Impact Wrestling Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 4
After weeks of avoiding the wrath of Masha Slamovich, Gisele Shaw came face-to-face with the unstoppable force of the Knockouts division in one of the more intriguing matches of this week's episode of Impact Wrestling.
Would The Quintessential Diva face the same fate as the 13 women who came before her and become the latest victim on Slamovich's list, or did she surprise the fans and turn in a showing far more impressive than expected?
That match headlined a card which also featured Sami Callihan, Deonna Purrazzo and the Motor City Machine Guns, as well as a special Derby City Street Fight main event.
Rosemary vs. Deonna Purrazzo
This week's show kicked off with Deonna Purrazzo battling Knockouts world tag team champion Rosemary in a preview of an August 12 title match that will see The Virtuosa team with Chelsea Green to battle The Demon Assassin and her partner, Taya Valkyrie.
Valkyrie and Jessicka accompanied Rosemary to the squared circle for the match.
Rosemary found herself on the defensive, with her arm being the target of a concentrated attack by the former Knockouts champ. A fiery, late-match comeback saw her take her opponent down with a sling blade but an ill-advised Spear missed and Purrazzo grabbed hold of the left arm.
The babyface fought out and even appeared to have the match won when she finally executed a Spear. A distraction by Jessicka proved costly, though, as Purrazzo scored the pinfall victory.
This was a solid opener between two of the greatest Knockouts in Impact history.
Purrazzo is at the top of her game and continues to establish herself as one of the best in her field today. Rosemary, conversely, is a grizzled veteran who has seen and done it all with the company.
They understood the assignment, provided energy and quality in-ring work, and the result was a solid start to the show.
It will be interesting to see where this story with Jessicka is going and how long it will take before Rosemary and Valkyrie see her as a liability.
Result
Purrazzo defeated Rosemary
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Tom Hannifan revealed that Purrazzo was without Green this week because she was working on The Virtuosa's bachelorette party.
- It was a smart setup, too, because it factored into the finish. As Jessicka heckled Purrazzo at ringside, the heel told her, "You're not invited anyway." That set up the finish, which saw Jessicka's emotions get the better of her, and the distraction cost Rosemary.
Digital Media Championship: Black Taurus vs. Brian Myers
The result of a backstage confrontation, Digital Media champion Brian Myers battled Decay's Black Taurus in The Most Professional Wrestler's first defense of the title since winning it.
Myers overcame an early onslaught to seize control after ramming his rival into the ring steps. Taurus mounted a comeback and even delivered the 619, but the titleholder cut him down with a superkick for a near-fall.
Taurus sought his finisher late on, but Myers poked him in the eye and scored the win with a cheap schoolboy roll-up.
After the match, Bhupinder Gujjar sent the champion back into the ring, where Decay stunned him, and Guijjar delivered his Middle Rope Spear to send a message to Myers.
This was a perfectly acceptable match between two veteran competitors. Myers stuck to the basics, but that is far from a bad thing. He is a traditional, technically sound wrestler who worked overtime to slow down the deceptively athletic Taurus. When that failed, he resorted to cheating to pick up the win.
Taurus is great, as those who watched Ric Flair's Last Match will know. He showed up and showed out in a Fatal 4-Way match Sunday, overshadowing opponents who included Rey Fenix, Bandido and Laredo Kid, which is an emphatic statement
Considering his overwhelming talent, it is a bit surprising that Impact has not found more for Taurus to do.
Result
Myers defeated Taurus
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- "...takes him off his hooves," said Tom Hannifan so matter-of-factly that it was unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) hilarious.
- The look on Myers' face as he was surrounded by Gujjar, Taurus and Crazzy Steve was priceless and reflective of a heel who knew he had messed up.
Masha Slamovich vs. Gisele Shaw
A match weeks in the making saw the undefeated Masha Slamovich square off with Gisele Shaw, who was the recipient of the unstoppable competitor's latest "death warrant."
Shaw stunned Slamovich and took her off her feet with a knee to the face that earned The Quintessential Diva a two-count. When Slamovich took over and delivered a big German suplex, Shaw kicked out at two.
No one had ever kicked out of anything Slamovich threw at them to that point in Impact.
However, it was Shaw's last effort at making this one competitive, as Slamovich put her away with the Snowplow moments later.
This was a great bit of storytelling that did as much to put Shaw over as further enhance Slamovich.
The Quintessential Diva provided Slamovich with her toughest test to date. She rocked her and nearly upset her, then weathered the offense of her opponent but ultimately, met the same fate as every other rival to this point.
Shaw emerged looking far tougher and more credible than she had previously, while Slamovich proved she could overcome a quality opponent who could test her.
This was weeks in the making and it lived up to the hype.
Result
Slamovich defeated Shaw
Grade
A
Top Moments
- The look on Slamovich's face as Shaw kicked out of her German suplex was one of amusement, as if she respected her opponent's resiliency but also knew she was merely toying with her at that point.
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Violent by Design
Alex Shelley will challenge Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship at Emergence but before that, he paired up with Motor City Machine Guns teammate Chris Sabin to battle Violent By Design's Joe Doering and Deaner.
A competitive, back-and-forth match saw Deaner striving to prove himself to Eric Young but ultimately failing to do so, as Shelley continued to build momentum with a quality win entering Emergence.
Not willing to let the loss go unanswered, Violent By Design attacked the competitors, only to be interrupted by Kushida. An interfering Young attacked The Time Splitter, leaving him and the victors lying to close out the segment.
The Machine Guns are doing some of their best work more than a decade after they reigned over Impact as its top tag team. Shelley and Sabin are so smart and have such extraordinary chemistry and timing that everything looks effortless.
They worked well with VBD here, and the result was the best match of the show to this point.
Young coming in and save the day for Deaner and Doering was a nice touch creatively and begs the question: Can the former tag team champions do anything to win Young over?
Result
The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Violent By Design
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- There was a fantastic double clothesline spot from Doering that continued to put him over as a seemingly indestructible big man. He is as protected as anyone in Impact, and the moment he finally loses next will mean a ton to whoever is able to beat him.
Sami Callihan vs. Raj Singh
Sami Callihan may have his sights set on Moose and Steve Maclin, but he squared off with Raj Singh this week.
It was not a particularly competitive match, though. The Death Machine bowled over Singh, pinning him following a piledriver.
After the match, Callihan called out Maclin and Moose and got them, for better or worse.
Maclin distracted Callihan by pretending to be Moose and then joined a two-on-one beatdown of the rebellious babyface, leaving him lying and further creating questions about their apparent alliance.
This was more about establishing the relationship between Maclin and Moose than anything else, and it was successful. Callihan earned a quick win, only to suffer at the hands of the heels, one of whom he will battle at Emergence (Maclin).
The intrigue surrounding that alliance has done a solid job of carrying this latest chapter of the feud between Callihan and Moose, but one has to wonder if the seemingly obvious partnership is actually setting up some sort of swerve somewhere down the line.
Result
Callihan defeated Singh
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- The idea of Maclin appearing in the smoke, like Moose does during his entrance, and Callihan not realizing the smaller competitor was not the same guy he has battled numerous times in recent months was a little far-fetched. Thankfully, he sniffed out the setup and dodged Moose's first attempt at a Spear.
Street Fight: PCO vs. Doc Gallows
The battle between Bullet Club and Honor No More continued in the main event as PCO squared off with one-half of the Impact world tag team champions, Doc Gallows, in a Derby City Street Fight.
The hard-hitting heavyweight battle saw The French-Canadian Frankenstein endure the pain and punishment fans have come to expect from Gallows. PCO may have managed to whack his rival once or twice, but he always found himself back on the receiving end.
PCO then tore the ring apart, peeling back protective padding to expose the wood underneath. He paid for it as Gallows delivered the Gas Mask to him. It would not be the last time the madman of Honor No More endured that unprotected squared circle.
Moments later, he suffered a chokeslam through the ring but fought out of the hole, downed the Bullet Club big man and delivered a fist drop with a glove full of thumbtacks for the win.
This was the definition of "meh."
The effort from both men was there, but the match was just a series of setups and big bumps with no real structure in between. Throw in some thumbtacks that went into the glove of PCO, and you have a chaotic brawl that was little more than throwing fists and taking bumps.
At least PCO scored a big win, which should keep Edwards off his back for a few weeks after enduring scrutiny from his fellow Honor No More members.
Result
PCO defeated Gallows
Grade
C-
Top Moments
- "For the love of Nick Cannon!" Hannifan exclaimed as PCO sent Gallows into a drumset, further proving he is the most underrated play-by-play ace in the business.
- PCO bumped onto several chairs that had been set up, his spine connecting with the edge of them.
- He also was chokeslammed from the middle rope and through the ring, which left a huge hole in the floor.