Impact is good right now, I keep seeing. I stopped watching it a while ago whilst it wasn’t, so I was keen to see what they did with this NJPW-and-others-touched event. They’ve always had the talent, so that made me very hopeful for this Impact Multiverse Of Matches madness.
Ultimate X Match | Jordynne Grace Vs Chris Bey Vs Blake Christian Vs Vincent Vs Rich Swann Vs Trey Miguel
You know the deal, the belt suspended at the apex of two steel cables, lots of great wrestlers, and some super spots.
Here at the Impact Multiverse Of Matches, it was more atmosphere than ‘Holy sh*t’ moments, but with these combatants, things are never doing to be ordinary.
They all seemed to climb at the start, but some thought better of it and got involved with prevention, Bey showed such pep on a spinning kick and Grace hit a Muscle Buster with much enjoyment.
Brilliant Blake Christian segued from Death Valley Driver to double knees effortlessly, Vincent got in on the act with a Flatliner, Swann hit a Cutter and Bey Finessed before Christian, from the cable, dropped into a Destroyer. Oh my…
Finally, Grace and Trey, who hadn’t done too much here, were close to the belt, but Vincent pulled Grace down for Trey to retain
This needed 5 minutes longer at the Impact Multiverse Of Matches, it was shaping up to be something great; shame.
Winner via Belt Capture: Trey Miguel
Mixed Tag Team Match | Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green Vs Nick Aldis & Mickie James
The battle of the couples. Real tag teams, etc, etc. It was set up so well, the black hats v blues eyes had already been well worked and the match was a fun thing.
An intergender tag, Aldis hit a Thesz press early and Green was drop toe held into her bf’s twig and berries. When Cardona got the chance to come back, he trestle Green with impunity after a neck breaker, doing one-armed press-ups in her. Distasteful.
Aldis made a reply with a piledriver and flying elbow; when he leaned back on the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf, Mickie joined him with one of her own.
That got the double-tap, it was entertaining and that was just what was needed at this point in the Impact Multiverse Of Matches.
Winner via King’s Lynn Cloverleaf: Aldis & James
Singles Match | Alex Shelley Vs Mike Bailey
This was going to be good. The Speedball against the Hardball?
And it was. Good fast engagement, Shelley driving Bailey down with a knee off the top, then hitting a DDT with the knee hooked – weird but very good.
When Shelley went over the top to hit a DDT on the apron, he seemed to rather crank on Bailey’s head, but Speedball managed to hit some kicks and bounce Shelley off the ropes to get the three count.
Short, very sweet, they hung together and although Alex got the majority of the offense, it was great to see Mike get the win
Winner via Roll Up: Mike Bailey
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match | The Influence Vs Tasha Steelz & Savannah Evans Vs Decay Vs Lady Frost & Giselle Shaw
With so many teams in the ring, this was bound to be a mess, what kind was the main issue…
Evans is impressively large and although Decay’s Rosemary had a good go early on, even biting her, Evans powered through and even casually tossed her partner Steelz into her.
Rosemary came back with a Spear and there was also a nice muscled-up Gisele Shaw suplex with a bridge, Dashwood draping neck breaker, a good comedy moment when no one wanted to tag madison Rayne against Havok.
A Havok Death Valley Driver was superseded by a Dashwood Butterfly Suplex and Steelz Cutter, but in the middle of all the action, The Influence hit a nasty-looking Flapjack move, spiked in the top of the head for the pin.
A fast-paced and entertaining match for the Impact Multiverse Of Matches, this did the Women’s Tag picture proudly.
Winner via Sort of Flatliner: The Influence
Singles Match | Eddie Edwards Vs Tomohiro Ishii
This is a match people wanted to see. No ‘rana’s, 450’s and Blue Thunder Bombs here – hang on, there was a BT Bomb actually, but this was the battle of no quarter tough guys.
After a test of power in which nobody moved, it spilled to the outside where Ishii, the Stone Pitbull, hit a slam but Edwards ramped it up with a DDT on the apron.
We knew we were going to get chops and Ishii seemed bothered by some of Eddie’s, who capitalized with that Blue Thunder Bomb I mentioned earlier.
When Edwards tried some punches though, Ishii just walked through them snd hit a headbutt, to the chant of ‘you f*cked up’.
He hadn’t though, as a Tiger Driver brought a 2.99999 count, but Ishii’s Shining Wizard (yes, I was surprised) and Vertical Drop Brainbuster scored the pin.
No quarter was given. It was quite ugly. And the ref was concerned about Ishii afterward.
Winner via Vertical Drop Brainbuster: Tomohiro Ishii
Tag Team Match | Josh Alexander & Jonah Vs PCO & Moose
Alexander’s wife has been involved in the shenanigans here, so the story is that he’s prepared to work with anyone to get to PCO and the Impact World Champ Moose.
But he worked well with Jonah, who showed Moose early on that it’s hard to get him off his feet – Moose must have tried a dozen shoulder tackles, no dice. That’s tough for a former footballer.
Moose then showed his nasty side with a stomp to Alexander’s wrist but Josh had enough strength to get PCO up and over in a German Suplex. Moose had further trouble with Jonah when he turned inside out by a huge clothesline and felt an Ankle Lock after Alexander rolled through on him.
And it was Alexander who got the pin with a modified Piledriver on PCO for the pin. Josh had a very good match, a match that wasn’t great but was full of energy and rather entertaining.
Winner via Piledriver: Josh Alexander
AAA Reina de Reinas Championship Match | Deonna Purrazzo Vs Faby Apache
Deonna the Virtuosa is having a champ v champ series and I’m very happy she’s brought that to the Impact Multiverse Of Matches. Faby was an AAA champ, Deonna is an AAA champ. And this match gave no quarter at all.
Fabi started strong after feeling a Purrazzo armbar, with a leg drop and leg grapevine, but the champ got the first 2 count with a lovely standing Moonsault.
They matched each other very well here and it wasn’t entirely apparent who would come out on top (although we could guess), particularly when they both stared at the lights from synchronized Clotheslines. But Deonna snatched the match by countering into a Fujiwara Armbar for the tap.
Short but very competitive and with some intensity. What happened after though would get people talking.
Taya Valkyrie.
She’s back and she wants a title shot. Which she apparently will get at the next Rebellion event. Hang on what about the No1 contender? Never mind that, Taya’s back!
Winner via Armbar: Deonna Purrazzo
Singles Match | Chris Sabin Vs Jay White
This is tasty. Sabin can go. Impact loves him. Jay White is supreme.
And it lived up to expectation. The main event would struggle to match it. White just slapped Sabin immediately and that was a feature of this match, Sabin’s beet-red chest. Sabin delivered a chop of his own, actually sending White down, then tied him up, but when the ref checked on Sabin after another huge chop, White smiled, shark’s teeth.
White started to work on the back after a belly-to-back on the apron, but Sabin had the wherewithal for a Missile Dropkick and snappy DDT; of course, White returned with a better one. So Sabin hit a Tornado DDT – take that, Jay!
White was in the groove now though, check this out:
Saito Suplex, Flatliner, muscled up Suplex, and Eurinagi. But only for a 2 count…
So White went back to the chops and the crowd chanted ‘You Sick f*ck’; as you do. He then hit a counter Half and Half Suplex and went to the game over Blade Runner.
Which Sabin countered into a roll-up for the pin! White was shocked. So was I. And when Macklin came out for some afters on Sabin, he and Jay argued over who would get the hits. Match of the night for the Impact Multiverse Of Matches.
What a match. What a chain wrestling spectacular. What a time to be a wrestling fan.
Winner via Roll Up: Chris Sabin
Tag Team Match | Good Brothers Vs Briscoes
Those of you who listened to the old Impact reviews on my podcast will know that I’m not keen on the Goods. I understand the Bullet Club legacy, sure I do, but they promise lots and simply don’t deliver.
I even reckon they can drag a match down. And so it was here. The freewheeling, fast-fighting Briscoes didn’t have much opportunity to delight.
It went to the outside early, Jay fishooking Anderson, who went to the eyes, meanwhile Gallows landed a huge uppercut on Jay’s bro.
Jay took mucho punishment, but when Mark got the hot tag, he set to work with punches and an Inzegueri, they hit an assisted Cutter, Anderson managed a desperation Spinebuster and when Gallows had equalized things somewhat, achieved a long 2 count with a double team neck breaker.
It was in keeping with the kind of team I think the Goods are that the end happened from a Jay White assist as he pushed one Briscoe off the top for Mark to taste that Magic Killer for the pin.
It was OK, but it wasn’t a main event barn burner and the last match should have been in this position. Those Goods slow it down too much for my liking.
Winner via Magic Killer: Good Brothers