Impact Wrestling live results: Jordynne Grace & Mickie James team up

Ahead of their title vs. career clash at January’s Hard to Kill, Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace will team with challenger Mickie James on Thursday’s Impact on AXS.

The two will face familiar foes in former Knockouts Champion Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans.

The Impact Knockouts Tag Team titles will be on the line as Rosemary & Jessicka of the Death Dollz will defend against former Knockouts Champion and Knockouts Tag Team Champion Deonna Purrazzo & Gisele Shaw.

This is a contractually obligated match after the Dollz defeated Purrazzo & Chelsea Green of VXT. With Green gone, Purrazzo reluctantly turned to Shaw despite blaming her for ruining Green’s career.

In search of a World title match, Steve Maclin will take on former champion Rich Swann.

Former Impact X-Division Champion “Speedball” Mike Bailey will return after his hour-long bout with Impact World Champion Josh Alexander two weeks ago, taking on NJPW’s Yuya Uemura.

The BTI pre-show will see former Knockouts Champion Taylor Wilde take on past NWA and AEW competitor KiLynn King.

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BTI:

Taylor Wilde defeated Kilynn King

Wilde really didn’t change anything about her style in this match other then her look. King, however, got a ton of offence and dominated the majority of the match. I would think King is someone that Impact would benefit from picking up because she is an exceptional talent.

King hit a dropkick off the middle ropes for a 2-count as the announcers put over King, talking about her match with Mayu Iwatani on NJPW Strong not long ago. King hit a knee off the second ropes that sent Wilde to the floor. Wilde got hit with a suicide dive but responded with a tornado DDT on the floor before hitting a headscissors takeover back in the ring. King got up immediately and hit a clothesline for a 2-count.

King hit several chops on Wilde, but Wilde ducked the last one and hit some forearms and a chop of her own. King floated over a corner charge and hit a suplex for a 2-count. Wilde rolled through a suplex into a guillotine choke, but King stood up and drove Wilde back to the corner. King went for the Excalibuster, but Wilde countered and hit a shotgun dropkick into the corner before hitting a neckbreaker for the 3-count.

Main Show

After the opening recap setting up the main event for tonight, Deonna Purrazzo’s music hit for the first match.

Knockouts Tag Team Champions Death Dollz (Rosemary & Jessicka) (w/ Taya Valkyrie) defeated Deonna Purrazzo & Gisele Shaw (w/ Jai Vidal) to retain

I wasn’t aware the Freebird rule was in effect with the Death Dollz, but they successfully defended their titles here, nonetheless.

Jessicka and Purrazzo started the match, but as soon as Jessicka threw Purrazzo around, Shaw tagged in. Attempting to continue the advantage, Jessicka tagged out to Rosemary. Rosemary ended up getting double teamed by Shaw and Purrazzo, but Jessicka took the advantage back with a crossbody to a seated Shaw. Rosemary speared Shaw off the knee of Jessicka for the win.

– Jordynne Grace & Mickie James talked backstage about their upcoming match with Tasha Steelz & Savanah Evans with Grace telling James that she wanted James to defeat Steelz. Later, Gisele Shaw and Deonna Purrazzo came face to face and said they would never team again.

Sami Callihan confronts The Design

– Sami Callihan called out The Design to continue their battle from last week. The Design came out and Deaner cut a meandering promo about Callihan having a sickness, and the sickness being him wanting the fans to like him. He said the antidote to the sickness was violence. Callihan surprised them by asking to join The Design.

Angels said that Callihan wasn’t what he used to be, and he could never join. Callihan said that he softened Eric Young up for Deaner, and that he wanted The Design, but wondered if they wanted him. Deaner punched Callihan in the face and they beat him down. Deaner went to the eyes of Callihan before hitting a DDT and the crowd booed. I’m really not into this gimmick.

– Tommy Dreamer wanted to talk to Josh Alexander backstage, and Alexander said he appreciated what Dreamer went through last week, and that if Dreamer needed to be forgiven so he could handle this on his own, Alexander forgave him. He wanted to focus on Bully Ray on his own and not have to be concerned about Dreamer.

– A great video package aired of Ace Austin and Chris Bey getting big wins in the NJPW Super Junior Tag League. I did find it amusing they used it to promote Impact Plus, when the whole shows can be seen on NJPW World, but good for Impact in getting rights to air footage from NJPW on Impact Plus. That is really cool.

Mike Bailey defeated Yuya Uemura

This match was awesome. Bailey is truly great, and Uemura keeps looking better and better. Both stood out as great here.

Bailey coming off his big match with Josh Alexander wasted no time in taking it to Uemura with kicks in this match, including a big yakuza kick in the corner and a Vader bomb for a 2-count. Both men exchange hard strikes in the middle of the ring, which ended with Uemura hitting a flying forearm after hitting the ropes. Uemura followed up with a bulldog for a 2-count.

Uemura hit a powerslam for a 2-count just as they came back from break. Bailey went for a hard PK, but Uemura ducked and went to the top ropes. He knocked Bailey off the top ropes, but Bailey got up and hit a kick that sent Uemura to the floor before hitting an incredible moonsault to the floor.

Bailey hit a PK and then a moonsault knee drop to the chest of Uemura for a 2-count. Uemura caught Bailey after a spinning kick and he refused to let go until he hit a double underhook overhead suplex. Uemura hit a big clothesline and a belly-to-belly suplex and a crossbody to the floor after Bailey rolled to the floor.

Uemura went for another in the ring, but Bailey got the knees up. Bailey missed a big spinning kick and got hit with a German suplex. Bailey popped back up and hit the kick on his third attempt before hitting Ultima Weapon for the pinfall.

– The Major Players and Rhino & Heath were looking to get a tag team title shot, but the Motor City Machine Guns came out of the office and announced that they were going to face the Major Players, Rhino & Heath, and Ace Austin & Chris Bey in a 4-way elimination tag at Hard to Kill.

Bully Ray attacks

Jason Hotch & John Skyler came out to face Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice, but Bully Ray’s music hit and he chased Swinger and Dice off. Bully Ray beat up Hotch and Skylar before cutting a promo on Josh Alexander.

Ray ziptied Hotch to the ropes and threatened him, saying his career rested in the hands of Alexander. Alexander ran out to make the save, cutting Hotch free from the ropes. Hotch then grabbed Alexander, and Skylar helped, as Ray attacked Alexander. Hotch, Skylar, and Ray ziptied Alexander to the ropes. It seems it was a ruse.

Dreamer ran down to make the save, but Hotch & Skylar cut him off and Ray hit a piledriver and slammed a ladder onto the face of Dreamer before hitting it with a steel chair repeatedly.

Later, Alexander was backstage and told Scott D’Amore he wanted to stop playing by the rules while Bully Ray broke them, and he blamed himself for what happened with Tommy Dreamer. D’Amore said Dreamer knew what he was walking into, but that Alexander was right about needing to stop playing by the rules when it comes to Bully Ray. This led to them making the World title match at Hard to Kill a Full Metal Mayhem match, Impact’s version of TLC.

Steve Maclin vs. Rich Swann went to a double countout

I get that they’re trying to find things for Maclin to do until his match with Alexander later in 2023, whenever that is, but seeing him spin his wheels while waiting when it felt like the trigger should have been pulled a few months ago is frustrating. That said, the match between him and Swann that actually goes to a finish should be good, presumably at Hard to Kill.

Swann’s gift for resigning with the company for 2 years is facing who will likely be the next Impact World Champion, and Maclin certainly showed it in this match by hitting Swann hard with a uranage and some other moves before throwing Swann face first into the steps and onto the ramp. This match had a lot more in it, but the finish ruined it for me.

As Maclin went to hit the KIA on the ramp on Swann, went after a referee, which caused security to run out and try to break them all up. Maclin started fighting security, and Swann tried to get after him for some revenge, but the security pulled them apart as they swore at each other.

–Eddie Edwards cut a promo about how he wanted to move on, but his past from ROH keeps coming back with Jonathan Gresham. Alisha Edwards walked up and told him that he had to beat Gresham to finally put the past behind them. It’s kind of hard to believe these two are married since they were trying to act here, and it looked like they never met each other based on trying to act. Particularly with Alisha Edwards. Eddie looked like he was trying not to laugh at the end.

Jordynne Grace & Mickie James defeated Tasha Steelz & Savannah Evans

I liked the way they built to the finish of this match with James getting beat down, though being still in it, leading to Grace tagging in and cleaning house to win. That makes it clear that Grace poses a significant threat to the career of Mickie James, but also that Grace might be taking Mickie James too lightly, seeing her as someone that needs to be saved rather then as an equal opponent. I liked this a lot.

Steelz and Evans managed to isolate Grace early on, and when they came back from break, Grace managed to duck under a clothesline and roll into a tag to James. The announcers talked about how Mickie James was similar to Randy Couture in the UFC coming out of retirement to face Tim Sylvia, who Couture massacred. Hannifan asked if Grace was going to be like Silvia for James, where she could win the Knockouts title, or would Grace be like Lesnar, who ended Couture’s heavyweight career?

I actually enjoyed that analysis as someone who is very familiar with UFC and its history, but I imagine it would have been over the head of some wrestling fans. James was getting beat on by Evans throughout that discussion. Steelz and Evans made James pay repeatedly as Steelz stared at Grace while going for pinfalls. If James got pinned, she would obviously be forced to retire, and that is not something Grace wants, but it added to the interest of the match a bit for me.

Grace saved James from a pinfall after a powerbomb. James blocked a suplex from Evans and then Grace tagged herself in and grabbed Steelz from the corner to hit a muscle buster for the pinfall.

Final Thoughts:

A decent episode of Impact this week that was very promo heavy, but it did set up several matches for Hard to Kill, so I can’t complain too much. Impact is doing a very good job with Grace and James and making their match an intriguing one. I think it is the match I’m looking forward to the most for Hard to Kill, though I expect the Full Metal Mayhem with Alexander and Bully will main event the show despite it not having the same level of interest for me.

New matches and a new stipulation for Hard to Kill:

• Impact Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns defend against Major Players, Bullet Club, and Heath & Rhino in an elimination match
• Impact X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defends against Black Taurus
• Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against Bully Ray in a Full Metal Mayhem match