By Craig Ferriman@MrImpact
This show must be in contention for PPV of the year because it had everything. Fantastic build to Mind blowing matches and a history making Intergender main event. If you are yet to watch this show I cannot recommend it enough, it made me realise why I love wrestling so much and has made me proud to be an IMPACT Wrestling Diehard and loyalist and as a wrestling fan this show should be on your top 10 PPV events so let here are my thoughts on SLAMMIVERSARY live in Dallas, Texas in front of a sold out crowd.
We were treated to a great opening contest with TJP facing off against Jake Crist, Trey of The Rascalz and willie Mack. All 4 showed willing to win this match with Perkins and Trey double super kicking Jake Crist early on before TJ started a faceoff with the Rascal. All 4 got to show off their athletic prowess with dives to the outside there was also a few technical moves thrown in showing why the X division isn’t about weight limits it’s about no limits when TJP had Trey up in a surfboard stretch close to the ropes that Mack was perched on and as Crist snuck in between the gap underneath Trey to cover Perkins, Mack would come down onto Trey with a double foot stomp. But it would be Willie who would come away victorious after a cutter from Super cutter from Jake off the top rope to Trey, Mack would follow it up with a 6-star frog splash for the win telling everyone this PPV will be unmissable.
Next it was time for The Norths first Tag Team Title defence after winning them in surprising fashion at Bash at the Brewery on Saturday, but of course if you asked Page and Alexander they would say it wasn’t a surprise because they told us they would be World Tag Team Champions.
So The North were now the champions and faced off against the former champions LAX and the number 1 contenders The Rascalz (Dez &Wentz) who would quickly take Page and Alexander out of the match for the next 10 minutes giving themselves and LAX time to show off their Impressive tag team moves but neither able to win with the time given. This gave the new champs time to regroup on the outside and come back in just to dominate with hard hitting moves like a top rope moon Sault press slam by The “Walking Weapon” to Ortiz followed up by a Swanton bomb from “All Ego” for a near fall after the pin was broken up. The great tag match would continue Tornado style until Santana of LAX would roll outside after suffering an injury to his leg giving The North the chance, they needed another two minutes or so and Ortiz would eat the pin after the Norths double clash to retain their titles. After the match surrounded by Doctors and stagehands along with Ortiz, Konnan, Both Rascalz and Don Callis Santana stood up and walked to the back serenaded with chants of LAX. Could this be our lasting image of the greatest tag champs in IMPACT history? I guess only time will tell.
Backstage Sami Callihan talks about how even if you’re against intergender wrestling you still made it the most talked about match in IMPACT history and informed us that he went to IMPACT management and threatened to walk if his match with Blanchard wasn’t the main event and of course he got his way making this Intergender match more Historic.
It was then time for The First Blood match between Killer Kross and Eddie Edwards, this match was a fight from the outset however I should just give a little nod to Kross’s entrance attire in full black but with a white Vicar Collar and white face paint with Black eyes and mouth he looked terrifying. But during the match the two went all out in trying to make each other bleed with repeated chair shots and a Boston knee party to the back of Kross’s head followed with Kross dumping Edwards from the apron onto 3 chairs laying flat on the outside. It was though however Kross who bled first after Eddie snapped his kendo stick (Kenny 2.0) over his knee leaving him with two very sharp pieces and stuck a sharp piece of Kenny into the head and mouth of killer Kross.
Backstage Tessa Blanchard Arrives and Rolando Menendez (Investigative reporter) tries to Ask Tessa a question but is shoved out the way by the former Knockouts Champion.
On to the match I had mixed feelings about once first announced, Could RVD still go? Would Moose have to slow down his game for the ECW icon?
Fortunately, though if there are two people you can rely upon to have a great match it’s RVD and Moose and they didn’t disappoint. Moose certainly took the lead on this match, which was no surprise really, but it certainly took nothing away from Van Dam who put in a good showing with his typical high-flying offence. However, I had a feeling this match wasn’t going to Rob’s way when Mr IMPACT Wrestling rolled to the outside halfway through a rolling thunder attempt by Van Dam. During the course of the match Moose would bring in a chair but only to have it kicked in his face by RVD, Many moves would be missed by both men including a frog splash attempt from Moose but in the end and one No Jack hammer needed spear later Moose pinned Van Dam for the 3 and the right result in my opinion.
It was then Monster’s Ball time for the knockouts championship as The Champ Taya Valkyrie had to defend her title against three of the best Knockouts in Rosemary, Havok and SU Yung who had Father James Mitchell in their corner to keep the peace for as long as possible until an Inadvertent mist spray from rosemary missed it’s intended target and hit the Sinister Minister in the eyes causing him to fall from the apron. All 4 knockouts came very close to the win after Rosemary introduced a bag of tacks to put Taya into them with a red wedding (F5), but the champ escaped and ended up stomping Rosemary’s head into the Tacks. Taya would then set up a table on the outside and whilst Rosemary and the Champ where trying to put each other through it, Finally SU and Havok imploded and try to put each other into the tacks that were introduced earlier but both missing. Meanwhile Valkyrie had just Suplex’s The Demon Assassin through the table on the outside, however Havok had SU in a tombstone position on the second rope and dropped her head first onto the tacks, Taya would throw a chair at Havok breaking up her pin attempt before making one of her own and succeeding, Taya Valkyrie retains her title.
After a brutal match involving the Knockouts it was the Turn of the X Division champion Rich Swann who faced off against the Mayor of Slam town and former world champion Johnny IMPACT for Swann’s X title. Of course wherever IMPACT goes his own personal stooge and former senior official John E Bravo isn’t too far behind him, Bravo played his part brilliantly in this match causing multiple distractions including throwing some left over thumb tacks for the monster’s ball back into the ring so Kid Ref would have to clear them away giving Johnny the advantage. But he didn’t have it for very long as Rich started to show why he’s champion. Kicking out of IMPACT’s star ship pain which I think only a couple of people have done since he joined IMPACT. Both men put on an X Division classic and has to be in conversation for match of the year particularly when Swann hit a phoenix splash off the top rope and considering he usually delivers it from the second showed how much he wanted the win and that’s exactly what he got, Still X Division Champion Rich Swann was a small surprise because I truly thought IMPACT would come away with the win.
Then for The IMPACT World Championship, The Machine Brian Cage Defended had his firs title defence in two months after getting injured straight after winning the title at rebellion. The Challenger was Big Michael Elgin who many had pegged as the next world champion considering he could never get that top prize in NJPW because of the guys he had to compete with Okada, Naito and Omega. His words were “This is the biggest night in my career”. The match started fast with both men hitting each other hard with Cage dominating his opponent for most of the match but that was soon turned around after a shoulder tackle in the corner aggravating the injured back of the champ. Elgin took charge with a hard hitting super plex off the top rope followed up by powerbombs on the apron, Buckle bombs all coming from Elgin but the world champ wasn’t ready to stop being Champion powering out of everything but Elgin was doing the same Kicking out of an F5 Chants of “Fight Forever” coming from everyone after Elgin hit a Canadian destroyer but Cage kicked out again they seemed destined to fight forever but as Elgin looked for the Elgin Bomb Cage powered down sending Big Mike to the Mat and Cage would sit down on Elgin and pin for the 3 and to remain the world champ.
But it wasn’t done there, as Cage was celebrating his title retention Elgin would snatch the title from the champion and clocked him over the head with it. Wearing the world title over his shoulder Elgin went to ringside and straight to the Golden Announcer Don Callis telling him to look at his handy work as the champ was clearly out. Callis and Elgin would exchange words giving Elgin ammunition (Not that he needed it) to punch Callis and throw him in the ring setting him up for another powerbomb but before he had the chance a masked man jumped in the ring to save Callis by laying Big Mike out with a “Spear” to chants of “GORE!!!” we didn’t see the mans face but it’s pretty clear it was the War machine Rhyno saving his Former ECW manager from Big Mike.
Whilst Don was getting over the shock at Ringside we learnt where The Next PPV Bound for Glory is being Held. IMPACT will be going back to Chicago (Cue the CM Punk Rumours).
Finally, it was Main Event time, the most talked about Intergender match up in IMPACT history in which the 3rd Generation superstar Tessa Blanchard takes on The Man responsible for most of IMPACT’s Buzz over the last 2 years The Draw Sami Callihan. Sami came out on the back of his Monster Mad Man Fulton who was quickly dismissed by Callihan clearly Sami wanted to make a point. During Blanchard’s entrance she saw the baseball bat of Callihan, so she went back behind the curtain getting a Golden bat of her own. The bell rang and it was clear the Dallas crowd were ready for this an 100% behind Tessa, both would take steps to each other and taunt one another. Wouldn’t take long for both to just laying in heavy shots until Callihan would roll outside yet Blanchard had an idea, flying through the middle rope crashing into Callihan who would fall into the barrier. She would do the same again before climbing back into the ring with the hot crowd calling for one more and she obliged only to be caught by Sami who would Swing her twice headfirst into the barriers quickly followed up by a Death Valley Driver. From there The Death machine would take complete control of the Knockout with brilliant selling from Tessa making it all look a little too real. Later, Callihan would shout over to Don Callis “You Shouldn’t have booked this Don”
As Tessa is getting angrier laying shots to Callihan in the corner Kid Ref would try to get her to come out of the corner but Blanchard would swing back and knock the ref down. Sami would take full advantage of this nailing Blanchard with his baseball bat and cover but no referee to make the count until official Brandon Tolle would come out only to have Tessa kick out and for Callihan to take his frustration out on the back up ref. It was then Blanchard’s turn to use her bat and hit Callihan in the stomach followed up by The Magnum which Callihan would kick out of. Blanchard clearly hurting would receive two piledrivers as Callihan made the cover and got the 3 in what was the best Intergender match I’ve ever seen and both showing they could be world champion.
After the match Kid Ref was checking on Blanchard would get kicked in the side by Callihan who was holding both bats making everyone think he wasn’t done with the knockout but as Tessa rests in the corner Callihan would hand her the gold bat she introduced into the match along with an approving nod in a sign of respect at the end of honestly the best PPV I’ve seen in a very long time. Although there are still people hating on the show IMPACT should be proud of what they did, surely now it can be a wakeup call to everyone still sleeping on this company Well done too everyone involved in this show
