Impact Slammiversary XVII live results: Cage vs. Elgin
A big week for pro wrestling in Dallas wraps up tonight with Slammiversary XVII.
The Impact World Championship will be on the line, with Brian Cage defending his title against Michael Elgin. Elgin made his Impact debut by attacking Cage at April’s Rebellion pay-per-view. Cage won the World title from Johnny Impact at that show but suffered a back injury in the process, which has been worked into his feud with Elgin.
Three other title matches are set for tonight. Taya Valkyrie defends her Knockouts Championship against Rosemary, Havok, and Su Yung in a Monster’s Ball match. Johnny Impact is cashing in his X-Division title shot for a match against Rich Swann. And after winning the Tag Team titles from LAX on Friday night, The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) will defend against LAX and The Rascalz.
In a big intergender matchup, Tessa Blanchard will face off with Sami Callihan. Plus, Moose takes on RVD, Eddie Edwards and Killer Kross meet in a first blood match, and TJP will issue an open challenge.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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WILLIE MACK DEFEATED TJP, JAKE CRIST & TREY MIGUEL
A crazy opener. This was all action.
Highlights included Miguel hitting a double stomp off the top while TJP had Crist in a Romero Special.
The finish saw Crist hit a cutter off the top to Miguel. Mack jumped in with a Six Star Frog Splash and stole the pin.
IMPACT TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: THE NORTH DEFEATED LAX & THE RASCALZ TO RETAIN THE TITLES
Page and Alexander retained in a short match. Page broke up a Rascalz pinfall on Ortiz with a powerbomb, and Alexander stole the pin.
They did an injury angle with Santana to give LAX an out on the finish. He rolled outside and started selling his knee. Konnan was ringside, and they called out a referee and a doctor.
Highlights included Page and Alexander throwing guys around like the Steiners. Alexander hit a top rope fallaway slam, and Page hit a senton bomb. Dezmond Xavier hit some cool dives for The Rascalz as well.
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Sami Callahan cut a promo. He promised to beat Tessa Blanchard in the first intergender PPV main event in history.
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FIRST BLOOD MATCH: EDDIE EDWARDS DEFEATED KILLER KROSS
They did a video package with a lot of religious imagery before the match, and Kross entered wearing a priest’s collar. Edwards was dressed for a street fight.
Edwards got some shine, attacking Kross on the stage before the bell with a kendo stick. Kross cut him off with an apron bomb.
They traded chair shots. Kross kicked the kendo stick out of the ring as Edwards reached for it. They fought on the top rope, and Edwards crotched Kross.
With Kross draped in the ropes, Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party. He followed up with a tiger driver on the floor.
Edwards broke the kendo stick over his knee, and jammed the broken pieces down Kross’s throat. Kross spit up blood, and Edwards got the victory. A good brawl.
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They cut to a backstage investigative reporter who was looking for a word with Tessa as she arrived at the building. She pushed the reporter into the wall, and said nothing.
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RVD cut a promo. He was glassy-eyed. He said he respected Moose, who wasn’t waiting outside the Impact offices campaigning “the writers” for a match with RVD. He came right after RVD because he knew that’s where the money is. RVD promised to live up to the Mr. PPV moniker.
MOOSE DEFEATED ROB VAN DAM
RVD’s appearance in the pre-match promo was concerning, to say the least. He looked totally fine here, though. He did all of his trademark stuff, just slower than vintage RVD.
RVD hit a spinning wheel kick and a slingshot dive as he established the early advantage. Moose cut him off. Moose hit a delayed dropkick in the corner, then a vertical suplex.
RVD made a comeback, backdropping Moose over the top rope to the ramp. Back inside, RVD hit a split-legged moonsault. Moose hit the Go To Hell, but RVD kicked out. They traded DDTs.
Moose hit a low blow, but the ref missed it. Moose grabbed a chair from under the ring, and RVD hit the Van Daminator. He covered, but Moose forced a rope break.
RVD hit a drop toe hold on the chair. He went for a frog splash, but Moose rolled out of the way, so RVD hit the chair. Moose hit a spear for the pin. A fine match.
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Taya cut a promo. She promised to remain the “Impack” Knockouts Champion.
MONSTER’S BALL IMPACT KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: TAYA VALKARIE DEFEATED ROSEMARY, SU YUNG & HAVOK TO RETAIN THE TITLE
What is a Monster’s Ball match, you ask? From WikiPedia: “The key premise of the match was that all contenders are sequestered alone in a locked room without light, food, or water for twenty-four hours before the match. This stipulation is intended to induce extreme feelings of aggression in the competitors.
The locked away stipulation was simply forgotten about, however, and not mentioned since the sixth one. It is now simply a Street Fight, as the match has to end inside the ring.”
Taya grabbed a staple gun and went after Havok, but Havok avoided it. Rosemary clotheslined Havok to the floor. Taya pulled an 8×10 out of her gear, and stapled it to Yung’s forehead.
Havok set up a chair, and dropped Taya onto the chair with an elbow smash. Rosemary hit Havok with a missile dropkick, then hit her with a cookie sheet.
Yung brought a “demon collar” into the ring, and attached it to herself and Rosemary. She sent Rosemary head-first into a chair set up in the corner.
Taya used a ladder as a weapon on Havok. They did a stacked up superplex spot, and Rosemary suplexed Yung on the ladder. Rosemary speared Taya.
Rosemary dumped thumbtacks on the mat. She teased suplexing Taya on the tacks, but Taya hit a bulldog. Yung sprayed red mist in James Mitchell’s eyes. Taya put Rosemary through a table with a uranage.
The finish saw Havok use a super-tombstone off the second rope to Yung on the tacks. Taya jumped in and stole the pin.
Everyone worked hard and the match was much better than it looked it would be on paper. This is a nitpick, but it was hurt by the fact that they used the same finish they used in the two previous multi-person matches.
IMPACT X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: RICH SWANN DEFEATED JOHNNY IMPACT TO RETAIN THE TITLE
Johnny Bravo came to ringside with Impact. He threw streamers into the ring when Impact was announced. The Johnnys are entertaining, but it’s a total midcard comedy act.
The Johnny’s used a variety of heel tactics to get the edge early. Bravo gathered up some tacks from the previous match and spilled them in the ring, distracting the ref.
Swann hit a cartwheel into a splash in his first comeback. Impact cut him off, hitting a Johnny’s Edge for a nearfall. Impact went for a springboard attack, but Swann nailed him with an uppercut.
They traded strikes on the top rope, and both fell to the floor. They teased a double countout, but both made it back inside. Impact hit a Spanish Fly off the second rope, then hit another on the mat for a nearfall.
Swann took out Bravo with a leg lariat over the top. Impact missed a dive. Impact hit Starship Pain for a nearfall. Swann popped up and hit two cutters. He followed with a phoenix splash for the pin. A very good match.
IMPACT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: BRIAN CAGE DEFEATED MICHAEL ELGIN TO RETAIN THE TITLE
They started off with a striking battle. Cage sent Elgin outside, then hit a tope con giro. Elgin cut him off with a knee strike and a dragon suplex, then hit a superplex. Elgin hit a back suplex on the apron.
Back inside, Elgin missed a twisting senton, but was back on offense immediately. Cage came back with a tornado DDT, a 619, and an inverted falcon arrow for a nearfall. Elgin came back with a powerbomb, a lariat, and a crucifix bomb for a nearfall.
Elgin hit a buckle bomb, but Cage popped right out of the corner, hitting a discus lariat. They exchanged a series of knee strikes and superkicks. Elgin hit the last kick, setting Cage up for a buckle bomb. Cage reversed into his own buckle bomb.
Cage went for an F-5, but Elgin reversed it into a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. Cage hit a jumping knee strike, then connected with an F-5 for a nearfall.
Cage went for a Drill Claw, but his back gave out. Elgin hit a kick to the head, then a series of slaps. He teased an Elgin Bomb, but Cage used a sunset flip for the pin out of nowhere.
Elgin hit Cage with the title after the match, then posed with the belt. Don Callis got up from the announce desk to talk sense to Elgin. Elgin threw Callis into the ring.
A masked man ran in and hit a Gore on Elgin for the save.
The pace these guys maintained was impressive, and this was a fun sprint.
SAMI CALLAHAN DEFEATED TESSA BLANCHARD
Tessa got a superstar reaction.
She hit a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, sending Sami outside. Tessa hit two suicide dives. She went for a third, but Sami caught her. He whipped her head into the barricade twice, then hit a DVD on the floor.
Sami hit an apron bomb. They teased a countout, but Tessa made it back in at the count of eight. Tessa hit a neckbreaker, but Sami cut her off again with a big boot. Sami teased a powerbomb off the ramp, but Tessa turned it into an awesome cutter. They crawled back to the ring, and beat the count back inside.
Tessa hit a series of strikes. Sami flipped her off. Tessa hit a Samoan drop. She teased Magnum, but Sami popped up, so Tessa rolled through and landed on her feet. Tessa hit a DDT. She teased a second DDT, but Sami blocked it.
Sami hit a shoulder breaker, then used an STF. After a struggle, Tessa forced a rope break. Sami teased a second roe piledriver, but Tessa blocked it, then hit a codebreaker off the second rope.
The ref tried to force a break in the corner, but Tessa caught him with an accidental bow, and the ref took a bump. Sami grabbed a baseball bat. He hit Tessa. A second ref ran out to count the pin, but Tessa kicked out. The second ref took a bump.
Tessa hit a low blow, then grabbed her own baseball bat. She used the bat, then hit Magnum, but Sami kicked out.
Tessa rolled through into a crossface. Sami teased tapping out, but stood out of the hold instead. He hit a package tombstone for a nearfall.
Tessa got up and gave Sami the thumbs down sign. Sami hit a Cactus Special piledriver, and got the pin.
Sami grabbed both baseball bats after the match. He teased using them. Instead, he gave Tessa her bat back as a sign of respect.
The main event worked. Tessa is really a special talent, and Sami played his role to perfection. The finish sort of sucked the life out of the building, though.
All in all, this was a really good show.