Impact Wrestling live results: Christian & Josh Alexander team up
Impact World Champion Christian Cage is set to team up with his Bound For Glory challenger Josh Alexander against Ace Austin and Madman Fulton on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling.
This match comes after Alexander got involved in Fulton’s match last week with Christopher Daniels, causing Austin to vent his frustrations to Impact VP Scott D’Amore.
The war between the Bullet Club and FinJuice rages on as El Phantasmo teams with stablemates Hikuleo and Chris Bey to face off against David Finlay, Juice Robinson and Chris Sabin in a six-man tag team match. Sabin joined the fight against the Bullet Club last week, citing that he loves to beat up the group.
As Saturday’s Knockouts Knockdown special approaches, Mercedes Martinez will make her in-ring debut for the promotion when she teams with Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to take on Kimber Lee, Brandi Lauren and Lady Frost in a preview for Saturday.
Petey Williams, Black Taurus and Steve Maclin clash in another three-way first round matchup in the X-Division Championship tournament with the winner advancing to Bound for Glory.
Also, Heath will address the Impact faithful following his return last week.
The BTI pre-show will feature Laredo Kid vs. Matthew Rehwoldt.
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Laredo Kid defeated Matthew Rehwoldt on BTI
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Opening video recapped last week’s Eddie Edwards vs W. Morrissey main event street fight that ended with Moose and Morrissey taking out Edwards. Also, Christopher Daniels’ first match on Impact in years.
Bullet Club (El Phantasmo, Chris Bey, & Hikuleo) defeated FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) & Chris Sabin
FinJuice and the Bullet Club have been feuding for months now, ever since FinJuice returned, chasing after Jay White. As of late, El Phantasmo made his return to Impact, to reinforce Hikuleo and Bey, so in return, FinJuice recruited Chris Sabin to even the odds. Moreover, The Good Brothers proposed that whoever won this match, could be nominated as #1 contenders for the Impact tag team championships.
Match started with FinJuice and Sabin controlling the action, taking turns to punish ELP, but after some minutes, Robinson was a bit too overconfident trying to take on both ELP and Bey, but he ended up getting cut off from his corner. Hikuleo tagged in, but Robinson was too quick for him and managed to tag out and bring in Finlay.
Hikuleo came close to also cutting off Finlay, but he managed to take on all three men and tag in Sabin, who also had a short flurry of offense. With control of the ring, FinJuice and Sabin all hit dives on their opponents.
Last couple of minutes saw both teams go all tornado tag and take turns hitting signature moves and getting near falls, but at the end, it came down to Sabin and Bey, with the former setting up the cradle shock, but Hikuleo distracted the referee, allowing ELP to low blow Sabin, and the art of finesse from Bey for the win. Really good opener.
We may finally get an Elite vs Bullet Club match at Bound For Glory.
– Gia Miller interviewed Josh Alexander about teaming with Christian Cage. Alexander said that any other day, teaming with Cage would be an honor, but tonight, it’s a front row seat to show Cage what he will have to deal with at Bound For Glory.
– D’lo Brown and Josh Matthews ran down some of the matches scheduled for tonight and for Saturday’s Knockout Knockdown show.
– Heath came down to the ring after making his return last week, when he confronted Violent By Design. Heath brought up that he was sidelined for a whole year and for that whole year, Rhino disappeared from his side, but it wasn’t his fault, he knew it was all because of Eric Young’s involvement. Heath called out Rhino to talk, but instead he got Violent By Design.
Young told Heath that he had changed Rhino and got rid of the old Rhino that Heath knew. EY said he wasn’t Rhino in reaction to the fan’s chants, because Rhino belonged to him and he talked for Rhino. He told Heath to leave Impact because he had no more business there.
Heath rejected EY’s order and instead fought back at VBD’s threats. Heath was quickly taken down by Doering and kept down by Deaner. EY broke their flag pole over Heath’s back, but Rhino never came out for the save.
– Miller interviewed Willie Mack about his chances of qualifying to the Bound For Glory X Division match. While he talked, he was interrupted by Brian Myers’ Learning Tree, ending with Swann and Mack challenging them to match. Myers berated them for thinking they had a chance at defeating Swann and Mack after they had already defeated Myers and VSK last week.
Mercedes Martinez, Tasha Steelz, & Savannah Evans defeated Lady Frost, Brandi Lauren, & Kimber Lee
This is the first match we’ve officially seen of Lauren and Lee after becoming Su Yung’s Undead soldiers. This is also Mercedes Martinez debut for Impact. All these women will be part of Knockout’s Knockdown Impact+ special.
Match interestingly enough, had Lee and Lauren work as babyfaces, with the latter being the babyface in peril for some minutes. The story of the match however, was all about Tasha Steelz and Martinez not working together, at one point even antagonizing each other, leading up to the finish that saw Steelz steal the pin from Martinez.
Both Martinez and Steelz are part of the Knockouts Knockdown tournament, with the potential of facing each other until the finals.
After the match, we saw Alisha Edwards attack Kimber Lee and Brandi Lauren after they had ‘killed’ one of Swinger’s valets, who were supposedly Alisha’s friends. Edwards challenged Kimber Lee, but instead Gail Kim added her to the Knockouts Knockout Monster’s Ball against Kimber Lee, Jordynne Grace, and Savannah Evans. The match will honor the memory of Daffney. Good little angle to set up the match, but the heat felt forced, Alisha is retaliating almost a month after the incident.
– We got a new installment of “All About Me” with Tenille Dashwood, Madison Rayne, and Kaleb. They talked about winning the titles at Knockouts Knockdown and their new team called The Collab.
Their special guest interviewers were Decay, but it became a joke of Dashwood swearing a lot. Rosemary asked Dashwood and Rayne if they felt lucky for Saturday, but Dashwood tried to cancel the interview. Rosemary threatened to not over take over their show set, but for their demons to possess their bodies.
– Moose and Morrissey cut a promo about sending Edwards and Callihan to the hospital. They talked about having an alliance and how they’re entering the Call Your Shot Gauntlet and dominate as an alliance until it comes down to them. They’re such a great unit.
Steve Maclin defeated Petey Williams & Black Taurus in an X Division Championship match qualifier
The winner of this match advances to the Bound For Glory X Division 3-way match, against the already qualified Trey Miguel.
Match started with Taurus and Williams wrestling after Maclin had been taken out, Williams got most of the offense, the sequence ended with a tornillo by Taurus on Maclin and a baseball slide from Williams on Taurus.
Back in the ring, all three men took more turns to pair up together and trade momentum. Maclin first took out Williams, then he got taken out by Taurus, then Williams came back and took out both, when he started to tease the destroyer.
All three men exchanged strikes in the middle of the ring with Taurus getting a near fall after a crucifix bomb. Taurus blocked the destroyer and went for a superplex, but was cut off by Maclin, who took him out, hit the corner spear on Williams. Finish finally saw Williams hit the destroyer on Taurus, only for Maclin to run in and hit mayhem for all on Williams for the win.
Steve Maclin once again steals the win from William and advances to Bound For Glory.
– Gia Miller interviewed Christian Cage about teaming with Josh Alexander. He pretty much said the same thing as Alexander, but having the best seat in the room to realize that Alexander is not on Cage’s level.
Afterwards, Christopher Daniels confronted Cage and told him he is there to win the title he never won.
– Over at Swinger’s Palace, they’re all packed up after being shut down by Scott D’Amore last week. Fallah Bahh walked to tell them they got what they deserved.
Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated The Learning Tree (Manny Lemons & Zicky Dice)
This was a squash. Swann and Mack first worked over Dice, and when Dice ran away, Lemons came in to get punished by Swann and Mack. Swann pinned Lemons after an elevated neckbreaker.
After the match, Myers, VSK, and Sam Beale all ran down and jumped Mack and Swann. This angle felt like Swann and Mack may not go on separate paths for Bound For Glory after all.
– Scott D’Amore and Gail Kim met with Deonna Purrazzo about her attack on Mickie James last week in James’ house. James rushed into the office and tried to jump Purrazzo, but D’Amore, Kim, and Rehwoldt managed to separate them. D’Amore implemented a no-touch clause, where if James attacks Purrazzo, she loses her title shot, if Purrazzo attacks James, she will be stripped of the title.
Kim decided to book a Pick Your Poison set of matches, Purrazzo must defend her title at Knockouts Knockdown against James’ pick first.
Impact World Champion Christian Cage & Josh Alexander defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Cage and Alexander are scheduled to wrestle for the Impact World title at Bound For Glory after Alexander relinquished the X Division title under Option C rules and challenged Cage. Yet, ever since before Victory Road, Cage has feuded with Ace Austin when he was the #1 contender. This match came up after Austin and Fulton decided to go after both Alexander and Cage.
Match started with Fulton and Cage, with both men trading control a couple of times, Fulton at one point even took down both Cage and Alexander at the same time. Fulton cut off Alexander when he tagged in.
Austin and Fulton kept Alexander at bay for a good couple of minutes before Alexander broke away from Austin to tag out. Cage came in with the hot tag on Austin, but he was also eventually cut off when he distracted himself with Fulton on the apron, allowing Austin to kick him down and tag in Fulton to finalize the isolation.
Cage was the babyface in peril until he got the opening to take down Austin with a desperation spear. Alexander took on Fulton and managed to get him up for a blue thunder bomb and a series of Germans, but Fulton eventually pushed Alexander back to his corner. Fulton went to chokeslam Alexander, but Cage saved the match, took out Fulton outside the ring, leaving the ring for Alexander to lock in the ankle lock on Austin. Cage blind tagged himself and hit the killswitch on Austin after Alexander had hit chaos theory. Good main event.
Cage and Alexander never showed dissension until the very last spot. Both men exchanged some words after the match, but left it at words.