The main-event of Hard To Kill is already set… Two months before the PPV, the names of the challenger and the Champion who will defend the World Championship have been announced. Of course, this match is historic, it has created some buzz. But it is a strange move from Impact Wrestling, one we could easily compare to the situation of starting a book or a movie and learning in the first pages or minutes who is the killer. Of course, the upcoming reviews won’t hide what Impact Wrestling announced but your Nygma always had some tricks in her bag (and she has a lot…) to create even more buzz on these matches.
On the menu of Impact this week, from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Daga and Jake Crist will face off. Petey Williams, Trey, Aiden Prince, Rohit Raju, Willie Mack and Brent Banks will compete for the X-Division title #1 contendership. Tessa Blanchard and Rich Swann will square off with World Champion Sami Callihan and Madman Fulton. Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji will team up with Eddie Edwards against World Tag Team Champions The North. Also, Madison Rayne and Jessicka Havok will be in action. So no more words, let’s get ready for some action, but your French Nygma way, of course…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi3gL6-s1Ps]

The Nygma’s Chart of the Week

• Trey defeated Petey Williams, Aiden Prince, Rohit Raju, Willie Mack and Brent Banks to become the new #1 contender for the X-Division Championship. Ace Austin was at commentary.
• Rich Swann will challenge Sami Callihan for the Impact World Championship at No Surrender on December 7 (on Impact Plus). He told Gabby Loren he kicked the door down and got everyone’s attention. With this opportunity, he is going to prove to everyone who doubted him by busting his ass and doing what no one thought he could do: become Impact Wrestling World Champion. When that time comes, Swann will party all… night… long.
• Michael Elgin told Gabby Loren he knows he’s going to win the elimination match next week and get an opportunity at the Impact World Championship. He told Callihan to cherish the time that he is champion because that will change once he wins next week.
• Madison Rayne w/ Kiera Hogan defeated Alexia Nicole.

• Johnny Swinger talked to Aiden Prince in the locker room, telling him he just took a big dump in Petey Williams’ bag. Petey told him it’s not his and walked out. Ken Shamrock entered and smelled it, and without knowing what Swinger did, he picked up the bag and told him to get it cleaned up.
• RVD in the pool with Katie Forbes, he will be back next week.
• Daga defeated Jake Crist.
• The North were interviewed before their big title match defence against Naomichi Marufuji and Eddie Edwards. Ethan Page knew that they will retain their titles. Gabby Loren asked what would happen if they don’t win. Page said right after that the interview was over and left.

• Impact World Champion Sami Callihan & Madman Fulton defeated Tessa Blanchard and Rich Swann. Post-match, Blanchard continued the attack on Callihan. Callihan took his title and hit her with it too. Brian Cage rushed to the ring to save Tessa Blanchard from oVe. He gave Fulton an F-5 and stood tall as Callihan stared him down. Backstage, Brian Cage said he is not done with the World Championship. He will enter next week’s match for the #1 contendership.
• Swinger bragged backstage about crapping in Ken Shamrock’s bag. Jimmy Jacobs wasn’t impressed and walked away, along with the other backstage staff.
• Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo were having a discussion backstage when Jordynne Grace saw them both and confronted Valkyrie about a title shot. They both agreed to have a match, but it will be a handicap match. Next week, it will be Grace vs. Valkyrie & Bravo.

• Moose has already proved how good he is in professional wrestling. He’s the best MMA athlete of all time, and next week, there’s a 6-Man Challenge. Again, he gets to prove he’s the best, just like he’s going to show he’s the best tennis player of all time right now. He challenges “Mikey” (been playing 20 years) to one play. Moose intimidated Mikey, who will let him win the serve. He clearly broke the rules and Mikey praised him. Moose is a Natural and a Legend.
• Jessicka Havok defeated Krystal Moon. After the match, Suzie came across Havok, who experienced flashbacks of being hanged by her (as Su Yung) when she was touched.
• Impact World Tag Team Champions The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated Naomichi Marufuji & Eddie Edwards.

The Nygma’s Nutcracker(s) of the Week

– Aiden Prince vs Trey vs Brent Banks vs Willie Mack vs Petey Williams vs Rohit Raju
They brawled, bodies flew to the floor and Trey hit head scissors, Banks fired back and Trey followed with the springboard dive to the pile on the floor. Banks dropkicked Petey but Petey battled back with head scissors and a dropkick. He connected with a hurricanrana to the floor. Mack in worked over Banks and Prince. He hit a hurricanrana, some clotheslines and a suicide dive. Back in, Banks and Prince traded clotheslines and worked into a double down. Prince and Banks followed with dives. Back in, Prince took Trey up top, followed with strikes and Trey replied with a Meteora and an apron PK.

Raju cut him off and follows with rolling suplexes. Petey cut him off with the codebreaker, a side Russian leg sweep and a flatliner. Raju countered out of the Canadian Destroyer, but Petey locked him on the Sharpshooter. Mack broke it up and followed with the back spinning elbow, the Samoan drop and the standing moonsault. Banks hit a poison hurricanrana, but Prince cut him off with a brainbuster. He took Trey up top but Trey fought him off and hit the Cheeky Nandos. Banks cut him off and Prince slammed him onto Trey. The 450 Splash followed, Mack hits the frog splash, Raju hit the double stomp, Petey hit the Canadian Destroyer but Trey got the cradle for the win.

– Daga vs Jake Crist
They locked up and Daga hit a shoulder tackle, they worked into counters and ended in a standoff. Daga followed with a hurricanrana and a superkick as the step-up tornillo followed. Back in, Crist cut him off with a dragon screw on the leg. Crist followed with a suicide DDT and an overhead suplex. Post-break, Crist grounded the action, Daga fired up and they traded chops until Daga cradled him. Crist cut him off and followed with a modified Muta lock. Daga fought out and Crist then choked him out in the ropes.

He strangled the eyes but Daga countered back, hits clotheslines and followed with a backbreaker and a DDT. Crist fired back, hit the Death Valley Driver and then Daga countered back into a Death Valley Driver of his own. Daga followed with a German suplex and a half and half suplex. Crist countered back with a powerslam to the buckles, and then followed with a flurry of kicks. Crist headed up top but Daga cut him off, followed him up and they traded until Daga hits the avalanche hurricanrana. The butterfly piledriver finished it.

– Impact World Tag Team Champions The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) vs Naomichi Marufuji & Eddie Edwards
Josh and Eddie began, locked up and Eddie grounded things. Marufuji tagged in and Josh cut him off and tagged in Page. The Champions worked quick tags and grounded Marufuji. Marufuji fired back and tagged in Eddie. Josh cut him off with knee strikes, Page tagged in but Eddie hit arm drags and worked the arm. The overhead belly to belly suplex followed, he dumped Josh and Marufuji tagged in for double teams. They laid in chops on Page and Marufuji followed with kicks. Josh tagged in, followed with strikes and Page joined in, dumped Eddie, but Eddie came back in, they dumped the Champions and Marufuji followed with kicks as Eddie hit the suicide dive.

Post-break, Marufuji was laying in chops, Eddie tagged in and followed with more chops on Page. The Champions cut him off and Josh took Eddie to the floor. He followed with clubbing strikes and back in, Page tagged in and laid the boots to Eddie. The Champions worked some double-team moves in the corner. Josh dumped Marufuji and followed with a backbreaker on Eddie and Page also hits one. Page grounded the action, tags in Josh and they worked over Eddie in the corner. Eddie fought off a suplex, and hit one of his own. Tags to Marufuji & Page, Marufuji hit a dropkick and laid in chops on Page. Marufuji followed with a flurry of strikes and kicks, he then kicked Josh to the floor.

Page fired back, Eddie cut him off and hit an avalanche hurricanrana and the challengers followed with double teams. Page and Marufuji traded, the Champions cut him off and Marufuji then ran them together and dumped Page, curb stomp on Josh and Eddie hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Josh and Eddie traded, Page in but Marufuji took him out, it broke down and Eddie hit a huge lariat and everyone was down. Josh cut him off, Marufuji hit a hook kick and the Tiger Driver. Page distracted Eddie, and followed with a bicycle kick, the Champions dumped Marufuji and Eddie fired back but got double-teamed and the double Gotch followed. The double team Spinebuster/ Styles Clash finally finished it.

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

RVD in the pool with Katie Forbes twerking… Do I have to add something?

The Lollipop and Baby-Oil Nygmalicious Moment of The Week 

No Joey this week but I let you find out about him and his character, thanks to this Fight Network video.

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

The Nygma’s Award of the Week

– Brian Cage
There was a kind of no-sense in doing a #1 contender match for the Impact World Championship without giving a chance to the former Champion. Cage had his rematch last week at Turning Point iPPV and came up short with regaining the belt. Despite this new loss, that doesn’t mean The Machine is definitely out of the game.

– Suzie
When Suzie starts to remember what happened to Su, may the Devil get out of this woman once again? The logic of the storyline lays on the vengeance aspect, on what Havok did to Su. They will square off again, it will be nasty, it will be great.

– Naomichi Marufuji
“Japanese Spy” was not a title related to Marufuji, but the title of an old song I like. Like I told you before, I am not an expert on Strong Style or Joshi wrestling. Having Marufuji on Impact showed the world the partnership between NOAH and Impact Wrestling has never been stronger. Also, it’s a chance to have a legend like Naomichi Marufuji on TV. The Japanese Strong Style fans, for sure, must have been happy to see him in the USA and on Impact. For a supposedly dead company, Impact Wrestling once again showed they are alive and kicking. 

– IPWF Episode
In 2 weeks, this episode should be very cool to watch, so I had to talk about it… because that means Special Edition of the review.

On Tuesday November 26th, IPWF present a very special episode.

Throwback Throwdown on @AXSTV! pic.twitter.com/Y0ikMgzRKN

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) November 11, 2019

To be eNYGMAtic…

Very good episode. The recipe of action, promos and the cinematic orchestra once again worked perfectly. We have a new #1 contender for the X-Division Championship, less XXX than Ace Austin but as good in the ring as he can be. The main event was very good, even if there was no reason for The North to lose the Championships.
All the current storylines are moving step by step, we move forward for sure. But The Road to Hard to Kill is made of 8 more weeks and I ask myself how I will make you thrill until the end of the year if the card is unveiled too fast… I wasn’t able to find a way this week, we’ll see that next time…
On this “Nygma Should Learn More About Japanese Wrestling” note, until next week, never EVER forget to stay #eNYGMAtic…

All pics, videos, and screenshots courtesy of Impact Wrestling, Fight Network and AXS TV. Photomontage custom made by @frenchnygma exclusively for @steelchairmag @vulturehoundmag.