Impact Wrestling results: LAX’s farewell match
Impact returned from Fronton Mexico in Mexico City as the Road to Bound for Glory continued. Tonight’s episode was being billed as LAX appreciation night, as this was their final show for Impact.
The opening video was a retroactive look at LAX’s time in Impact Wrestling, their beginning, their feuds, and the legacy they leave behind. Tonight, LAX have their final match for Impact.
This week’s Twitch stream was hosted by Melissa Santos, who ran down the show and hyped the Bound for Glory card.
Tessa Blanchard, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer & Rhino defeated oVe (Sami Callihan, X-Division Champion Jake Crist, Dave Crist & Madman Fulton) in a street fight
Impact opened the show with a strong match — a main event any other night. The match started with the babyfaces getting face-to-face with oVe for a four-on-four face-off that came to blows and strikes.
Callihan and RVD stayed in the ring as the rest brawled to the outside. RVD had the upper hand early with his usual kick arsenal. He hit Rolling Thunder before rolling out and giving the ring to Blanchard and Dave Crist. Blanchard hit the corner Magnum and followed with a dive to the outside.
Dreamer and Jake Crist were now in the ring, with Dreamer hitting a fallaway slam. Then it was Rhino and Fulton trading strikes in the middle of the ring until Fulton took out Rhino. Dreamer went to fight Fulton, landing a cutter on the big man, but Fulton still took him out.
Fulton assisted Jake Crist by tossing him to the floor on everyone, Dreamer hit a top rope plancha to the outside, and RVD was next with a big dive to the outside.
Back in the ring, it was now Blanchard and Callihan by themselves. They started brawling and Blanchard quickly dropped Callihan with a cutter, sending him to the outside. Blanchard went for the top rope, but Dave Crist cut her off and hit a suplex onto the pile of bodies on the floor.
Back in the ring, everyone started taking turns taking out an opponent until Blanchard and Fulton were alone in the ring. Blanchard hit a tilt-a-whirl DDT to shake down Fulton. Jake Crist interrupted her Magnum attempt and landed a huge cutter for a two count when RVD broke up the pin.
RVD and Dreamer took out Jake and Fulton with a kendo stick. Rhino brought in a table, but before they used it, Callihan hit a double low blow. Rhino recovered and hit Jake with a Gore through the table, followed by a Five Star Frog Splash by RVD. Finally, it was Blanchard with a crossface tapping out the X-Division Champion. Blanchard had a bloody nose at the end.
The match was good for what it was — a sprint, given the amount of people in the ring and the time given.
Backstage, Ace Austin was in a wheelchair all injured after last week’s match with Eddie Edwards. Alisha Edwards was checking in on Austin. Austin said that it’s all because of her husband, but that he’ll be there for Alisha if she needs him. At this point, we have to assume he’s faking it all.
We got the first LAX Flashback Moment of the Night. It was LAX winning the Tag Team titles against Decay and Laredo Kid & Hector Garza Jr.
Backstage, Jimmy Jacobs interviewed The North, who were celebrating that LAX are leaving Impact Wrestling. The North were wearing ridiculous party hats and mocking LAX. Ethan Page said they’re going to look for people and have themselves a fiesta.
Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie (w/ John E. Bravo) defeated Alisha Edwards in a non-title match.
They talked trash to start the match before Alisha tried to get the better of Taya from behind. Taya easily took her down.
Suddenly, Ace Austin got rolled down the ramp and left at ringside. Meanwhile in the ring, Taya just beat up Alisha with strikes and tossed her around by the hair. Taya hit a Super Dragon-style curb stomp for a two count.
Alisha had a hope spot when she hit a running dropkick to a cornered Taya and a short distance clothesline. Alisha hit a flatliner for a two count when John E. Bravo pulled her out of the ring. This provoked Austin to get up from the wheelchair and take out Bravo while neither woman looked.
Taya still caught Alisha getting back to the ring and hit the Road to Valhalla for the win. So much for Austin’s assist, but at least we all confirmed he’s perfectly okay.
After the match, Austin pretended to be injured again and made himself a victim for Alisha to care for.
The North were backstage recruiting people for their party. They bullied some people until they reached RVD and Rhino. RVD was down to party, but Rhino got tired of Page and destroyed their pinata.
Mahabali Shera (w/ Gama Singh and The Desi Hit Squad) defeated Cody Deaner (w/ Cousin Jake)
Shera going heel and being managed by Gama is the best thing that could happen to him and us — no more Shera Shake for now and maybe it will give the team a push.
Shera destroyed Deaner from the start. He immediately tackled Deaner to the corner, tossed him around to the other, and dropped him. Deaner tried to make a comeback, but Shera hit a big front-facing suplex.
Deaner hoped for another comeback, hitting a dive on the rest of the Desi Hit Squad. He went for a move from the top rope, but Shera caught him with a big chokeslam, followed by a Mark Henry-style powerslam for the win. Shera looked impressive size-wise. This concept has potential.
It was time for LAX Flashback number two. It was the LAX vs. OGz gang brawl in the streets of NYC. This was the Final Deletion-style climax to the LAX-OGz feud.
The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz, Dezmond Xavier & Trey Miguel) defeated Australian Suicide, Arez & Toxin
The Rascalz started the match with a triple moonsault on all their opponents, followed by a triple dive to the outside.
Australian Suicide and Miguel were the first in the ring, with Miguel getting the better of the match with a couple of ranas and arm drags. Arez came in and had a fast-paced sequence that ended with a brainbuster on Miguel to take him out.
Xavier came in and hit a kick combo and senton to remove Arez from the match. Toxin came in and hit a backbreaker to send Xavier out. Wentz took out Toxin with a plancha, and finally, it was Australian Suicide back in the ring taking out Wentz. They proceeded to take turns hitting dives outside, with Australian Suicide hitting a Shooting Star Press for a big pop.
Back in the ring, Miguel hit Toxin with Cheeky Nandos. Xavier and Wentz hit a Hot Fire Flame on Australian Suicide for the win. This was really short but super action packed — it was hard keeping up with the action.
Moose was walking around Mexico City cutting a promo on Ken Shamrock. He was out there trying to pick a fight to prove that he’s tougher than Shamrock. Moose beat up some people hanging out on a corner.
We got footage from Dreamer, Rich Swann, and Brian Cage talking about Cage’s bachelor party.
Tenille Dashwood had a sit-down interview with Jimmy Jacobs. She said that she came to Impact because she wanted to face off against the Knockouts, who she hadn’t fought before. Dashwood said that she wanted to fight Madison Rayne and Tessa Blanchard, but her primary focus was Taya and the Knockouts Championship.
Dashwood brought up that she was Taya’s first ever match and that she recognized that Taya has grown a lot — but she has too. Good stuff.
Havok defeated Su Yung in a no DQ match
Havok came down to the ring wielding a staple gun. She jumped Yung during her entrance and started to work her over outside the ring. Havok went for the stapler, but Yung bit her hand and took her down with a series of kicks and running knees.
Outside the ring, Yung rammed Havok to the ring post to get an opening. Yung set up a chair and used a drop toe hold to send Havok face-first into it. Yung did the Old School spot on the barricade, but Havok brought her down the hard way.
Back in the ring, Havok brought in a ladder that Yung dropkicked into her. Yung hit a draping Pedigree on Havok, only getting two out of it. Havok ran into a chair, but when Yung failed to schoolboy her, Yung took the stapler and used it between Havok’s legs. Yes, exactly.
This made Havok head to the floor, where Yung stapled her again on the breast. Yung followed with a running cannonball from the apron.
Back in the ring, Yung went for the Mandible Claw, but Havok came back with some kicks. Havok hit a Tombstone piledriver and pinned Yung for the win. This was an okay weapons match — nothing special aside from that staple that made me cringe.
After the match, Yung came back and locked in the Mandible Claw. Yung brought another chair into the ring and tossed it at Havok, sending her to the floor. They fought up the ramp and then traded forearms and started making their way to the back, brawling in the halls and stairways. Eventually, Havok tied a rope around Yung’s neck and straight up hung her from the stairs. I think the Undead Bride is deader now.
Next week, we’re getting the wedding of Cage and Santos.
We got footage from Santos’ bachelorette party. A lot of champagne, but no bubbly jokes. Taya made a toast to herself for being the longest reigning Knockouts Champion ever. Suddenly, cop stripper Joey Ryan entered. Between the banter of the attendees and Ryan, this was great.
On Cage’s party however, Cage was cheating — but on his diet, eating a ton of pastries. Swann and Dreamer left out of boredom and disappointment.
Barbwire Massacre III was the third installment of LAX’s farewell Flashback Moment of the Night.
We got another vignette for Johnny Swinger. He debuts next week.
We got a commercial for Ken Shamrock’s Valor Bare Knuckle event.
Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/ Konnan
Santana and Swann started the match. They chained wrestled for a bit before going for a sequence of counters and reversals, ending with a stalemate.
Swann got driven to the corner the hard way — and the friendly play was over. Ortiz tagged in and hit a combo for a two count as they started working over Swann, but not long after, Ortiz started playing to the crowd enough to give Swann the time to recover and tag in Mack.
Mack came in strong and took down Ortiz, but thanks to the assistance of Santana, LAX regained control and managed to cut the ring in half on Mack. Santana and Ortiz traded quick tags, but Mack used his size to take out Santana with a superkick and get the blind tag to Swann and turn the match around.
Mack hit a big shoulder tackle on Ortiz, followed by the Samoan drop and moonsault for a two count.
Back from commercial, Mack was still in control of the match over Ortiz, working him with chops. Swann came in and traded strikes with Ortiz, who at the end managed to land a desperation clothesline for some space, but he failed to tag in Santana before Mack cut him off again.
Ortiz hit another desperation DDT on Mack. This time he got to tag in Santana, who came in with a huge kick on Mack. Swann tried to cut him off, but he took a double-team backbreaker by LAX, earning a two count. Santana went for a moonsault on Mack, but he got caught in mid-air, getting hit with a top rope neckbreaker by Swann.
All four men started trading moves in the middle of the ring until they were all down. Swann and LAX were up, with LAX hitting a powerbomb into Ortiz’s knees for a two count when Mack broke it up. LAX went for the Street Sweeper, but Swann broke out and hit a standing rana, setting up the Six Star Frog Splash by Mack for a two count.
The finishing sequence saw Santana make a stand against both Swann and Mack, but they ended up delivering tandem superkicks to both LAX members. Finally, a stunner, Phoenix Splash, and frog splash on Santana sealed the win for Swann & Mack. Great match.
After the match, the fans tossed money into the ring. The locker room emptied out to pay their respects to LAX and give them their goodbyes.
The episode closed with an update on Su Yung in the emergency room. She flatlined and the medics failed to bring her back, but then she came back to life, or undead life, whatever that means.
Final Thoughts —
Good and fun show for Impact. It felt like a big deal with the build to LAX’s farewell match, but it didn’t take away from the rest that was good inside the ring.