Impact Wrestling live results: Josh Alexander vs. Minoru Suzuki
The go-home edition of Impact Wrestling before Saturday’s Turning Point is headlined by a massive clash between Josh Alexander and Minoru Suzuki.
The two have been at odds for weeks and will finally meet in a main event singles bout.
Thursday’s show will also feature matches that have Turning Point implications as Steve Maclin will face Laredo Kid where the stipulation is that if Maclin wins, Saturday’s X-Division title match between champion Trey Miguel vs. Laredo Kid becomes a three-way.
Just days before their Knockouts Tag Team title defense against Decay at Turning Point, The IInspiration will take on the Undead Bridesmaids (Kimber Lee & Brandi Lauren) in non-title action.
Thursday will also see a preview of Saturday’s Tag Team title match with Doc Gallows vs. Hikuleo. Gallows and Karl Anderson (The Good Brothers) will defend the belts against Hikuleo and Chris Bey (Bullet Club) on Saturday.
The BTI pre-show match will see Brian Myers face former Learning Tree stablemate Sam Beale.
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Brian Myers defeated Sam Beale on BTI
Myers attacked Beale with a chair after the match. Rich Swann and Willie Mack made the save.
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Opening video was a recap of last week’s main event that saw Eddie Edwards get crowned as the number one contender to Moose’s World title, defeating W. Morrissey and Matt Cardona.
Steve Maclin defeated Laredo Kid
The stipulation of this match was that if Maclin could defeat Laredo Kid, Maclin would be added to the Turning Point X Division title match between Trey Mguel and Laredo Kid. This came after Maclin argued to D’Amore and Miguel that he was unpinned and unsubmitted since he joined the Impact roster and deserved a shot.
Match started with a couple of spots going back and forth with reversals and lucha sequences, ending with Maclin dodging a dive from Kid and following with one of his own where it seemed like he connected Kid on the chin with his head.
Back in the ring, Maclin missed the corner crosshair spear, which Kid turned it into a senton to the floor. Kid hit a Michinoku driver and a set of moonsaults for a near fall. Kid went for a third one, but Maclin dodged, connected with a running knee for a two count.
Both men traded a couple of strikes, Kid hit a DDT, only for Maclin to jump and hit a lariat for the double knockout tease. Kid came back with a poisonrana for a two count, tried to follow with a moonsault, but was Maclin recovered, hit the crosshair and Mayhem for all for the win.
Maclin will join Laredo Kid as they challenge Trey Miguel for the X Division title at Turning Point.
– We got a recap of Brian Myers taking out Sam Bealer on BTI with a chair. Afterwards, we saw Beale being sent to the hospital while Swann cut a promo on Myers, saying that his actions were disgusting and instead, challenged Myers to a singles match at Turning Point. Good promo, but weird to do it with Beale on a stretcher in the back.
– Trey Miguel addressed Maclin’s win. He said that Maclin kept getting shots because he complains that he’s never pinned, so he promised to go straight for him at Turning Point.
– Gia Miller asked Ace Austin if he had accepted the challenge that Chris Sabin issued last week. Austin said he wasn’t going to accept the challenge, but then Sabin confronted him and told him that Austin needed to prove himself and prove that he could get the win without Fulton doing the work for him. Austin and Fulton attacked Sabin, and once again, it was Fulton who did most of the work.
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay) defeated The Undead Bridesmaids (Kimber Lee & Brandi Lauren) in a non-title match
Two weeks ago, Cassie Lee and McKay recruited Lauren and Kimber Lee to take out Decay, but after failing to do so, The IInspiration decided to teach them a lesson and take them out of the division, hence this match.
This was a squash. IInspiration controlled early on by dodging around the Bridesmaids attacks and constant tags. Lauren would try to make a comeback and managed to clear the ring at one point, but Lee and McKay quickly came back, took out Kimber Lee, and pinned Lauren with a double team move.
After the match, all of Decay came out to confront The IInspiration. Decay surrounded the ring, took the titles as Lee and McKay sat in fear. Good flex by Decay, but having Crazzy Steve and Taurus out there could come off a bit heelish.
– Impact+ Flashback Moment of the Week was Rhino and Heath defeating Reno Scum from last year.
– We got a recap of Chelsea Green pinning Alisha Edwards to become the number one contender to the Digital Media Championship. Afterwards, Miller interviewed Green about her challenge. Green said that as soon as she saw the title, she knew she wanted the title and was going for it.
Miller also asked Matt Cardona about his direction after losing last week’s main event. Cardona said that he was going to keep on chasing the title and wanted to take on whoever won at Turning Point. W. Morrissey confronted him and told Cardona that he wasn’t going to get that shot, because Morrissey would. Cardona challenged Morrissey to a match at Turning Point.
– Gia Miller interviewed Eddie Edwards about being the first challenger to Moose. Edwards brought up the history they’ve had before Moose jumped him from behind. Moose and Edwards brawled to the stage and to ringside, where Moose dropped Edwards with an apron bomb. Moose attacked Edwards’ neck with a chair, but was able to recover and dodge a second attack. Edwards hit Moose with a chair, hit a Liger bomb, a Boston knee party, and tried to finish the job by diving on Moose from a ladder through a table, but Moose was able to recover and run away. Seems like the build up to Full Metal Mayhem.
Backstage, Scott D’Amore confronted Moose and indeed booked a Full Metal Mayhem match for Turning Point.
– Mercedes Martinez cut a promo saying she’ll become the Knockouts Champion at Turning Point.
Doc Gallows (with Karl Anderson) defeated Hikuelo (with The Bullet Club)
The Bullet Club will be challenging for the Impact tag team titles at Turning Point, in anticipation to the match, we got a battle of the hosses between Hikuleo and Gallows.
Match started and they went straight for strikes as Gallows punched Hikuleo around the inside and outside of the ring. Back in the ring, both men clashed with shoulder tackles until Bey and ELP jumped on the apron and distracted both Gallows and the referee, allowing Hikuleo to low blow Gallows and gain control.
Gallows would try to counter Hikuleo’s strikes, but kept getting taken down at every attempt. Gallows eventually caught Hikuleo with clashing clotheslines and both men went down, allowing Gallows to catch a breather to recover. Gallows would come back with a couple of big boots for a near fall.
Hikuleo hit a powerslam for a two count, tried to follow through, but Gallows raked his eyes and hit the two handed chokebomb for the win. Ok match, really slow even for a hoss fight.
– Gia Miller had a sit down interview with Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt. Miller tried to ask Purrazzo about her whereabouts in the last month, but Purrazzo said that she had just been home and that she had no plans to return to the ring. Purrazzo said that she didn’t care about interviews or telling people what her next move would be, and everyone would have to wait and see.
– FinJuice cut a promo about not having much success since coming to Las Vegas. They said that they’re back at the bottom, but it’s not the first time they have to rise back to the top. D’Amore approached them and gave them a match against Decay on Turning Point so they could get back on track.
– Eric Young and VBD cut a promo about Rhino having to deal with the ramifications of the decision to betray them. He told Rhino that at Turning Point, VBD will terminate him and Heath.
The Demon & Decay (Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve) defeated Johnny Swinger, Hernandez, & Fallah Bahh
The Demon and Swinger’s rivalry started at Bound For Glory’s Call Your Shot Gauntlet match, after Swonger confused The Demon with Gene Simmons, tried to get his autograph, and was eliminated for doing so.
Match started with Swinger pretending to be a matador on Taurus, and it worked until it didn’t. Hernandez and Steve came in next, with the former taking out Steve with a big bomb. Bahh tagged in and continued working over Steve.
At the end, Swinger tagged in, Steve cleared away and tagged in The Demon, who took out everyone. Decay took out Bahh and Hernandez with dives, while The Demon hooked in a cobra clutch on Swinger for the submission win. Not sure if we can even call this a match.
After the match, John E. Bravo tried to help Swinger, but Swinger said he had just hit rock bottom and walked away. Rosemary and Havok approached Bravo and told him that they’d help him help Swinger if he offered his blood. This show is being main evented by Suzuki vs Alexander.
– Jordynne Grace cut a promo prior to her match with Chelsea Green at Turning Point. They talked about Green not being able to win the title at the inaugural match, and neither would she at Turning Point.
– Mickie James also cut a promo prior to her Turning Point match with Mercedes Martinez and told her that she made the mistake of trusting her, but at Turning Point, she is going to whoop her butt.
– Brown and Striker ran down the updated card for Turning Point, including Chris Sabin vs Ace Austin, VBD vs Rhino & Heath, Rich Swann vs Brian Myers, Decay vs The IInspiration for the Knockout tag titles, Mickie James vs Mercedes Martinez for the Knockouts title, Trey Miguel vs Laredo Kid vs Steve Macling for the X Division, The Good Brothers vs The Bullet Club for the tag titles, and a Full Metal Mayhem match between Moose and Eddie Edwards for the Impact world title.
Also, on the Countdown to Turning Point, FinJuice vs Decay and Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green.
Josh Alexander defeated Minoru Suzuki
Suzuki made his Impact debut a month ago, targeting Alexander over everyone else. While Alexander’s focus was on Moose, Suzuki was able to get momentum during his debut. D’Amore decided to book this match so that Alexander could deal with his problems before he could continue his chase for the World title.
Match started with some chain wrestling, but after Alexander gained some advantage, Suzuki turned things violent and started going for strikes and tried to attack Alexander with a chair. A poor soul tried to stop Suzuki and got taken out instead.
Suzuki and Alexander brawled outside the ring for some time, mostly back and forth exchange of strikes. As they went on, Suzuki started to gain more and more momentum over Alexander.
Back in the ring, Alexander managed to make a comeback and tried to go for the C4, but couldn’t lock it in. They kept going back and forth, trading kicks and strikes. Suzuki provoked Alexander to chop and and continued with back and forth challenges, but again, it was Suzuki who gained more and more momentum until Suzuki trash talked Alexander into waking up.
Suzuki locked in the sleeper and tried to follow with the GSP, but Alexander blocked it and slammed Suzuki over his head. Alexander came back with a rolling plunge and a knee to the head, but only got a two count. Alexander locked in the ankle lock, but Suzuki turned it into a sleeper and back again to the ankle lock by Alexander.
Both men kept reversing each other’s attempts to lock in the C4 and GSP respectively, but at the end, Alexander stumbled Suzuki with a forearm and hit the C4 for the win. Great match, a better display of a Suzuki match compared to some of his other US televised matches.
– Backstage, Bravo and Swinger came out and were met by Decay and a couple more people. Decay transported everyone to Wrestle House II. It’s back.