Our first post WrestleMania show hits the airwaves with IMPACT Wrestling’s Rebellion pay-per-view. This event sees the long awaited match between Moose and Josh Alexander for the IMPACT World Championship. Tune in as Jez and Dan break it all down on The Main Event Podcast.
Pre-Show: Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Bey
As the Countdown to Rebellion got underway, it was announced that a match originally scheduled for the show could not take place because Jonathan Gresham had not been cleared to compete. Instead, Honor No More’s Eddie Edwards took on Bullet Club’s Chris Bey. As the match began, the two felt each other out and the crowd chose who they would get behind in the Ultimate Finesser. After Edwards backed out of a test of strength, he began to wear down Bey with a series of well executed Suplexes and throws. Bey fought back into the match using his signature quickness and took Edwards down with a dive to the outside of the ring. As the match moved closer to a conclusion, the pair turned up the physicality and exchanged stiff forearms but after Edwards hit the Die Hard Driver and picked up the win.
Jez’s Pick: Jonathan Gresham
Dan’s Pick: Eddie Edwards
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Jez 0 – Dan 1
Pre-Show: IMPACT Knockouts World Tag Team Championship – The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood) (c) vs. The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay)
The next contest was for the Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship with The Influence defending their championships against The IInspiration. The champions elected to come to the ring first and used this advantage to jump Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay before the match. Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood continued their dominant start by isolating Cassie Lee away from her partner. When McKay got the hot tag, she went to work on both women and soon gained herself a nearfall. As The IInspiration sought to put the match away with a double team manoeuvre, Dashwood held the leg of Lee on the top turnbuckle before sending her crashing down to the mat. Dashwood followed this up with The Spotlight but it wasn’t enough to put the challengers away. Likewise, The IInspiration were milliseconds from taking the victory after Lee avoided a shot to the face with the title belt but this too was only worth a two count. However, when Lee and McKay went for The Idolizer, Rayne speared Lee. The champions then hit The Collab and this time were able to get a three count for the win.
Jez’s Pick: The IInspiration
Dan’s Pick: The IInspiration
Winner: The Influence
Jez 0 – Dan 1
Chris Sabin vs. Jay White vs. Steve Maclin
The opening contest on the main pay-per-view was the triple threat match between Chris Sabin, Jay White, Steve Maclin. As they were with his Bullet Club teammate earlier, the crowd were behind the Switchblade in this match but White was not interested in joining the match in the early going. Sabin and Maclin squared off as White circled the ring, only entering to break up pinfalls. However, White was caught by Steve Maclin who took his moment to begin an assault on Switchblade around the ring apron. Intervention by Sabin allowed White to avoid extra damage and the match returned to the ring and White gained a nearfall. As is common in triple threat matches, the three men engaged in brief one-on-one flurries but there were also good moments in which all three competitors fought at the same time. White gained a couple of nearfalls before taking to the top turnbuckle with Sabin. Sabin fought out and hung White from the turnbuckle before himself being hung on the opposite side of the ring. Steve Maclin delivered a Spear to the prone Jay White but was sent crashing out of the ring when Sabin evaded that same fate. Now alone with Sabin, White delivered a Half and Half Suplex and went for the Blade Runner but Sabin rolled up White for two. Sabin and White fought to hit their finishes and Sabin succeeded in nailing the Cradle Shock but from behind Maclin rolled Sabin into a Crucifix pin and stole the biggest victory of his career.
Jez’s Pick: Jay White
Dan’s Pick: Jay White
Winner: Steve Maclin
Jez 0 – Dan 1
AAA Reina de Reinas Championship – Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie
In her first match in IMPACT Wrestling in over a year, Taya Valkyrie took on Deonna Purrazzo next as Valkyrie sought the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship that she never lost in Purrazzo’s Champ Champ Challenge. The match began very traditionally with Valkyrie gaining the early advantage with pure wrestling skill and following up with Pandemonium. The challenger took a moment to take in the adulation of the crowd and the champ relished this distraction, dragging Valkyrie into the ringpost and shifting the momentum her way for the first time in the match. Purrazzo hit a flatliner and followed up with a Koji Clutch but Valkyrie escaped. The match spilled back to ringside and Purrazzo delivered a Russian Leg Sweep against the ring apron but she hurt herself with this move as much as she did her opponent. Back in the ring, Purrazzo tried for the Fujiwara Armbar but she could not fully lock it on and Taya reached the bottom rope to break the submission. It was at this point the match started to turn in Valkyrie’s favour as she countered an offensive move from the top rope by the Virtuosa and delivered a Sitout Powerbomb to the champion. Purrazzo continued to fight back but soon Valkyrie delivered the Road to Valhalla and pinned the Champ Champ to officially demote her to just Champ.
Jez’s Pick: Taya Valkyrie
Dan’s Pick: Deonna Purrazzo
Winner: Taya Valkyrie
Jez 1 – Dan 1
IMPACT X Division Championship – Trey Miguel (c) vs. Ace Austin vs. Mike Bailey
The X-Division Championship Triple Threat Match was up next with Trey Miguel defending against Ace Austin and ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey. Ace Austin tried to convince his opponents that the outcome of this match was inevitable but this quickly proved not to be the smartest of moves as both Miguel and Bailey physically showed him why he was wrong. Austin was sent out of the ring and the other two men turned up the speed and demonstrated their technical ability. When Ace Austin came back into the ring, he turned up the physicality and delivered hard chops and kicks to his opponents but no matter what he did, Austin frequently found himself on the receiving end of high flying manoeuvres at ringside. Mike Bailey took the advantage in the match, delivering double knees to a prone entanglement of Austin and Miguel and got a nearfall on Ace following Ultimo Weapon. Bailey fell victim to a huge Brainbuster and a Meteora but Miguel’s pinfall was broken up when Austin pulled the leg of the referee. Ace Austin struck quickly and delivered The Fold to Miguel, pinning him to become the NEW IMPACT X-Division Champion.
Jez’s Pick: Trey Miguel
Dan’s Pick: Trey Miguel
Winner: Ace Austin
Jez 1 – Dan 1
Jonah vs. Tomohiro Ishii
From the fastest competitors to the biggest, next, as the ‘Top Dog’ Jonah collided with the ‘Stone Pitbull’ Tomohiro Ishii. As the bell rang, the two men came face to face before launching into each other with hard forearms and deep chops. After Jonah took down Ishii for the first time, he began to wear down the Japanese veteran, eventually locking him in a Sleeper Hold. After Ishii escaped, the dominance of Jonah continued. The Stone Pitbull tried his hardest to fight back in phases and eventually was able to chop down the big Australian with strikes to the knee but a sudden move from Jonah was all it took to ground Ishii once again. Things started to turn in Ishii’s favour when he avoided Tsunami and hit his Basement Lariat but this only put Jonah down for two. Ishii followed it up with headbutts and defied all laws of physics, hitting his signature Brainbuster and was able to get the three count, pinning Jonah to pick up a huge victory.
Jez’s Pick: Tomohiro Ishii
Dan’s Pick: Jonah
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii
Jez 2 – Dan 1
Eight-Team Elimination Challenge for the IMPACT World Tag Team Championship – Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and/or Joe Doering) (c) vs. Major Players vs. Jordynne Grace & W. Morrisey vs. Johnny Swinger & Zicky Dice vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Honor No More vs. Heath & Rhino
Up next at Rebellion was the Eight-Team Elimination Challenge for the Impact World Tag Team Championship with Violent By Design defending their titles against seven other tag teams. The two teams to start the match were the Major Players and the unique pairing of Jordynne Grace and W. Morrissey. Grace and Morrisey teamed well and delivered a number of double team manoeuvres but when Chelsea Green caused a distraction, Matt Cardona rolled up Jordynne Grace for the surprise 1-2-3. After the elimination, the brawl continued and Chelsea paid for her intervention – being Powerbombed through a table by W. Morrisey.
The next team to enter was the Good Brothers and the Major Players were forced to abandon Green in the rubble and return to the match. Fortunately for Cardona, the match didn’t last long and the Major Players were eliminated after the Magic Killer. The next entry came from the shortlived team of Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice – the second victims of the Magic Killer. Thanks for coming. Providing more of a challenge for Anderson and Gallows were Rich Swann and Willy Mack. The Good Brothers isolated Swann away from his partner and made frequent tags to make their way towards another elimination. Willie Mack eventually made the hot tag and even got a very close nearfall on Karl Anderson but after Gallows shoved him off the top rope, the pair hit another Magic Killer and advanced.
The next entry was Honor No More who misdirected the Good Brothers by sending Vincent and Kenny King down the ramp, setting up a blindside attack from the actual entrants, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. The attack backfired for Bennett as he fell victim to the Gun Stun but Matt Taven pinned Karl Anderson as Maria held his foot under the ropes, eliminating one of the favourite teams to win in The Good Brothers. Next to join the match were Honor No More’s old enemies Heath and Rhino who went to work quickly on Mike Bennett. Maria once again got involved in the match and this shifted momentum back towards her boys, Bennett and Taven. However as the match broke down, Rhino surprised Matt Taven with a Gore and eliminated Honor No More in shocking fashion.
The final team to enter was the defending IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, Violent By Design. Eric Young and Joe Doering were the chosen two for the champions and Young went right to work on former VBD member, Rhino. Rhino found himself isolated away from Heath and double teamed until Heath grabbed the tag and a nearfall with the Wake Up Call. The third member of VBD, Deener, drew Heath into the fist of Doering at ringside and the momentum once again shifted back towards the champions. Eric Young hit the Piledriver on Heath and pinned him to retain the IMPACT World Tag Team Championships.
Jez’s Pick: Major Players
Dan’s Pick: Violent By Design
Winner: Violent By Design
Jez 2 – Dan 2
IMPACT Knockouts World Championship – Tasha Steelz (c) vs. Rosemary
The championship action kept on coming as, next, Tasha Steelz defended her Knockouts World Championship against Decay’s Rosemary. Rosemary started aggressively as the bell rang, full throat screaming as she tossed the champion around the ring. Steelz took the damage for a time before baiting Havok into being ejected from ringside and taking control of the match. Steelz went on the offensive, punishing Rosemary with clubbing forearms to the chest on the ring apron. Steelz continued to wear down her opponent and although Rosemary was able to fight back in flurries, Steelz kept the momentum. When the champion collected her title belt, this distracted the referee and allowed Savannah Evans to take down Rosemary. This allowed Steelz to hit the Blackout but only got a two count. Evans tried to get involved again but Rosemary gave her a Green Mist for her troubles. Rosemary went for the kill, heading to the top rope but Steelz shocked her with a Cutter and followed it up with a Falcon Arrow to collect the 1-2-3 and another successful title defence.
Jez’s Pick: Tasha Steelz
Dan’s Pick: Rosemary
Winner: Tasha Steelz
Jez 3 – Dan 2
IMPACT World Championship – Moose (c) vs. Josh Alexander
In the main event, Moose defended the IMPACT World Championship in a long awaited contest against the challenger, Josh Alexander. As Alexander made his way to the ring, he was accompanied by his son in matching ring attire whereas Moose was resplendent in gold. As the match began, Alexander outmuscled the champion and ground him down to the mat with amateur wrestling manoeuvres. Moose escaped the ring and got into the face of Alexander’s family. This enraged Alexander but the rage provided an opening for Moose to surprise his challenger and take control of the match. The self proclaimed Wrestling God used the ringside area to wear down his challenger but Alexander seemed more willing to throw everything he had at Moose and regained control. Alexander delivered a succession of ten German Suplexes before releasing his grip on an exhausted Moose. The challenger didn’t capitalise on his work, though, and this once again allowed Moose back into the match. The action went back and forth again with each man giving the other the opportunity to deliver their best shot. Alexander delivered a C4 Spike but Moose got his foot on the bottom rope. From out of nowhere, Alexander surprised us all with a Styles Clash and followed it up with an Anklelock but once again Moose reached the ropes and this time pulled off a turnbuckle cover. It was into this exposed turnbuckle that Alexander was launched head first and Moose followed it up with a Spear. However, Alexander kicked out at 2. Moose went for another Spear but Alexander met it with a swift knee to the face. Josh Alexander followed this up with a second C4 Spike and pinned Moose to finally regain the IMPACT World Championship.
Jez’s Pick: Josh Alexander
Dan’s Pick: Moose
Winner: Josh Alexander
Jez 4 – Dan 2
Final Rating
Dan awards 3.5 out of 5 Cauliflower Ear Protectors
Jez awards 3 out of 5 Cauliflower Ear Protectors
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