WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AHEAD
It’s spooky season once again. You know what that means. It’s time to dive into another 31 deadly, bloody, horrifying deathmatches as we go into the 3rd annual deathmatch calendar. As always, this will be a day-by-day calendar of gore as we break into some of the greatest, nastiest, and most infamous of deathmatches across the years culminating with my pick of the year so far at the number 31 spot. With the preamble out of the way, let’s see what is awaiting us in this year’s tour of wrestling terror.
One of the biggest losses in recent weeks was the tragic death of Daffney Unger. Whilst I don’t want to dwell on negativity, I couldn’t miss a chance to celebrate one of the most unique performers in wrestling history. A free spirit and pioneer who took whatever hand she was dealt and made it work. In Impact, she found a successful home for many years and there she made history as she was one of the first women to take part in a Monster’s Ball match. This is Impact’s no rules, hardcore as hell type of match where you can use whatever you want to keep your opponent down. There have been many bloody and brutal wars under this name and now, Daffney and Taylor Wilde would be the first two women to step into that lethal warzone. Daffney was flanked by Abyss and Doctor Stevie, Wilde had come alone and didn’t seem interested in the weaponry on display.
She used her athletic abilities to score some earlier knockdowns and started throwing in the plunder. This backfired as Daffney instantly floored her with a detour sign. She slammed Wilde on a trashcan lid and stood on her face as Abyss looked on in horror, his transferred aggression fuelling this if Doctor Stevie was to be believed. Daffney was in total control now and choked Wilde out around the ring, in corners and against the rope, screaming obscenities. Daffney flew in with forearms but Wilde dodged and drove her into a trashcan and drilled her with a cookie sheet. She trapped Daffney in a trashcan and whaled on it with a hockey stick before dropkicking the wreckage. Daffney tried to launch a comeback but this was shut down as Wilde slammed her onto the trashcan again for the three-count. That might have ended the match but the action was far from over. Doctor Stevie got in Wilde’s face and Daffney rose up to plant Wilde with a Swinging Neckbreaker. He stopped Daffney using certain weapons and littered the ring with tacks. This was therapy for Abyss but it was going to get dark as Doctor Stevie ordered him to Chokeslam Wilde into the tacks. Stevie got too carried away and Abyss chokeslammed him into the tacks instead. The match had been sacrificed for story beats but the history was there. It was a first for the company and led to a mixed tag encounter down the line where Abyss sided with Wilde and Daffney drafted in Raven to join her forces.
That match saw Abyss fighting one of his former stablemates and the extreme lengths Doctor Stevie would go to for his “therapy.” This was a much wilder match that went everywhere. Wilde was fully ready to use the weaponry, Daffney kept things interesting and Raven and Abyss spent a whole ton of time in the crowd. Blood was spilled, tacks entered bodies, tables broke and so much more happened as this match was given the time to breathe. Monster’s Ball will always be a part of Impact and matches like these populate its rich history. Whole feuds culminated in the violence and stories told in graphic monstrosities. Daffney made history in two of these horrifying matches and now she is being honoured tonight as there is a Daffney Memorial Monster’s Ball match on Knockouts Knockdown. Come back tomorrow for the next deathmatch delight.
Impact Wrestling will be paying tribute to Daffney tonight during “Knockouts Knockdown” with a Special Monster’s Ball match in her honour. “Knockouts Knockdown” will air live on Impact Plus tonight at 8 PM EST (1 AM BST), YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders, and Fite TV.
All images courtesy of screenshots, Video courtesy of Impact YouTube