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THE MACHINE GUNS GO TO WAR WITH EACH OTHER & MORE: IMPACT WRESTLING ON AXS TV REPORT

This week's edition of Impact Wrestling opened with a video package on the history of the Motor City Machineguns in advance of tonight's main event.

They showed Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin arriving, separately, to the building.

Deonna Purrazzo and Mickie James vs. Mia Yim & Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace 

Grace and Purrazzo start off and battle back and forth.  Grace shoulderblocks her down and nailed several hiptosses.  She drilled Deonna with a back elbow and smashed her into the buckles several times.  Yim tagged in and scored several near falls.  Green tagged in but Yim and Grace continued to control the momentum.  Green dumped Yim to the floor and nailed Purrazzo with an enziguiri.  Purrazzo and Green isolated Grace and worked her over, scoring several near falls.  Purrazzo drilled Grace with a series of forearms down on the mat, then attempted a suplex.  Grace blocked it.  Green attempted to assist but Grace used her strength to suplex them both over.  They swarmed Grace to prevent her from making a tag.  Purrazzo locked on a sleeper but Grace slammed her backwards into the corner several times.  

Yim finally made the hot tag and cleaned house.  She and Grace doubleteamed Purrazzo.  Green tripped Yim as she rebounded off the ropes.  They went to double suplex Yim but Grace rescued her.  They all battled.  Grace and Yim nailed a stereo tope suicida to the floor.  Back in the ring, Purrazzo nailed a Flatliner on Yim.  Green caught Yim with a kick but she still kicked out at the last second.  Yim was worked over in the corner but fought her way out.  Grace nailed a spinebuster on Purrazzo.  Yim nailed a shotgun dropkick on Green but Deonna broke up the pinfall at the last second.  Grace was sent to the floor, leaving Yim to again be double-teamed.  Yim escaped and nailed a double stunner.  She went for a tag but Grace had been taken out.  Yim was snatched and slammed into a suplex for the pin.

Your winners, Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo!

The slow boil for issues between Yim and Jordynne leading into Emergence commences.

Honor No More did a promo backstage.  Eddie Edwards warned PCO there would be no more failures.  They were upset they were facing Bullet Club's Young Boys tonight.

X-Division Champion Mike Bailey vs. Deaner with Joe Doering.

Deaner tried to attack the champ before the bell but was caught in the corner and nailed with a series of strikes.  The referee pulled Bailey off, allowing Deaner to attack him and attempt the Deaner DDT.  Bailey fought him off and went for a shooting star press.  Deaner moved but Bailey landed on his feet.  Bailey used a series of offensive maneuvers to keep Deaner off balance and locked on a Boston Crab.  Deaner made it to the ropes, forcing the break.  Bailey chased Deaner around ringside but was caught up in the ring apron, allowing Deaner to smash him down to the ground.  With the referee distracted, Deaner smashed Bailey from behind.

After a commercial break, Deaner continued assaulting the champion, stomping and kicking away.  Bailey fired back with chops.

Deaner worked over Bailey, who grabbed the ropes to stop himself after being whipped into the ropes and begin bewildering Deaner with a flurry of karate kicks.  Bailey scored with a hard kick to the chest and a twisting standing shooting star press for a two count.  He went for another kick but was caught and placed atop the buckles.  Deaner nailed a knee strike and nailed an old Super Nova special, yanking him off the buckles into a sit-out powerbomb for a two count.

Deaner continued to beat on Bailey, who fired back with chops of his own.  Bailey drilled Deaner with a KO kick to the head but Deaner rolled to the outside.  Bailey went for a kick but was caught in the ropes.  Deaner tried to DDT him on the apron but Bailey escaped.  He went for Ultimate Weapon but missed and drove his knees down into the apron outside.  Deaner went for the Deaner DDT but Bailey escaped.  Deaner nailed a flipping neckbreaker.  He charged but Bailey moved out of the way.  Deaner went to the floor, where Bailey hit a standing springboard moonsault to the outside.  Bailey nailed Ultimate Weapon out of the corner and scored the pinfall.

Your winner, Mike Bailey!

Super good competitive bout.  Nice to see Deaner in such a competitive bout.

The Ric Flair Moment of the Week was Sting vs. Flair in the Impact Zone, which I believe was their final ever bout.

Backstage, Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green were glowing over their win when Gail Kim showed up.  Purrazzo said she should be put in the Knockouts Championship match at Emergence.  Gail said they will be going for the Knockouts Tag Team Championships at Emergence.

They aired the latest Violence by Design video.  Eric Young wants Deaner and Doering to eradicate the sickness.  

Madison Rayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Madison tried to figure out a way to solve the puzzle of Masha but was snatched up by her throat and slammed down.  Masha stomped on Madison's protective mask.  Slamovich nailed the Snow Plow and scored the pin.

Your winner, Slamovich!

This was SO one-sided you'd think it was Rayne's storyline exit.

Masha left the ring and returned, grabbing Shaw by the hair and informing her she was next on Masha's list.

Impact Wrestling Digital Media Champion Brian Myers was giving a "seminar" when Gujjar showed up looking for his title shot.  Myers manipulated him into fighting Vincent instead.

They aired another Killer Kelly vignette.  She will debut next week.

They showed the Guns preparing for their bout against the other.

Chris Bey & Ace Austin vs. The OGK with Maria Kanellis

Ace and Taven started off.  They went back and forth with Taven controlling him early on.  Bennett and Bey tagged in. Bey hit an awesome springboard into a rana for a two count.  Some nice wrestling overall here early on.  The OGK did a Midnight Express blind tag to set up Taven hitting a great dropkick off the ropes.  Bullet Club took control but Maria pulled the ropes down as Austin rebounded, so he crashed to the floor.  Taven nailed a kick.  Austin regained control with a kick on the outside.  Bennett drilled Ace with a hard forearm shiver.  Lots of hard hitting shots here and a nice, frenzied pace here.  Everyone battled here.  Bey finally made the hot tag and cleaned house.  He sent Taven over the top and fought off a Bennett attempt to roll him up.  The OGK attacked but Bey took them down at the same time.  He grabbed Bennett and went for a Human Torture Rack into a neckbreaker for a close two count.  Everyone battled.  Austin drilled Taven with a kick.  Bennett was caught and double-teamed with a hot series of moves but Taven broke it up at the last second.  Austin was backdropped to the floor.  The OGK double-teamed Bey with kicks.  Bennett nailed a brainbuster on Bey, who rolled out of the way of a Taven frog splash.  Maria got on the apron to argue with the referee.  Austin argued with her, allowing Taven to nail a low blow. Heath hit the ring and lowblowed Taven.  Austin hit Taven with the Fold and pinned him.

Your winners, Bullet Club!

Super fun tag team bout.  

Backstage, Steve Maclin said Sami Callihan can play all the game he wants because Maclin is made for war.  Callihan teleported in and attacked Maclin.  Moose arrived to help and they beat down Sami.  We have a new alliance.

Backstage, Jessicka didn't want to wear her old gear.  She didn't seem to know what it was.  Taya posited the theory that after losing to Masha, Havok didn't want to be Havok anymore.  Jessika found a fur coat and she and Taya both liked it while Rosemary was flabbergasted this was happening when they had a title defense at Emergence.

Backstage, Rich Swann approached Impact Champion Josh Alexander and Scott D'Amore.  He said when he lost the title, he lost his mojo but he's got it back.  He never had a championship rematch so he asked for a title shot.  Scott said he does have his mojo back, but they have Sabin vs. Shelley with the winner facing Josh.  Scott offered him the chance to face KUSHIDA next week.  Swann wanted it.

Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin - Winner Earns Emergence PPV Title Shot.

Lots of good back and forth in-ring wrestling, as you might imagine.  Some really cool reversals and counters.  If you don't feel like you get enough mat wrestling, this will be your jam.  They showed Josh Alexander watching backstage on the monitors.  They went back and forth and finally faced off as Impact went to commercial.

When they returned,  Shelley went for a kick but Sabin caught it and tied Sabin up, trying to force a submission.  He turned it into a backslide for a two count.  Sabin began focusing his attack on Shelley's neck.  He cinched in a rear chinlock.  Shelley battled back and nailed a dropkick to Sabin's left knee as they went to commercial again.  Shelley worked over Sabin's leg but was caught with a palm thrust.  

Shelley battled back with elbow strikes and a neckbreaker variation.  Shelley tied up his partner on the mat, trying to force a submission with a variation of a neck crank that not even the announcers knew how to call it.  Shelley continued applying the pressure to the damaged knee of Chris Sabin on the mat.  The crowd tried to rally Sabin but Shelley continued to control it.  Sabin fired away with a hard chop and used several pinning combinations and a DDT to reverse the momentum.  

The battle went to the outside, where Sabin nailed a punk kick while outside on the apron.  He tossed Shelley back into the ring and hit a great flying bodypress to Shelley for a two count.  Sabin nailed a big kick in the corner and a tornado DDT for a two count.  The crowd chanted, "This is awesome."  They were right.

Sabin went for Cradleshock but Shelley escaped and nailed a mule kick.  Sabin tried to block a Dragon Screw Legwhip out of the corner but failed as Shelley connected.  Shelley went for a move and drove Sabin head-first into the canvas.  It looked like the time Sabu was driven into the mat by Chris Benoit at the 1994 November to Remember, which scared me then and now.  Sabin somehow kicked up and even survived the Motor City Stretch.

Sabin came back with a standing enziguiri and nailed another charging kick for a two count.  Sabin nailed a big German suplex.  Shelley went for Sliced Bread #2 but Sabin blocked it and nailed a big lariat, flipping Shelley inside out.  He went for Cradle Shock but Shelley blocked and nailed Sliced Bread #2 for a two count.  Lots of near falls.  Shelley nailed Shell Shock for another two count and maneuvered Sabin into the Motor City Stretch.  Sabin tapped.  This was so GREAT.

Your winner, Alex Shelley!

A truly fine main event with a long, drawn out pace featuring two talents working over each other.  If you like pro wrestling presented as a chess match, this is well worth tracking down and spending the time to watch.  I give Impact a lot of credit for allowing this about one third of the episode.  Tom Hanifan and Matt Rehwoldt, who are always great, were EXCELLENT here, just calling the match like a sporting event.

Deaner and Joe Doering hit the ring and attacked both, with the idea they were under Eric Young's orders.  KUSHIDA, Shelley's long-time partner of Shelley in New Jack, hit the ring and made the save, running off VBD before checking on The Guns.

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