Month: July 2018

Coming off what has been a solid couple months of tv shows some have been better than others what has been clear is the company under Don Callis & co is that they have found direction and the direction has lead them hear, Slammiversary is the most talked about Impact show In years now all they have to do is deliver. For me Slammiversary has always been their big show as it marks the anniversary of the company & it was the event in 2007 they made me a big fan of the company, Since then I’ve been in and out instead focusing on progress njpw & others in checking out impact a little while ago again I found that unlike Raw & smackdown Impact has the most focus.

Allie vs Tessa Blanchard

Tessa has now signed full time with impact and I suspect she will pick up the win here and the company will most likely try & build the division around her as Don Callis is a big fan. Allie has a decent personality and isn’t to bad in the ring I expect this to deliver as much as it can.

Jonny Impact vs Fenix vs Taiji Ishimori vs Petey Williams

Rich swann was part of this match but has suffered a concussion & is now replaced by Petey Williams. This has had no build on the tvs and in reality doesn’t really need one it should be a really good match, Fenix is the best flyer in the business not names Ospreay or ricochet. Taiji now a njpw wrestler is awesome too this could easily steal the show.

House of Hardcore Rules

Eddie Edwards vs Tommy Dreamer

This has had some good build with Eddie being obsessed with Sami callihan it has clouded his judgment and subsequently sent him loopy. While his friend Tommy tried to bring him back to reality it made matters worse and sent Eddie over the edge where he thought Tommy was sleeping with his wife. Despite most of this nonsense this should be a fun match despite his age Tommy knows exactly what he’s doing in matches like this & Eddie is one of the best workers in the company.

Hair vs Mask

Sami callihan vs Pentagon jr

This is the match in looking forward to most, it should be very heated & hard hitting Sami has been a great heel coming off his feud with Eddie Edwards & Pentagon is a personal favourite of mine. Both are great personalities who can work. The feud on tv has been entertaining  with Sami stealing his mask & subsequently walking around with it ever since now Penta want revenge and the smart money says he will get it!

5150 Street Fight

LAX vs The OGz

This has been the best thing on impact with the backstage segments leading to the in ring confrontation between Konnan & Eddie Kingston revealing he attacked Konnan and brought back the original LAX homicide & Hernandez to attack the new version of the duo. The street fight will give them freedom to do crazy spots and I fully suspect this match to go over great with the live crowd.

Knockouts Title

Su Young © vs Madison Rayne

Hopefully this one is quick as personally Rayne hasn’t showed to much on her comeback to the company. Youngs gimmick has seemingly gotten over with being a unread character. I expect a young victory here before she goes on to another feud.

X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP

Matt Sydal © vs Brian Cage

Cage is one they are building he was on a undefeated streak before these two had a match on impact in which Kongo kong came in and got involved. Cage has to win Sydal will not be hurt by the loss but cage who only a month a go went on a tour to Japan which IMPACT showed a match from plus other events he had a buzz about him they can’t afford to lose that buzz again.

IMPACT CHAMPIONSHIP

Austin Aries © vs Moose

This has been a mixed build with Austin destroying moose verbally in every situation moose hasn’t been on the tv recently and that hasn’t helped his cause. Moose can be good in certain matches but he isn’t on Austin’s level so personally I’d like to see the champ retain. The match should be good & has the potential to be really good if the crowd gets invested with moose one way or the other.

Final Thoughts

The show should be good their won’t be many bad matches if any to be honest with some potential to have some great ones let’s hope everything delivers the way it should and the company can garner some real attention to itself. You can buy the show via the Fite app & if you do I hope you enjoy

Thanks for reading

Aaron Browne @aaron6785

Tonight is the go home show for slammiversary a important ppv for the company in the new era, IMPACT are slowly in certain wrestling circles getting a bit of buzz about them mainly for the storytelling heading in to this Sunday’s ppv lets see if tonight keeps the trend going.

Petey Williams vs Killer Kross

Kross beat Petey pretty easily with a modified choke the match was really a showcase to get Kross over as a monster which seeming worked as the crowd did boo him a bit at the finish. Petey had a little comeback with a codebreaker & a ddt but the bulk of the offence was for cross who hit a nice saito suplex before finishing with the choke. Winner Kross 4:52 **

Short pre tape with Madison Rayne telling us how her daughter wants to be a superhero like her mother when she grows up this was ok for what it was presenting Madison as whiter than white.

Desi hit squad vs KM & Fallah Bahh

The hit squad get the win after Bahh has his eyes raked while going for the banzai drop leading him to get rolled up. Bahh & km were pretty over with the crowd despite being a comedy team. Winners Desi hit squad 4:28 *

They showed a OGs and LAX segment recapping their feud and hyping their match for Slammiversary this has been one of the best built matches for the ppv.

Eli Drake vs Joe Hendry

Drake attacked him early after Joe showed a pre tape of himself mocking frames youtube channel, drake went for the gravy train finish but got rolled up, after the match Katrina celebrates with Joe while ignoring her boyfriend Grado. Winner Hendry 3:49 *¼

Andrew Everett vs Desmond Xavier was next up but the match never happened as Eddie Edwards came down with a Cain attacked them both & the ref before cutting a promo on Tommy dreamer There is going to be violence and there is going to be blood. I am going to make you bleed. I am going to feel your blood, your blood in my hands. I am going to taste your blood, Tommy.”

Edwards said “I am the true innovator of violence. At Slammiversary Tommy Dreamer — I am going to be your never-ending nightmare.” Edwards is a very good wrestler but this feud with the ageing Tommy dreamer isn’t doing anything for me.

Video package for the Pentagon jr & Sami callihan match this Sunday looking forward to that one!

Greg Osbourne vs sami callihan

Squash match Sami put Pentagon’s mask on him & superkicked him before hitting his finish for the win. After the match Penta came on the screen speaking in Spanish as ove ran down the ramp. Winner Sami 4:04 *

Allie & Kiera Hogan vs Tessa Blanchard & shotzi Blackheart

Allie hit a codebreaker to score the win on shotzi the match wasn’t much it was built to showcase Tessa & Allie for their match on sunday. Winners Allie & Kiera 7:03 *½

Moose & Austin Aries had a in ring confrontation they are the main event on Sunday for Austin’s TITLE, Austin attacked moose from behind gave him a low blow but moose recovered & sent him packing as the show closed.

Tonight’s IMPACT wasn’t the best as unlike the last two weeks there wasn’t anything in ring worth watching but every segment was evolved around Sundays ppv so it did it’s job in promoting it. I’ll be doing a preview & running down the card before Sunday see you then thanks for reading.

@aaron6785

For Immediate Release – July 17, 2018

Fight Network Launches in the UK on SKY and Freesat

Weekly IMPACT Wrestling show airs on Fridays at 1am and 9pm – as part of a compelling line-up of wrestling, MMA and combat sports from around the world

LONDON | TORONTO – Fight Network, the world’s premier multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced it has launched on Channel 192 on SKY and Channel 161 on Freesat across the UK.

“We are delighted to expand Fight Network’s global footprint to the UK,” said Peter Einstein, COO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of Fight Network. “The UK is rooted in combat sports tradition, producing many world champions and memorable personalities over the years. Our diverse programming line-up will showcase premium combat sports content from around the world, while highlighting local stars and events, and we plan to bolster our schedule with more exciting content over the next few months.”

“Based on popular demand, we are excited to announce that IMPACT Wrestling fans in the UK can now watch our weekly show contemporaneous with its North American broadcast premiere, as well as replays in primetime,” added Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling.

Fight Network will broadcast on Showcase TV in the UK starting at 9:00 p.m. every night. As well as being found on SKY and Freesat, Fight Network on Showcase TV can also be viewed online, by visiting www.information.tv/showcase and pressing play on the Showcase TV icon.

Some of the featured programming on Fight Network in the UK will include:

• IMPACT Wrestling – Live weekly simulcast Fridays at 1:00 a.m. of IMPACT Wrestling’s flagship show with primetime repeats on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. IMPACT showcases top professional wrestling stars such as Austin Aries, Johnny Impact, Moose, Eli Drake, Pentagon Jr., Fenix, Rich Swann, Matt Sydal, Brian Cage, local UK stars such as Grado and Joe Hendry, the high-flying X-Division, plus the lovely and lethal Knockouts, including Su Yung, Rosemary, Allie, Madison Rayne and Tessa Blanchard.

• Ultimate Challenge MMA – Based in London, UCMMA is one of Europe’s leading MMA promotions. Events deliver a bigger, faster and tougher experience with all the drama, glory and full contact fighting that UK MMA fans demand.

• Abu Dhabi Grand Slam – Coverage of grappling events from the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, showcasing the best submission specialists in tournaments held around the world, including London.

• WGP Kickboxing – South America’s premier kickboxing league based in Brazil, featuring hard-hitting knockouts from some of the best strikers in the world.

• Wrestling at the Chase – Iconic professional wrestling series from St. Louis from the 1950s to 1980s, featuring past legends such as Ric Flair, Harley Race and Lou Thesz.

• Retrospective – Original Fight Network series highlighting combat sports fighters and personalities as they relive pivotal career moments.

• Xplosion – Weekly show from IMPACT Wrestling featuring exclusive matches only seen internationally, plus behind-the-scenes footage, original sitdown interviews and throwback matches highlighting memorable historical moments.

• British Boot Camp – Series documenting the careers of British professional wrestlers seeking a contract with IMPACT Wrestling, featuring next generation stars such as Rockstar Spud, Marty Scurll and Grado, as they train under the mentorship of legends such as Hulk Hogan and Sting.

Fight Network is currently available on cable, satellite and digital platforms in the U.S., Canada and select countries in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com.

About Fight Network:

Fight Network (www.fightnetwork.com) is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available on cable, satellite and telco systems across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, as well as Roku and Apple TV devices across North America. Fight Network is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., a leading global sports media company. Fight Network also operates Dare to Defend, a non-profit organization aimed at addressing the issue of domestic violence and gender inequality, empowering women in the process.

The question of the next Universal champion is a very hot topic within the wrestling community. With WWE seemingly sticking to the idea of Roman Reigns to dethrone the beast even against the will of the fans. Furthermore we know who will most certainly be a Universal champion within the next year after gaining the money in the bank briefcase on the 17th June in Chicago but there seems to be no immediate plans for Braun Strowman. But with WWE’s cloudy booking there is no obvious favourite for who will be the new number 1 contender for the WWE Universal champion names like Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins have been branded about as contenders but again cloudy stop start booking makes this unclear. I will review each of the obvious contenders and maybe even a few surprises that WWE could take.

Roman Reigns

Well… here we go this guy currently the favourite to again take on Lesnar at Summerslam according to various reports. After a very soul draining wrestlemania 34 match in which the crowd payed very little attention in which Reigns got absolutely obliterated by Lesnar and even the result shocked everyone with Lesnar coming out on top and then another match at the greatest royal rumble inside a steel cage with a controversial finish. Since then Reigns has been on somewhat of a roller coaster ride. Defeating Samoa Joe in the main event of backlash and then going into a very boring and lacklustre feud with Jinder Mahal with the eventual match at money in the bank. But I think I speak for the many with Roman Reigns with saying it’s just boring and infuriating now. Roman no matter what they try will never be over with crowd. So what I say is if WWE really want to give Reigns the big title you might as well give him the title and see it fail. I think everyone is bored of both Reigns and Lesnar. Although the Reigns win will be booed out the building there’s always the Braun cash-in I guess? Sigh

Braun Strowman

Well Mr.Monster in the bank will definitely have a successful cash in the biggest question is when. The monster in my opinion should cash in either prior or during the match between Lesnar and Reigns. This is an idea that would make the monster look strong and it would save the match from the awful crowd with a massive pop for the monster. This is Braun’s time for a proper title run elevating him to the top of the company and cementing his monster gimmick as a serious gimmick after the last few months have seen him taking on a somewhat more comedic approach to the monster gimmick. But with the main event of summerslam looking to be Reigns v Lesnar this is a massive chance to get a brilliant pop and cement Braun Strowman as the main eventer we all know he is.

Bobby Lashley

After an expected return back to the WWE the Raw after Wrestlemania. But that was seemingly the start of his downfall after teaming up with the prior mentioned Braun Strowman at backlash to beat Zayn and Owens then going into an awful feud with Zayn but Lashley is seemingly on an upward trajectory with a feud with Roman Reigns in the works for extreme rules it seems as though things could be up for Lashley but it seems as though WWE creative have no further plans beyond Extreme Rules. Although it has been long rumoured and even teased by the advocate for Paul Heyman that Lashley could ultimately face Lesnar. It was even rumoured at one stage that part of Lashley’s contract to return to the WWE was that he would be guaranteed a match against Lesnar but that’s yet to be seen. Personally don’t see Lashley reaching the summit of raw anytime soon but who knows what could happen? Stranger things have happened.

Seth Rollins

WWE’s MVP of 2018. Seth Rollins has had a fantastic first half of 2018 making the best of a bad situation with the Jason Jordan tag team (oh my that feels longer than 6 months). Also Rollins had a great gauntlet match showing pinning both Roman Reigns and John Cena on the go home show before Elimination chamber. Also having a very decent showing in the Elimination chamber. But then since the Raw after wrestlemania that was the turning point for Rollins. Having great matches with The Miz and Finn Balor on the road to wrestlemania but this time Rollins was chasing The intercontinental championship. Then at wrestlemania Rollins won the intercontinental championship to become a grand slam champion defeating Finn Balor and The Miz having one of the better matches on the wrestlemania card. But since then Rollins has put on match of the night after match of the night at PPV’s and offering a intercontinental open challenge putting on some stunning matches. But he then subsequently lost the title to Dolph Ziggler on the Raw after money in the bank. But it doesn’t seem like Rollins will be entering the Universal title picture anytime soon even though he was my choice to be the one to conquer the beast.

Surprise Picks

Well this is a category of outsiders that WWE could spring a massive surprise with. Firstly they could pick Finn Balor the biggest victim of WWE’s inconsistent booking but Finn has been owed his rematch for the Universal championship. Also WWE could pick someone like Elias probably WWE’s biggest breakout star of late 2017 and 2018 WWE seem to be very high on him and hopefully they decide to give him a title run soon but maybe the Universal championship is too soon. Another surprise pick would be Kevin Owens he’s very long over due holding a top title and with getting some momentum back on his side he would be a very good choice for holding the top belt.

Thanks for reading!

@Lem_WWFC