Impact Wrestling Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 28

Would Josh Alexander's second reign as Impact world champion be cut short by Moose, just as his first was?

It was the question on the mind of Impact Wrestling fans as The Walking Weapon defended against his rival in a contractually obligated rematch, just days after their epic encounter at Rebellion.

That bout headlined a show that also featured Honor No More battling Mike Bailey and The Motor City Machine Guns, Knockouts champion Tasha Steelz in action and the return of The Briscoe Brothers.

The Impact tag team titles took center stage at the top of the show as Violent By Design's Eric Young, Joe Doering and Deaner hit the ring for a celebratory promo, only to be interrupted by Heat and Rhino. While they cited unfulfilled vengeance, it was the arrival of The Briscoe Brothers that stole the show.

Jay expressed his and brother Mark's desire to challenge for the titles and master manipulator Young left it up to the two fan-favorite teams to figure it out among themselves. It led to a huge tag team match to kick off the show.

A solid, physical tag match saw the brothers score the win and immediately enter title contention.

The arrival of the Briscoes, be it for the long term or on a shot-by-shot basis, injects excitement and energy into the tag division. Whether they can be the team that dethrones the solid-if-unspectacular VBD remains to be seen, but they are a major pickup for Impact.

It does, unfortunately, come at the expense of Rhino and Heath, whose year-long feud with Young and Co. appears destined to go unsettled in a way that pays off the babyfaces' story.

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• "Power and control, that's what we desired and that's what we took," Young said of VBD's victory at Rebellion.
• "This world doesn't belong to you. It belongs to us!" Young said.
• Rhino and Heath were quickly overshadowed by the arrival of The Briscoe Brothers.
• "You might go collecting titles wherever you go, but Impact is a new world," Heath told the Briscoes.

Bhupinder Gujjar continued his winning ways in the night's second match, defeating VSK in a more competitive contest than one would have imagined.

VSK shut down an explosive Gujjar early but could not put him away. The Indian wrestler fought back and put VSK down with a diving Spear.

Gujjar continues to impress, delivering impressive performances against experienced in-ring competitors and never looking out of place while doing so. He has lived up to the hype, looking every bit the part of a major player in Impact's future.

An impending match with Shera should hopefully pay off his storyline with Raj Singh, which already feels like it has gone on for too long.

Grade

C

Top Moments

• Gujjar exploded over the top rope, wiping VSK out on the floor.
• Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt put over the idea of an angry and frustrated VSK, who believes the Impact fans have forgotten about him.
• Raj Singh and Shera appeared after the match, taunting Gujjar by punishing VSK after the bell.

Honor No More's Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett attempted to reverse their recent fortunes when they battled "Speedball" Mike Bailey and The Motor City Machine Guns' Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley.

A wild and chaotic match saw Bailey star in a losing effort, as the heels scored a much-needed victory.

High spots galore, a red-hot crowd and the veteran expertise of Sabin, Shelley and Edwards helped elevate this beyond your typical Trios match.

Honor No More desperately needed this win. They have lost so frequently that they were starting to feel like glorified enhancement talent or placeholders.

This was a step in the right direction, though the real test will be how they fare in the matches where Edwards is not working.  

Grade

B+

Top Moments

• The Bennett-Bailey chop-off mid-match was great and put over the mounting intensity of the bout.
• The fans broke out in a "Speedball" chant in appreciation for Bailey's performance.
• Miscommunication between Bailey and Shelley afterward teased a rivalry between them.
• After the match, Bullet Club's Chris Bey, "Switchblade" Jay White and The Good Brothers attacked Honor No More, intensifying that particular feud.

Decay's Rosemary and Havok earned a measure of revenge over Knockouts champion Tasha Steelz and her bodyguard, Savannah Evans, with a victory in tag team action.

Havok pinned Evans, ensuring Steelz did not lose her heat via pinfall loss. It was the right call as Evans was most expendable, suffering the least from a loss. She has raw potential and could be a force in the Knockouts division, but Steelz is the star around whom everything revolves right now and protecting her from needless losses is key.

The outcome suggested Steelz may find herself challenged by Rosemary in a rematch of the Rebellion clash, but a showdown with Havok—the wrestler who actually earned the win here—should not be out of the question.

With other key members of the roster busy in other stories and feuds, that appears to be the only real direction for things to head in.

Grade

C

Top Moments

• Prior to the match, new AAA Reina de Reinas champion Taya Valkyrie had an emotional celebration promo interrupted by Deonna Purrazzo, who attacked her rival until Decay made the save. That angle segued into the advertised tag match.
• After the bout, Tenille Dashwood hosted "All About Me" with Madison Rayne. Gisele Shaw interrupted, teasing a feud with the Knockouts tag team champions.

For the second time in less than a week, Josh Alexander and Moose squared off with the Impact Wrestling Championship on the line. 

And for the second time in less than a week, The Walking Weapon bested The Wrestling God.

When you take into consideration the fact that the night's main event was taped less than 24 hours after their Match of the Year candidate at Rebellion, what Alexander and Moose accomplished with Thursday's contest was that much more impressive. 

Their bodies must have been wracked with pain. Every chop had to sting more, every strike had to hurt twice as worse than it normally would have. Exhaustion had to have set in, but it never hurt the quality of the match. Another intensely physical bout saw Alexander faced with the challenge of overcoming the onslaught of his opponent.

He did, countering Moose's powerbomb attempt and delivering one of his own, followed by the C-4 Spike for the win.

The victory put a decisive end to the best feud in Impact (and one of the best in the entire business) and freed Alexander up to move on to a new opponent.

First up? Tomohiro Ishii, who will challenge The Walking Weapon at Under Siege on May 7.

Grade

B+

Top Moments

• The defiance of Alexander as he ate several strikes by Moose and continued to fight his way back to his feet was reflective of him, his character and the feud with the former NFL star.
• Alexander broke out the Sharpshooter and popped the crowd.
• The combatants exchanged hard rights, lefts and forearms in a throwback to the closing moments of their match at Rebellion.
• Ishii emerged from the locker room afterward as Scott D'Amore's hand-picked opponent for Alexander at Under Siege.