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It's been three long weeks since the last episode of IMPACT Wrestling. With only a few days until the first PPV of the year, Hard to Kill, the company had a lot to do to remind us how we got here and what's next.
Mixed in with the show were short highlight packages showing us what was in store at Hard to Kill. However, we got an incredible teaser for the event courtesy of IMPACT's resident Hardcore Hero.
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Prior to IMPACT kicking off, Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin began to brawl. The company got some footage up on AXSTV's Twitter account before the show even started. The former World Champion stated that he and Big Mike didn't need to wait for Hard To Kill, opting to face off tonight instead.
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Eddie Edwards vs Michael Elgin
With a referee in the ring, the match officially began when Elgin dumped Edwards in the ring. The Unbreakable One absolutely demolished Edwards to start it off. However, Elgin was launched overhead with a belly-to-belly suplex, putting Edwards back on the offensive.
Elgin, though, wasn't on his back for long, smashing Edwards in the chops and cutting off all momentum with a clothesline. An overhead choke toss bounced Edwards off the mat, giving Elgin a nearfall. Back to his feet, Edwards met Elgin with a stiff clothesline and countered a dragon suplex and uranage slam with a pair of arm drags. A suplex took the big man down again.
A top rope hurricanrana connected, but Elgin quickly rose to his feet. He was planted in the middle of the ring, however, with a Blue Thunder Bomb. It only earned Edwards a two-count. Elgin caught Edwards running in with a one armed uranage, following up with a series of running splashes in the corner and a falcon arrow. Edwards kicked out at two.
Elgin blasted Edwards with some strong style lariats to the neck, which only seemed to fire the Hardcore Hero up. Both men traded chops and forearms. Elgin spiked Edwards with a German suplex, but Edwards managed to use the momentum to bounce off the ropes for a Boston Knee Party!
As we returned from the commercial break, Edwards landed another Boston Knee Party, but couldn't put Elgin away. As Edwards set up for something else, he was clobbered with a discus forearm, seemingly knocking him out. However, he was only playing possum, catching Elgin with a discus lariat and a Tiger Bomb for the nearfall!
Elgin took Edwards to the top rope but was tossed across the ring with a sunset flip powerbomb. He rose back to his feet and spiked Edwards with yet another German suplex, finally hitting the running lariat for a two-count. The Elgin Bomb was countered, leading to a crossface from the big man. Edwards turned it into a pinfall, but Elgin kicked out.
Finally, a buckle bomb and the Elgin Bomb put Edwards down for good.
Results: Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards via pinfall.
At Hard to Kill, Rich Swann and Willie Mack will challenge The North for the IMPACT Tag Team Championship. We saw some highlights of the invitational Swann and Mack won a while back, where Mack was forced to leave Swann by himself due to an injury.
Since then, Ethan Page and Josh Alexander have been attempting to drive a wedge between the two friends, hoping to see the two men turn on each other before they make it to the pay-per-view.
At Hard to Kill, Eddie Edwards' Call Your Shot Trophy will be on the line when he faces Michael Elgin again. Currently 0-2 against Big Mike, Edwards is walking into a pretty rough situation.
Mahabali Shera & The Desi Hit Squad w/Gama Singh vs TJP, Fallah Bahh, and Daga
Daga and Raj Singh began the bout, with El Jefe getting caught with an eye poke mid-kicking combination. Still, Daga recovered, sending Singh into the turnbuckle with a hurricanrana. Rohit tagged in, but was also overtaken by Daga's speed.
Bahh tagged in, and a tag team maneuver with he and TJP gave them a two-count. Daga tagged in again, but thanks to a distraction from the Hit Squad, Raj spiked him intot he mat with a leaping complete shot.
Mahabali Shera tagged in here, powerbombing Raj into Daga. Shera mauled Daga with pure brute force, even stopping a comeback with a massive flapjack facebuster. Raj Singh followed up with a dropkick to the face. Daga kicked out at two.
Daga did manage to make it to his corner where TJP tagged in. A springboard forearm rocked Singh. Bahh came in, setting up a rolling fireman's carry and a sunning senton. The Desi Hit Squad rushed the ring, but were sent outside by Daga. El JEfe followed that up with an incredible tope con hilo.
Not to be outdone, Fallah Bahh hit a massive suicide dive on all three men. Back on the inside, Daga hit a tilt-a-whirl backstabber on Raj Singh.Eventually it was only TJP and Shera left in the ring, with Shera getting the victory after a Sky-High slam.
Results: The Desi Hit Squad defeated TJP, Fallah Bahh, and Daga via pinfall.
Backstage, Willie Mack was questioning whether or not he'd be ready for the tag title match at Hard to Kill. Mack also said that Swann was shooting to the moon this past year, and didn't want to be the one to hold him down.
Swann said that in 2019, he called on Mack's help because he knew that his tag team partner would be the one to elevate him to the next level. The former X-Division Champion said that he knew Mack was banged up after the past few months, but with he and Swann together, there's no stopping them. At Hard to Kill, they'll knock off The North.
We cut to a video of oVe talking up the injured IMPACT World Champion. Jake and Dave Crist said that, despite their failure to move onto the tag title match at Hard to Kill, they're being led by the Callihan Death Machine. At Hard to Kill, Callihan and Madman Fulton aim to end the hype surrounding Tessa Blanchard and Ken Shamrock.
Fulton threatened to shatter Shamrock's entire body. Callihan said not a word throughout the video, only clutching the title tightly.
Johnny Swinger was seen trying to drug Joey Ryan's water. However, Tommy Dreamer caught him in the act. Swinger claimed that he wasn't trying to drug Ryan, and it was in fact his pre-workout vitamins. Dreamer then forced him to drink the concoction, kendo stick in hand.
We were shown an emotional video contrasting the lives of Tessa Blanchard and Sami Callihan. Callihan said that he should be considered a hero because he's always been a proponent of professional wrestling. Intergender wrestling or what have you, Callihan believes it's all wrestling, and even books intergender wrestling in his own promotion, The Wrestling Revolver.
Blanchard said that she had a lot to think about should she lose at Hard to Kill. However, the Draw left her with a serious warning. on January 12th, he plans to bash her skull in.
Prior to the match, Father James Mitchell left Suzie in the closet, hoping to keep her away from the horrific violence we were about to see. At least, that's what he'd like her to think.
Havok w/James Mitchell vs Rosemary
Havok withstood the offense from Rosemary early on and brought her overhead for a mat slam when she broke up a sleeper hold. Rosemary sent her outside by dropping the ropes as she rushed in. A hurricanrana shot the monster into the floor.
James Mitchell tried to distract Rosemary so Havok could get a cheap shot in, but found himself getting run over instead. Havok would end up rocking Rosemary with a forearm. Back in the inside, a backbreaker and a side slam left Rosemary twisted in the corner.
At this point, Suzie came out to the ring. She waved to the fans while Havok rocked Rosemary with a series of running boots in the corner. The former champion fought out and trapped Havok in the Upside Down just as Mitchell pulled Suzie away from the announcer's desk.
The distraction allowed Havok to spike Rosemary with a top rope draping DDT. Mitchell covered Suzie's eyes as Havok hit the Tombstone Piledriver for the win.
Results: Havok defeated Rosemary via pinfall.
On the last episode of IMPACT Wrestling, ODB picked up a surprising victory over the Knockouts Champion, Taya Valkyrie. Due to that, she was added to the title bout at Hard to Kill, cutting in on Jordynne Grace's spotlight.
As of today, Valkyrie has held the championship for a year. Will her reign end Sunday, or will ODB and Grace end up getting in each other's way?
Kiera Hogan, Madison Rayne, and Taya Valkyrie vs ODB, Tenille Dashwood, and Jordynne Grace
The contest opened with Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood. The Locker Room Leader was toyed with by Dashwood. The former Knockouts Champion was dumped outside following a hanging neckbreaker as Dashwood tagged in Grace.
Hogan held Rayne in the ropes to prevent her from shooting into Grace's waiting hands. The two then took out Grace, tagging in Taya Valkyrie, who battered her challenger with boots and elbows.
A running knee in the ropes nearly left Grace out on her feet. Hogan then came in with a snapmare/dropkick combination, nearly picking up the win. Grace eventually tagged to ODB, who leveled Valkyrie and Madison with shoulder and chest tackled, flask in hand of course.
Setting them up in the corner, ODB connected with the Bronco Buster. She then planted Valkyrie with the TKO. The referee was distracted by Hogan as Grace tagged in, meaning he never saw it. ODB tossed Grace out and covered Valkyrie for the win.
Results: ODB, Jordynne Grace, and Tenille Dashwood defeated Taya Valkyrie, Kiera Hogan, and Madison Rayne via pinfall.
RVD and Moose made amends backstage...sort of? RVD didn't really remember the issues they had over the summer of 2019, so technically it's all imaginary water under the bridge. As they walked off, Johnny Swinger was out cold on the couch behind them, clearly some effects from his "pre-workout" supplements earlier. Petey Williams and Joey Ryan walked up on the scene, leading to Ryan getting an interesting idea involving a sharpie.
Moose & Rob Van Dam w/Katie Forbes vs Rhino & Brian Cage
Van Dam feigned starting the match with Brian Cage, but then tagged in Moose. The former NFL star was sent across the ring with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, followed by a Double-A spinebuster.
Rhino entered the match here, joining Cage for a double back body drop. The War Machine hammered Moose for several minutes before dumping him to the floor with a clothesline over the ropes.
Back from commercial break, Rhino had Rob Van Dam set up for the Gore. Forbes tripped him up, though, allowing RVD to take the former World Champion down. Moose tagged in and mauled Rhino, battering his forehead with fists before biting into his flesh.
Rhino fought back, countering a suplex with one of his own. Cage and Van Dam then tagged in, with the Machine clobbering RVD with two clotheslines and a kicking combination. Cage dropped the legend with a German suplex.
Moose rocked Cage with a running elbow and was immediately taken out by a clothesline from Rhino. Van Dam sent his former friend to the outside, but thanks to some taunting of the fans, got caught by the F-5 from Cage.
Moose tagged in before the pin could be made and sent Cage to the floor. Moose fought off both Rhino and Cage, but a tornado DDT planted Mr. IMPACT Wrestling, leaving him stunned on the mat.
Van Dam caught Cage getting up with a jumping side kick from the top rope only to be hit with the Gore by Rhino. Moose was next, he managed to side step at the last second, sending him crashing into the corner.
Moose moved up for his own 5-Star Frog Splash, but Rhino moved. A Gore from Rhino and a discus lariat from Cage ended Moose's night and stopped all momentum before his match at Hard to Kill.
Results: Brian Cage & Rhino defeated Moose & Rob Van Dam via pinfall.
