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With only one more show left until Rebellion, the stars of the Impact roster attempted to pick up a little bit of steam before Sunday. Impact World Champion Johnny Impact would team up with the Impact Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. and Fenix as they faced off against their challengers at Rebellion, Brian Cage and LAX, in six-man tag action.
We also saw Killer Kross face off against Willie Mack. After weeks of taunting and attempting to manipulate Mack, the big man had finally had enough. Tonight, he hoped to shut Kross up for good. All that plus Rosemary, Ace Austin, and the debut of the Deaners and much more.
After his betrayal of Eddie Edwards last week, we saw Eli Drake open Impact, carrying Kenny the kendo stick with him. He said that Edwards was the weak link in their team, which is why he attacked him after their loss to the Lucha Bros.
Edwards didn't let him get a lot off his chest, as he rushed the ring, managing to get Kenny back and sending Drake over the ropes. He tossed Kenny into Drake's hands and followed up with a suicide dive. Drake made it back to his feet but was pursued by Edwards, who continued to strike him across the back with the stick.
Ace Austin vs Aiden Prince
Prince took Austin outside early with a hurricanrana and followed it up with a suicide dive. However, some pandering to the crowd allowed Austin to launch himself at Prince. The two continued to square off outside until Austin landed a stiff kick to the side of his jaw. He followed up with another dive, a fosbury flop, over the ropes.
Back inside, a modified neckbreaker nearly put Prince away, but he broke out of a pinfall attempt at two. In the corner, Austin delivered several elbow strikes. When Prince tried to create some space, Austin crotched him on the top and tied him into the tree of woe, choking him out on the outside.
Prince finally caught Austin with some pretty impressive offense. A few elbows to Austin followed by a single leg dropsault rocked the Ace. From the top, Aiden Prince dropped his rival with a leaping flatliner. Austin kicked out.
A 450 Splash was countered by Austin, who locked in a triangle choke. As the ref was checking on Prince, Austin cut his hand with a playing card. The Fold ended Prince's night with a loss.
Results: Ace Austin defeated Aiden Prince via pinfall.
After the match, Austin attacked Prince. However, before he could hit the Fold again, Petey Williams interfered, chasing him outside with a suicide dive and getting dropped with a Codebreaker back in the ring. Williams wasn't able to connect with the Canadian Destroyer as Austin quickly retreated.
Taya Valkyrie attacked Jordynne Grace during a workout, attempting to choke her while she was bench pressing. Grace fought back, but the cunning Knockouts Champion was too much for her, leaving her out cold after an assault with some dumbbells.
Backstage, The Rascalz ran into each other after following notes left for each one of them. Wentz, Des, and Xavier, after going through Wentz' pockets, were met by Moose. Moose said that he wanted to introduce them to some new friends of his. Josh Alexander and Ethan Page then joined Moose in jumping the trio, slamming all three of them into the concrete walls.
Scarlet Bordeaux gave Impact fans some exciting news. After some great success in her in-ring career thus far in the company, she decided that she'd like to celebrate with a live Smokeshow at Rebellion on April 28th.
Undead Maid of Honor vs Rosemary
Rosemary was distracted by the rest of Su Yung's bridal party, allowing the MoH to force her into the corner. A body splash was avoided by Rosemary, who hammered her opponent with several forearm shots and a slingblade neckbreaker. MoH kicked out at two. Mounted forearms continued to rock Su Yung's pawn, but as she got up, she avoided another attack and dropped Rosemary with a sit out rear mat slam.
Rosemary caught the MoH with the green mist, finishing her off with a spear.
Results: Rosemary defeated the Undead Maid of Honor via pinfall.
Su Yung attempted to leap into the ring but Rosemary, still covering the body of the MoH, threatened her with mist. Yung backed out, and Rosemary chained up the her opponent, taking her, supposedly, back to the undead realm.
Rich Swann made it to the oVe compound, where he ran into Dave and Jake Crist. The duo told Swann that Sami Callihan wasn't there, but the X-Division Champion moved onward. He banged on the door, demanding Callihan open up.
Swann said he remembered when Callihan's mother died, and they went to Germany together afterward. He hoped that Swann was behind the door listening, asking to speak to his former friend one final time. As he walked away, Callihan opened the door, as the champion's words clearly reached him in some way. Still, Swann had already left, and Callihan went back inside, head hanging low.
Johnny Impact met up with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. backstage ahead of their six-man tag team match tonight. Pentagon attempted to insult him in Spanish, but Impact didn't understand, only saying that he liked their intensity. He left while John E. Bravo offered them sunglasses.
Killer Kross vs Willie Mack
Kross attempted to overpower Mack early on, trying to take him down with a shoulder block. Mack leaped over him and took him down with an arm drag. Kross managed to take Mack down with a drop toe hold followed by a headlock. Mack avoided a cross arm breaker, forcing both men back to their feet.
Mack sent Kross into the corner and delivered a big body splash to him, but as he ran back into the ropes, Kross came out with a running boot, turning Chocolate Thunder inside out. Mack countered another big shot from Kross with a heavy clothesline, getting a two-count afterwards. Kross responded with a clothesline of his own, then jabbed Mack's eye with his elbow.
Kross picked Mack up off the mat and connected with several right hands. Mack fought back and managed to bring him down with a unique version of the slingblade. Kross was shot off into the corner, but stunned Mack and rocked him with a kick to the throat followed by a saito suplex. Kross's eyes caught the camera.
Mack made it back to his feet and dropped Kross with a German Suplex. However, the big man quickly rose to his feet. An exploder suplex nearly gave Mack the win. In the corner, a running boot to the face left him limp in the corner. A leaping hip attack rocked Kross, and though he blocked the Stunner, he was planted in the middle of the ring with the Samoan Drop.
A standing moonsault was countered by Kross, who locke din the Kross Jacket for the win.
Results: Killer Kross defeated Willie Mack via submission.
The Deaners (Cody Deaner & Cousin Jake) vs Halal Beefcake (Joel Coleman & Idris Abraham)
Jake started off with the Sultan of Shawarma, Idris Abraham. Idris attempted to rock Jake with a few shots to the jaw. Jake was unfazed and sent him into the corner. Coleman tagged in but was dropped with a body slam from Jake. Jake slammed Cody on top of him. Cody tagged Jake back in and Coleman was dropped on Cody's knee for a gutbuster.
The Deaners had Coleman on the ropes for a while, but a stun gun to Cody left him gasping for air. Coleman tagged in Beefcake, and the two set their feet up on Cody's back, putting out a set of pushups. He was launched into the corner but came back out with a double clothesline.
Jake tagged back in and Coleman was launched outside. Jake and Cody then planted Idris with an assisted Hellivator slam.
Results: The Deaners defeated Halal Beefcake via pinfall.
Prior to the main event, Johnny Impact, along with Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo, thanked Impact management for making Lance Storm the special guest referee for the Impact World Championship match. Impact and Valkyrie talked about their time training with Storm and even said that he attended their wedding.
Storm came out to address the situation, hugging the champions. He said that, though everything they said was true, he didn't appreciate how they've handled the past few months and how they've treated the fanbase. His goal at Rebellion is to make sure the fans have a champion they respect coming out of the PPV. Taya slapped Storm across the face, hoping to give Impact a free shot. However, Storm avoided and laid him out with a superkick.
Johnny Impact & The Lucha Bros. vs Brian Cage & LAX
The match immediately broke down into a brawl. The Lucha Bros. stunned Cage with a pair of superkicks, allowing Impact to knock him down with a kick of his own. However, all three were disposed off by LAX.
Fenix was left in the ring with Ortiz. Santana came in as the former champions punished Fenix with tandem tag team maneuvers. Santana then tagged in and LAX dropped him with a double flapjack. Fenix was rocked by a series of strikes from Santana but connected with a spinning roundhouse from the ropes. Another roundhouse in the corner set up for a superkick from Pentagon.
Pentagon went for the Fear Factor, but Santana escaped, tagging in Brian Cage. The Machine pelted Pentagon with powerful clotheslines, followed by a huge knee and German Suplex. Pentagon recovered, dropping Cage with the slingblade. He went to tag in Fenix, but Impact brought himself into the match. A springboard spear leveled Cage, and he mounted the former X-Division Champion for several punches.
Cage made it back to his feet, breaking him over his knee with a pair of backbreakers before tagging in Ortiz. Ortiz sent Impact to the outside, and dove onto the champion. Pentagon followed, then Santana. Cage went up top and took out all four men with a moonsault. As they made it back to their feet, Fenix landed on them with a springboard moonsault.
Inside the ring, the Lucha Bros and Impact rocked Cage with several superkicks and body splashes. Impact then held Santana up in the Gory Special position for two superkicks before turning him around for a powerbomb and a stomp to the groin from up top.
The Tag Team Champions took down Ortiz, allowing Impact to connect with the 450 Splash. Cage managed to break up the pin. With Impact and Fenix launched outside, LAX took him down with several kicks in the corner, then an F-5 from Cage. LAX tossed Fenix up for a super flatliner from the Machine.
With all three men distracted, Impact took over, taking them all out with a series of kicks. Ortiz saved Santana, allowing him to set up for a cutter. LAX tossed Impact over the shoulders of Cage for a powerbomb. Before they could pick up the win, John E. Bravo pulled out the ref. Taya Valkyrie attacked him while Konnan looked on in disgust.
Back inside the ring, Cage planted Impact with a sit out facebuster. WIth no ref, LAX and the Lucha Bros brought out the weapons. A chair to the head left the Machine down and out. LAX assaulted the Lucha Bros who were picking up a ladder. As Ortiz and Santana shoved it in, Impact dropkicked it back into their faces.
Impact was handed a chair from Taya Valkyrie. Cage avoided the chair shot and drove Impact into the mat face first with Weapon X.
Results: Brian Cage & LAX defeated Johnny Impact & the Lucha Bros.
At Rebellion, Brian Cage will challenge Johnny Impact for the Impact World Championship. If he can hit Weapon X or the Drill Claw on the champion, with a fair and unbiased referee in the ring, we may see a new champion coming out of Sunday.
