iMPACT Wrestling #817
March 17th, 2020
Sam’s Town Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
By: Davie Portman
Commentary by: Don Callis & Josh Matthews
The show opens with a recap of a match between Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin to determine the Number 1 Contender for Tessa Blanchard’s Impact World Championship at Rebellion. The match ended in controversy when Eddie Edwards tapped as Elgin’s shoulders were on the mat for the three-count. Tessa Blanchard comes out and says that she will defend her title against both of them at Rebellion.
We see Ken Shamrock arriving at Sam’s Town Casino where he has been invited for a “monumental announcement”.
iMPACT Tag Team Championship
TJP & Fallah Bahh vs The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) (c)
The match starts with all four men jumping the bell. Fallah Bahh invites The North to punch him in his head but he doesn’t feel anything. Bahh shows off his athleticism with cartwheels and a lot of speed for a big guy. TJP gets into the match and the crowd is fully behind him with “TJP” chants. Alexander goes for a Back Suplex but TJP counters by kicking off of Page on the apron and landing on his feet. The North takes the advantage with an Assisted Impaler DDT and a Delayed Vertical Suplex where Page passes TJP to Alexander. TJP manages to slip out and makes the tag to Bahh, however, the referee doesn’t see it. TJP uses his speed to cause The North to collide into each other and hits a Lungblower to Alexander. He makes the hot tag to Fallah Bahh who fires up with Running Hip Attacks to each corner. Bahh hits a Pop Up Powerbomb to Alexander for a two count. The ref loses control and all four men are brawling in the ring and are down on the mat. Bahh goes to the top rope to attempt a Superplex however Alexander gets him on his shoulders and slams him to the mat allowing Page to hit a Swanton to the back. The North hit a Double Styles Clash to Bahh for only a two count. TJP makes the tag and gets Page in the Kneebar, transitions to the STF however the referee gets knocked down as Page is tapping. Fallah Bahh hits a very impressive Suicide Dive however it is not enough as The North picks up the win with the Northern Assault.
The North defeat TJP & Fallah Bahh via Pinfall in 14mins45secs
Davie’s Thoughts: I thought this was an enjoyable opening match to the show. Fallah Bahh really impressed me as he was able to hit some pretty cool looking, athletic moves for a person of his size. It’s so nice to watch TJP now he has got rid of the WWE shackles. He is so smooth in the ring and his transitions are effortless. Personally, I think the referee being distracted twice during the match was a bit too much. It should have just been saved for the Page tapping spot. I can see TJP & Bahh getting another title shot down the line as they are a fun team to watch.
Eddie Edwards picks his Lethal Lockdown Team
Eddie Edwards cuts a promo picking his team for Lethal Lockdown. First, he picks his mentor, Tommy Dreamer. His second pick is Daga as he feels that he is someone who wants to make a name for himself and will grab the opportunity. His final pick is Tessa Blanchard as who is better to round off his time than the World Champion.
Lethal Lockdown has been postponed.
Real Housewives of Slam Town
Taya introduces her friends to Rosemary. They are all drinking champagne and comment that Rosemary isn’t dressed appropriately for Instagram. Rosemary then transforms into a black dress. The four of them are all gradually getting drunker and drunker and end up going to a nightclub where Rosemary tries to suck the soul out of Holly.
This was pretty awful and quite honestly, I had no idea what was going on. The performances were bad and the jokes did not land at all.
Cyber Attacks
Josh Matthews and Don Callis address the cyberattacks that have been happening over the past few weeks at iMPACT Wrestling and that they are doing everything in their power to stop these attacks.
Chris Bey vs Damien Drake
This is the iMPACT Wrestling debut of Chris Bey. Bey shows off his athleticism right away by catching Drake with leg scissors and kipping up. He hits a great looking Step-Up Kick to the back of Drake’s head followed up by a Tope Con Hilo landing on his feet. Bey gets into the camera and says “Ladies and Gentlemen, I have arrived.” Bey hits a Rolling Thunder Neckbreaker to Drake but is then caught with a stiff right hand followed by a Flatliner. Bey hits an impressive looking Spinning Knee Strike to the face of Drake and follows it up with the Beymouser (Springboard Famouser) for the win.
Chris Bey defeats Damien Drake via Pinfall in 4mins
Davie’s Thoughts: This match was clearly a showcase for Chris Bey who impressed me with his iMPACT debut. He reminds me of Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in both abilities and looks and I liked how he had the confidence to get into the camera to show off some of his personality. From his style, I feel he could excel in being an arrogant heel with flashy moves to back it up as he was already getting some boos from the crowd. If he embraces this direction I think he could do very well. He has only been wrestling for three years so will obviously improve even more over time
Ken Shamrock flashback from June 19th, 2002 winning the NWA Heavyweight Championship
They hype up the big announcement by showing Ken Shamrock winning the NWA Heavyweight Championship at the very first TNA PPV event.
Jordynne Grace and Alisha Edwards
Alisha Edwards approaches Jordynne Grace to talk about the women’s Lethal Lockdown match. Alisha says she wants to refocus on wrestling after everything that happened over the last year. Grace says she’s a freak and she wants her on her team. AIisha says it takes a freak to know a freak and starts to sing “Jordynne Grace wants to be like me” whilst dancing.
From watching the women’s segments on this show I feel a lot of them need to get to an acting class. The delivery from both performers here was very cringeworthy.
Tenille Dashwood Vignette
We see a black and white vignette of Tenille Dashwood walking around Las Vegas. She is flicking her hair and posing for the camera. We see the words “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together” at the end of the vignette.
Chase Stevens Interview
Stevens talks about how if feels that TNA is coming back for one night only. He says that we are looking at eighteen years of a company growing to what it has become today. Moose interrupts him and calls him Bret Michaels. He says he doesn’t know who he is and is sick of these old guys trying to come in and revive their career. Moose calls himself Mr. Impact and Stevens reminds him that he is a three-time Tag Team Champion. The two brawled as the segment ends.
I thought both performers sounded good here and is clearly setting up a match between the two for the TNA special show.
Gutcheck
Scott D’Amore tells us about the final of Gutcheck between Tyler Tirva and Shogun Jackson Stone. There are talking heads from trainers and former Gutcheck contestants. Tirva says he’s not there to be a bridesmaid. He’s here to be in Impact Wrestling. Shogun says he deserves to be with the best and he is going to prove that. We see highlights from the final. Tirva chop blocks the knee of Stone and goes for a moonsault to the leg but is caught. Stone wins with a delayed vertical suplex. D’Amore offers the contract to Shogun Stone who is seen to be very emotional.
Sit Down Interview With Tessa Blanchard
Tessa talks about her two months as champion. She’s taking it day by day trying to be the best champion she can be. Blanchard says that she has defended her title against Ace Austin and Taya Valkyrie. She admits to losing to both in the past but as soon as she won the Championship she became a different Tessa Blanchard. She is tenacious, resilient and intense and she wants to prove that by taking on anyone and that is why she will face Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards to prove that she is the best.
I thought Tessa Blanchard sounded really good here. She sounded like a real athlete who is driven by competition. I believed her, which is more than I can say about a lot of performers on this show.
Joey Ryan & Rob Van Dam w/ Katie Forbes (#CancelCulture) vs The Deaners
Joey Ryan comes to the ring first looking very different from how we are used to him. He is wearing a sweater with a blue dress shirt underneath, shorts and glasses. Rob Van Dam comes out with Katie Forbes who is covered up in a big fur jacket.
Joey cuts a promo reintroducing himself as Joseph P. Ryan. He says that all three of them have extraordinary gifts commenting on Van Dam’s athleticism, Forbes’ “derriere” and his “manhood”. He says that because the world hasn’t treated them with humanity they no longer get to appreciate their “gifts”. He will never do the D-Flip ever again and from now on they will be known as #CancelCulture.
Van Dam gets on the mic and says that their opponents have already started drinking beer and it’s very irresponsible for someone to take a substance that alters your mind. The crowd reacts to this with “How high are you” chants.
The match begins and Ryan teases the D-Flip early but denies the crowd of his infamous move. Cousin Jake hits a big spear in the corner followed by a big knee to the face of Ryan. Forbes distracts Cody Deaner by slapping his back and then calling him a pervert. Ryan follows up with a Superkick followed by the Five Star Frog Splash from RVD for the win.
#CancelCulture defeats The Deaners via Pinfall in 4mins29secs
Davie’s Thoughts: This new gimmick from Joey Ryan and RVD could either do remarkably well or fail spectacularly. I can’t see there is a middle ground. I personally like the idea that they are taking the negativity surrounding their characters and personal lives online and turning it into a new gimmick. The old Joey Ryan character is fun but hard to translate for weekly TV, so this could give a bit more longevity to his character. The match itself was nothing special however I did enjoy the distraction with Katie Forbes calling Cody Deaner a pervert!
Ken Shamrock Backstage
Ken Shamrock is interviewed backstage and is asked what the big announcement is. Shamrock says that he got a call from the office saying they want to bring him in for something and we will all find out at the same time.
Ace Austin and Mack
Ace Austin runs into Mack backstage. Austin tells Mack that he was impressed by him at Hard To Kill and that he wants to start a collection of titles. He wants to capture the Tag Titles with Mack. Mack says that he already has a partner in Rich Swann. Mack says that next week he is in a Scramble Match to determine the Number One Contender for Ace Austin’s X Division title.
Kiera Hogan vs Lacey Ryan
Kiera Hogan jumps Lacey before the bell. Ryan goes for a running hip attack in the corner but gets caught in a great looking release German Suplex. Kiera Hogan hits a modified ax kick to Lacey who is draped on the 2nd rope. Ryan comes back with a big right hand and a series of clotheslines and connects with her Slingshot Elbow Drop. Ryan misses a Frog Splash, which allows Hogan to follow up with a Roundhouse Kick followed by the Swinging Neckbreaker for the win.
Kiera Hogan defeats Lacey Ryan via Pinfall in 5mins35secs
Davie’s Thoughts: Quick competitive match between both women, however, lacked any character from either of them.
Su Yung Backstage
Su Yung receives a note from Jim Mitchell saying that he insists she faces Havoc in the Undead Realm next week.
Michael Elgin picks his Lethal Lockdown Team
Elgin questions how Edwards can trust Tessa Blanchard when she has what he wants. His first pick is Taya as she is someone who made history by being the longest-reigning champion in Impact History. His final picks are Tag Team Champions – The North.
Lethal Lockdown has been postponed.
Jake Crist vs Daga
Daga grounds Crist early on with a submission but Crist gets to the ropes. Crist blocks a Suicide Dive with a Rolling Kick and follows up with a Suicide DDT. Crist catches Daga with a Triangle Hold. At one point Daga goes for a pin attempt but the referee doesn’t count as Crist’s shoulders aren’t fully down. Crist hits a series of really nice looking kicks to the head. Daga jumps off the top rope but gets caught with a Cutter for only a two count. Daga then hits the Snap Dragon Suplex followed by the Daga Driller for the win.
Daga defeats Jake Crist via Pinfall in 10mins8secs
Davie’s Thoughts: This was my match of the night. I thought both guys looked really good here and Crist impressed me with his kicks and Suicide DDT. It was quite clear to me that Daga would be going over as he is in the Lethal Lockdown match but it was a fun bout regardless.
Backstage Hacker Segment
Security believes they have found the hacker. They apprehend a guy by the slot machines and take him to Scott D’Amore but it is just their ordained minister, Ryan Cage, who is looking for his brother.
Ken Shamrock Announcement
Josh Matthews introduces UFC Hall of Famer and TNA Original Ken Shamrock to the ring. Josh thanks Shamrock for everything he has done in the business and all of his achievements in MMA and Pro Wrestling. Matthews announces that at Bound For Glory, Ken Shamrock will be inducted into the iMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame.
This is followed up by a video showing highlights of Ken Shamrock’s career. We see clips of him from WWE winning the Intercontinental Championship, Tag Team Championship and tapping out The Rock to win the King of the Ring. There is then a clip of him winning the TNA World Championship.
The video however then gets hacked and all the lights in the arena go out and the letters “ICU” appear on the screen. The Hacker is then in the ring and throws a fireball into the face of Ken Shamrock. He reveals himself to be Sami Callahan. The lights go back out and Ken Shamrock is left fallen in the ring with referees and medics checking on him as iMPACT Wrestling goes off the air.
Davie’s Thoughts: I enjoyed the final segment of this show. It wasn’t overly long and got straight to the point with Ken Shamrock being inducted. I was surprised to see the WWE footage in the video package but I was glad for the inclusion. They did a good job making Shamrock feel like a big deal, which allowed the payoff with The Hacker to interrupt the video more rewarding. I can’t believe it’s 2020 and I am actually excited about a potential Ken Shamrock match!
Overall, some of this show was pretty hard to watch. A lot of the vignettes and segments were simply not good. The strength of the show is the wrestling however compared to other companies out there it isn’t as strong as it could be. I feel this show being an hour-long would be much more digestible and would actually strengthen the product. That being said there were elements to enjoy about the show and I am most interested in the World Title scene and the potential Shamrock vs Callihan match.