Impact Wrestling results: Fenix and Rich Swann tear down the house

Some surprises and a good match spotlighted this week’s Impact. The show built strong leading into Slammiversary on July 22. 

Fenix defeated Rich Swann

The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann and Fenix conjured up memories of the famed first Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay match.

These two light heavyweights were in sync with an array of aerial moves better than most 205 Live matches. Swann, wrestling for the second time on Impact, made his entrance a la No Way Jose, dancing and getting the crowd into the match. 

This was full of dynamic aerial moves. Fenix walked the tightrope on the top rope and then bounced three times before flipping Swann into an arm drag early in the match. He hit a standing dropkick that sent Swann crashing outside of the ring. Swann hit a moonsault off the apron, but Fenix caught him. Fenix then tried the same move but missed and landed on his feet — only to receive a well-executed corkscrew splash from Swann off the top rope. 

Fenix got up and hit his own divingsplash over the top that he turned into a modified slingblade

Fenix performed a moonsault inside, but instead of landing with a body splash, he landed on his feet and rolled the move into a diamond cutter. He tried it again, but Swann countered with a handstand instead of landing face first. 

The two rested from the high-flying moves for awhile, trading chops like they were Steamboat and Ric Flair in Nashville.

The match was an aerial move clinic, with hurricanranas followed by moonsaults and several near falls. Although Swann’s facial expressions after Fenix’s power moves bordered on over-acting, this was as good as any of his WWE matches. At one point, Swann kicked out of a tombstone piledriver into a pin. Fenix got the win after executing a perfect spinning Muscle Buster.

“This is the way you start a wrestling show, ladies and gentleman” Josh Mathews said.

The Crist brothers then quickly attacked Fenix after the match, leading to Pentagon Jr. making the save — or so we thought. It turned out that it was Sami Callihan under the mask. Swann tried to help Fenix, but Callihan spit into Swann’s face. He was about to take Fenix’s mask off, when the real Pentagon Jr. made the save, getting the crowd to chant “Pentagon.”

There was a brief interview segment with Madison Rayne and the returning Allie, who vowed to seek revenge on Su Yung, who locked her in a casket to win the Knockouts Championship.

“Su you think that you killed me. No, you just brought another side of me to life,” Allie said.

Killer Kross defeated Fallah Bahh (w/ KM) 

The 425-pound Bahh is one of those wrestlers you can’t take your eyes off because of his girth and size, but he was no match for the debuting Killer Kross. Commentator Matthews declared, “This man is psychotic!”

The two behemoths ran into each other to start the match, but then Kross backed Bahh into the corner and started pounding on him. Bahh reversed it, then delivered several stiff chops that turned Kross’ chest read. Kross dared Bahh to hit him as hard as he could. Mathews said it was “shades ofKenta Kobashi with the rapid-fire chops.”

Kross hit an impressive side suplex on the meaty Bahh and then choked him out with what Don Callis called “an MMA-style choke.” Kross continued to pound Bahh with right hands to his back after the match, prompting KM to make the save. Kross choked him out too.

Finally, Petey Williams rushed the ring with a steel chair; he hit Kross on the back with the chair and eventually threw it into Kross’ face, knocking him out of the ring. Kross then walked backed to the dressing room.

Flashback Moment: Rob Van Dam defeated Sting

Sting wrestled in his shirt in this 2010 match. This was all of RVD’s signature moves on display, with Taz and Mike Tenay on commentary. After RVD accidentally took out Earl Hebner, Jeff Jarrett came to the ring and hit Sting with his own baseball bat, allowing RVD to execute a five-star frog splash for the win. 

Allie & Madison Rayne defeated Su Yung & her Undead Maid of Honor

Su Yung, wearing a bloodied wedding dress, has a great gimmick, although her Undead Bridesmaids should probably stay out of the ring. The Undead Maid of Honor wrestled stiff and slow and no-sold most of the moves. She essentially wrestled like a zombie.

Allie and Rayne mostly had their way with the Undead Bridesmaid. Rayne accidentally took out the referee executing a Cross Rayne. Tessa Blanchard, who Rayne defeated on last week’s episode, interfered, but Allied jumped in and took care of Blanchard, allowing Rayne to hit the Cross Rayne on the Undead Maid of Honor for the pinfall victory. 

Next was an interview segment with LAX and the Desi Hit Squad, who are training under the verbal and physical commands of Gama Singh. 

Then, in one of the highlight’s of the show, we got a video package from Impact World Champion Austin Aries. Aries will defend the title against former NFL player Quinn “Moose” Ojinnaka at Slammiversary.

Aries was great here, saying “This wasn’t my dream. This is what I was born to do.” Aries said he started wrestling when he was 17 and that wrestling was always his first choice, unlike Moose, who he said chose wrestling after his NFL career failed. The video package showed a variety of pictures of a younger Aries with longer hair.

Aries snuck in a great line and shot at his former WWE employer Vince McMahon. “After I beat you, your new dream is to hope the XFL needs a new offensive lineman.”

Advertised for next week was former NFL player DeAngelo Williams, who will apparently help train Moose for his match with Aries. 

Tommy Dreamer cut a taped promo with blood all over his face vowing revenge on Eddie Edwards, who attacked him a week ago with a kendo stick. The two will meet at Slammiversary. 

Katarina (w/ Grado) defeated Rebel

This was a quick match with Katarina winning with a backbreaker onto her knee. 

Brian Cage defeated Kongo Kong

Cage was impressive in this match, executing several high-flying moves. 

The 265-pound Cage hit a somersault plancha over the top rope and Callis said, “I have seen Kenny Omega do that dive but he’s not 265 pounds.” Cage hit a 619 on Kong, landed a belly to back suplex, hit a superplex, and then pinned Kong with an F-5. It was an impressive outing for Cage, who showed he was capable of power and aerial moves, which was not an easy feat on the giant Kong. 

The show ended with an LAX segment. Konnan came out wearing a Mexican flag around his neck. He called out King, whom he suspects “put a hit” on him at the Redemption pay-per-view. Konnan said that King betrayed him after he helped the wrestler earn his first $100,000. 

The rest of LAX, Santana and Ortiz, came out with King, who eventually admitted that he was behind the Konnan attack because LAX needed a new leader. Konnan called King “a walking, talking glory hole,” leading the crowd into a “glory hole” chant. 

“I’m the future, you’re the past,” King told Konnan.

After that comment, Ortiz and Santana flipped King off, but then original LAX members Homicide and Hernandez entered the ring and attacked Konnan, Santana, and Ortiz, setting up a six-man feud between rival LAX members.