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Last week, Michael Elgin and Rich Swann went to war. The Unbreakable One put the X-Division Champion through some terrifying punishment, but the high-flyer was able to dish it out as well as he could take it, getting a near fall several times in the match. Eventually, this led to a frustrated Elgin disqualifying himself and powerbombing Swann into the ring post three times.
Willie Mack made the save, but was taken out by former Impact World Champion Johnny Impact. The two top contenders for the title stood in the ring, eye to eye, seemingly settling on an alliance.
Sami Callihan vs Fallah Bahh w/Scarlett Bordeaux
Fallah Bahh rushed Callihan with a running crossbody, following up with an avalanche splash in the corner. Callihan struggled to get away but was kept in the corner where Bahh pelted him with chops and palm strikes.
Callihan eventually got some offense in, striking Bahh with a pair of clotheslines. Bahh was barely affected, and dropped him with a powerslam followed by a whirling elbow drop. Callihan kicked out at two. Callihan tried to keep Bahh's toes away from his mouth, but then decided to accept fate, biting the big toe. Callihan paid the price, being laid out with a shoulder tackle.
Callihan rolled outside but was unable to escape Bahh, who kept up the pressure with more palm strikes and chophs to the back. Callihan raked the eyes, then spit a loogie into his hand before slapping Bahh. The big man didn't take kindly to it, turning him around with a chop of his own. Callihan jumped back inside, but as Bahh got onto the apron, the Death Machine dropped him with a springboard clothesline.
Bordeaux encouraged him to get back inside, where Callihan attacked his big toe, twisting and biting it. Bahh was able to shake off most of his offense, but whenever Callihan attacked his toe, he crumbled.
Callihan took Bahh down with a rear chin lock. Callihan slapped him across the back when he stood up, but it only made him angrier. Even a pump kick didn't fase him. Bahh caught him running off the ropes with two double palm strikes and a belly to belly suplex. A side effect nearly gave him the win.
Bahh brought Callihan to theh corner for the Banzai Drop. Callihan rolled away, and caught him with a knee to the jaw. Bahh countered a running clothesline with a Samoan drop and went up again for the Banzai Drop. Before he could connect, Jake & Dave Crist distracted the ref, allowing Sami to connect with a superkick to the back of Bahh's knee.
Callihan cheered as the Crists set up Bordeaux for a superkick, but she escaped and took them both out with a dive. Back inside the ring, Bahh planted Callihan with a powerslam, then dove onto all three men on the outside as Callihan rolled away.
Bahh followed Callihan back inside, but was kicked as he was going through the ropes. Callihan used them to hit a modified Cactus Piledriver.
Results: Sami Callihan defeated Fallah Bahh via pinfall.
Backstage, Tommy Dreamer cut a promo on his match with Rob Van Dam tonight.The Hardcore Icon said that it may be their last time wrestling each other. Tonight was where they first met in the ring, and there was no better place to end their rivalry. Though they're close, Dreamer said it was time, one last time, to go to the extreme.
A flashback was shown on the Twitch stream where Madison Rayne was crowned as the Queen of the Knockouts back in 2014. Rayne is a legend in the Knockouts division, holding the title several times and beating top stars like Gail Kim, Tessa Blanchard, and even the Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie. Tonight, she'll get a shot to defeat Valkyrie again, and capture her sixth Knockouts Championship.
Backstage, Melissa Santos interviewed Johnny Impact, asking why he helped Michael Elgin last week.
Impact called Elgin a meathead, and just wanted to see him send X-Division Champion Rich Swann to the hospital. Elgin heard his whole speech and planned on sending everyone to the hospital.
Knockouts Championship: Madison Rayne vs Taya Valkyrie (c)
Valkyrie ran outside, attempting to tire the challenger. Rayne chased her around the ring and back inside, taking her down with a tackle and an enziguri. Valkyrie kicked out at two. Rayne connected with two elbow strikes in the corner, and countered a running body attack with a knee.
Valkyrie kicked out of another pin attempt from a crossbody at two. Rayne was completely dominating the match as the show went to commercial.
Back from the break, Valkyrie just escaped another pinfall at two, rolling outside out of frustration. Rayne came in for a baseball slide, but the champion caught her, attacking her right leg and sending her into the apron. Finally on the offensive, she brought Rayne inside and locked her in a heel hold.
She broke the hold and took he rinto the corner, kicking the leg out from under her. Rayne used the ropes to stand, kicking Valkyrie, but too much damage had been done, and she dropped to the mat after attempting a suplex. Valkyrie locked her in a single leg Boston crab, and the challenger cried out in pain. She wasn't in there for long, though, as Valkyrie broke it, again to kick her in the hamstring, toying with her.
Rayne was planted with a swinging sit out slam, but even with all the damage she'd taken throught the contest, kicked out. In the corner, Rayne avoided another running attack from the champion, attacking Valkyrie's leg and taking her down with a dornado DDT.
Valkyrie kicked out and scurried to the corner where she pulled Kid Ref in to stop Rayne's assault. She then brought down Rayne with a chop block. Still, Rayne fought back and took her down for a single leg Boston crab.
Valkyrie broke out, and struck Rayne with a superkick to the gut and a knee to the jaw. The Road to Vallhalla was countered by Rayne, who tried for a CrossRayne. Valkyrie held onto the ref, escaping and dropping the challenger with the Road to Vallhalla.
Results: Taya Valkyrie defeated Madison Rayne via pinfall.
Valkyrie didn't have long to celebrate as Rosemary's music hit. Rosemary left Su Yung chained to the corner and rolled into the ring, motioning that she wanted the Knockouts Championship. Valkyrie left the ring scared and grasping the belt like a baby.
The Deaners were eating some local fast food. Cody Deaner said that it's been weeks since they've sucumbed to their vices. Cousin Jake instead pressured him into "stuffing face" as he needed to gain weight to compete in Impact's tag division.
Backstage, Rosemary was met by James Mitchell. The Sinister Minister said he was getting tired of the Demon Assassin's plan of stealing his bridesmaids.
Rosemary said she got what she wanted, and is officially done with him. As for Su Yung, she won't be around much longer.
A vignette was played of Eddie Edwards lamenting the loss of Kenny. Edwards said he knew that Kenny was an inanimate object, but it was the one constant in his life.
When Alisha left him, when his best friend betrayed him, he always had the kendo stick. Edwards said next week, he'll do to Killer Kross what the Anti-Machine did to Kenny.
The Rascalz were backstage, and it seemed that they were stressed out after starting a new training regiment and taking a break from...other activities.
However, they started back tonight, relaxed a bit and began training again, this time successfully. Apparently, the Rascalz perform better under the influence. Who knew?
Impact Tag Team Championship Match: The North vs LAX
Santana kicked off the bout with Josh Alexander. The Human Weapon forced Santana into the corner and struck him with an elbow strike. Alexander then chased him into the corner where Ortiz tagged in and rolled him up. Alexander kicked out but was sent to the outside with a dropkick. Ethan Page came in only to be brought down by the champions with a kicking combo followed by a step up moonsault.
LAX went to dive, but Ethan Page broke it up, and Josh Alexander took out Santana. The North now in control, Alexander tagged in Page for a leaping elbow drop from the top rope. Ortiz kicked out at two.
In the North's corner, Alexander tagged in, pelting the champion with tough kicks and fists. Alexander placed Ortiz's legs on the ropes and held his head. Page tossed him off, turning it into a sit out spinning DDT. Ortiz kicked out. Page tagged in while Alexander knocked Santana off the apron, preventing a tag. Page was dropped with a snap powerslam by Ortiz, who tried to get to his corner.
Santana finally got back on the ropes in time for Ortiz to tag in. Page tagged Alexander, but Santana managed to drop both members of the North with high speed kicks. A wrecking ball dropkick to the outside leveled Page while a sunset flip to the inside nearly gave the champoins the win. A sit out fireman's carry facebuster left Alexander rolling to the outside. LAX back together in the ring dropped both challengers with tandem offensive maneuvers.
Alexander kicked out of a pinfall following a sunset flip/kick combo, and the North took back over. Alexander dropped Santana with a spinning back suplex, but Ortiz had already tagged in. The North planted him with a double piledriver. Santana broke the pin at the last second and dragged Page outside for a superkick.
Alexander was brought down with a rolling cutter, follwoed by an enziguri, superkick and a double wheelbarrow facebuster for the win.
Results: LAX defeated The North via pinfall.
Glenn Gilbertti came out to gloat about his win last week in the Knockouts battle royale. He continued to bash women's wrestling but gave a competitor from the match a shot at him. Ashley Vox came out, and when she revealed she started wrestling four years ago, Gilbertti asked if that's when she quit Hooters. He then asked which of the boys she was dating in the back.
Glenn Gilbertti vs Ashley Vox
Gilbertti wrestled while holding a mic in her hand. She caught Vox with a cheap shot before the match began, then tossed her face first into "Mr. Turnbuckle." Vox was locked in a side headlock where Gilbertti could continue to taunt her with the mic. A thumb to the throat was followed up by a hip toss.
Gilbertti looked to the camera to address Scarlett Bordeaux, allowing Vox to get back in the match. A roll-up was broken out of by Gilbertti, who was then dropped with a drop toe hold and two dropkicks.
A dropkick from the middle rope was dodged, and Gilbertti hit her with a Chart Buster. He pinned Vox, but picked her shoulder up, ending the pinfall at two. He then exclaimed he would have to hit another one to put her away.
Tessa Blanchard ran down before he could hit it again, ending the match in a no contest. Gilbertti escaped the ring before the former Knockouts Champion could lay into him, exclaiming "exhibition over."
Result: No contest.
During the commercial break, it was revealed that Blanchard would get her hands on Gilbertti next week, as we'll see them face off in a one-on-one match.
Fatal-4-Way: Rohit Raju vs Petey Williams vs Ace Austin vs Des
Raju and Ace attacked Williams and Des. Ace left Raju on his back after a springbaord kick. Williams dropped him with a codebreaker and a facebuster, bringing Ace down onto Raju. Ace prevented a Canadian Destroyer and rocked Williams with a superkick following a schoolboy.
Williams was rocked by another kick and locked into an armbar, slicing in between his fingers with a card. Des came in, slinging Ace to the outside with a hurricanrana. He followed up with a dive, taking out Ace but setting himself up for an attack from Williams. Ace rolled back in and leaped over the ropes with a flying space plancha, taking down both Williams and Des.
Inside the ring, Ace took Raju up top. Raju avoided a super hurricanrana. Williams spiked Ace with a Cnadian Destroyer. A second one to Des was prevented by Raju, but the Desi Hit Squad Member was left unconcsious following a leaping handspring back kick to the head.
Results: Des defeated Rohit Raju via pinfall.
Petey Williams shook the hand of Des, giving us a nice look at the past and future of the X-Division.
Next week, Rich Swann and Willie Mack will get their revenge. The X-Division Champion and Chocolate Thunder himself will face the Unbreakable Michael Elgin and the Mayor of Slamtown Johnny Impact.
Tommy Dreamer vs Rob Van Dam
RVD brought Dreamer down quick with rolling body scissors. Dreamer broke out but was nearly bested by him early. The crowd chanted "You Still Got It" and "E-C-Dub" as both men hit a high-five. RVD brought him down again, but Dreamer escaped a leg drop and a spinning heel kick.
Both men went in for punches, but held back and shook hands. RVD then played to the crowd, allowing Dreamer to roll him up. RVD escaped and was met by a Dreamer combination. RVD stopped him before the elbow but was tossed outside by Dreamer. Dreamer then chased him, spitting water into his face.
RVD managed to get back in the game, leaving Dreamer out after a kick in the corner, connecting with a running Van Daminator. The chair was set up on the bottom turnbuckle, and RVD tried to launch him into it. Dreamer countered it, setting him up in the tree of woe and sending the chair into his face with a running dropkick.
RVD avoided a DDT, taking out the leg of Dreamer. A chair was placed on Dreamer's body for the Rolling Thunder. Dreamer got out of the way and spiked his longtime friend with a Dreamer DDT on the steel chair. RVD kicked out and blocked a piledriver to the chair. However, Dreamer would connect with a leaping piledriver, although not on the steel. RVD kicked out at two.
RVD avoided a diving elbow drop, sending Dreamer crarshing elbow first into the chair. RVD then sent him into the chair with a drop toe hold followed up with the Five Star Frog Splash for the win.
Results: Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer via pinfall.
After the match, Ethan Page and Josh Alexander beat down the ECW legends. Dreamer countered a double team spot, dropping both men with clotheslinese. RVD and Dreamer had everything under control until Moose came in, giving the North the numbers advantage.
Moose had Page and Alexander set RVD up for the spear. The lights went out, and Sabu made his return to help his ECW alumni, sending two chairs into the heads of Page and Alexander and tossing a third one too Moose, who caught it. RVD leaped into him with a Van Daminator, sending him outside. RVD, Dreamer, and Sabu celebrated in the ring to end the show.
Next week, Moose & The North will challenge RVD, Sabu, & Tommy Dreamer.
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