Impact Wrestling Episode 5

[Deleted]

Orlando, Florida - Taped December 26, 2014
Aired January 1, 2015 on Hulu Plus

Josh Mathews and Matt Striker welcome every one and wish them a Happy New Year, and we get this show on the road, as Jeremy Borash introduces our first combatants of the evening!

Roderick Strong w/ Johnny Gargano vs. Eddie Edwards w/ Davey Richards

Strong manages to pick up some momentum after he and Gargano's team have been struggling to find any footing in the competitive tag team scene of Impact Wrestling. He and Edwards put on a great mat technicians match, which ended with Edwards kicking out of the End of Heartache, but ultimately succumbing to the Strong Hold.

Samoa Joe is backstage with Maria Kanellis, who asks him about his recent run ins with Seth Rollins. He says last week he thought he showed Rollins his place, but then Rollins went and sneak attacked him at a show in Tampa, showing he didn't learn his lesson. He says it looks like Sami Zayn is on his radar right at the moment, but sooner or later he'll get a chance to beat some respect in Rollins.

Michael Dante w/ Tommy End vs. David Starr w/ JT Dunn & Kimber Lee

The Juicy Product laid into the Sumerian Death Squad with chairs last week after taking a tough loss in their return to the region, so Dante was out for revenge. He would look good, looking like he might finish things with a Gore after delivering a Saito Suplex, but Dunn and Lee would grab Starr from the outside and pull him out of harm's way, deciding to take a count out rather than suffer another pinfall loss.

Taryn Terrell vs. Hailey Hatred

Terrell would weather the overwhelming power and skill of Hatred, showing her heart and reversing a Running Powerbomb into a roll-up, followed by a Running Cutter to get a pinfall.

AJ Styles is over in Japan, but he made a little video for the fans, saying he's proudly representing Impact Wrestling over there and is so proud to be the champion of the greatest promotion in wrestling today. He says his Block is tough, but he is confident he's going to be bringing the Kenshiki Pride Cup back with him to Florida, along with his championship, and he'll be ready to take on all comers!

"The One Man Nation" Uhaa Nation vs. Johnny Gargano w/ Roderick Strong

Strong would get a win earlier, but the former World Junior Heavyweight champion, Gargano, just seemed ill prepared for the onslaught of Uhaa Nation. Nation would finish the match with a devastating Triple Powerbomb to keep himself relevant in the ranks of possible contenders to AJ Styles' Impact Wrestling title.

The Young Bucks are backstage with Lance Storm and getting ready. Storm tells them that he is sure the Kings of Wrestling have something up their sleeve, but he says he's made a call and he says they should be covered tonight. One has to wonder what he meant by that, but I guess we'll find out.

Jay Lethal, Ricochet, and Kalisto vs. Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and Trent Barreta

This was a similar scenario to last week for Lethal, Ricochet, Omega, and Ibushi, with the added variables of Kalisto and Barreta to the foray. Barreta looked like he might defeat Kalisto with the Gobstopper at one point, but Ricochet would break things up with a Springboard Moonsault. Ricochet attempts to hit the Benadryller on Barreta, but as he's bringing him down, Ibushi comes out of nowhere, connecting with a hard closed fist right to Ricochet's jaw, knocking him loopy! The killer instinct we've been looking for in Ibushi is finally here as he calls for the end with a throat slash motion and delivers a Buzzsaw Kick! Barreta throws Kalisto from the ring and dives out onto Omega and Lethal as Ibushi delivers an Elevated Sit-Out Powerbomb to Ricochet, pinning him for the win!

Alex Shelley w/ Chris Sabin & "AK-47" Allysin Kay vs. Kyle O'Reilly w/ Bobby Fish

Sabin got a win over Fish last week, so Shelley was looking to sweep this singles match series. O'Reilly had other plans. The Irish-Canadian star managed to shut down Shelley's attempts at his bigger moves, and employed an offense based on working over his left arm and neck, while pummeling him with punishing strikes, basically classic O'Reilly. Fish would also play a factor here, antagonizing Shelley's entourage repeatedly, causing a distraction for the Detroit native. Shelley tried firing back with strikes of his own near the end, not sure what else to do, but it was clear he was too staggered to be completely effective. Shelley would try to counter a shot from O'Reilly into his Shelley Clutch, but O'Reilly would counter that, locking in a tight Triangle Choke, which was enough to make Shelley tap on this night.

The Kings of Wrestling, along with Lord William Regal, are backstage. Hero starts by saying that they've had the privilege of learning from the best, and they will be proud to fight along side him tonight to rid this company of the cancers that are trying to kill it, the Young Bucks and the instigator Lance Storm! Cesaro says they are but a bump in the road to what will be eternal greatness and glory for the kings! Regal goes on to say that they've been smeared all over, but when they enter the ring, it won't matter what anybody says, because the results will speak for themselves and the truth will be evident for all as to who the best tag team is in professional wrestling!

Seth Rollins & "The Demon King" Finn Balor vs. "The Unbreakable" Michael Elgin & Sami Zayn

Elgin saved Zayn from getting completely annihilated by an attack from Rollins last week after Samoa Joe helped him secure a win over the Iowa native, while Elgin had defeated Balor earlier in the night. The stage was set, and it was clear Rollins and Balor were out for blood. At one point the match looked like it could be over when Rollins and Balor delivered a Powerbomb/Diving Double Stomp combination to Zayn, but Elgin managed to break things up before the three! Elgin would show heart trying to battle Rollins and Balor on his own, but it was clear he was out gunned, getting pummeled in the corner. Zayn would swoop in and deliver a big Running Boot to Balor to take him to the outside, but Rollins would Superkick Zayn, sending him out right after him. As if on cue, Samoa Joe would hit the ring, jumping up on the apron! Rollins and Joe would exchange words until the referee finally talked Joe into backing down. Rollins would turn right into a furious Spinning Backfist from Elgin, followed by the Revolution Elgin Bomb, and it was all over! Joe cost him another one!

Joe would have a smile on his face as he back peddled up the ramp and Rollins looked up in a daze, trying to snarl and project his rage through his defeated countenance.

Kings of Wrestling (Cesaro & Chris Hero) and Lord William Regal vs. Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson) and Lance Storm

The Kings of Wrestling followed the lead of the ring general William Regal, and in that they were able to both infuriate and deflate this pro-Young Bucks crowd with their antics and tactics. Nick Jackson took the brunt of punishment in this match, having started it off and then he found himself isolated for most of it. Jackson would overcome, though, surprising Chris Hero by ducking his attempt at a Rolling Elbow with a Superkick to send him to the outside, diving and tagging in both Matt and Lance! The fans would chant for Lance Storm here, who we haven't seen in a long time, as he rushed and immediately started taking it to William Regal with rapid fire fists! Regal would cut him off with a knee and then tried to whip him, but Lance reversed, tumbling under him and catching him up in a Canadian Maple Leaf! Regal looked to be in trouble as the Young Bucks found themselves on the floor on the outside and Chris Hero made his way in, blasting Storm with a Rolling Elbow to the back of the head that sent him out of the ring! Matt Jackson is on the apron, though, and he catches Hero with a Springboard Armdrag, followed by another Superkick as he was kneeling on the mat! Into the ring comes Cesaro, who catches Matt with a European Uppercut, following up by attempting his Neutralizer, but Jackson fights his way out of it and hits a Frankensteiner! Nick Jackson is back in, and Lance Storm is up, and they hit a Triple Superkick on Cesaro, sending him flying from the ring as the crowd goes nuts! Storm turns and tries to catch Regal with a Superkick, but Regal pulls the referee in front of him! The referee catches the blow, and Hero is back in, an he delivers a Cyclone Kill to Matt Jackson, sending him flying under the ropes in a daze! Nick Jackson goes for Hero, but Hero catches him with a Back Elbow, followed by a Running Boot that sends him down! Lance Storm is able to blast Hero from behind though and takes him over with a Suplex, but Regal has him measured up and nails him with the POWER OF THE PUNCH! This is outrageously out of control! Regal tries to revive the ref, but into the ring comes CHRIS JERICHO! Jericho is in, and these fans are going crazy! Jericho catches Hero with an elbow smash, sending him out under the ropes and Regal turns, looking furious, but Jericho hurries and lands the Codebreaker on him, getting a huge pop! Jericho slides to the outside and sends Cesaro into the crowd, and then Matt Jackson back into the ring! Regal is stirring, as the Jacksons are face to face, and charging each other up and slapping each others chests as Regal gets to his knees... and then they land A DOUBLE SUPERKICK TO REGAL, KNOCKING HIM OUT COMPLETELY! Matt pulls the referee over as Nick covers, and the ref counts to the three!

The Young Bucks and Lance Storm celebrate as Chris Jericho applauds from the ramp, and the show comes to an end!

[jp1985]

Good main event to close the show. Nice nod for Lance Storm in the 1 off appearance, hopefully not the last as he can be pretty valuable in the occasional role. Same could be said for Regal in defeat. I guess The Thrillseekers could be the next throwback team for the Kings of Wrestling after The Steiners. Seems like there's still more to come of this though, specifically JBL's role in all of it.

Rollins can't seem to buy a win, but the story you're telling keeps him relevant in the World Title picture. While it is hurting him somewhat, the losses are helping to elevate the opponents like Zain and Elgin more, which is actually beneficial to the bigger picture to get more guys into your main event scene. The absence of AJ Styles is also beneficial right now because it allows people to step up. Interested to see where you go with his next defense as there are many names that could be in a #1 contender match right now, the 4 in the tag and maybe Uhaa Nation as a dark horse right now.

Roderick Strong has been sort of floating along towards the bottom here, so the win in the opener was much needed for him. I'll be the first to admit I'd be hard pressed to use him like "he should be", although even ROH of late he's been underutilized. Still has a lot of life to give so hopefully this is the start to something with him. The team with Gargano can be good, just not sure if with your current depth of tag teams that they can compete right now, relative to their potential in singles.

[Kevin Elliott]

I am dedicating tonight to catching up on some shows and I am starting with Impact. I am reading from your debut of Impact Wrestling on Hulu Plus as your promotion seems to have had a major influx of talent from your debut as NWA Florida that the rebranding seems to be a smart spot to start. The first thing I will comment on is your presentation of Impact Wrestling is excellent. The colours mesh well. Not a fan of Matt Striker on the commentary booth, but at least I don’t have to listen to him.

My first thoughts on an overview of episode one seem to be that if your promotion has a fault it is your roster is too stacked. Of eight matches on your debut episode, nearly every wrestler on the show was a well known name. Great for competitive matches but it could be tough to get that much talent over. I’m interested in seeing how you do in that regard.

I really do question if you need the X Division, specifically. The workers participating in that tournament don’t appear to be any different than your Heavyweight Division. I think if you wanted a title for the lower cards, a simple television title would do rather than a specific division.

That AJ Styles and Seth Rollins were the two to advance in the Championship tournament is not shocking at all considering they appeared to be the only two that have any real momentum, although as I said earlier, nearly anyone on your roster is capable of making the title valuable.

I was somewhat shocked that the Kings of Wrestling didn’t advance to the tournament finals, let alone win the titles. I feel you may have burned the Regal interference saga a little too early. I do look forward to their feud with the Young Bucks, though.

I am glad you picked Styles to be your first champion. No one has run with him yet in our world. Coupled with his big year in real life in Japan and I think he has a shot to win the World Heavyweight title here at Starrcade. It’s almost unfortunate that I stole him for a couple of weeks as you almost forget about him with your talented roster It will be interesting to see how you transition from Rollins to Styles in the World Heavyweight Championship match. Perhaps a #1 Contenders bout (akin to Cena vs. Punk ahead of WrestleMania 29 in real life) would be a simple way to do that.

I am hoping too much doesn't change with the influx of the California talent as you seemed to be on a roll with this brand.

[Deleted]

Thanks Kevin, and while I won't speak to much of that only because I want to just let the shows do the talking, I will say the influx of California talent should only serve a purpose of hopefully making my Heavyweight division stand out more from the X Division. I do plan on having a Television title on top of that, as each title will have its distinctions. With the X Division, I want to utilize more gimmicks, such as ladder matches or even triple threats I consider a gimmick, while the Heavyweight title I want to be competed for in traditional one-on-one matches, primarily. Of course there will be instances where that won't be the case, but as much as possible I want to protect the prestige of the Heavyweight title as a legit, well respected title, where the X Division will be a little more chaotic and will probably change hands more. The Television title will eventually also be more restrictive even than the Heavyweight title, with a shorter time limit, count out limit, etc. I really want to see my concept for the X Division played out, though, as I think the real TNA/Impact Wrestling missed the boat of it almost entirely. They started out almost right, but missed it. The X Division here is about basically no rules and no limits, as opposed to just some hollow idea of "no limits". It's almost a hardcore title, really, in my mind. Not a lot of people promote that type of thing, so I think it stands out and will stand out more as time goes on. Thanks again, though, I appreciate the comments, guys, and I'll try to keep things up.