on the big screen. Purrazzo says that she didn’t come to Impact Wrestling to engage in frivolous combat, she came to be Knockouts Champion and Grace will have to wait until Slammiversary to get her hands on her.

Davie’s thoughts: I thought this was a pretty solid quick match between both women. Jordynne Grace looked strong in her win and I’m really looking forward to her match at Slammiversary against Deonna Purrazzo. I did think her Michinoku Driver looked awesome and should have probably ended the match with that. For my taste, there was far too much screaming in the match from both performers. I get that it’s trying to add some sound in these empty arena matches but I felt at times it was overboard and took me out of it.

Slammiversary Impact Championship Match Promo

Next up is a video package highlighting each competitor in the Fatal Four Way Match for the vacated Impact World Championship at Slammiversary. This included promos from Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin, and Trey. Trey in particular cut an incredibly passionate promo saying that he is going after Ace Austin as soon as the bell rings. The video then teased who the fourth man in the match would be and showed EC3, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Mike Kanellis, Curt Hawkins, Eric Young, Bully Ray, Kurt Angle, James Storm, Sting and Ken Anderson.

Davie’s thoughts: I really liked this video package. I actually find this match more interesting than its’ original incarnation. Trey has really stepped up his game in the last couple of months and Ace Austin has been a fantastic heel. Eddie Edwards was very tied up in the Blanchard/Elgin storyline so almost feels like the odd man out but has been impressive in-ring and cutting some good promos. With the added element of having the surprise entrant, I think this match could be a lot of fun. That being said, after all this build-up they really need to deliver with the surprise.

Johnny Suicide Gets an X Division Championship Match

Johnny Swinger, dressed as Suicide, approaches Willie Mack. Mack talks about what happened last week but can’t remember Swinger’s name and calls him “that old creepy dude”. Thinking that Swinger is Suicide, Mack says that he owes him an X Division Championship match and that will be tonight.

Locker Room Talk With Madison Rayne

This week on Locker Room Talk, Madison Rayne interviews…herself. She bigs up all of her own accomplishments and keeps switching seats whilst talking to herself. Madison Rayne announces that she will be competing in the Knockouts Number One Contenders Gauntlet to reclaim her position at top of the division.

Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz come in and make fun of her for being on her own. Havok and Nevaeh enter and tell Madison Rayne that she deserved that. Steelz, Hogan, Havok, and Nevaeh all get into each other’s face and begin to brawl as Madison Rayne signs off.

Hernandez Arm Wrestling

Hernandez is backstage counting all his money from winning Arm Wrestling matches when Rhino shows up to challenge him. They lock up and the screen goes to black saying “To Be Continued”.

X Division Championship

Willie Mack vs “Suicide” (Johnny Swinger)

Johnny Swinger makes his entrance as Suicide mimicking all of Suicide’s poses. Swinger attempts to do Suicide’s Spider-man pose in the ropes but gets caught up and falls down. He attempts to apply an Abdominal Stretch but isn’t quite sure how to do it and gets thrown to the mat. Swinger attempts a top rope Moonsault but falls off, smacking his head on the top turnbuckle. Mack hits him with the Stunner and picks up the win.

Willie Mack defeats “Suicide” (Johnny Swinger) via Pinfall in 1 min 47 secs

Davie’s thoughts: I’m not usually invested in comedy matches but I thought this actually had the potential to be quite funny. The match was incredibly short and I felt they could have had Swinger tried to imitate Suicide even more than he did. That being said, the Spider-man pose did get a laugh from me and maybe it was best to keep this as short as possible.

Tommy Dreamer Apologises To Moose

Tommy Dreamer is backstage and gives his prepared statement “an apology to Moose” care of his attorney “Tricky Dickie Heyman”. All of his apologies are backhanded. He apologizes for hurting his “fragile ego” and for saying he has no passion for the game even though he doesn’t know who Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Bruno Sammartino, or Bob Backlund are. He also apologizes for any future comments he might make in calling Moose a “flat earther”.

Moose enters and says that he doesn’t think Dreamer is being sincere. Moose says that Dreamer is treating it as a joke and that there is no proof that the Earth is round. Dreamer says he just got off the phone from the TNA Championship Committee and they have made him Number 1 Contender for the TNA Championship. Moose says that Dreamer doesn’t have to make up a TNA Championship committee. Dreamer agrees that there isn’t a committee, just like there isn’t a TNA. The match is made official between the two at Slammiversary.

Davie’s thoughts: The promos between these two over the last two weeks have been great but I can’t say I’m particularly excited about seeing a Tommy Dreamer PPV match in 2020. If they can use this as an angle to bring back one of the recently released wrestlers I think this could work.

Josh Alexander w/ Ethan Page vs Sami Callihan

The match very quickly goes to the outside after Callihan drops a knee across the neck of Alexander who is draped over the second rope. Callihan hits a Death Valley Driver on the floor. Page tries to get involved but is held back by the referee. Alexander comes back after hitting a Vertical Suplex onto the apron. Back in the ring, Alexander delivers stomps to the ankles and hands before dropping a knee across the face of Callihan. Callihan fights back and attempts the Thumbs Up Thumbs Down but gets countered by Alexander. Callihan delivers a great looking Brainbuster but takes his time before capitalizing on it. Alexander applies the Ankle Lock but Callihan makes it to the ropes. Callihan hits a Piledriver to Alexander on the apron for only a two count. Ethan Page interferes and jumps the referee as he is putting on gloves. Page attempts to hit the Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Piledriver to Callihan but Ken Shamrock runs in and takes him out. Callihan delivers the Piledriver to Alexander and picks up the win.

Sami Callihan defeats Josh Alexander via Pinfall in 10 mins 56 secs (plus commercials)

Davie’s thoughts: I thought this was a pretty fun match between these two but honestly expected a bit more. I think Josh Alexander is a fantastic wrestler and Callihan has proved himself to be a true main eventer in Impact and therefore could have put on something a little better. The brawling on the outside didn’t add much to the match and seemed a little lazy. The strength of the match was the actual wrestling inside the ring. However, I am enjoying the feud between The North and The World’s Most Dangerous Tag Team and I feel this could be a pretty entertaining match at Slammiversary.

Whiskey For Three

After the show, we see another video of the mystery man drinking whiskey and watching the news report about the released superstars. Three hands pick up three glasses at the end indicating that we are going to have three surprises.

Davie’s thoughts: Overall, I feel that Impact has been treading water in the last couple of weeks leading up to Slammiversary. All the big matches seem to be in place and there isn’t much more of a build they can do for them. I imagine that maybe some things were filmed with Elgin and Joey Ryan that has subsequently been pulled and therefore might have effected these shows a little. None of the wrestling on this week’s show really stood out. The most interesting thing on the show has been the teases of who the surprises will be at Slammiversary. I think they have built up the surprises really well but they really risk shooting themselves in the foot if they don’t deliver.

5 Fake Suicides out of 10

The impact stream kept going down so they are showing the first four segments in a little bit.