‘IMPACT Slammiversary 2018’ – Results & Review
Welcome to the review of the Impact Wrestling Pay Per View, Slammiversary. I’m Nathan Favel and we have lots of great action to get to, so let’s to so. If you want, you can check out our predictions for Slammiversary here and see how well we fared!
Fenix vs. Johnny Impact vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Rich Swann – International Four-Way Match
The following is courtesy of ImpactWrestling.com:
Ishimori hits Fenix with a springboard Hurricanrana. Fenix and Impact both springboard off the ropes but Fenix gets the upperhand and slams him to the mat! Williams hits his signature dropkick to the back of Fenix, followed by the side Canadian leg sweep. Ishimori hits Williams with a springboard dropkick but Fenix breaks up the pin attempt with a springboard of his own! Fenix launches himself over the top rope, taking out Impact and Williams on the outside! Ishimori is next to fly as he hits a springboard Moonsault on everyone! Impact counters Williams’ Canadian Destroyer and hits a swinging neckbreaker. Fenix connects with a rolling cutter on Impact but Ishimori breaks up the pin! Everybody exchanges superkicks in the middle of the ring until no one is left standing! Impact hits Fenix with another superkick, followed by Starship Pain to pick up the win.
My Take: This was as good of a stunt show as you will get. Petey Williams was a great substitute for Rich Swann, who got injured during the taping of the Major League Wrestling event, Battle Riot. The moves were crisp and fluid, like the best X Division matches. Plus, I got the winner right, so my ego is happy.
Tessa Blanchard vs. Allie – Knockout’s Match
The following is courtesy of Impact Wrestling.com:
Tessa pummels Allie with numerous forearms on the apron but misses the follow-up leg drop. Allie hits a top rope crossbody to the outside! Tessa catches a Best Superkick Ever attempt by Allie and grounds her to take control. They brawl around the ringside area where Allie hits the Allie Valley Driver on the floor! Allie dropkicks Tessa into the corner, followed by the lungblower for a near fall. Tessa connects with a top rope Hurricanrana but Allie kicks out! Allie hits the Codebreaker but Tessa wisely rolls to the outside. Tessa counters the Allie Valley Driver into the hammerlock DDT to win!
My Take: Tessa was great here and deserved to win. Impact could go far with her in any facet.
Eddie Edwards vs. Tommy Dreamer – House of Hardcore Rules Match
The following is courtesy of Impact Wrestling.com:
House of Hardcore rules means there are no disqualifications, no countouts and anything goes! Edwards goes for a suicide dive but Dreamer cuts him off with a trash can shot. Dreamer and Edwards fight over a staple gun. Dreamer gets the upperhand and delivers a staple right to his forehead! Dreamer grabs a replica championship from the crowd and cracks Edwards over the head with it. Edwards connects with a suicide dive to gain control. Edwards hits numerous kendo stick shots but Dreamer turns the tide with a cutter. Dreamer hits a low blow, followed by a top rope Death Valley Driver through two steel chairs! Dreamer is about to light a table on fire but Edwards stops him with a low blow and hits the Boston Knee Party to win. After the match, Edwards’ wife, Alisha comes out to witness a passing of the torch as Dreamer hands Edwards his kendo stick.
My Take: This was what I predicted, but it was a lot of fun. I liked the passing of the torch moment, even though it seemed to be a little lost on the crowd. Hopefully, Eddie will go back to his mat wrestling now.
X-Division Champion Matt Sydal vs. Brian Cage – X-Division Championship Match
The following is courtesy of Impact Wrestling.com:
Cage hits a standing Moonsault in the early going. Cage goes to the top but Sydal knocks him off with a kick. Sydal follows up with running double knees off the apron to the outside. Sydal goes for a standing Moonsault but Cage catches him and connects with some unique offence. Cage avoids the Shooting Star Press and connects with a huge discus clothesline. Sydal counters the Drill Claw into a snap Hurricanrana for a near fall! Cage catches Sydal in mid-air and goes for the Drill Claw but Sydal counters into a rollup for another near fall! Sydal attempts the Shooting Star but Cage gets a boot up, followed by the Drill Claw to win. Brian Cage is the new X-Division champion!
My Take: This was a good match that moved well and got the job done with a bit of flair. Hopefully, Cage doesn’t start calling it the Weapon X division.
Knockouts Champion Su Yung w/ Undead Bridesmaids vs. Madison Rayne – Knockouts Championship Match
The following is courtesy of Impact Wrestling.com:
Madison jumpstarts the match by attacking Su on the ramp! The Undead Bridesmaids approach the ring, allowing Su to briefly gain control off the distraction. Madison hits a Hurricanrana through the ropes to the floor. Su hits a hanging neckbreaker off the second rope. Su spit the red mist but Madison ducks, causing Su to hit one of the Undead Bridesmaids on the apron! Madison connects with the ripcord cutter for a near fall. Su locks in the mandible claw with the blood-stained glove! Madison passes out, awarding the victory to Su. After the match, Su places Madison inside the coffin and stands on top of it with the Knockouts Championship held high.
My Take: This was too short for my taste, but at least it made Yung look good. It’s a shame she had to wrestle this match with her husband Rich Swann injured.
Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/ Konnan vs. The OGz (Homicide & Hernandez) w/ King – 5150 Street Fight for the Tag Team Championship
The following is courtesy of Impact Wrestling.com:
Santana knocks Homicide off the apron with a springboard dropkick. Santana and Ortiz both fly, taking out Homicide and Hernandez on the outside. Hernandez launches himself over the top rope with a crossbody onto LAX. Santana charges at Hernandez on the ramp but Hernandez backdrops him back into the ring. Hernandez catches Santana in mid-air and connects with a sit-down powerbomb for a near fall. LAX hits the Street Sweeper on Homicide but Hernandez pulls the referee out of the ring to break up the pin! Homicide launches himself over the ropes, driving Santana through a table on the outside! Ortiz hits Homicide with a Death Valley Driver through a table in the corner. Konnan confronts Homicide on the apron and tosses a bag of thumbtacks to Santana. Santana slams Homicide into the thumbtacks, followed by a top rope splash to win! After the match, King and the OGz attack Konnan and LAX from behind. King vandalizes the titles with spray paint and they leave the arena with them!
My Take: This was a wild brawl with lots of hardcore stuff that can wear out its welcome fairly quickly, but didn’t lose its appeal here. The right team won and this feud will likely continue.
Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr – Hair vs. Mask Match
The following is courtesy of Impact Wrestling.com:
If Callihan loses, his head will be shaved and if Pentagon loses, he will be unmasked – tonight! Pentagon goes for a suicide dive but Callihan cuts him off with a steel chair shot! Callihan attempts to unmask Pentagon and successfully tears a piece of it off. Callihan repeatedly strikes Pentagon with steel spikes. Callihan ties Pentagon to the ropes and grabs a baseball bat. Pentagon fights free and connects with a lungblower! Now it’s Pentagon who grabs the steel spikes and hammers them into Callihan’s head with the baseball bat! Pentagon and Callihan tee off with steel chairs as they knock each other out in the middle of the ring! Jake and Dave Crist attempt to get involved but Pentagon fights them off with a steel chair. Callihan blinds Pentagon with powder, causing Pentagon to inadvertently attack the referee and break his arm! Pentagon hits the Pentagon Driver but the referee is laid out! Callihan hits a piledriver into numerous steel chairs as another referee comes out. Callihan goes for the pin but Pentagon kicks out at two! Pentagon hits Fear Factor into a stack of steel chairs but somehow, Callihan is still able to kick out! Pentagon breaks Callihan’s arm and connects with the package piledriver to win! Callihan’s head will be shaved!
After the match, oVe attacks Pentagon in an effort to prevent their leader from having his head shaved but Fenix makes the save. Fenix holds Callihan on the ramp as Pentagons haves his head bald!
My Take: This was a brutal match that was ECW meets the Greg Valentine/Roddy Piper dog collar match from the original Starrcade. This was as good of a brawl as you can do and is really memorable. The right guy won here and should make their feud even more intriguing.
World Champion Austin Aries vs. Moose – World Championship Match
The following is courtesy of Impact Wrestling.com:
Toronto Blue Jays player, Curtis Granderson is the official title-holder for this match. Moose charges at Aries but he ducks, sending Moose flying over the guardrail into a pile of steel chairs! Moose connects with the Train to Moose Nation dropkick but Aries kicks out at two. Moose attempts Go to Hell but Aries counters into a Hurricanrana. Moose successfully hits Go to Hell for a very close near fall! Aries counters the Spear and locks in the Last Chancery! Moose crawls to the ropes and breaks the hold. Aries hits the Death Valley Driver on the apron! Moose hits Aries with his own Brain Buster, followed by the Spear but Aries kicks out! Moose throws Aries off the ramp into the crowd! Moose launches himself over the top but Aries moves, causing Moose to crash into the ramp. Aries hits Moose with a Brain Buster on the floor! Curtis Granderson stops Aries from using the title as a weapon. Moose rolls up Aries off the distraction for a near fall! Aries connects with another Brain Buster to win the match and retain the World Championship.
My Take: I’m so happy to say I was wrong about this match. Aries was great here and Moose had his big moment here, proving he can deliver a great performance when the time comes to do so. The crowd loved the main event and both men earned their cut tonight.
News of the Night:
- IMPACT Wrestling presents Bound for Glory, live from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City on October 14th.
Final Verdict: This was a great card that delivered the best night of action from this company since 2012’s Destination X PPV. The whole card was fantastic, but the main event was the star of the show. There may just be enough momentum for the rest of the year for Impact Wrestling to make this latest chapter the best yet.
