Last week, if you remember well, I was talking about Wrestling Mercato and the new talents Impact has signed. But the company also announced this week some re-signings, comebacks and farewells. Let’s check that, before starting the review:
– Sami Callihan, Eddie Edwards, Fallah Bahh and Rosemary signed new long-term contracts
– Madison Rayne is coming back
– Caleb Konley left
No worries, I’m preparing a big piece on this, just be patient as Impact has to announce much more signings…
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, they say… LAX unmasked the Lucha Brothers, Johnny Impact gave Cage a new chance for the title, Scarlett is set to make her debut soon, Disco Inferno is back… But what happens on Impact is going far away from the Impact Zone…
On the menu this week, Tessa Blanchard vs Delilah Doom, Ethan Page vs The Rascalz’s Zachary Wentz, the return of Reno Scum, Jake Crist vs Willie Mack, Johnny Impact and Brian Cage teaming up against Killer Kross and Moose. We’ll also hear from Sami Callihan telling his side about Rich Swann.
So, no more words, let’s get ready for some action, but your French Enygma Steph way, of course…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXgi9XhiJHA]

The Nygma’s Chart of the Week

• Willie Mack defeated Jake Crist via DQ when Dave got involved. They attacked The Mack and Tommy Dreamer rushed to make the save.
• Willie Mack and Tommy Dreamer defeated Dave and Jake Crist.
• Backstage, Johnny Impact was asked about handing out title matches to those who do him favours. Impact said that it’s getting twisted and nothing has changed but people’s attitudes against him. He said that he will give a shot to anyone that deserves it in the back, Moose and Killer Kross are the reason Cage hasn’t had a fair title shot, but tonight, he’s going to team up with Cage to finally get rid of them.

• KM & Fallah Bahh defeated Reno Scum. After the match, Adam and Luster attacked KM and Fallah.
• Backstage, Glenn Gilbertti asked Ethan Page where the management office is. D’Lo Brown came out and the two interacted a bit before Gilberti walked into the office and told the managers that the X-Division should be in a tournament. The staff mocked him as he tried to explain his position.
• Backstage, KM and Fallah Bahh were ticked off that Reno Scum would come in and attack them. KM reminded that they have been working together to rise to the top of the Impact Division for months now, and Reno Scum will not come in and take their place.

• Backstage, Eddie Edwards and Eli Drake came face to face. Drake said that they have both won in this situation as Edwards didn’t need the kendo stick. We got to see the old Eddie Edwards last week and it led to their victory. Drake added that they may have a little something and they should pursue the tag team titles. Edwards said that he’s good with Kenny as his tag team partner before exiting.
• Backstage, Scarlett Bordeaux gave an update on her return. Next week, she will announce her opponent for “the most highly-anticipated debut of all time”.
• Tessa Blanchard defeated Delilah Doom. After the match, she yelled in the camera about how Impact management won’t give her what she wants. She said that she will get her rematch “or else”.

• Backstage, Brian Cage said that he thinks he’ll be able to co-exist in a team with Johnny Impact. He remembered how far back they go, and he recalled how he doesn’t get his title shot until they take out Moose and Kross. Cage promised that they will do just that in tonight’s main event.
• Backstage, Rosemary talked about the upcoming spirit war with Father James Mitchell. Kiera Hogan and Jordynne Grace confronted Rosemary and told her that they will join her forces to take out Mitchell’s team. Rosemary told Hogan that this is not her fight. Hogan yelled about how Allie has always been her friend, and she has fought to get her back since the beginning. Rosemary agreed to their terms, but once Allie came back, Rosemary wanted Hogan to back off.
• Zachary Wentz defeated Ethan Page.

• Backstage, Gilbertti and Dreamer came face to face and Dreamer explained that his bad reception may be because of how difficult the top guys in the company can be. Gilbertti tried to enter a room but there was an owl inside. Dreamer told him that the owl is legacy talent and Gilberti needs to learn how to deal with him. He opened the door to the room the owl is in and shoved Gilberti in there as he was screaming.
• Ace Austin is making his debut next week in the Impact Zone.
• Sami Callihan discussed his relationship with Rich Swann. Sami said that he’s the hero, he saved and made Swann, rescuing him from the streets. Sami added Swann used him, the very thing he accuses Sami of doing. He loves Swann and wants to welcome him to the oVe family.

• Backstage, Kross told Moose that fighting isn’t going to solve any of their issues. He told Moose that Impact always weaselled his way out of stuff, like when he promised one of them a title show after last week’s match. Kross said to Moose that they have to take out Cage to get to take out the champ. Moose agreed and compared Impact to a girl that teases men at the bar. He said that he and Kross will take out Impact and Cage tonight and will get their title shot.
• Backstage, LAX gloated about unmasking the Lucha Bros. Santana and Ortiz said they did it because the champions disrespected them post-match. Konnan was pissed and vowed to get them another title shot, but he will handle it from now on.
• Moose and Killer Kross defeated Johnny Impact and Cage via referee stoppage. Cage and Impact were in complete control until Impact “got injured,” grabbing at his neck. Taya distracted Cage when she came to check out her husband. Cage was busted open, Johnny was stretchered out. Cage lost his title shot.

The Nygma’s Nutcracker(s) of the Week

– oVe (Jake & Dave Crist) vs. Willie Mack & Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer is not done yet. The day he gave his Singapore can to Eddie Edwards, at Slammiversary XVI, we thought the Innovator of Violence passed the torch. He in fact never ever stopped to fuel his inner fire.
All four participants were battling on the outside of the ring. Dreamer grabbed a plate of food and threw it in the face of the Crist brothers. Back in the ring, Dreamer and Mack hit a series of combo moves, finishing with a leg drop by Mack. Dreamer got tagged in and delivered a neckbreaker to Jake. Mack came back in with a double stomp on the arm of Jake. Dreamer was tagged in yet again, but as he tried to keep control, Dave hit a cheap shot, got tagged in, and came in back-first on top of Dreamer. The Crist brothers took turns beating at Dreamer.

Jake got tagged in and got two boots to the face. Dave came back in and knocked in Dreamer down with a flat-out right hand. Jake was tagged in again, knocked Mack off the apron, and then connected with a superkick on Dreamer. Jake put Dreamer in a headlock and climbed to the top rope. Dreamer hit a superplex on Jake off the top rope. Mack got tagged in and attacked Jake with a series of strikes, Dave interfered but Mack knocked him down. Mack hit Jake with a cannonball in the corner and a stunner on Dave. The Dreamer Driver and a huge Five-Star Frog Splash from The Mack on Dave for the win.

– Zachary Wentz vs. Ethan Page
A classic X-Division style match, everything we love… But a little bit too short…
Wentz used his acrobatic reversals to immediately gain the advantage, using a beautiful corkscrew, springboard crossbody on Page. Wentz went for an Irish whip but got cut off by Page. Wentz connected with a jumping knee. He went for a handspring elbow but got caught in mid-air and slammed to the mat. Page taunted at the crowd as they boo. Wentz rocked Page with chops but got hit with a tilt-a-whirl facebuster and a back suplex. Page put Wentz in a headlock but he was able to fight out with a flurry of kicks and an enzuigiri.

Wentz connected with a running knee in the corner, a punt to Page as he was in a sitting position, and a standing shooting star press. Page made it back up and rushed after Wentz on the apron. He caught Wentz as he started to charge full speed and used the ring apron for an elevated backbreaker. Page got in the face of a member of the NFL alumni at ringside. Page pushed Morlon Greenwood down into his chair but he got back up and shoved Page down. Wentz came out of the ring with a running dive, he pulled Page inside the ring and hit a hell of a rolling cutter for the 3-count.

– Impact World Champion Johnny Impact & Brian Cage vs. Killer Kross & Moose
We already saw that before but, this time, Brian Cage has a different motivation in teaming up with Johnny Impact… There’s something rotten in this match-up and I’m sure we’ll see it very soon…
Kross and Cage exchanged forearms to start in the middle of the ring. Forearms turned to kicks, but then Cage dropped toe-holds Kross into the ropes and hit a 619. Cage connected with a backbreaker and tagged Johnny who hit a slingshot elbow drop on Kross, a kick and forearms. Moose rushed in after the tag but he ate a head scissors takedown and a dropkick. Cage was tagged back in and they delivered forearms together to Moose. Johnny came off the ropes with a springboard kick to Moose’s face. Cage flipped Impact over into an assisted moonsault. The two men cleared the ring of Moose and Kross. Back from break, Johnny and Moose were the legal men as Impact tossed Moose back in from the outside. Moose strangled Johnny’s eyes and then tagged in Kross.

Impact dropped toe-holds Kross and secured a front face lock and a few kicks to Kross. Kross began his attack but Cage came in and delivered a combination kick/reverse STO, followed by a superplex from the ring apron. Johnny went for the Countdown to Impact but he was avoided. Johnny hit his break dancing leg drop on Kross but suddenly seemed debilitated by a neck injury. Cage got tagged in and hit multiple clotheslines and a spinebuster on Kross into the mat. Moose came in and bested Cage, stomping away at him while he’s laid out on the mat. Moose hit the Irish whip on Cage but Brian hit an elbow on Kross and went after Moose, who hit a dropkick that sent Cage outside of the ring. Kross took advantage and shoved Cage’s head first into the ring post. He then grabbed the Impact World Title belt and rammed it against Cage’s head.

Cage was bleeding from the top of his head as Kross clubbed away at his chest. Moose connected with multiple punches on the bloody forehead of Cage. Moose continued with chops, shoulder tackles, and a senton. Cage dodged a leg drop and tried to get a tag but Impact was with the doctors on the outside of the ring. Kross came in and stomped away at a struggling Cage. Kross connected with a toss before tagging Moose back into the match. Moose and Cage unloaded the elbows until Cage connected with a superkick. They traded clotheslines and laid one another out in the middle of the ring. Kross got tagged but Cage somehow hit the F-5 on Kross. Taya Valkyrie ran out to help out her husband, Johnny. Cage got distracted and gets a back suplex and a Kross jacket as he was speared by Moose. Cage faded out and lost by TKO.
Kross may be right. We’re probably going to witness soon the “evil” side of Johnny. Because this injury was fake, and Cage lost his title shot…

The not-Nygma’s Moment(s) of the Week (or the Nygma’s Broken Record Moment of the Week)

Disco fever… Happened in the late 70s, early 80s… Scarlett Bordeaux… Happening now… And Moose was absolutely not wearing a Jean-Paul Gaultier robe, trust a French on that…

The Nygma’s Award of the Week

– Rosemary
Rosemary speculated how many soldiers Mitchell will bring to the Dark War. With Kiera Hogan and Jordynne Grace, she won’t be alone in a fight she considers as hers. If Rosemary wants to get the “bunny” back, I have to say Dark Allie has been a joy to see wrestling and behaving. A dark duo of Allie and Rosemary would be devilishly great…

– Reno Scum
Even if it was a re-debut, we can consider Reno Scum made her debut tonight on Impact. They only had a few months before Adam Thornstowe suffered a torn bicep injury and the team was released. As you may have noticed, they’re not coming in the Impact Zone to play chess. They stroke high when they attacked the Panda of Impact and KM (sorry, no nickname for him…). And it seems like it’s just a beginning…

– Delilah Doom
She wanted Tessa, she had her. Even if she lost, Doom delivered something really interesting in the ring. The Knockouts Division is an ensemble, they are strong, powerful, and not necessarily sexy. They are wrestlers. Period.

To be eNYGMAtic…

Some action, and good action, but way too much backstage moments. At the same time, storylines took a twisted turn in this episode. Johnny Impact seems not to want to face Cage, after all. The war for the full custody of Kenny the kendo stick is not over. Rosemary seems not to be the only one ready to lose her soul for Allie. Does Sami Callihan really love Rich Swann to ‘this” point? What will LAX vs. Lucha Brothers IV look like? Who’s Tessa Blanchard targeting?  We are ready to move forward, and it’s starting next week… 
On this very interesting note, until next week, never EVER forget to stay #eNYGMAtic…

All pics, videos, and screenshots courtesy of Impact Wrestling. Photomontage by @frenchnygma exclusively for @steelchairmag.