On Wednesday, EVOLVE announced their talent lineups for their summer shows. While all of the matches aren’t officially set, there are a few put in place.
EVOLVE 64 Saturday, July 16th | Queens, NY | 4 PM EST (show will be over by time WWE at MSG begins)
– EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. Marty Scurll
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams
– Johnny Gargano
– Drew Galloway
– Zack Sabre Jr.
– TJP with Stokely Hathaway
– Matt Riddle
– Ethan Page
– Fred Yehi
– Cedric Alexander
– Tony Nese…and more.
EVOLVE 65 Sunday, July 17th | Melrose, MA | 7 PM EST
– EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. TJP with Stokely Hathaway
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams
– Johnny Gargano
– Drew Galloway
– Zack Sabre Jr.
– Marty Scurll
– Matt Riddle
– Ethan Page
– Fred Yehi
– Cedric Alexander
– Tony Nese…and more.
EVOLVE 66 Saturday, August 19th | Joppa, MD | 8 PM EST
– EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle — no holds barred
– Cody Rhodes vs. Johnny Gargano
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams
– Zack Sabre Jr.
– Marty Scurll
– TJP with Stokely Hathaway
– Tony Nese
– Cedric Alexander
– Ethan Page
– Fred Yehi
– Peter Kaasa…and more.
EVOLVE 67 Saturday, August 20th | Brooklyn, NY | 3pm EDT (show will be over by the time NXT starts)
– EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak
– Tommy End vs. Matt Riddle
– Cody Rhodes
– Drew Galloway
– Chris Hero
– Tracy Williams
– Zack Sabre Jr.
– Marty Scurll
– TJP with Stokely Hathaway
– Cedric Alexander
– Ethan Page
– Fred Yehi
– Peter Kaasa…and more.
Here’s a video recap of their last two events if you’re not familiar with the product:
For the first time since October 2015, TNA Wrestling returns to world of pay-per-view with Slammiversary, the 12th such event in company history and the sixth held in Orlando, FL. The show is available on most major cable providers, as well as FITE.tv.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.
For the second straight year, Drew Galloway finds himself in the main event as last year, he was involved in the King of the Mountain title five way. This year, he defends his title against a game challenger in Bobby Lashley who is looking to regain the title. Also on the show, the Hardy brothers do battle in a Full Metal Mayhem match and all of the organization’s titles are on the line.
X-DIVISION CHAMPION TREVOR LEE VS. EDDIE EDWARDS VS. DJ ZEMA ION VS. ANDREW EVERETT
This match was one big move after another — too much for the crowd at some times and getting them back in it for others. The finish saw Edwards win the title pinning Lee with an inside cradle as Lee went for his fisherman buster. Good opener. Gregory Helms was kicked out from ringside at the beginning after coming out with both Lee and Everett. Everett did a springboard twisting dive, took a backdrop onto the ring steps, and also did a super Frankensteiner off the top rope.
– EC 3 interview. He put over that Bennett was the first guy to pin him but that was a catalyst for becoming the best wrestler. Carter tried to get the fans to sing his song and only a few did.
– They showed a clip of Dixie Carter announcing Sting for the TNA Hall of Fame in 2012. They announced that the 2016 inductee would be on TV Tuesday night.
BARON DAX & BASILLE BARACKA (w/AL SNOW) VS. MAHABALI SHERA & GRADO
The match was really bad. The finish saw Dax have Shera over his knee like a backbreaker, and Baracka coming off the middle rope with a Bret Hart forearm. Snow uses a whistle as his gimmick which didn’t work 26 years ago with John Tolos and is only slightly better now. Snow’s gimmick is he wants wrestling to be great again. This match wasn’t a good example of that. Dax & Baracka are the former Marcus Louis & Sylvester Lefort from NXT with Lefort now sporting a shaved head.
– Gail Kim and Maria Kanellis are going back-and-forth in the back as they were supposed to wrestle but Kanellis has a broken hand. Kim said Kanellis is a liar, and said she’s wrestling with a bad knee. Billy Corgan is out as William Corgan. He said he’s got the X-rays and the hand was broken. Corgan, at first, seemed to be playing heel as he was wearing sunglasses. He showed the X-ray and said that the minute Maria is cleared, Gail will get the match. Maria said her hand may never heal and she may never be able. Corgan announced a triple-threat match with Sienna vs. Jade vs. Gail Kim for the Knockouts title and it’s starting…right now.
JADE VS. GAIL KIM VS. SIENNA FOR THE KNOCKOUTS TITLE
Another bad match. Gail had Sienna pinned with Eat Defeat but Allie pulled Kim’s leg. Kim attacked Allie and then went after Maria. Allie threw the belt in to Sienna but Marti Bell jumped in. Bell then turned on Jade and hit her with a cane, leading to Sienna pinning her. They did more than the prior match but the crowd wasn’t much into it and they tried cool moves but most of the stuff didn’t look crisp.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Bobby Lashley. He made Borash announce him as the new world champion.
JAMES STORM VS. BRAXTON SUTTER
Storm did an interview saying he’s been at every Slammiversary. He said 14 years ago a man gave punk kids like he, Abyss and A.J. Styles a chance. Storm said that people said he’d never make it. Fans were chanting Orlando. He said there’s a lot of guys who need an opportunity because 14 years ago, nobody knew James Storm.
This was a short and perfectly professional match that the crowd didn’t care about because they don’t know Sutter (the former Pepper Parks). Sutter survived both a backstabber and codebreaker, but was pinned after a superkick which was the one move that didn’t look good. Storm then drank beer with Sutter after the match. It felt like Storm was going to take him under his wing and then, one will turn on the other.
– Eli Drake interview with Borash. Drake is a really good promo. He called Bram a cross-eyed halfwit, and that Eli Drake is perpetual bad assery.
– They showed a clip of Dixie Carter inducting Kurt Angle into the Hall of Fame. With the exception of Earl Hebner, everyone in their Hall of Fame is gone from the company.
KING OF THE MOUNTAIN CHAMPION ELI DRAKE VS. BRAM
Not much to this at all. They did a few countout teases. The big spot was Drake giving Bram a backdrop on the floor after Bram had taken the mats off previously. Bram used a DDT, which they call the Brighter Side Of Suffering, but Drake rolled out of the ring. Drake got back in, hit a clothesline and got the pin.
– Mike Bennett interview. He said he was the best wrestler on the planet and has the hottest wife in TNA. At least the second one, you can make a good argument for.
ETHAN CARTER III VS. MIKE BENNETT
Carter won with a TKO on a chair and the One Percenter. The crowd was into it at the end, but this was a tough crowd for obvious reasons and also because most are people who don’t watch the TV and don’t know the stories. They both worked hard. Bennett kicked out of the first One Percenter. The second time, Maria threw in a chair, which distracted ref Brian Hebner so he didn’t start the count for several seconds. Bennett used his Miracle In Progress (Michinoku driver on a chair), but the ref was distracted and slow in counting. Carter kicked out of a piledriver. Not a great match, but easily the best since the opener.
– Matt Hardy did his preacher interview.
MATT HARDY VS. JEFF HARDY IN A FULL METAL MAYHEM MATCH
They did a ton of weapons. Both worked real hard. The match story is that the new Matt kept kicking out of everything including a Twist of Fate and senton as well as a Twist of Fate through a table. The finish saw Jeff come off the top rope, jumping over the post, and put Matt through a table, pinning him on the floor as it was falls count anywhere rules. Lots of ladder spots. Jeff opened a ladder that stretched from one side of the rope to the other, and Jeff put Matt through the ladder off the top. Matt powerbombed Jeff through a keyboard set up bridging the apron to the guard rail. The problem was there was little reaction to some of the insane kickouts.
– Decay interview.
TNA TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS DECAY (ABYSS & CRAZZY STEVE) VS. BROMANS (ROBBIE E & JESSIE GODDERZ)
Rosemary is in the Decay corner and Raquel in the BroMans corner. Abyss & Steve retained as Abyss gave Jessie a Black Hole Slam and then powerbombed Steve on top of him. All action, good match. Robbie & Jessie are very underrated as a team, particularly with Jessie’s athletic ability. He had Steve in the Boston crab/Adonis crab twice and Steve tapped, but the ref had mist blown in his eyes the first time and missed the tap. The second time, Abyss saved him. The women also got involved for a spot.
– Drew Galloway said he’s worked 16 years to be the world champion in the main event on PPV. He said he’s been defending this title in multiple companies, and said he tapped out Kurt Angle so he sure as hell can beat Bobby Lashley.
TNA WORLD CHAMPION DREW GALLOWAY VS. BOBBY LASHLEY — KNOCKOUT OR SUBMISSION ENDS IT
Real good match. Lashley won the title clean in the middle when Galloway passed out from a head and arm choke. They kept the shenanigans out of this one. Galloway was bleeding afer missing a running flip dive and crashing through a table. Galloway came back and used a tombstone piledriver, but he missed the running kick and Lashley hit a big punch that led to him putting on the choke. Galloway used moves like an Emerald Fusion and a sharpshooter — both on the ring steps.
We’ll talk more about this show tonight on Wrestling Observer Radio.
On Saturday, EVOLVE held one of the most talked about shows in Queens with two WWE Cruiserweight Classic qualifiers with TJP (aka TJ Perkins) and Drew Gulak winning their respective matches. The ramifications of this, and the relationship between WWE and WWNLive, will be interesting to keep up with in the future. In another shocking turn of events, EC3 (yes, the former TNA Champion) attacked Johnny Gargano in the main event and seemingly has joined another former TNA Champion Drew Galloway against the EVOLVE locker room, Triple H, NXT and more.
– Matt Riddle def Lio Rush with the cross armbreaker
Riddle tells Thatcher to come get the title. He tosses it over his shoulder, and Stokely Hathaway comes out and grabs it.
– The Bravado Brothers def Ethan Page and Chris Dickinson
Bravados pinned Dickinson after a double team Gory Special. They are made that Team Tremendous got the first Evolve tag title shot since they were the longest Open the United Gate champions. Dan Barry comes out and does some comedy to mock the Bravados. Match is made for the next Queens show, and the Bravados then beat Barry down for fun.
– WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifier #1: TJP def Fred Yehi after a 450 splash
– WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifier #2: Drew Gulak def Tracy Williams with the Gu-lock
– Marty Scurll def Zack Sabre Jr via tap out to the chicken wing
Scrull gets an Evolve title shot on July 16 in Queens. Stokely comes out and calls TJP the uncrowned champion.
– Johnny Gargano def Drew Galloway via DQ after EC3 runs into the ring and attacks Gargano. Long promo by EC3 as he buries NXT, Triple H, and even Bill DeMott. They lay waste to the Evolve locker room. Ethan Page makes the save.
***Next show is on June 10 with Gargano and TJP versus EC3 and Galloway, plus Ethan Page challenges Drew Gulak.
Here’s the results and notes from Sunday night’s TNA Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando, FL. This was for the show that look to be airing on 5/31 and 6/7 — the latter as the go-home show for the 6/12 Slammiversary PPV:
– Matt Hardy came out with a contract for a Full Metal Mayhem (essentially a TLC match) match against Jeff Hardy. Tyrus and Rockstar Spud tried to talk Matt out of signing the contract. Somehow, this led to a ladder match where Jeff wrestled Spud & Tyrus and if they won, Jeff wouldn’t get his match with Matt.
– Jeff Hardy beat Tyrus & Spud in the handicap ladder match so Jeff vs. Matt is on for the PPV.
– Trevor Lee won an Ultimate X match over DJ Zema Ion, Eddie Edwards and Andrew Everett
– Sienna beat Madison Rayne. The winner was to get a shot at the Knockouts title held by Jade on the PPV.
– Ethan Carter III beat Matt Hardy via DQ when Mike Bennett attacked Carter.
– Basile Baracca & Baron Dax (Sylvester Lefort & Marcus Louis in NXT) & Abyss & Crazzy Steve beat Grado & Mahabali Shera & Robbie E & Jessie Godderz
– Trevor Lee beat Eddie Edwards to retain the X title.
– Ethan Carter III & Gail Kim beat Mike Bennett & Allie. Allie is Laura Dennis, the former Cherry Bomb. It was advertised as Bennett & Maria but the gimmick is that Maria always gets out of it when it’s her time to wrestle.
– There was an angle where Matt Hardy claimed Jeff was injured and their match at the PPV was off.
– TNA Champion Drew Galloway beat Matt Hardy via DQ when Bobby Lashley attacked Galloway. A ton of Willows showed up, one of which was Jeff, so the idea is that it was poetic justice as Matt had pretended to be injured weeks back and showed up as a Willow to attack Jeff.
Some notes from the April 22nd TNA Impact TV tapings:
Jeff Hardy was out performing his entrance music song when Decay came out. They laid out Jeff and were told they were paid to attack him but didn’t say who paid them. James Storm made the save, and said he wanted his tag title rematch with Jeff as his partner. TNA Tag Champions Abyss & Crazzy Steve then beat Hardy & Storm in a tag title match when a fake Willow distracted Jeff.
Jade went to a no-contest with Gail Kim when Sienna laid out both of them.
Al Snow did an interview heeling on the fans and said he was the Donald Trump of pro wrestling and would build a wall and decide who got in. Mahabali Shera then beat Snow when Grado interfered.
Mike Bennett said he wanted a match with Earl Hebner as a future Hall of Famer against a current one. Bennett then beat Earl Hebner, but EC 3 made the save so Bennett vs. EC 3 will continue.
Tyrus then attacked EC 3 which led to EC 3 beating Tyrus in a last man standing match.
DJ Zema Ion & Eddie Edwards beat Trevor Lee & Andrew Everett when Ion pinned Everett.
Fake Willow was out and Jeff Hardy attacked him. Hardy then beat Willow and went for the mask, but two more guys in Willow masks attacked Hardy. Of course, one of the Willows was Matt Hardy.
Sienna beat Velvet Sky in her final match with the company. They gave Sky a farewell live and posted on the website that she was leaving. It was described as a mutual departure.
Eli Drake interviewed Bram. He wanted Bram to just hand over the King of the Mountain title rather than even bother with a match. Bram refused, and Drake said he can cash in his briefcase and win it at any time. Bram attacked him and he ran away.
TNA World Champion Drew Galloway beat Bobby Lashley via DQ in a lumberjack match for the title due to outside interference.
Last week, new TNA World Champion Drew Galloway proclaimed that people would start looking at the TNA World title and Impact Wrestling differently. He promised to put TNA on the map again. Perhaps he’s on to something, as ratings have been going up ever so slightly the last two weeks and started to do so the night he won the title. In last week’s main event, Jeff Hardy was victorious in a gauntlet battle royal featuring the promotions top stars to earn a shot at the TNA World Title.
Tonight:
Tonight’s Impact features a huge main event, as Drew Galloway will defend the TNA World Title against Jeff Hardy.
Show Recap:
–Josh Matthews and The Pope welcome us to Impact as Matt Hardy, Reby, Tyrus and Rockstar Spud make their way to the ring.
– Matt is demanding his return match for the TNA World title and wants it before Jeff gets his shot in the main event. Suddenly “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis, looking stunning, interrupts and introduces “Miracle” Mike Bennett. Bennett calls Matt old and tells him to relax. Bennett thinks neither Matt nor Jeff deserve the title shot; he does. Reby and Maria argued back and forth. Reby called Maria “fire crotch.” Reby had to be held back from attacking Maria who didn’t back down. Matt and Bennett tease fighting each other but they’re interrupted by the catchiest music in wrestling and Ethan Carter III.
EC3 was hilarious here referencing The Three Stooges and prayed to the Lord of Professional Wrestling to find a place for Bennett’s wrestling career in the afterlife. EC3 wants to face Bennett but the Miracle isn’t interested. Instead, Matt Hardy challenged EC3 to face all members of The Matt Hardy Brand (Hardy, Tyrus, Spud and Reby.) EC3 agreed to the match.
Ethan Carter III vs. Matt Hardy, Reby, Tyrus & Rockstar Spud
Mike Bennett and Maria are sitting at ringside. EC3 dominates the early moments of the action until the heels take over. The story of the match is that EC3 has nobody to tag while the heels tag out when they’re in trouble. Reby gave EC3 three slaps across the face but has yet to get in the match officially. EC3 makes his own comeback and takes out Tyrus. EC3 got the Cobra Clutch on Spud but Mike Bennett ran in for the DQ. The heels beat down EC3 until Beer Money ran out for the save and cleared the ring.
Beer Money takes the mic and says they’re not out here to stop the fight. Beer Money & EC3 challenge Matt Hardy, Tyrus and Mike Bennett to a six man and its starts after the commercial break.
Ethan Carter III and Beer Money (Bobby Roode & James Storm) vs. Matt Hardy, Tyrus & “Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ Reby Sky, Rockstar Spud and Maria Kanellis
Back from commercial and the match is in progress. Storm has the advantage on Bennett until Tyrus beats Storm down on the outside. The heels isolate Storm and prevent him from tagging out. Roode gets the tag and he runs wild taking out the heels. EC3 goes after Bennett but he hides behind Maria. EC3 chases Bennett to the back. Beer Money gets the double suplex on Tyrus, which gets a big reaction from the crowd. Tyrus saves Matt Hardy from the DWI and Hardy hits the twist of fate on Roode for the win.
-Backstage, Jeremy Borash interviews TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim about last week’s Knockouts Match, where Jade apparently became the number one contender for the title. Gail announces another number one contenders match between Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne.
-Back from commercial and in the back, BroMans talk about their surprising reunion as a team. They’re interrupted by Eli Drake, who says he has business to take care of.
Number One Contenders Match for Knockouts Title: Velvet Sky vs. Madison Rayne
Josh and The Pope mention that Velvet and Madison are best friends. The story here is that last week Maria made a number one contenders match, so Gail made a number one contenders match too. Josh wonders who will be the number one contender, the winner of this match or Jade. The crowd was mostly dead for this match but there was a small Velvet Sky chant. They had a back and forth match which ended suddenly when Madison scores the pin on Velvet.
Post match, Velvet teased being upset about the loss but instead she raised Madison’s hand and they embraced.
-Backstage, TNA World Champion Drew Galloway promised to beat Jeff Hardy and retain his title tonight.
-Back in the arena, Josh asked Pope for his prediction for tonight’s main event but Pope seemed distracted. He told Josh that he has something to get off his chest. The Pope entered the ring as we cut to commercial.
-Back from commercial, The Pope is in the ring. He talks about being happy-go-lucky Pope recently but needs to go back to the old Pope. “The Destroyer” Lashley comes out and tells Pope to go back to commentary. Lashley wants Pope to apologize for sticking his nose in his business. Pope cuts a passionate promo and challenges Lashley to a fight. Pope and Lashley end up brawling, with referees and officials trying to pull them apart. Lashley gets the better of Pope. Lashley sets up for the spear but Pope moves and Lashley falls to the outside. Pope hits a cross body onto Lashley on the outside. Security runs down to break it up but they keep fighting.
This was a really good segment, with Pope as the underdog and Lashley as the heel. Pope was full of passion and was great overall. Also, the brawl was pretty wild and exciting.
-Next, we get another creepy music video for Decay featuring Marilyn Manson.
-Back from commercial, Jeremy Borash has now joined Josh on commentary.
-Eric Young and Bram make their way to the ring. EY and Bram tease dissension after last week when Bram accidentally eliminated EY in the gauntlet battle royal but EY says everything is okay. EY wants Jeff Hardy to win the world title tonight so he can beat Jeff for the title. They’re interrupted by The BroMans.
Bram & Eric Young vs. BroMans (Robbie E & Jesse Godderz)
BroMans charge the ring and attack the heels. EY and Bram cut off BroMans and get the advantage. They isolate Robbie E until he makes the tag to Jesse. Jesse runs wild and takes out both Bram and EY. Bram holds Jesse for EY but Jesse moves and he nails Bram in the face. The BroMans win with the Bro Down and Jesse surprisingly scores the pin fall on EY.
-Josh says we’re getting the celebration for Grado getting his TNA job back after the commercial.
-Backstage, Grado and Mahabali Shera discuss plans for the party, which Grado has spent $5,000 on. Al Snow shows up and for no apparent reason, attacks both Grado and Shera. Al breaks the arm of Grado with a pipe. Josh doesn’t understand why Al would do this. He’s not the only one.
-In the ring, Gregory Shane Helms and X Division Champion Trevor Lee call out Eddie Edwards. J.B says that Eddie has no direction since his partner Davey Richards got injured. Shane praised The American Wolves as one of the greatest tag teams. Eddie is going to focus on his solo career and wants to go after the X Division title. Shane and Trevor Lee avoid answering Eddie’s challenge for the X Division title. Instead, Shane wants to tag with Eddie to challenge Beer Money for the tag titles. Shane is going to give Eddie a week to think about it.
-Backstage, an irate Pope challenges Lashley to a match next week on Impact.
-Jeff Hardy makes his way down to the ring for the main event, which comes up next after the commercial break.
TNA World Champion Drew Galloway vs. Jeff Hardy
Josh mentions that this is the first meeting between Drew Galloway and Jeff Hardy. They shake hands before they lock up. The story of the match is that they have a mutual respect for each other. Jeff sends Drew to the outside and hits a dive to the outside to get the advantage.
Back from commercial, Jeff is still in control of the match. Jeff hits the twist of fate and goes up for the swanton bomb but Drew tripped Jeff up. Drew hit the claymore kick but only got a near fall. Drew was standing on the second rope and had Jeff on his shoulder in a power slam like position. Jeff countered and flipped Drew off the turnbuckle. This was a pretty scary looking spot. Jeff got another two count. Jeff set Drew up on the steal steps on the outside. Jeff went for the swanton bomb but Drew got his knees up. Jeff struggled to his feet and Drew hit the Future Shock DDT for the win to retain the World Title.
Post match, Jeff and Drew embraced, while Drew celebrated his first title defense. Matt Hardy came out and announced that next week, he gets his return match for the TNA World title. Drew was willing to defend the belt right now and called for the bell. EY and Bram ran out and helped Matt attack Drew and Jeff. Drew hits the claymore on EY & Bram and Jeff hits the twist of fate on Matt. Jeff then challenged Eric Young next week in a Six Side of Steel Cage match.
Final Thoughts:
TNA put on another solid Impact this week. The show had its ups and downs and can drag at times. However there are a lot of positives such as, their attempt to create new stars and provide compelling matches. Time will tell if TNA can build on this small bit of momentum that they have.
Next Week on Impact:
Next week’s show has a loaded line up with PPV caliber matches. TNA World Champion Drew Galloway will defend against Matt Hardy. Also, Jeff Hardy goes one on one with Eric Young in Six Sides of Steel. Additionally, The Pope will battle it out with “The Destroyer” Lashley. Plus, Eddie Edwards must decide if he wants to tag with Gregory Shane Helms to challenge for the TNA Tag titles.
Last week on Impact, Drew Galloway shocked everyone in the Impact Zone when he cashed in his Feast or Fired World Title contract and defeated Matt Hardy for the TNA World Title. This was after Hardy had defended the title against Ethan Carter III and Jeff Hardy in a tripe threat match. Also, “The Destroyer” Lashley bullied Josh Matthews around and then speared The Pope to cement his heel turn.
Tonight on Impact:
On tonight’s Impact, Drew Galloway makes his first appearance as the new TNA World Champion. Additionally, TNA World Tag Team Champions Beer Money issues an open challenge to any tag team from the past or present for the tag gold.
Show Recap:
–We kick the night off with the new TNA World Champion Drew Galloway making his way to the ring. Josh Matthews and The Pope welcome us to the show and to the Impact Zone. The Pope is back at commentary after being taken out by “The Destroyer” Lashley last week.
Drew talks about the show last week and winning the world title. He makes a proclamation that he wants everyone to look at Impact and at the TNA world title differently. He paraphrases a quote from JFK and says, “don’t ask what the title can do for you, ask what you can do for the world title.” Drew promises to put TNA on the map again.
Matt Hardy, Reby, Tyrus and Rockstar Spud interrupt Drew. Matt’s furious over Drew “stealing” his world title. He says it’s such a crime he should have called the cops. Matt is demanding his return title match tonight. This brings out Matt’s brother, Jeff Hardy. Jeff feels that he deserves a title shot more than Matt. Jeff and Matt argue back and forth when suddenly, Eric Young and Bram attack Jeff outside the ring. Inside the ring, Matt, Tyrus and Spud jump Drew. Bram and EY set up a table on the outside. EY started to set up Jeff for the piledriver off the ring apron through the table and then we cut to commercial.
Back from commercial break, Jeff fights off EY and everyone brawls in the ring. EY sets up to piledrive Drew off the apron through the table when Ethan Carter III runs down and makes the save. EC3 also wants a world title shot. This brings out “Miracle” Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis. Surprise of the night, Mike Bennett also wants a world title shot. TNA President Dixie Carter comes out because there aren’t enough people in this segment. Dixie announces that everyone will participate in a number one contenders gauntlet match later.
-Backstage, Beer Money is walking to the ring trying to guess who will accept the open challenge tonight. They mention past teams from TNA including: L.A.X, Triple X and Pac-Man Jones and Truth. They laugh at the mention of the last team. Storm guesses America’s Most Wanted. Roode points out that’ll be impossible for Storm to face himself.
-Back from commercial, Jeremy Borash is backstage and discuses tonight’s gauntlet match. A tumbler is already set up backstage and J.B brings in Mike Bennett to choose his number for tonight’s gauntlet match.
-Back in the arena, Beer Money makes their way to the ring. Storm rides to the ring on the boozer cruiser again. Robbie E. and Jess Godderz reunite BroMans and accept the open challenge.
TNA Tag Team Champions Beer Money (James Storm & Bobby Roode) vs. BroMans (Jesse Godderz & Robbie E)
BroMans gets the advantage on Beer Money by isolating Storm. James makes the hot tag to Roode who runs wild. Jesse gets the Boston crab on Roode but Storm saves him with a super kick. Beer Money hits the DWI on Robbie E. for the pin and the win.
-Backstage, Decay cuts another creepy promo. Decay challenges Eddie to a street fight.
-Back from commercial and in the back, J.B welcomes us back but EY and Bram interrupt him. They pick their numbers and suddenly Willow (Jeff Hardy’s alter ego) appears and disappears. EY notices and freaks out.
-Eddie Edwards makes his way down to the ring and grabs the mic. He calls out any member of Decay for a fight.
Street Fight: Eddie Edwards vs. Crazy Steve w/Decay (Abyss and Rosemary)
As Decay make their way to the ring Eddie Edwards runs out and brawls with Crazy Steve on the ramp. Crazy Steve gets the advantage after tripping Eddie up on the steel steps. Steve and Rosemary throw several chairs into the ring. Steve sets up a chair in each corner of the ring. Eddie turns things around on Steve and ends up throwing him head first into each chair. Steve and Rosemary collide and Eddie rolls up Crazy Steve for the three count.
-Backstage, Maria Kanellis cuts a prom on Knockouts champ Gail Kim. She promise that the action she going to take next is going to change the Knockouts division.
-Back from commercial, Dixie Carter is talking to “The Destroyer” Lashley backstage. She mentions that Lashley is lucky to only get a fine for attacking Josh Matthews. She gives Lashley what he wants but neither mention exactly that is.
-Jeff Hardy and EC3 both cut a promo setting up tonight’s main event. They both pick their numbers and seem happy with what they chose.
TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim vs. “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis
This match doesn’t end up happening. Gail Kim and Maria Kanellis make their way to the ring. Maria grabs the mic and brings out The Dollhouse. Maria tells The Dollhouse that they all have so much potential but lacked the proper leadership. She tells them to break up The Dollhouse and become women. Maria went to TNA management and asked them if she could give her title shot to a member of The Dollhouse. Maria orders The Dollhouse to compete in a triple threat. They argue with Maria as we cut to commercial.
Jade vs. Marti Bell vs. Rebel
Back from commercial and the match is in progress. Maria joins Josh and The Pope on commentary. She’s giving up her title shot at Gail Kim to the winner of this match. Apparently, The Dollhouse is no more and breaking up. The crowd is a bit dead for this match. Jade and Marti double-team Rebel. Both try to pin her and use a double submission on her. They argue about who should beat Rebel. Rebel makes a come back against both.
On commentary, Maria promises to change the Knockouts Division. Pope mentions that he has Maria’s Playboy. Marti powerbombs Rebel, who hits a superplex on Jade off the top rope. Jade pins both Marti Bell and Rebel to win the match to become the number one contender for the TNA title.
-In the back, Matt Hardy, Tyrus and Spud choose their numbers for the main event. Matt went first and didn’t like his number. Matt then looked at Spud’s number and switched with Spud.
-Back from commercial, Grado and Mahabali Shera discuss the party they’re going to have next week to celebrate Grado getting his job back with TNA. Shera mentions that Odarg The Great owes him fifty dollars. Grado says Odarg owes him fifty-five dollars. Apparently, Shera is the only person not to know Grado and Odarg are the same person despite being Grado/Odarg’s only friend.
-Next we get a flashback from last week of the closing moments of the triple threat title match and Drew Galloway winning the World title.
-TNA World Champion Drew Galloway comes down to the ring again. He mentions that there’s going to be “no more talking” and more action from now on. “The Destroyer” Lashley makes his way down to the ring. Lashley has a brief stare down with The Pope. Josh thanks Pope for saving him last week. Lashley takes the mic and the crowd chants, “no more talking”. They argue and Lashley announces that Dixie has agreed to put him in the gauntlet match. Drew is tired of the talking and wants to fight Lashley. Suddenly, the lights go out and EC3 is the second entrant in the match.
Gauntlet Match: “The Destroyer” Lashley, Ethan Carter III, Rockstar Spud, “Miracle” Mike Bennett, Eric Young, Tyrus, Bram, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy
The match has the same format as The Royal Rumble. EC3 and Lashley are the first two entrants and start the match off. Number 3 is Rockstar Spud and EC3 beats him all over the ring. Lashley attacks EC3 from behind. Spud and Lashley double-team EC3. Number 4 is Mike Bennett. Lashley stares down Bennett but Spud convinces Lashley that all three should work together which they do. The next entrant is Eric Young who attacks everyone. Tyrus is the next entrant and as he makes his way to the ring, EC3 tosses Spud out of the ring for the first elimination.
Back from commercial, Bram is now in the match as Lashley runs wild and knocks everyone down. Lashley eliminates Tyrus after hitting the spear. EY and Bram try to double team Lashley but Lashley is able to eliminate both. As Lashley poses, The Pope leaves commentary and eliminates Lashley. The Pope and Lashley fight to the back. Matt Hardy is the next entrant and he exchanges shots with EC3 right away. Matt and Bennett double-team EC3. Jeff Hardy is the final entrant and runs wild attacking everyone in sight.
We’re down to the final four, which are EC3, Mike Bennett, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy. Bennett charges EC3 who drops down and Bennett goes to the outside for the elimination. Bennett then helps Matt Hardy eliminate EC3. The final two are Matt and Jeff Hardy. They exchange shots back and forth. The crowd is solidly behind Jeff. Matt tosses Jeff over the top but he hangs on. Jeff then back drops Matt over the top rope and to the outside to win the match.
Post match, Jeff celebrates in the ring and TNA Champion Drew Galloway stands on the ramp. They have a stare down to end the show.
Next Week on Impact:
Next week, Drew Galloway has his firs title defense against “The Enigma” Jeff Hardy.
During the match, Page would offer to shake Yehi’s hand, yet would end up being chopped. Ethan Page wins with the Package Piledriver, Page and Yehi do end up shaking hands post match before Anthony Nese comes out and attacks Page from behind with a chair.Nese says fat guys like Page don’t belong in a wrestling ring. Caleb Konley joins Nese in the ring while Page is carried out by the refs. Konley says he’s wrestling Thatcher tonight finally after a year.
TJ Perkins beat Tommaso Ciampa
“F TNA” chants to start the match as Perkins laughs. Ciampa hits the Project Ciampa, but TJP kicks out at two, Ciampa goes for a second one yet TJP escapes to put Ciampa in his Figure Four Deathlock to get the win.
Matt Riddle beat Chris Hero
Hero hit a spike piledriver, pulls off his elbow pad and strikes Riddle right in the temple yet Riddle kicks out. Hero goes for another piledriver yet Riddle counters with a triangle submission forcing Hero to tap.
– EVOLVE tag title match is supposed to be up next but Gargano comes out and tells the crowd that Galloway’s flight from Orlando has been delayed and ask for more time. Caleb Konley attacks Gargano from behind and demands for Thatcher to come out so they can have their match right now. Thatcher is on his way out but Sami Callihan cheap shots him from behind.
EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher beat Caleb Konley for The Evolve Championship
A lot of interference from Andrea during this match before Thatcher got her out of the way. The finish saw Thatcher putting Konley in a armbar to retain the title.
– Matt Riddle is out to tell Thatcher at least he didn’t have to cheat tonight. He calls Thatcher trash and wants a rematch for the title April 1st in Dallas. Thatcher agrees and Riddle says he’s not gonna cheap shot Thatcher, instead he hits him with a jumping knee and knocks Thatcher out.
Sami Callihan beat Tracy Williams
Callihan wins with the Cinderblock Forearm to the back of the neck.
Zack Sabre Jr. beat Drew Gulak
Sabre’s boot came undone so he just took it off, Gulak capitalized by body slamming Sabres ankle into the ropes 5 times. Sabre and Gulak exchange roll-ups, Sabre counters the wins with a unique submission.
– Chris Hero is out to say when he hears Best In The World he doesn’t think about Zack Sabre Jr. He thinks about Bryan Danielson, who he’s beat. He thinks about CM Punk, who he’s beat. Hero says Sabre can’t claim to be the best unless he has beaten him, which he hasn’t. Sabre says he’ll see him in Dallas. Gulak wants the mic and tells Hero that he shouldn’t be worried about Sabre he should be worried about Catchpoint.
Evolve Tag Team Champions Drew Galloway and Johnny Gargano beat Team Tremendous
Some great action here as expected, and the finish saw Galloway hitting the Future Shock DDT on Dan Berry to retain the titles in their first defense.
Last week, the World Title Series continued when Awesome Kong beat Brooke, while Uno beat Manik with a corkscrew moonsault. Eric Young beat James Storm with a piledriver, while Shera beat Aiden ‘O Shea. Crimson’s losing streak continued when he lost to Eli Drake, while Bobby Roode beat Abyss with a spinebuster in one of the most forgettable episodes of Impact since the WTS began. The opening video recapped last week’s matches. Spud faces Drew Galloway tonight, while Aries faces Lashley. Manik vs. Uno vs. DJZ is up next to determine who moves on in Group X Division. No one gets an intro and they just cut to the ring.
Manik vs. Tigre Uno vs. DJZ
Double leapfrog by Uno and DJZ leads to DJZ getting a pop-up dropkick sending Manik to the floor. Uno gets a dropkick on the apron to a seated DJZ sending him to the floor. Uno moonsaults onto both men from the top to the floor. Uno gets a wacky lucha submission, but Manik goes for his own move before DJZ prevents it. Manik rakes Uno’s face in the corner before DJZ flips around a bit to finally land a flying back elbow. Manik locks on a goofy Billy Goat’s Curse and Gory Special submission, which is turned into a cradle for 2. Manik rakes DJZ’s eyes, and Z moves leading to Manik and Uno clashing mid-ring. Double tornado DDT by DJZ gets the win to advance to the field of 16 – so the next winner here advances as well.
Manik gets a quick inverted sunset flip for 2. Dueling uppercuts lead to Uno getting a quebrada turned into a stunner for 2. Manik gets a combination armbar/kneebar and places Uno up top and crotches him. Manik goes for an electric chair, but Uno turns it into a German suplex and a corkscrew moonsault to win – so he advances alongside DJZ. This was a cluster of moves. Josh runs down Group UK while Josh says that tonight, Kurt Angle address his future. After a break, they run down that Group X Division is done, but all of Group UK is still alive. Drew cuts a promo on what appears to be a cheap Android phone from 2008 at Glasgow airport. He says he’s always seeing his friends growing up and is asked when he’ll be married – but he’s married to the business. Rockstar Spud comes out and looks much skinnier and less tan than his last appearance in the series. Josh calls Drew “the captain” for reasons that he never explains.
Drew Galloway vs. Rockstar Spud
Spud stands around while Drew takes a squatting position as his base before each puts up their dukes. Drew goes for a punch, but it misses, so Spud runs wild with a few punches of his own. Spud turns a gorilla press slam into a sunset flip, but that fails, so he takes Drew down anyway. Drew spinebusters Spud into the apron three times before trying to lawndart him into the post. Spud avoids that and sidesteps a dive, resulting in Drew bonking his head on the steps. Spud bets the ref to count quickly, but he gets in at 9. Spud goes for a cover and gets 2. Drew catches a crossbody and turns it into a tilt a whirl backbreaker.
Josh says he’s been reliving the World Title Series every day – so I assume he lost a bet. Spud hits the elbows and gets a shining wizard. He takes off the tie, but can’t hit the Underdog. Drew punches him on the apron and teases a powerbomb off the apron onto the steps. He doesn’t do it, so Spud kicks him into the ring. Spud gets a wonky flying DDT for 2. Spud runs at Drew and eats White Noise before hitting the Claymore kick to the chest rather weakly for the win. Each man is capable of having far better matches, but Drew at least won and advances to the round of 16. Quick ad break for Black Friday and Cyborg Monday – every order placed Mondays gets a free Kurt Angle banner.
Bram vs. Grado
Pope is astonished that Grado could in fact advance in the tournament when Grado faces Bram tonight. They kill some time talking about just what the brackets could be before Bram comes out to face Grado. Grado comes down as a fountain of charisma in purple and gold gear with polka dots. Pope says that when he watches Grado, he thinks he’s watching PBS. Josh mocks Grado for the Spud vs. Grado comedy match. Pope asks what Grado’s actual music is because he doesn’t listen to his entrance, and Bram just cradles him and beats him. Lashley highlight reel sets up another one for Aries showing off his big moves. Spud and Grado are out of Group UK as a turkey graphic appears on the screen beyond the green screen of Josh and Pope. Pope doesn’t want to give predictions, leading to Josh wondering just why TNA hired Pope as a broadcaster. Micah and Jessie Godderz get no ring introductions.
Micah vs. Jessie Godderz
Micah gets a back elbow while Pope talks about Micah missing aggression and he really needs ruthless aggression. Pope offers to give him advice while Josh says that Pope really shouldn’t be offering advice to anyone. Jessie drop toeholds Micah into the buckle while Pope cuts a fine promo about whether he was a face or a heel, he was intense. Jessie gets a bearhug while Josh plugs the TV tapings from January 5-9. Jessie rushes into a corner boot and eats a lariat and a big corner flying elbow before getting a back body drop. A giant Stinger splash hits and leads to a Big Ending for 2 because Jessie gets the ropes. Jessie gets some body shots and goes for the Crab, but Micah avoids it. Samoan drop hits for Micah, but a giant headbutt misses and Jessie gets the crab for the win. Jessie advances to the round of 16 and we get our first screen-filling graphic for someone advancing.
Robbie E vs. Davey Richards is up next, but first up next, Kurt talks about his future. We get a hype video for everyone in Group Tag Team Specialists. Robbie comes out to face Davey while Pope says that Robbie has reinvented himself. Robbie comes out fist-pumping, in a giant hoodie, and with his wacky hair. We get clips of Davey’s intro while Pope rambles on for a while. And then they just cut away from the intros and throw to Kurt Angle. Kurt talks about the talented roster in TNA and that the Maximum Impact tour is his retirement tour in TNA. Kurt says he’s loved his career, from WWE to TNA. Kurt says that he’s glad that his final run in TNA is in the UK before we go to Christy and get the full intros for the match we just got clipped intros for.
Davey Richards vs. Robbie E
It begins with some mat wrestling as Josh talks about Robbie “trying to wrestle”. Robbie hiptosses him down and gets an armdrag. Davey drops down and hits a big dropkick to send Robbie to the floor. Running penalty kick misses and Robbie gets a somersault senton to the floor off the apron. Robbie gets a flying Hart Attack while Josh says Robbie wants to be a real hybrid athlete. Davey gets 2 of an exploder suplex. Davey locks on a modified version of the Indian Deathlock before Robbie gets to the ropes. They exchange punches before Davey headbutts him down. Robbie sends him to the corner, gets a lariat and gets 2. Creeping Death flying kick is countered by a full nelson into the Boom Drop for 2! Davey gets 2 off a cradle before nailing a double stomp to counter a sunset flip for 2. Alarm Clock hits before a tornado buzzsaw kick gets the win for Davey. Davey raises Robbie’s hand high. Josh plugs Bracket Brawl in a weirdly sped-up ad for that contest. We get a graphic for the people in the round of 16, with several faces cut off by the TV-14 graphic. Group Wildcard is up with Crazzy Steve facing off against Kenny King.
Kenny King vs. Crazzy Steve
The referee tells Steve to put his horn away while the crowd cheers wildly for Kenny King. King spins out of a hammerlock in a slick way and nips up. King runs him down before running in place before Steve knocks him down and struts. Josh runs through Steve’s backstory with the Menagerie and how he isn’t quite sure why Steve is still on the active roster. Steve gets a takedown to grab the horn. King kicks his face off and slams him while we see Aiden ‘O Shea put a stogie in his mouth. Steve gets a corner forearm and a series of clotheslines before grabbing the horn and hitting a running knee. Springboard rana hits for Steve before he bites his head and gets 2 off a schoolboy. A crucifix gets 2, but the Royal Flush wins for Kenny King. With the win, King and Shera are the only ones in Group Wildcard who advance to the round of 16. The final person will be determined by the winner of Lashley vs. Aries. Aries cuts a promo with Thea saying that he’s had some great matches with Lashley before, and Lashley’s a smart guy. Aries vs. Lashley is up next. But first, we get yet another awards show. Shera hitting the Sky High is the move of the series, while Brooke won biggest upset for beating Kong. Pope called Grado vs. Spud the turkey of the series. Bram is the sleeper of the series, and it’s time for the main event. Aries comes out while we see clips of him having great match after great match in the series. Lashley comes out and they hype up his Bellator career.
Lashley vs. Austin Aries
Lashley gets a big takedown to start. Aries gets a headlock, circles Lashley and locks on a hammerlock. Josh recaps how Aries is back after losing a “loser leaves TNA” match and how Aries used the loophole of the Group Champions name to get back in. Aries lands a missile dropkick, but Lashley sends him down anyway. Lashley shoulderblocks him in the corner to the floor. Aries tries to get back in, but eats the apron. Corner shoulder charge hits again and Lashley goes for the delayed suplex, but Aries fights back with knees, but Lashley hits it anyway and gets 2! Fantastic sequence leads to an ad break.
We come back to see Aries stomping the foot to avoid a German suplex. Discus elbow is countered into an overhead belly to belly by Lashley. Lashley goes for the spear, but Aries avoids it and sends Lashley into the post. Missile dropkick hits again and sends him down hard. Lashley deadlifts him off the mat into a stampede powerslam for 2. Josh says we have five minutes left in the match as Aries locks on the Last Chancery as Lashley dives into the ring – but he’s tied in the ropes. Lashley gets up and eats some knee strikes. Lashley counters a brainbuster into a press slam, but Aries gets two discus elbows! Big corner dropkick leads to a brainbuster attempt, but Lashley gets a flip German suplex! Aries goes for the suicide dive, but his feet get caught in the ropes and he lands out of control on the floor. Lashley shoves Earl down, which should be a DQ. Lashley tosses him in while Earl checks on him. Lashley picks him up, but Earl puts him back down. Lashley preps for the spear while Earl tells him no. Aries fights back with an overhand chop. It’s all Aries has left and he goes down. Lashley goes for the spear, but Aries gets the Last Chancery in the middle of the ring. Lashley makes it to the rope, so Aries breaks the hold. Aries goes up top for the 450, but Lashley avoids it and eats the spear! Lashley moves on in the series – this was easily the best match of the series so far. The main event is over, but there’s still 15 minutes left in the show with nothing announced.
Josh says that the brackets will be announced – so that may actually be the main event segment. We see clips of tonight’s matches. Block A will feature EC3 against DJZ, while Bram faces Davey Richards. Block B features Lashley against Drew Galloway while Shera faces Eli Drake. In Block C, Gail faces Tigre Uno while Eric Young faces Kenny King. In Block D, Jessie faces Awesome Kong while Bobby Roode faces Matt Hardy. EC3 cuts a very echoey promo and buries DJZ. DJZ cuts another promo on his phone and says he’s a recovering scumbag and he loves walking around with girls while EC3 likes walking around with a 300 pound man. Davey cuts a very sedate promo from what appears to be a massage room, while Eli says that he’s moving on and there’s no surprise in that and while Shera dances, he’ll dance to the top. EY says that he’s king of the world and God, while Jessie says that no man, woman, or Kong can stop him. More cell phone footage, now with Roode in a ratty hoodie talking about respecting Matt Hardy, but doing whatever it takes to win. Matt says that Roode can’t stop the Matt Hardy Train and we get a quick hype video for next week. Well, Aries vs. Lashley was well-worth watching. The rest of the show was pretty skippable. To see every screenshot for the show, just click here.
Results and notes from the ICW Fear And Loathing VIII show.
Results:
— ICW Zero G Championship Davey Boy (w/ The Wee Man) defeated Stevie Boy (c)
— 6 man Tag Joe Hendry, Noam Dar & Kenny Williams defeated Liam Thomson, Lionheart & Doug Williams (Jimmy Havoc run in attack on the Thomson, Lionheart & Doug Williams team; after the match Carmel challenged Liam Thomson to a match at the next show, Square Go)
— Tournament final for the new ICW Women’s Championship Mick Foley banned any ringside interference and added Viper to the match, making it a Three Way Dance Viper defeated Nikki Storm and Kay Lee Ray to become the first ICW Women’s Champion
— Joe Coffey defeated Rhyno
— ICW Tag Team Championship Polo Promotions (c) – Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey (w. Coach Trip & DCT) defeated The 55 – Kid Fite and Sha Samuels (w/ James R Kennedy and Timm Wylie to retan their titles
— 6 Man Steel Cage Tag Teams win by all three members escaping. The New Age Kliq – Chris Renfrew, Wolfgang & BT Gunn eventually defeated The Legion – Tommy End, Dante & Mikey Whiplash. Order of Elimination: Wolfgang, Dante & Tommy End, Chris Renfrew and then Gunn & Whiplash crashed through tables at ringside at the same to make it a draw; Whiplash demanded that Gunn face him one on one and the match restarted as sudden death, with a pinfall to finish – Gunn pinned Whiplash for the victory.
— Big Damo defeated Jack Jester
— ICW World Heavyweight Championship Grado defeated Drew Galloway (c) Suspended GM Red Lightning tried to get involved, but was stopped by Mick Foley; ICW owner Mark Dallas counted the pinfall after a ref bump.
Notes:
— Legitimate sold out and packed 4000 crowd in Hall 3 of the SECC (Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre) the second biggest venue in Scotland. — Mick Foley as guest GM for the night, the only other import was Rhyno, who has a history of working ICW shows – no one shot big names to help pad the card. — Owner Mark Dallas announced next year’s Fear And Loathing would be in the larger SSE Hydro – on paper, the second busiest venue in the world after the O2 Arena in London. This is absolutely HUGE for ICW, the same arena that TNA ran their televised shows from and that the WWE run on their tours now. — Show started on time at 7pm, no mean feat with the size of the queues outside when the doors opened at 6.30pm — Stars of Scottish TV police sitcom “Scot Squad” appeared after the first 6 man tag match and “arrested” Lionheart to a big reaction. — The Grado vs. Galloway match had a legitimate “big match feel” to it – there was an atmosphere like nothing else I’ve ever experienced at any wresting show I’ve been too. — Mick Foley’s involvement was minimal, but he was well used. — Excellent show, well worth checking out on the ICW On Demand service.
