Impact Wrestling Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Analysis from September 22

Sami Callihan, Moose and Steve Maclin will enter Barbed Wire Massacre Friday night at Victory Road, but Thursday on Impact Wrestling on AXS TV, the combatants signed the contract for their high-profile main event.

That segment headlined a show that also featured a Ladder Match for the Digital Media Championship between Bhupinder Gujjar and Brian Myers not to mention one of the most unique cards in recent Impact memory.

The rivalry between Brian Myers and Bhupinder Gujjar over who is the rightful Digital Media champion culminated Thursday night on AXS TV with a high-stakes ladder match.

Myers seized control early by blocking his opponent's Gargoyle Spear. Later, he thwarted another attempt at the move, utilizing a well-placed ladder to absorb the blow instead of crashing into the mat.

Gujjar, his face bloodied following what appeared to be a broken nose, showed guts and determination as he fought through his veteran opponent's determined attack. It was for naught, though, as Myers taped his feet to a ladder, preventing him from advancing up it.

The self-proclaimed "Most Professional Wrestler" did just that, though, and retrieved the title for the win.

This was a strong opener that proved Gujjar's toughness. A young, blue-chip athlete, he survived what looked to be a nasty gash or broken nose, not to mention a powerbomb on a ladder that had to have driven the air out of him, and remained in the fight all the way to the tainted finish that saw him robbed of victory by a cerebral, underhanded Myers.

This appears to have settled the rivalry, but it would not be surprising if Gujjar still managed to take the title from Myers—that, or he undergoes a heel turn based solely out of mountain frustration.

Result

Myers defeated Gujjar

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Myers delivered a release powerbomb onto a ladder that had been propped up on the steel steps. 
  
• Myers taped Gujjar's feet to the ladder, preventing him from further climbing up the ladder.
• Backstage, Heath, Josh Alexander and Rich Swann talked about last week's show, and the former revealed his plans to challenge any member of Honor No More in a street fight.

What started as an innocent enough backstage confrontation ended painfully for Zicky Dice as he endured a brief, punishing attack at the hands of Knockouts champion Jordynne Grace, who had no trouble putting him away in short order.

If the point of this was to prove Grace has no problem beating those bigger than her, it worked.

Otherwise, this was so short and did nothing to really benefit either competitor in any measurable way that it is difficult to fully understand why it needed to be booked on this show.

Result

Grace defeated Dice

Grade

D

Top Moments

• Grace battered Dice with open-hand strikes and a spinning back elbow following the opening bell.
• A pre-taped video package, featuring a voiceover from the great Father James Mitchell, put over Grace's opponent at Victory Road: "The Nonbinary Nightmare," Max The Impaler.

In a preview of the upcoming Triple Threat Revolver Match at Victory Road, Alex Zayne, Laredo Kid, Black Taurus, Trey Miguel and Mia Yim battled in an intergender five-way match.

An action-packed match highlighted the talent involved while giving Taurus a much-needed victory by way of his Destination Hellhole finisher.

As a preview of the Triple Threat Revolver, this was fine, but one has to question booking this match to promote another multiperson match full of massively talented wrestlers with no real direction to speak of.

That has always been a trademark of the X-Division, but that does not mean it is still not a glaring issue with that particular part of the roster that persists some two decades after its advent.

Result

Taurus defeated Miguel, Kid, Zayn and Yim

Grade

B-

Top Moments

• Yim wiped out the competition with a senton at ringside, a spot that really does not make sense given the fact that they easily could have caught her. It was a cool spot that let the underrated wrestler shine, though.
• Tom Hannifan referred to Black Taurus' finisher as "Destination Hellhole," and it is instantly the best name in all of pro wrestling. 
• Eric Young and Deaner beat down Violent By Design recruits while an admittedly cool version of "Amazing Grace" played over it. 

Heath continued his personal vendetta against Honor No More this week by issuing an open challenge for a Street Fight. PCO appeared to accept as he entered the Impact Zone, only for his teammates to stop him on his way to the squared circle.

The French-Canadian Frankenstein still accepted the fight despite attempts by Eddie Edwards to talk him down, and a brawl was underway. A huge bump off the stage and onto several dozen chairs could not keep the grizzled veteran down as he fought his way back to the ring, launching chairs at Heath as he went.

Those same weapons proved his downfall as a missed senton onto them allowed Heath to recover and deliver the Wake-Up Call for the win.

Someone really should talk to PCO about taking the bumps that he is. PCO is a respected veteran, and what he does in the ring for a guy of his age and size is remarkable, but he is one big bump away from serious injury, and there were a few instances in this one when that could have happened.

The match was an entertaining enough brawl and continued two ongoing stories (Heath's feud with HNM and the faction's mounting distrust in PCO), so it worked in that regard.

Result

Heath pinned PCO

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• PCO took a massive bump into a bed of steel chairs after Heath launched him off the Impact stage.
• The monster-like heel applied a mandible claw to Heath only to miss a Swanton Bomb and crash on another pile of chairs in the ring.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Aussie Open, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, continued their guest-starring role in Impact Wrestling, battling the Motor City Machine Guns' Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in a modern-day dream match of sorts.

The heels dominated the majority of the action, isolating Shelley from his partner and preventing a tag for a good chunk of the contest. A bit of separation and a hot tag to Sabin sparked a comeback for the highly decorated Impact tandem.

Aussie Open settled down and regained control, leading to a dramatic near-fall following a cutter that was just barely broken up by Shelley.

The babyfaces, and future Impact Hall of Famers, fought back and delivered Skull and Bones to cash their ticket to Bound For Glory and a match with Matt Taven and Mike Bennett for the Impact World Tag Team Championship.

The idea of the MCMGs and Aussie Open was a mighty appealing one on paper. The execution lived up to expectations, with the competitors delivering strong performances and exhibiting some great in-ring chemistry for two teams that had not done battle on a major card before.

The right team went over and, after a year of reminding fans of their greatness and why they stand among the greatest teams in company history, it may be time to put the titles on Sabin and Shelley one last time.

Result

The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Aussie Open

Grade

B+

Top Moments

• Backstage, Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans took off looking for Killer Kelly, only for the latter to disappear and for Kelly to challenge her Victory Road opponent to "play." 

Scott D'Amore introduced Moose, Steve Maclin and Sami Callihan for this Hold Harmless Contract Signing ahead of Friday's Barbed Wire Massacre match at Victory Road.

Moose and Maclin bickered over who has seen and done worse in their lives before Callihan emerged from the locker room. More brief verbal back and forth gave way to a brawl.

The babyface absorbed the attack of his Victory Road opponents before dropping them each, then wiping blood from his forehead and "signing" the contract in a fairly impressive visual to wrap up the go-home episode of Impact Wrestling.

Friday's match really needs to be the last time these three are around each other for a little. This feels like it has lasted an eternity, most likely because we have already seen a Monster's Ball match between Callihan and Moose.

Adding Maclin to the mix will be huge for him and his main event aspirations, but this feels like a feud that has run its course and simply limped along to get to Friday's main event.

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Moose suggested being in a war is nothing compared to being in the ring with him. While that might be a solid promo line, it was also a pretty bold statement. 
• "You both made a mistake by not realizing The Death Machine is a master of puppets," Callihan said, admitting his plan worked because he has Maclin and Moose at each other's throats.
• Callihan produced a pen wrapped in barbed wire in a pretty cool spot.
• The babyface signed the contract in his own blood to close the show out.