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Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie with Gail Kim as the special guest referee.
Tessa was rude to Kim when Kim took the championship belt before the match, then shoved Taya.
Taya and Tessa went back and forth with some nice action. Taya nailed a rana, then sent Blanchard into the corner. Blanchard reversed a whip into the corner, but Taya drilled her with several kicks. She followed up with a double stomp. It was all Taya until she missed a shoulderblock and Blanchard, outside on the apron, drilled her with a DDT.
Tessa worked over Taya in the corner on the floor and brought her back into the ring, scoring several two counts. Taya was drilled in the lower back. Blanchard used the ropes to stretch Taya’s back. She continued beating her down in the corner. Taya made a comeback to nail a series of suplexes and nailed a hip attack. Taya nailed a double knee strike in the corner for a two count.
Tessa went for a Buzzsaw DDT but was caught with a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count, then nailed a double stomp. Taya went to the top for a moonsault but Tessa rolled out of the way. Tessa covered her for a two count but wasn’t happy with the count and got in Kim’s face.
Tessa nailed the DDT but Kim was out after having been hit accidentally with a forearm. Blanchard was annoyed there was no one to count the pinfall. She grabbed the Knockouts title belt but before she could use it, Kim grabbed it. There was a tug-o-war with the belt and Kim accidentally nailed Taya with the title. Kim didn’t want to make the pinfall but did when Tessa covered her, only to see Taya kick out.
Tessa had enough and began shoving Kim like she was Ric Flair except Kim turned into Tommy Young and shoved her back. Taya rolled her up for a two count.
They battled into the corner, where Tessa took out her legs and nailed a Magnum Codebreaker off the ropes. Another two count. Tessa lost it and began shoving Kim against the ropes. Kim had enough and nailed Eat Defeat on the Champion. Taya nailed Valhalla and scored the pin.
Your winner and new Knockouts Champion, Taya Valkyrie!
Taya got very emotional after.
It would appear they are building to Kim vs. Tessa given the way that was pretty much the focus of the end of the bout. Taya worked really hard and Blanchard has come a long way and is a heck of a hand. Enjoyable, although if you aren't into the referee stuff, it's going to hamper how you feel.
They plugged the debut of Impact Wrestling on The Pursuit Channel. Josh Mathews announced during the Homecoming PPV that starting this Friday, they will live stream every Impact Wrestling episode on Fridays on their Twitch.TV channel starting at 10 PM, simulcasting the episodes as they debut on their new TV home The Pursuit Channel. They had to do that. Mathews said they wanted to get 15,000 Twitch subscribers by that night. When you are done with Twitch, sign up for PWInsider Elite too!
Johnny Impact was interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell backstage. He's wanted to be a fighting champion since he won the title and that's what he's done. He told Cage it doesn't matter how much you can benchpress. It's about who has the biggest heart.
Impact Wrestling Champion Johnny Impact vs. Brian Cage.
Cage dressed out looking like a Terminator. It was a cool costume.
They faced off at the bell. It was power vs. finesse early on. Cage drilled Impact with a big backbreaker. He charged Impact in the corner and nailed BIG monkey flip. He followed up and did another, sending Impact spinning and crashing down for a two count. Cage locked in a side chinlock, bearing down on Impact and trying to force the life out of him.
Impact fought to his feet and fired away with punches and kicks. He nailed a tornado DDT, sending Cage to the floor. Impact went to the top and nailed a flip into a knee to the floor. Cage was worked over but fired back with a big clothesline. Impact fired back as well and nailed a discus forearm.
Cage nailed a superkick and a release German Suplex that sent Impact all the way across the ring. Cage was nailed with a twisting Neckbreaker, then another. Impact stiffed him with a kick and covered him for a two count. The battle continued with Impact nailing the sliding German Suplex. Cage come back to nail a big Bucklebomb. He went for Weapon X but Impact countered it into a pinfall attempt.
Cage nailed a series of big knee strikes and a massive discus clothesline, but Impact kicked up. Impact nailed a kick to the shoulder. Impact nailed a knee to the head and went to the ropes, hitting Starship Pain for a two count.
Impact nailed a Spanish Fly off the top, but Cage kicked up at one, shocking Impact. Cage powerbombed the hell out of Impact, then hit a sit-down powerbomb for another two count. Cage nailed Weapon X but Impact was able to drape his foot on the bottom rope at the last second.
Cage went to the top and went to pulled Impact up but Impact superkicked him to the floor. Cage landed in front of the guys from Survivor and one of them was shoved down. They got mad and tried to get over the rail (or at least on TMZ) which led to the referee trying to stop them. This never would have happened if Atlas Security was there.
Cage had Impact beat but there was no referee. He tried to Suplex Impact into the ring from the ropes, but Impact kept blocking and finally transitioned it into a pinfall, scoring the pin. The way it came off, it almost looked like a miscue and even the announcers questioned if he had won.
Your winner and still Impact Wrestling Champion Johnny Impact!
The match was fine. The Survivor involvement came off goofy but they wanted the TMZ attention I suppose. These guys really worked hard and Cage is a legitimate freak of nature to work as hard as he does at that size. Solid stuff but not a blowaway main event the level of the Tag title bout.
Cage took the belt and presented it to Impact.
Taya came to the ring to join her husband as the top champions in the company. They went to pose on the stage to close the show but Killer Kross attacked Impact from behind. Taya attacked him with forearms, but he shoved her away. She charged him, but he grabbed her and powerbombed her into “fans” in the crowd, with everyone going down.
Kross was the focus as they went off the air.
Impact will obviously follow up with this at their TV taping tomorrow in Nashville.
Overall, a solid, enjoyable show that seemed to fly by over three hours.
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