This week’s show opens with a recap of Slammiversary before we send it to the ring where Scott D’Amore is waiting with a mic in hand.
D’Amore says thank you to his hometown crowd. It was a pleasure to compete in front of them, but now his leave of absence as President is over. Santino is competing tonight, so Scott will be the acting authority. We will also hear from Josh Alexander. Scott welcomes out Jake Something, but it’s actually The Good Hands who come out.
John Skyler calls D’Amore a coward and says how convenient for him to end his leave of absence before stepping in the ring against them. Hotch tells Scott to wipe that stupid look off his face. Scott takes his jacket off and says good hands need to throw down. Scott welcomes out their opponents – Sami Callihan and Rich Swann.
The Good Hands vs. Sami Callihan & Rich Swann
Swann quickly kicks Hotch and then Skyler. Sami comes in but gets his eyes raked by Hotch. Sami helps launch Swann with a crossbody onto Hotch. Swann flips out of the ring onto no one before Skyler spears Sami on the apron. Hotch drops Swann with a Blue Thunder Bomb in the ring for a cover. Skyler with a knee, Hotch hits a German on Swann. Callihan makes the save.
Swann leaps off the turnbuckle with double clotheslines. He crawls over and tags out. Callihan knocks Hotch down before hitting The Good Hands with a DDT/flatliner combo. Hotch punches Sami before Swann comes in and finishes Hotch off to score the three-count.
Winners: Sami Callihan & Rich Swann
ABC cut a backstage promo. Slammiversary was supposed to be their night, but The Rascalz interfered. Wentz and Trey eventually interrupt and tease getting involved again tonight in their title rematch. Bey starts throwing hands and all four scrap until officials and D’Amore run in. Scott yells at The Rascalz and tell them to get out of the building. Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice walk up. Scott tells Swinger if he wins one simple match, he’ll get his awaited title shot. His opponent… Zicky Dice. Whoever loses leaves the company.
Gia Miller interviews Eric Young. He says he has plenty of his story he has to address. One thing he loves is change and evolution… Nick Aldis interrupts. Aldis says look at them now, back where it all began. Aldis says he feels like he has a colleague against these internet darlings who have threatened to run the company into the ground. EY says tradition is beautiful, like getting in the ring and settling differences. Aldis offers a handshake and says “let’s dance.”
Jake Something vs. Kevin Knight
Knight applies a headlock to start before Jake powers out. Knight leaps over Jake but then gets met with shoulder tackles and a body block in midair. Jake clotheslines Knight and then follows it with a body slam, cover. After the break, Knight tries getting Jake up off the mat. He throws forearm strikes until Something chops his chest. Knight fires back with a splash, cover.
Something turns Knight inside out with a clothesline. He runs across the ring but Knight evades the corner spear. Knight kicks Something on the turnbuckle and then attempts to flip him. Knight catches him and tosses him with a powerbomb from the top. Something covers for a nearfall. Something pops Knight up, but Knight counters with a dropkick. Knight hits a crossbody out of the corner and gets a nearfall. Knight hits another crossbody from the top but Jake kicks out. Something hits Knight with Into the Void slam for the win.
Winner: Jake Something
Courtney Rush vs. Savannah Evans
They start with a lock up, but Evans backs Rush into the ropes. Rush tries tackling Evans but hurts her shoulder in the process. Rush briefly distracts Evans and then applies a headlock only to get slammed off of her. Vidal holds Rush’s foot in the corner, allowing Evans to splash onto her. Evans hits a leg drop, cover. Evans catches Rush with a spinebuster and goes for another cover.
Evans unloads with punches on the mat. Rush throws punches and manages to land a reverse DDT to turn the tide. Vidal holds Rush’s foot again while Shaw distracts the ref on the other side. Evans squashed Rush again before Jessicka knocks Shaw down at ringside. Jody Threat comes down and carries Vidal out of the match. Evans turns around into a spear from Rush. Rush covers for the three.
Winner: Courtney Rush
We see a vignette for Trinity winning her first Knockouts title. Trinity says she bet on herself and dreams came true. The Coven interject and issue a challenge to Trinity and Dani Luna as they look to recover from their Slammiversary loss.
Tom Hannifan mentions Slammiversary was Impact’s highest attended event in four years.
Hannifan sits down with Jonathan Gresham. Gresham says what people say about his Ultimate X performance doesn’t mean anything. He remains Tom that the X-Division is about no limits, no rules. Gresham questions why the X-Division isn’t held to the same standards. He fought to bring back pure rules to Ring of Honor. Now here he is in an environment with no rules. Maybe this environment isn’t for him anymore. Gresham walks off.
Dirty Dango vs. Santino Marella
Dango grabs a mic and says he hates pro wrestling again. Santino’s music hits and he marches down to the ring. Santino tries throwing kicks but Dango backs to the corner to hide. They try locking hands but Dango rolls out and paces. Back in the ring, Santino traps Dango in a triangle. Dango kicks Santino in the head to break out. Santino takes Dango back down to the mat and attempts covers. They lock up before Santino applies a knee bar, Dango gets the rope.
Dango strikes Santino in the face to knock him down. Santino hits his signature hip toss and arm drags. Dango pulls Santino throat-first into the middle rope. Dango hits a suplex but then accidentally gets crotched. Santino tries whipping Dango but it gets reversed and Santino hits the turnbuckle. Santino’s back gives out and Dango lands on top of him for a cover.
Dango goes up top and tries for a twisting senton but Santino rolls away. Santino pulls out The Cobra but a man in riot gear runs down and grabs the Cobra. Dango rolls Santino up for the three-count.
Winner: Dirty Dango
The masked man reveals himself to be John E. Bravo.
Backstage, Shaw and Evans try finding Jai, but MK Ultra are in their way. Masha says something in Russian before Kelly says they’re not going to get through them. Jody Threat walks up and drops Vidal on the floor. She says it’s the last time she’ll have to do that. Vidal is shaking on the floor.
Alisha sends a message to Frankie Kazarian. Traci wasn’t Frankie’s equalizer and she’s not even close to the woman that Alisha is. Traci walks up and says say it to my face. A brawl breaks out between all four of them and security pulls them apart.
IMPACT World Tag Team Championship: Subculture (c) vs. ABC
Ace and Webster start with a lock up. Ace ties up the left arm on the mat and they roll around for a beat. Webster gets up and targets Ace’s left arm in trade, but Ace slides through and then armdrags Webster down for a one-count. Bey tags in and gets armdragged into a left arm hold. Andrews tags in and stomps on Bey’s left arm. Bey and Andrews flip around for a moment until Bey takes control and tags out.
Ace and Andrews tangle on the mat, trading holds. Webster tags in and Subculture hit a combo Falcon Arrow. Webster launches out onto Ace, who is then rolled back in for a Northern Lights from Andrews. After the break, Ace is still getting picked apart by the new champs. Bey and Andrews get tags as Bey fires up with clotheslines and a corner uppercut.
Bey hits a brainsbuter, cover. Webster tags in and misses a 450. Webster gets caught in ABC’s corner as ABC make tags and double team him. Ace covers for a nearfall. Subculture double teams Bey with a power move, but Ace just barely breaks the cover. Webster flies out onto Ace. Bey dropkicks Andrews off the apron before flipping out onto the champs.
After another break, Andrews tries battling ABC alone but gets kicked and covered by Ace. Ace kicks Webster before Bey hits Andrews with a cutter. Andrews comes back with Stundog Millionaire on Bey and all four men are down. Wentz suddenly runs down on the apron while Trey takes out Ace at ringside. Rascalz high tail it through the crowd. Andrews catches Bey into a backslide. They trade covers until Andrews stacks on top for the three.
Winners: Subculture (c)
We see footage of Lio Rush quickly beating Chris Sabin at Slammiversary. Tom says they have yet to receive a medical update on Sabin.
Next week:
Loser Leaves: Johnny Swinger vs. Zicky Dice
Trinity & Dani Luna vs. The Coven
Eric Young vs. Nick Aldis
Josh Alexander provides a status update
Josh Alexander comes down to the ring. He says it’s good to be back and nothing can wipe the smile off his face. The last time he was in the ring was in Windsor where he relinquished the title that he fought so hard to get and keep. He took a lot of pride in being in Impact. Impact gave him the opportunity he needed and he made the best of it. But it was all taken away because of a freak injury.
After seeing Maclin win the title at Rebellion, that was all the fuel he needed to do more rehab. Now, he’s here to announce he’s 100% cleared for in-ring competition. He’s not here just to compete, he wants the World Championship. He wishes he was face to face with Maclin, but Shelley shocked the world to cement himself amongst the greats. Now the question is: is Alex Shelley good enough to beat Josh Alexander?
Shelley comes out. He congratulates Alexander on his quick recovery. He knew Josh would want what he didn’t lost. Shelley says he beat Maclin’s a** for the world title, but the time before that, he came up short to Josh. Shelley says the funny thing about dreams is at some point, you gotta wake up. Shelley’s down for a rematch.
Out comes Lio Rush. He reminds them that he beat Shelley’s best friend and tag team partner. He teases exercising Option C. Kushida comes out next with the X around his neck. Kushida says there’s no Option C until Rush faces him. Bully Ray interrupts and counts how many men are out before Moose and Brian Myers ambush the babyfaces from behind.
Bully stomps on Alexander specifically. Bully then grabs Shelley for Rush. Lio says he’ll do it on his time and rolls out. Myers hits Shelley with Roster Cut as Rush continues walking away.
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