Impact Wrestling results: Tag team main event, Blanchard vs. Apache

Impact opened with its usual extended recap of last week’s show.

Tessa Blanchard made her way to the ring first. She hails from Charlotte, North Carolina, and it just feels like one day Blanchard vs. Charlotte Flair is gonna headline a WrestleMania. There’s a good story to tell. But tonight, it’s Blanchard vs. Faby Apache for the Impact Knockouts Championship.

Knockouts Champion Tessa Blanchard defeated Faby Apache to retain her title

It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again, Blanchard is a star on both sides of the ball. She has great offense and sells brilliantly. Apache has great ring generalship and a sense of charisma in the ring too.

Blanchard hit a couple of short-arm clotheslines, followed by a side suplex. Apache applied a reverse figure four leglock to slow Blanchard down. She hit a double arm front-face slam.

This was a really good back-and-forth match, but Blanchard successfully defended the title with a buzzsaw DDT. Blanchard carries herself like a star. Afterward, she grabbed the microphone and said she is the best wrestler and best athlete in professional wrestling.

“Tessa Blanchard is undeniable and the diamond of the Knockouts division,” she said.

Taya Valkyrie appeared on the big screen and challenged Blanchard to a match at Bound for Glory on October 14. Blanchard seemed to accept before walking away.

There were several video segments with Eddie Edwards, then oVe, then Eli Drake walking around Mexico sight-seeing and sampling Mexico’s foods.

Brian Cage defeated Jake Crist (w/ Sami Callihan and Dave Crist)

Cage is absolutely jacked, but still flies around the ring like a cruiserweight.

He was on offense early, driving Jake into the corner and hitting him with clotheslines. Cage gave him a high back body drop, but missed a spear in the corner and fell outside of the ring. Callihan then threw him into the rail. Crist went for an armbar, but Cage picked him up and slammed him. Cage dropped him with a clothesline and then hit him with a left-footed 619.

Cage delivered an elbow off the top rope for a near fall. He delivered a sit-down Alabama slam for another near fall.

Jake hit a cutter from the top rope, but Cage kicked out after one. Cage hulked up and hit a body slam into a face slam for the win. Callihan then rushed the ring and attacked Cage. Dave Crist hit Cage with a low blow.

The lights went out. And when they returned, Dave’s hat was in the ring and Pentagon and Fenix appeared on the screen, with Dave tied up and gagged in a chair. With Callihan and Jake distracted, Cage hit a dive from the ring to the outside.

There was a backstage interview segment with Austin Aries, Moose, and Killer Kross.

There was another advertisement for Chris Jericho’s cruise.

In the Flashback Moment of the Week, the original LAX battled AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels inside a steel cage. Styles looked more muscular in this match compared to today. Homicide pinned Styles with a wicked-looking reverse butterfly suplex on his neck. Once again, the best match on the show so far featured the champion from another promotion.

There was a backstage segment with Grado, Joe Hendry, and Katarina. Katarina asked to make up with the buddies, but she tricked them and introduced her new friend, Murder Clown. She told Hendry that he would face Murder Clown next week.

Scarlett Bordeaux appeared on location in Mexico City. She issued a global talent search for one local man or woman for her to manage who can get her attention “24/7.”

LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defeated The Desi Hit Squad (Rohit Raju & Gursinder Singh)

They gave LAX a big entrance with a Spanish-language introduction. This was a slow-paced match, largely because of the DHS. Santana is a good high-flyer for his size, although wearing a Puerto Rican-flag arm sleeve wasn’t exactly endearing to the Mexican crowd.

Santana got the win with a reverse neckbreaker from a Doomsday Device position, pinning Raju. Gama Singh, as usual, looked angry with his team after their loss.

The OGz appeared on the big screen. King trashed Konnan, saying he has spent a career leaching off other wrestlers, such as Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio Jr. King showed the mask that Konnan used to wear in his early days in Mexico. He lit the mask on fire and watched it burn.

Backstage, Fallah Bahh covered KM with his robe. KM was laid out on the couch wearing a neck brace after last week’s beatdown at the hands of Aries, Moose, and Kross.

We got a backstage interview with Blanchard, sitting down in a red chair. She accepted Valkyrie’s challenge. Earlier, Valkyrie called her a “bitch.” Blanchard said at Bound For Glory, she would show her one.

Kiera Hogan & Allie defeated Su Yung & The Undead Maid of Honor

Allie was not good here, with her chops and offense missing by a mile. Hogan is athletic and carried most of the match. Announcers Josh Mathews and Don Callis spent a good part of the match trying to get people to order merchandise from the Impact website.

Yung applied the mandible claw on Hogan, but Allie hit a kick to the head to break it up. Hogan then hit a reverse neckbreaker on Yung for the win. This was not a good match, with lots of botched spots.

Matt Sydal and Rich Swann appeared on location in Mexico City, and Swann challenged Sydal to a match next week on Impact.

Moose & Killer Kross defeated Johnny Impact & Eddie Edwards

Edwards is essentially doing a Dean Ambrose crazy man gimmick. Moose exudes a lot of arrogance and comes across as a strong heel. Kross lacks charisma, but looks mean. Aries, by the way, looks like a half-pint standing next to the two.

Once again, the show was hurt by the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm.

Impact and Edwards carried this match. Kross and Moose look like the kind of guys who would get big pushes in WWE for their size alone.

All four wrestlers were down towards the end of the match after a series of kicks. Aries then jumped into the ring and acted like he was going to hit Impact with the belt. Impact sprung up and grabbed the belt from Aries. Impact kicked Aries and then hit him with the belt, sending Aries flying out of the ring.

Kross then hit Impact from behind with a side suplex. Edwards clobbered Kross with the kendo stick when the referee wasn’t looking, and Moose hit a spear on Edwards to get the win.