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The Final IMPACT Before “Rebellion” – Special Edition – April 21st, 2022 Review

BySteph Franchomme

Apr 23, 2022 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here was the case. “Rebel rebel, you’ve torn your dress. Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess. Rebel rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so!” Switch all the “Rebel” into “Rebellion”. The Bowie words will suddenly take a spicy IMPACT taste. And the case continues…
On the menu this week, from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, Bullet Club will face off Honor No More. Speedball Bailey will team up with Ace Austin against X-Division Champion Trey Miguel and Laredo Kid. IMPACT World Tag Team Champion Violent Dy Design will compete against DECAY. Of course, I’ll review this episode, but I will use it as a platform to preview the PPV, with this Nutcracking spirit you love so much. This time, I won’t give you my predictions. I’ll tell you why later… So no more words, let’s get ready for some action, but your French Nygma Steph way, of course…

The Nygma’s Chart of the Week

Many recaps and hype videos on ‘Rebellion’ matches I chose not to talk about. Tom Hannifan and The Drama King Matthew Rewholdt were on commentary. On ‘BTI’, Heath & Rhino defeated Rich Swann & Willie Mack in a great match that ended with a handshake (BTI is now available only on Impact Wrestling YouTube and Facebook channels at 7.30 PM EST/12.30 AM GMT and on Impact Plus).

  • IMPACT World Tag Team Champion Violent By Design (Eric Young & Deaner w/ Joe Doering) defeated DECAY (Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus). Young hit Steve with the VBD flag as the ref was distracted.

  • During the break, Rosemary and Havok were checking on Taurus and Crazy Steve. While her back was turned, Rosemary was caught with a shot from Tasha Steelz who hit her with the Championship. Savannah Evans nailed Havok with a shot and they dipped before they could respond.

  • Matt Cardona and Brian Myers, aka The Major Players, came out with Chelsea Green. Cardona said it’s no surprise he’s in the ECW Arena because he’s the deathmatch king (Mr Deathman won’t be happy…). Cardona explained that he helped Myers because he wanted to re-align with his former tag team partner. Myers said that while they’ve had issues in the past on IMPACT, they’ve put everything aside and are the best versions of themselves now. Chelsea said, as individuals, they were all champions and everything people could talk about, but together they are the strongest unit in professional wrestling. Cardona said, last week, they got the tables and now we’ll never see Morrissey again. Myers added he and Cardona are taking over Impact Wrestling.

  • ECW Originals Tony Mamaluke and Little Guido hit the ring. Cardona called them fellow ECW originals before Guido said his career started in this building and told Cardona not to disrespect the building or those who bled buckets to pave the way for Cardona. This arena isn’t theirs, it’s the fans, he called Cardona and Myers the Major Sissys. Cardona said that they haven’t been relevant since ECW died 20 years ago. Guido and Mamaluke dropped Cardona and Myers, sending them running. Guido told Cardona if he has any guts he better put his Digital Media title on the line tonight.

  • Matt Cardona defeated Little Guido. Myers distracted Guido and the ref, Cardona Nutcracked Guido and hit the Radio silence for the win.

  • After the match, Cardona and Myers laid into Mamaluke and Guido, setting up a table for them before W. Morrissey came out for the save. Morrissey set up Myers for a chokeslam through the table. After five seconds of stalling, Chelsea finally got in position for the NutCracker. Myers teased the BQE but Jordynne Grace hit the ring to make the save again a bit late. Cardona tried to catch Jordynne from behind but he got dropped instead. Jordynne told Morrissey to chokeslam Cardona through the table and he obliged.

  • Backstage, Eddie Edwards was talking about his match with Jonathan Gresham before passing the attention to Taven and Bennett who said, in 2 days, they’ll show everyone why they came here. Kenny King said there’s not a member of Honor No More who doesn’t know how to silence the bang of Bullet Club, King asked how they’re going to shoot them with no bullets in their gun.

  • Promo from JONAH hyping up his match against Ishii. He said, at Rebellion, we’ll see a Dog Fight when the Top Dog faces the Stone Pitbull.

  • Mahabali Shera w/ Raj Singh defeated Gabriel Rodriguez.

  • Backstage, Bhupinder Gujjar told Gia Miller he has no reason to regret not teaming with Raj. He’s here to make his mark and take his spot in Impact Wrestling. Gujar said he is happy for Shera and Raj as long as they stay out of his business.

  • Backstage, Scott D’Amore demanded a public apology from Moose for his actions or he’ll be stripped of his championship. Moose asked if he’d truly strip him for something he did at a non-Impact event. Moose said he wants assurances that nothing will happen to him if he gives an apology, Scott said Josh’s wife never got any assurances when Moose did what he did but he’ll be there in the front row to see the apology.
  • Bullet Club (Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Chris Bey & Jay White) defeated Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Vincent, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett w/ Maria).

  • Steve Maclin cut a promo about Chris Sabin and Jay White, he said they both have their groups but they don’t compare to the group he was with. Maclin said at Rebellion it’s tag em and bag em and mayhem for all.

  • Backstage, The IInspiration cut a promo about their upcoming Knockouts Tag Team Championship match, promising to win as they are the most Iconic, Inspirational tag team of all time.

  • Backstage, Taya Valkyrie said she never lost her Reina de Reinas Championship so, at Rebellion, she will win it back and become a 4-time champion.
  • X-Division Championship Trey Miguel & Laredo Kid defeated Ace Austin & Speedball Mike Bailey.

  • After the match, Ace Austin attacked Trey after the match. Mike Bailey got on the apron as Ace told him to get in and help him. Ace held Trey up for Bailey to kick him, he set it up but then dropped Ace instead. Mike Bailey taunted before heading to the back.

  • Backstage, Honor No More said they’ll bounce back. Vincent walked away and said he has some business to attend to. Outside, Vincent headed to a car and grabbed jumper cables. It got dark before we saw Vincent checking over PCO’s body. He connected the cables to a box and started to spark them, Vincent said this is it and connected them to PCO’s head. He said we need monsters like PCO, Vincent brought PCO back. He finally sat up with his eyes rolled back and lightning in the distance. Vincent danced around saying he’s not Human.

  • It was time for Moose’s public apology and Security is around the ring, as well as Scott D’Amore. Moose came out and introduced us to his attorney who will be reading his public apology. R.D. Evans has the mic and he asked for respect before reading Moose’s message. Evans explained that he knows his actions exceed the bounds of professionalism.

  • Moose grabbed the mic and said this isn’t sincere enough. If they’re going to do it, he’s going to do it right. He took the paper and tossed it out of the ring. Moose said Josh deserves a sincere apology. He is sorry, for showing all of these people how much of a loser he is. He’s sorry for exposing him as not being a protector to his wife or a role model to his kids. Moose told Evans to step aside because he’s not done yet. He’s not sorry for whooping that ass at Bound for Glory and being the face of this company. Moose added that Josh calls himself the face of Impact Wrestling but he can’t even protect his damn family. He’s sorry for what he’s about to do to him at Rebellion and to send him home for much longer. Moose told Josh he’s going to beg him to go to his house and show his pitiful wife and pitiful kids what a real man looks like.

  • Josh hit the ramp, he looked at Security and beat their ass as they come at him. Scott stood in front of Josh and told Security to step aside. Josh got in the ring and Evans tried to hold him back. They started exchanging blows in the centre of the ring. Moose tossed Evans into Josh and sent him into the corner but Josh burst out with a series of boots to Moose, Moose ducked one and dropped Josh with a Uranage. Moose ripped his shirt off before hitting Josh with another uranage. Moose set up a table near ringside, lifted Josh up and went for another uranage but Josh fought free. He kicked at Moose’s face before setting him up for a piledriver, Josh hit the C4 Spike on Moose through the table.

The Nygma’s Noticeable Fact(s) of the Week

– This is My Monster

You know the story by heart, French Nygma, French Canadian… Well, don’t ask me to say anything bad about PCO. This cinematic orchestra piece was fantastic. Vincent resurrected PCO, with the thunder lightning and hypnotic music, it was pure poetry. I couldn’t help to have a thought for the man who resurrected PCO the first, Destro. Vincent is not Destro but he played the part very, very well.

– An unexpected but powerful duo…

Morrissey and Jordynne working together, I didn’t see it coming. That may look strange at first but think about what they are already capable of on their own, you’ll understand they just can rule the Impact Zone. I like that…

– Indian War and Swinger Dojo

We barely scratched the surface of the storyline between Shera, Singh and Gujjar and it’s full of promises… And I say it again, I REALLY want to see what the Swinger Dojo looks like.

Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion Preview, Stakes, But Not Predictions

Rebellion is the consequence of the last 2 PPVs, Bound For Glory and Hard To Kill. This word is a motivation, a distraction, a reason to be, a reason to fight, even a reason to be. Forget about rebuilding, forget about Forbidden Door (it will soon be trademarked…), just think about wrestling. The Impact Zone is welcoming its own family and their friends from NJPW, AAA, and ROH. The competition is not between companies, it will happen in the ring.
Quite strangely, the sceptical in me didn’t find any main question around that PPV. Because Rebellion is a celebration of Impact Wrestling, of its incredibly talented roster, of its death-defying imagination. No Omega this year on the logo but a VS. Take the best wrestlers in the world and make them fight. The door opened with the Multiverse of Matches show will be smashed on PPV by a buffet of wrestling. Tomohiro Ishii, Jonathan Gresham, Taya Valkyrie, and probably more talents will grace the ring and show how Impact Wrestling’s roster is the one to target because the best you can find.
Six titles are on the line tonight, all IMPACT ones except Digital Media one and the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship. Three matches involve women. The 8-Team Elimination Challenge has been a treat for the wrestling fans’ brains. Tomohiro Ishii vs JONAH is not a match you’ll see every day. Like Eddie vs Gresham. All of this is terribly appealing. That’s why there’s no “Nygma Crystal Ball Says” this time for the good reason that whoever wins any of the matches, we, the fans are the winners. This card is incredible, the build-up to this PPV has been incredible.
Like I’m used to saying, every Impact Wrestling PPV is a do-or-die one. On Sunday around 4 AM GMT, will we be in awe? We’ll see. I will say what I’m used to saying, I genuinely want a PPV like Impact Wrestling can do, with good, great and awesome matches. What I absolutely don’t want is to tell you in my review the legendary “I told you” or “I saw it coming”. Let’s scrutinize this card and see what may happen…

  • Countdown to Rebellion – IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championship: The Influence (c) vs The IInspiration

The next chapter in the longstanding rivalry between Knockouts World Tag Team Champions The Influence and former champions The IInspiration will be written this Saturday on Countdown to Rebellion. After The Influence dethroned The IInspiration to become the new champions at Sacrifice, Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay attempted to turn the tide by poaching Kaleb With a K away from Tenille Dashwood and Madison Rayne. But when Kaleb failed to pick a side, he was left out to dry by both teams. With the playing field now even, The IInspiration look to reclaim their titles in a heated rematch with The Influence.
Will they be as mean as they’re used to being without Kaleb or will a new man emerge from outta nowhere?

  • Countdown to Rebellion – Three-Way Match for the X-Division Championship: Trey Miguel (c) vs Ace Austin vs Speedball Mike Bailey

Trey Miguel has been on a roll since winning the X-Division Championship for the first time ever at Bound For Glory. Following successful title defences over the likes of Steve Maclin, Laredo Kid and Rocky Romero, Trey’s next challenge will come in the form of not one but two opponents as he defends his title in a Triple Threat match. There’s no question that Trey has reinvented himself in recent months but does he have what it takes to overcome the odds and remain X-Division Champion? After a series of qualifying matches on IMPACT, former X-Division Champion Ace Austin and surging newcomer “Speedball” Mike Bailey punched their ticket to Poughkeepsie.
What an appetizer it will be for the fans… It’s usually what I call the best opener you can have for an Impact Wrestling PPV. These 3 guys are so talented I don’t wish any of us to glimpse because we will miss something important.

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. JONAH

JONAH has been on a violent path of destruction since making his IMPACT Wrestling debut at Turning Point. In an attempt to solidify himself as the “Top Dog”, JONAH has stopped at nothing to send physical messages to his opponents and the rest of the IMPACT roster. But now, JONAH is faced with his toughest challenge yet in the form of NJPW legend, the “Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii. In yet another dream match that has been made a reality in 2022, these two titans of the squared circle are set to collide at Rebellion and it promises to be an earth-shattering contest like no other.
My knowledge of Japanese Wrestling has not improved with time. I wish I could say Ishii vs Eddie at Multiverse of Matches was a great match, but that would make no sense because I don’t think I’m the right person to say that. Ishii is impressive, I have to admit. But JONAH is also impressive… Reinforce the ring, it will shake, rattle and roll.

  • Chris Sabin vs Jay White vs Steve Maclin

Just moments after Chris Sabin handed Jay White his first pinfall loss since coming to IMPACT, Steve Maclin made his presence felt when he assaulted Sabin after the bell at Multiverse of Matches. Stemming from his issues with members of Team IMPACT, Maclin took this opportunity to send a physical message to one half of the Motor City Machine Guns. But waiting in the wings was the opportunistic leader of the Bullet Club, Jay White, who delivered a low blow to Maclin, sending the former Marine retreating to the back. Now, these three elite athletes are set to collide in a high-profile Triple Threat match at Rebellion where anything is possible.
Expect anything to happen in this match, mostly from Bullet Club. I can’t wait to see what this match will be, it’s a contest only Impact Wrestling could imagine…

  • Eddie Edwards vs ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham

En route to Honor No More‘s pivotal five-on-five showdown with Team IMPACT at No Surrender, the renegade group took ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham out of action with a brutal assault. After Eddie Edwards was revealed to be the mastermind behind Honor No More, Gresham wanted one thing and one thing only, revenge. Following Edwards’ victory over NJPW veteran Rocky Romero on IMPACT, Gresham made his shocking return and brought the fight to the leader of Honor No More. Now the two are set to collide in an epic clash for the ages at Rebellion.
Another match only Impact Wrestling could schedule… I think we can dub it a dream match. I just hope Honor No More won’t get involved in it…

  • AAA Reina de Reinas Championship Match – Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Taya Valkyrie

Following Deonna Purrazzo‘s successful AAA Reina de Reinas Title defence over the legendary Faby Apache at Multiverse of Matches, the longest reigning Knockouts World Champion of all time, Taya Valkyrie, made her shocking return to IMPACT Wrestling. As one of Purrazzo’s fiercest rivals and a former multi-time Reina de Reinas Champion in her own right, Valkyrie would lay out the challenge for a Reina De Reinas Title match at Rebellion. It didn’t take long for IMPACT management to weigh in on the challenge and confirm the match.
That match is very interesting. We know what Taya had done in the Impact Zone, she broke records, and she set the bar extremely high for the other Knockouts. But since, Deonna Purrazzo has followed the same road and set the bar even higher. It’s also a collision of styles and generations, Lucha Libre vs methodical wrestling, Wera Loca vs Virtuosa…

  • Eight-Team Elimination Challenge for the Impact World Tag Team Champions – Violent By Design (c) vs ???

Is the IMPACT World Tag Team Title reign of Violent By Design in jeopardy? At Rebellion, we’ll find out who the greatest tag team in IMPACT Wrestling really is when Violent By Design put their titles on the line against seven other teams in a historic 8-Team Elimination Challenge. In addition to VBD, we now know that The Good Brothers, Rich Swann and Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino, and Honor No More‘s Matt Taven and Mike Bennett make up five of the eight teams in the match. Who will their other opponents be and who will have what it takes to outlast the competition in order to capture the most coveted prize in tag team wrestling? All questions will be answered in Poughkeepsie.
Like Eric Young told me recently, the challenge is not a problem for him and his acolytes. The question now is, who are the 3 last teams involved? Major Players? Vincent and PCO? The Briscoes? Whoever appears, that will be one hell of a match.

  • Impact Knockouts Championship – Tasha Steelz (c) vs Rosemary

After vanquishing nine other Knockouts in a star-studded #1 Contenders Battle Royal on IMPACT, Rosemary is headed to Rebellion where she will challenge Tasha Steelz for the Knockouts World Title. As a former Knockouts World Champion in her own right, “The Demon Assassin” knows what it takes to capture the Knockouts Division’s most coveted prize but can she overcome the unpredictable “Boricua Badass”? While Tasha Steelz will have the unrelenting powerhouse, Savannah Evans, in her corner, Decay will most certainly be lurking in the shadows.
This match deserves no interference but I’m not sure it will happen. Sometimes, it can come from the outside… And I feel like an old friend of Rosemary could change the game and put some fuel into their old story…

  • Impact World Championship Match – Moose (c) vs Josh Alexander

At Bound For Glory, Josh Alexander realized his lifelong dream when he defeated Christian Cage to become the new IMPACT World Champion – only to have it ripped away from him moments later by Moose, who “called his shot” for a title match, anyplace, anytime. After destroying all roadblocks on his path back to an IMPACT World Title opportunity, Alexander lost it when IMPACT Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore wouldn’t give him the rematch he wanted, resulting in Alexander being sent home from IMPACT Wrestling. But all of that changed at Sacrifice when Alexander made his shocking return and revealed that not only did he sign a new multi-year IMPACT Wrestling contract but he would also receive the opportunity he so desperately desired, an IMPACT World Title match against Moose. The stage is now set and there’s no turning back – who will leave Rebellion as the IMPACT World Champion?
A serious contender for Match of the Year. What could I say? Two men who are unable to deliver a bad match, mostly on PPV. Two specialists in their own games. A flow of emotions, distractions, anger, hate… and in the end, the World Championship…

To be eNYGMAtic…

It was exactly what you can expect from a Fallout episode, the tension increasing, feuds at their maximum, the company did a great job with this episode. I already told you so much I think there’s no need to tell you more. Don’t miss the Rebellion review on Monday. I won’t be able to write it on Sunday for personal reasons. I’m sorry but you’ll have to wait for your dose of Nygma Sassiness.
Impact Wrestling will tap some new episodes the day after Rebellion, still from Poughkeepsie. Then, we’ll have Under Siege and May Day on May 7 and 8. So, next week, I have no clue what’s going to happen. I took part in a Champion vs Challenger press pass, with Moose and Josh Alexander, enjoy this interview. The SteelChair team worked on the young wrestlers who will become the megastars of the business, be sure Impact Wrestling wrestlers are a part of this 2-part piece.
What could I add? Follow me on @FrenchNygma and react to the reviews and interviews. Every like, every word is gold. On this very “Nygma is a Sassy Rebel” note, until Rebellion, until next week, stay safe, take care, watch wrestling, and never EVER forget to stay #eNYGMAtic…

All pics, videos, and screenshots courtesy of Impact Wrestling, Fight Network, Fite TV and AXS TV. Photocollage by @frenchnygma exclusively for @steelchairmag.

By Steph Franchomme

News, Reviews, Social Media Editor, Impact Wrestling Reviewer, Interviewer Well, call me The Boss... And French...

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