Impact Wrestling live results: Josh Alexander vs. Mike Bailey World title match
The Impact Tag Team titles will be the line Thursday as Heath & Rhino will defend against the Motor City Machine Guns.
Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin currently hold the NJPW Strong Tag Team titles and will look to join FTR as another team who currently holds multiple major titles in various promotions.
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander will be in the Impact Zone to share his thoughts following the events at Over Drive that saw his next title challenger, Bully Ray, get physical with both himself and his wife. The two will square off at January’s Hard to Kill.
Taya Valkyrie, one half of the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, will take on Savannah Evans weeks after Evans and Tasha Steelz were unable to defeat Valkyrie and Jessicka for the titles.
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel will face Jason Hotch in non-title action on the BTI pre-show.
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BTI included a recap of last week, where the showed the entire video where Deaner killed Eric Young. It was something.
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defeated Jason Hotch in a non-title match
This was a really good opening match on the preshow with Miguel looking sharp in his offense, and Hotch showing a little bit of what he has.
The announcers let us know that Hotch was trained in part by Miguel, so that added a little intrigue to this match with it being student vs teacher. Miguel didn’t let Hotch get much offence, showing his new mean streak against Hotch in the early parts of this match. Hotch got face washed by Miguel’s elbow in the corner and hit with a snapmare.
Hotch tried to strike Miguel on the apron, but Miguel did a neckbreaker over the ropes and hit a twisting suplex off the ropes before back suplexing Hotch on the apron. Miguel made the young Hotch suffer with chokes and hard strikes. Miguel went for a clothesline, but Hotch ducked under and hit a spinning enziguri before floating over the ropes onto the apron and diving in, but Miguel caught him with a series of hard kicks and a dropkick to the back of the neck. Miguel hit a brainbuster and then a lightning spiral for the pinfall.
– Josh Matthews explained he just learned a new word: Mid. This is the biggest news out of BTI. Matthews must be listening to MJF promos lately.
Main Show
Impact opened with a recap of Deaner murdering Eric Young, which still begs the question – since this aired on TV, why hasn’t Deaner been arrested yet? Deaner claimed Violent By Design was a movement and that the movement would live on, reborn without Eric Young, and cleansed by the blood of Young. This is stupid. Deaner, Angles, & Kon declared war on Sami Callihan.
The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Impact Tag Team Champions Rhino & Heath went to a no contest
Well, this was a bad finish. Too many companies are reliant on the interference non-finish to extend a story. This was good tag match until the finish. I was hoping to see a clean one with either team going over, but I do recognize they are trying to tell a story with the Major Players trying to get the tag titles.
Rhino and Sabin started the match, with Sabin using speed to outmove Rhino. Shelley and Heath tagged in, and Alex Shelley was able to use his technical wrestling experience to stay a step ahead of Heath, including stepping onto the apron and then back into the ring to wrap Heath’s arm in the ropes. Heath responded with a shoulder tackle and moved into using stomps and punches.
The Guns used their vast experience as a tag team to isolate Heath, hitting a nasty dragon screw on Heath and working over both knees. Shelley put Heath in a figure four, and Heath had to fight to get to the ropes. Heath got a tag to Rhino, but Rhino was cut off from attempting the gore by Shelley. Unfortunately, this didn’t stop Sabin from getting hit with a TKO.
Sabin ducked a clothesline from Rhino and dropkicked the knee of Heath, but were soon attacked by Brian Myers and Matt Cardona for the no contest.
– A recap aired of Bully Ray and Josh Alexander’s feud this far. Alexander was backstage with Scott D’Amore and said he had to take care of this tonight and he needed to do it his way.
– Johnny Swinger showed up with Zicky Dice and said that he was gassed up and ready for a title shot. D’Amore told him to win 50 matches, and Swinger smiled and said “So, there’s a chance!” and I laughed. This was great.
– Jordynne Grace and Mickie James were at a photoshoot, and Grace said that she respected Mickie James enough to retire her. This was good.
Savannah Evans (w/ Tasha Steelz) defeated Taya Valkyrie (w/ Rosemary & Jessicka)
Looks like we’ll be seeing a rematch between the two teams here, and I suspect the titles with switch over.
Does Evans have a history of eating her opponents? Her nickname is the Cannibal, but I have seen no evidence of this. Thank goodness. Evans overpowered Valkyrie, forcing her back to her corner, where Valkyrie sought advice from Rosemary and Jessicka, who yelled “DEATH DOLLZ.” Not the best coaching, but it motivated her to send Evans to the floor.
Evans pulled Valkyrie into a splits on the apron and then directly to the floor. Valkyrie hit a huge blue thunder bomb on Evans for a 2-count. Valkyrie put Evans in an STF, which Hannifan called a modified STF, which it was not. Evans powered out, but was talking with Steelz and got rolled up before eating a knee from Valkyrie. Evans countered out of the road to Valhalla and hit a full nelson slam for the pinfall.
– Moose attacked Gujjar backstage and told him to tell Joe Hendry he was coming for him.
– Delirious cut a promo (with subtitles) on Eddie Edwards, saying that without the mask on his head, he set Edwards on the next ten years of his career (alluding to his time booking ROH and Edwards) before saying he would meet Edwards with honor.
Kon (w/ Deaner & Angels) defeated Sami Callihan
The announcers went on about how Deaner now had the spiritual power of The Design, whatever that means. Kon hit a lariat on Callihan. Kon cornered Callihan and hit an almost botched spinebuster before smashing Callihan with forearms. Callihan hit a stunner and a bodyslam on Kon.
Callihan hit a series of hard chops, but Kon walked out of the corner and then kicked out at one after a forearm shot. Kon rolled to the floor and chokeslammed Callihan on the ring. Kon hit a Death Valley driver on Callihan for the win.
As VBD (now The Design) was celebrating, they cut to the back with Tommy Dreamer saying he needed to talk with Alexander, but Alexander brushed him off and kept walking.
– A recap of Miguel winning on the BTI pre-show aired, and the Gia Miller asked Miguel if he was being disrespectful by tagging the title with his logo. Miguel pulled out spray paint and threatened to tag Miller. Crazzy Steve came up from behind the couch they were sitting on and said that he didn’t blame him for his tactics, but that he and Taurus were going to tag him with blood.
– Josh Alexander came out and announced that doing things his way of doing things was to do an open challenge for the title. Alexander said that he wanted Bully Ray to answer the challenge, because if he won, he was champ, if he lost, he still gets a shot at Hard to Kill. Bully Ray appeared on the screen and said he was busy looking at pictures of what he did at Over Drive, and he was too busy tonight, and that he wouldn’t break his word, and it was going to happen on January 13th. Mike Bailey’s music hit, and it looks like he is going to challenge for the title.
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defeated Mike Bailey to retain
What an incredible main event. If you only watch one thing from this show, it should be this. What a great match between these two, going a few seconds short of an hour. Josh Alexander is truly one of the best in the world today, and he showed it in this match with Mike Bailey. Impact clearly realize they got something in Bailey as well, as you don’t give a guy this kind of match against the champion without seeing big things in his future. Absolutely fantastic main event to cap off a very good episode of Impact Wrestling.
Alexander immediately accepted the challenge and a referee came down and rang the bell. Bailey took it right to Alexander, hitting a kick after a fast paced exchanged. Alexander responded with a forearm to the face of Bailey, and used his size to nail Bailey with some knees. Alexander dropped Bailey with a chop, but Bailey responded with some of his own before hitting a series of kicks that sent Alexander to the floor.
Bailey hit a tope con giro to the floor and high fived fans in the front row. That was awesome. Bailey hit double knees to the stomach of Alexander for a 2-count. Alexander was sent into the corner but popped back out with a big boot to Bailey. Alexander beat on the former X-Division champion with chops and hit a backbreaker for a 2-count.
Bailey hit a series of kicks to drop Alexander and get back in the fight a little bit. Bailey hit a corkscrew standing shooting star press on Alexander. Alexander ducked a kick and hit a series of German suplexes before hitting a straight jacket German suplex for a 2-count. Bailey flipped out of the C4 spike, but Bailey flipped out of it and Alexander tried for an ankle lock.
Bailey responded by targeting the shoulder that Alexander hurt in the match with Kazarian, going for a kimura. Alexander tried to break the hold by hitting a Death Valley driver into the corner, but Bailey sat up on the shoulders and hit a poison rana for a 2-count. When they came back from break, Alexander was back in control, hitting knees to the face of Bailey.
Bailey tried to spring board off the ropes, but Bailey hit him with a forearm. Bailey hit a series of kicks ending with a spinning kick to the face in the corner. Bailey went for the ultima weapon, but Alexander dodged and then hit a powerbomb into a backbreaker. Alexander went for the C4 Spike, but his arm couldn’t support him. Alexander went for it again, but Bailey shifted weight to cause both of them to spill over the top rope and to the floor.
Bailey hit a triangle moonsault to the floor on Alexander, and then a missile dropkick into the ring. Bailey nailed Alexander with a kick and went for a spinning kick into the corner, but Alexander caught the foot and went for the ankle lock. Bailey escaped by going after the headgear of Alexander, but Alexander responded with hard forearms.
Bailey and Alexander exchanged strikes in the middle of the ring and both went down after a kick from Bailey. Alexander rolled to the apron and blocked a pump kick from Bailey, pulling him over the ropes and hitting a powerslam on the apron. That looked brutal. Bailey hit a dragon screw on the arm of Alexander before going for a hurricanrana. Alexander tried to counter into a C4 Spike off the ropes, but Bailey hit a kick. Bailey went for the Flamingo Driver, but Alexander slipped out and hit a torture rack bomb before locking on an ankle lock.
Bailey rolled out and hit ultima weapon, but Bailey was left grabbing his knee and unable to go for the pinfall. Bailey nailed Alexander with a PK. Bailey hit a big kick to the face of Alexander, and another to the damaged left arm. Alexander still had a good right arm though, and managed to hit a series of German suplexes.
Alexander went for a superplex, but Bailey went back to the kimura. Alexander caught a kick and pulled Bailey into an Olympic slam in the ring for a 2-count. Alexander hit an Olympic slam off the top rope for a 2-count. The announcers told us that the planned main event of Eddie Edwards and Delirious was pushed to next week due to this match going long. I was baffled when they said that was the main event for tonight, so it now makes sense.
Alexander and Bailey were exhausted as the match neared the 1-hour mark, with Bailey barely able to stand, but it turns out he was playing possum and hit a series of hard kicks for a 2-count on Alexander. At the 10-minute call, Alexander rapidly went for the ankle lock, this time rolling through the kicks of Bailey. Alexander pulled Bailey into a tombstone for a 2-count and went right back to the ankle lock.
Bailey got out of it again and tried to kick Alexander in the corner, but Alexander caught the foot and put in the ropes before stomping on the back of the knee of Bailey and going back to the ankle lock. Bailey tried to drag himself to the ropes in a great spot where it looked like he was going to tap, and barely made it.
Alexander went on the top rope with a fireman’s carry, but Bailey slipped out. Bailey landed hard on his leg and his knee and ankle buckled, but Bailey was still able to get back up. Alexander got Bailey trapped in the tree of woe, but Bailey sat up out of it and hit a super hurricanrana on Alexander before hitting ultima weapon. Alexander got his foot on the ropes for a 2-count.
David Penzer made the 3-minutes left call, and Bailey fired up and hit a kick in the corner before going for the Flamingo driver, but Alexander fought out and hit a Styles clash before going back to an ankle lock. Bailey fought out by kicking the injured shoulder of Alexander and going to the ropes. Alexander grabbed both feet and ripped Bailey off the mat into a piledriver before going for the C4 Spike. Alexander hit it and hit a second with 20 seconds left in the match for the win with less than 10 seconds left in the match.