Impact Hard to Kill live results: Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

Impact’s latest pay-per-view, Hard to Kill, takes place tonight in Dallas, Texas.

The show will be headlined by Impact World champion Sami Callihan defending the title against challenger Tessa Blanchard, who is looking to become the first female Impact World champion in history. Blanchard has been built as a serious contender to the world title over the last year. Callihan defeated Brian Cage to win the title back in October.

All of Impact’s titles will be on the line tonight. Ace Austin will defend the X Division title against Trey Miguel, The North will defend the Impact Tag Team titles against Rich Swann & Willie Mack and Taya Valkyrie will defend the Knockouts title against Jordynne Grace and ODB in a triple threat match.

Other matches include Eddie Edwards squaring off against Michael Elgin in a match for the Call Your Shot trophy, Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam, Moose will take on Rhino and Ken Shamrock will face Madman Fulton.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. EST.

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Ken Shamrock defeated Madman Fulton

Not a great match. Shamrock cosmetically looks great and moves well, at least. Fulton isn’t that interesting in terms of in-ring prowess.

Shamrock tried for an armbar early, but Fulton lifted him up. Shamrock got to the ropes. Shamrock keeps him on the ground, but Fulton gets to the ropes. Fulton misses a boot and ends up hung up on the top rope. Fulton grabs Shamrock’s arm and extends it over the ropes on the apron.

As Fulton escapes to the floor, Shamrock launches off with a giant tope to the floor. Fulton catches him, but Shamrock counters and gut wrenches Fulton. This is the point where Jake and Dave Crist, seconding Fulton, start getting involved. Dave hops on the apron but end up getting knocked down by Shamrock. The referee eventually ejects them.

Fulton chokes Shamrock for a long time until Shamrock comes alive, looking for a kimura. Announcers sold it like his shoulder popped. Shamrock wanted the referee to stop the match. Fulton refused, and countered Shamrock’s offense with a powerbomb. Shamrock was able to grab the injured shoulder and lock in the kimura once again, and this time Fulton verbally submitted.

They showed video of both Blanchard and Callihan entering the arena. The crowd doesn’t seem all that hot tonight, but they did cheer for Blanchard and booed Callihan.

Announcers mentioned the injury Rich Swann suffered over the weekend, saying that there was no way Swann would be able to compete tonight.

Ace Austin defeated Trey Miguel to retain the X Division title

Okay match. Standards I feel are higher these days for these kinds of matches, but they had a perfectly fine back and forth match. Never felt real hot due to the lackluster crowd, but both men looked fine here.

Miguel immediately spears Austin and chases him around the ring, then does it again once they re-enter the ring. Miguel catches Austin’s foot on the apron, but Austin cuts him off until Miguel comes back with a 619 and a moonsault off the second turnbuckle.

Austin sends Miguel to the floor and wipes him out with a space tiger drop to the outside. When Miguel hops on top of the steps, Austin shoves him, sending Miguel flying into the barricade where Miguel’s mom was at. Austin sends him back to the ring and continues working him over.

Miguel counters after a couple of uranages by Austin but is cut off as Austin starts working on Miguel’s leg. Austin hit the bangarama but Miguel kicked out at two. Austin used a sharpened card and cut up one of Miguel’s palms. Miguel came back to life and hit a moonsault to the back of Austin’s neck.

Miguel hits a reverse suplex and applies a bully choke, but Austin escapes. Miguel follows up with a springboard downward spiral for another two count. Austin comes back with a spinning springboard kick. Miguel counters Austin on the turnbuckle with a cheeky nandos kick but Austin hits the ropes, crotching Miguel on the apron. He followed that with fold (running blockbuster) for the win.

After the match, Austin taunted Miguel’s mom on the outside, wanting a kiss. Miguel attacked him, leading to a brawl.

Gabi Loren was with ODB backstage. ODB thanked the wrestling fans, saying a new food truck was coming. Says she’ll be a five time knocked up champ.

Taya Valkyrie defeated ODB and Jordynne Grace to retain the Knockouts title

This was fine when Taya and Grace were in the ring. Bless ODB but she actively detracted from the match as she looked real bad. 

ODB and Grace brawled on the apron but Taya came back and dropkicked them both to the floor. Both Taya and Grace went at it until Grace sent her to the outside and took her out with a tope. ODB grabbed Grace and laid her out with a fallaway slam on the stage.

Taya came back in and started working over ODB. Grace came back and started on Taya, but Taya cut her off and bit her arm in the corner. Taya came back and at one point, ODB laid out both Grace and Taya with a bulldog off the second rope.

Grace power slammed Taya twice, then caught her with a spinebuster. Both Taya and Grace continued to exchange offense until ODB broke it up. Grace took ODB to the corner and launched off the top rope with a senton. Taya went for the road to Valhara but Grace escaped to the apron. ODB hit a bad looking TKO. Grace hit the Grace Driver on ODB, but Jonny Bravo distracted the referee. Grace went to 

Loren wanted to interview RVD, but he was making out with Katie Forbes. Forbes interviewed him instead. RVD said he will put his energy where it matters. He’ll take care of Brian Cage first, however. 

Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage never happened I guess?

RVD got the heat early when a woman described as RVD’s girlfriend’s girlfriend in the audience grabbed Cage, allowing RVD to attack. Cage cut him off with a superkick, but RVD came back with a steel chair. Forbes held the chair as RVD went for the van terminator and connected with it.

RVD went for the cover, but the ref wouldn’t count it as he told RVD that Cage was hurt. Officials, as well as Daga came out and checked on Cage, taking him to the back. Daga and RVD got into an argument. RVD jumped Daga as a result. Somehow, for some reason, this ended up being a match.

Rob Van Dam defeated Daga

This wasn’t good. I don’t know what RVD gets out of pinning Daga in the year 2020 and I don’t know why all of this was so convoluted.

RVD was on offense until Daga cut him off. RVD came back with a bodyscissors roll-up, but Daga kicked out. Forbes distracted Daga, allowing RVD to hit the legdrop. He went for the five star frog splash, and it connected, giving him the win. d.

Loren went to look for Sami Callihan outside of oVe’s locker room. One of the Crists answered the door and said Callihan didn’t want to speak to anyone but he’s fine.

Eddie Edwards defeated Michael Elgin

This was the first great match of the evening. These two had terrific chemistry with one another and had a hard hitting, heated match.

Eddie started off hot with a tope to the floor, but it quickly turns into a brawl on the outside. Edwards tries to mount a comeback with a tope suicida but Elgin blocks it, sending Edwards crashing to the floor. Elgin follows that with an ego trip on the apron onto the concrete outside of the ring.

Edwards made a brief comeback with a forearm smash in the corner but Elgin immediately regains control Eddie finally comes back alive after a belly-to-belly on the floor then followed it with a tope that sent Elgin into the barricade. Edwards followed with a big backpack stunner for a two count.

Elgin outpowered Edwards momentarily but Edwards cut off Elgin with a blue thunder bomb. Elgin blocked the Boston knee party and countered Edwards by taking him out with a sliding D and a running elbow to the back of the neck. Eddie starts fighting back with forearms to the face, blocks Elgin and both end up with a double clothesline. Neither fall to the floor. 

Edwards finally takes out Elgin with a clothesline and follows with a tiger bomb for a nearfall. Elgin grabbed Edwards and went for a buckle bomb but Edwards escaped with a hurricanrana. Elgin cut off Edwards and took him to the to the top rope, hitting a big German suplex for another nearfall.

Elgin took out Edwards with a splash mountain, but Edwards took out Elgin’s knees and went for the legs but Elgin freed himself, blocked the Boston knee party and went for an STF. Edwards escaped. Elgin didn’t like this and argued with the referee. He hit the buckle bomb, but Edwards floated over Elgin and rolled him up for the win. 

Rhino said he would take out Moose tonight. He used the F word here, I guess that’s new.

Moose defeated Rhino in a No DQ match

This was a good brawl while it lasted. This was probably the best route to go as I don’t know how this would have been as a straight up singles match. People were into the big spots. 

Moose and Rhino started off strong, with Moose hitting a spear that sent Rhino to the outside. Moose used a chair as the two went on the stage. Rhino back body dropped Moose onto the stage. Moose cut off Rhino and set up a table on the apron and barricade. Rhino escapes, then gives Moose a very slow pop-up powerbomb through the table.

Moose gets the heat back in the ring, beating Rhino with a trash can lid and follows with a senton splash. Moose went for an elbow, emulating Randy Savage, but only gets a two count. He puts a chair on Rhino as he went for another elbow, but Rhino planted him with chair shots. After setting up a number of chairs, Rhino superplexed Moose onto the chairs but wasn’t able to get the three count.

Rhino set up a table and went for the gore but Moose cut him off and hit a dropkick in the corner, then another one. Rhino cut off Moose and went for the gore, but Moose pulled the referee in front of him, sending them both into the table. A second referee came out, but Moose kicked out at two.

Moose low blowed Rhino then speared him to get the win.

Backstage, a medical official said that Swann couldn’t compete and can’t even second Willie Mack ringside. Swann didn’t like that and argued with the official. Mack told Swann to do what’s best for himself.

The North (Ethan Page and Josh Alexander) defeated Willie Mack to retain the Impact Tag Team titles

This was real good, and exactly what it needed to be. Mack is excellent and is a great babyface, and that helped the match tons. There were some really great spots near the end.

The North immediately started to double team Mack, but Mack took them both out and clubbed Alexander in the back of the head. He went to go for a tope, but Page distracted him long enough for Alexander to come back. They showed Swann looking concerned backstage as both members of the North worked Mack over. 

Mack started to make his comeback on Alexander, working over both of the North. Page helped Alexander avoid a standing moonsault. Mack came back and went for the six star frog splash, but Page distracted him long enough for Alexander to lay him out. They landed a pair of double team maneuvers, but Mack kicked out.

The North next went for a double superplex but took out Page. Alexander wound up on Page’s shoulders as Mack hit an insane Canadian destroyer as he made a big comeback. He took out Page on the outside and hit the frog splash on Alexander. Mack went for the cover, but Page dragged the referee to the outside.

Mack hit the stunner on Page but Alexander came back as the North double teamed him, planting Mack with a reverse fireman’s carry into a spinebuster for the win.

Next PPV in April is Rebellion, which will take place at Terminal 5 in New York City. No specific date was given.

Tessa Blanchard defeated Sami Callihan to win the Impact World title

This was a really good match.  Maybe a little too long, but they told the story that was needed and both did a great job of telling it. Despite everything that happened yesterday, the crowd was 100% behind Blanchard and popped when she pinned Callihan.

Callihan immediately booted Blanchard and gave her a piledriver, but she kicked out at two. Callihan put her on the top rope, but Blanchard sent him back down by biting him on the forehead. He planted hm with a codebreaker for a two count. Blanchard took him down with a headscissors then followed with two sucide dives. She went for a third, but Callihan grabbed her. Blanchard instead gave him a hurricanrana and a somersault dive to the floor.

Callihan cut off Blanchard and sent her knees first into the guardrail. Callian took her down and applied an Indian deathlock. Crowd is fully behind Blanchard. Callihan continued to work on her knees until she sent Callihan to the floor and started to make a comeback with some chops.

Cutting her off, Callihan swent to the outside, setting up a table to put Blanchard through but Blanchard came back with a running senton. Callihan grabber her and powerbombed her through the table.

Blanchard makes it back into the ring as she brawled with Callihan on the apron. Blanchard went for the eyes then hit the magnum on the apron, sending them both tumbling back onto the floor. They eventually went back to the ring. Blanchard kept daring Callihan to hit her. Callihan eventually attacked her knee, but Blanchard immediately hit a samoan drop.

It is now Blanchard on offense, hitting another magnum. She went to the top rope but Callihan cut her off, went after the knee and hit the Get Outta Here for the two count. Callihan landed for a German suplex, but Blanchard no sold it and hit a counter for a very close nearfall.

Callihan was the first to react with a sitout powerbomb, then went after Blanchard’s leg with an inverted half crab, then an STF. Blanchard tried for the rope break, but Callihan grabbed her hand. Blanchard made the break by using her foot.

After the referee took away the Impact title, Callihan went for brass knuckles. Blanchard low blowed him, hit the top rope magnum and went for an STF, but Callihan escaped and hit another package piledriver for a close nearfall. Blanchard fired back, hitting two canadian destroyers and finally finished off Callihan with the DDT to for the win.

Blanchard’s celebration did not last long as the show went off the air not too long after she pinned Callihan. The first half of this show wasn’t great at all, but at least picked up after Elgin/Edwards.