Csonka’s Impact Hard to Kill 2020 Review
OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Ken Shamrock defeated Mad Man Fulton @ 9:30 via submission [**]
– X-Division Title Match: Champion Ace Austin defeated Trey @ 12:55 via pin [***]
– Knockouts Title Match: Champion Taya defeated ODB & Jordynne Grace @ 12:00 via pin [*]
– RVD defeated Cage @ 5:18 via ref stoppage [*½]
– RVD defeated Daga @ 4:00 via pin [**]
– Call Your Title Shot Trophy on The Line: Eddie Edwards defeated Michael Elgin @ 20:05 via pin [****]
– No DQ Match: Moose defeated Rhino @ 12:05 via pin [**¾]
– Tag Team Title Match: Champions The North defeated Willie Mack @ 10:40 via pin [***¼]
– World Title Match: Tessa Blanchard defeated Champion Sami Callihan @ 23:50 via pin [****]
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Mad Man Fulton vs. Ken Shamrock: Dave & Jake are at ringside. Shamrock attacks with leg kicks to begin, takes him down and Fulton gets a takedown, Shamrock looks for an arm bar but Fulton fights to the ropes and lays the boots to Shamrock. Fulton single legs him, Shamrock pulls a heel hook and Fulton makes the ropes. He follows with body shots, grounds Shamrock until Shamrock rolls out. Fulton misses a boot, Shamrock follows with strikes and Fulton works a hanging arm bar in the ropes. Shamrock tires a tope, gets caught and tries German and instead just drops Fulton down. He takes out Jake, posts Fulton and back in, Shamrock delivers kicks. Dave distracts him, gets taken out and the ref tosses oVe to the back as Fulton cuts off Shamrock. He attacks the arm, hits a chokeslam but Shamrock fires back, looks for a hanging kimura and drags Fulton to the mat. Fulton escapes, teasing he popped his shoulder out. He counters into a sloppy powerbomb, but Shamrock gets the rings of Saturn for the submission. Ken Shamrock defeated Mad Man Fulton @ 9:30 via submission [**] This was trough, filled with sloppy grappling and just an odd layout and the wrong winner. Not a good choice for the opener.
– Commentary talks about Swann’s ankle injury and that he may not compete tonight.
X-Division Title Match: Champion Ace Austin vs. Trey: Trey’s mom is at ringside. Trey attacks right away, to the floor and then back in as Trey tackles him and follows with ground and pound. Austin powders, cuts off the dive but Trey hits an enziguri. To the floor and Austin cuts him off with knee strikes, Trey fires back with kicks and a kick flip moonsault. Austin slams him to the apron, back in and Trey hits clotheslines, chops and Austin dumps him and follows with the Fosbury flop. They trade on the floor, Austin hits a suplex and slams Trey to the barricades. He follows with chops in front of Trey’s mom, and back in, Austin covers for 2. They trade, superkick by Austin and that gets 2. he follows with a slam, hits another and Trey then counters back and Austin chop blocks the knee and lays the boots to him. He targets the knee, delivers chops and then kicks. Austin follows with a trouble in paradise and the bangarama for 2. He follow with a sloppy sharpshooter, gets the playing card and paper cuts Trey, covering for 2. Austin delivers strikes, Trey fires back and hits a basement dropkick. Trey delivers clotheslines, fires up and hits an enziguri. He heads up top, Austin avoids and Trey hits an inverted suplex, into the dragon sleeper. Austin escapes, follows with strikes and Trey trips him up, and the flatliner follows for 2. Austin counters back with a disaster kick for 2. He takes him up top, follows and trey slips out into Cheeky nandos and a 619. Austin crotches him up top, hits a RANA and the fold for the win. Champion Ace Austin defeated Trey @ 12:55 via pin [***] They worked well together and this was good, but it never hit that next level they are capable of. Ace was clearly the better performer here, but they are capable of better.
– Post match, Ace hits on Trey’s mom and Trey attacks.
– Gaby interviews ODB. She says it’s been a hell of a year, thanks the fans and 2020 has been great so far and will become the 5-time knockout up champion.
Knockouts Title Match: Champion Taya vs. ODB vs. Jordynne Grace: Bravo is at ringside. They argue, push and shove and ODB attacks. She takes control, Taya powders as ODB works over Grace. They fight on the apron, and Taya dropkicks ODB to the ramp. Grace takes over, until Taya cradles her for 2. Grace counters back with a powerslam. She follows with a suicide dive, ODB then slams her onto the ramp. Back in and Taya cuts her off, slams her to the buckles and chokes her out. The double knees follow and Taya covers for 2. Taya hits a curb stomp, and the STF follows. Grace makes the save, delivers strikes to Taya, Taya fires back and bites Grace. She beats Grace down in the corner, and stomps away at her. Taya attacks the arm, Grace powers up and ODB flies in with a bulldog off the second rope. They are all down. Back to the feet, Grace starts to fire up, hits a slam, another and a spinebuster on Taya for 2. Grace looks for a German, hits it and ODB makes the save. Taya runs them together, but Grace cradles her for 2. Taya hits a knee strike, but ODB makes the save. ODB posts Taya, Grace cuts her off, heads up top and hits a senton for 2 as Taya makes the save. Road to Valhalla is countered by Grace, ODB hits a really sloppy TKO but Grace makes the save. ODB fights off Grace driver once but race hits it as Bravo takes the ref. Taya then covers as Bravo takes out Grace for the win. Champion Taya defeated ODB & Jordynne Grace @ 12:00 via pin [*] This was too slavish tote cliché triple threat formula, working one on one while the third takes a nap. Unfortunately, this was bad filled with sloppy and disjointed work throughout and a really bad finish. ODB really took away from this one.
RVD vs. Cage: Forbes is at ringside. RVD attacks on the floor, posting Cage after RVD’s girlfriend’s girlfriend distracted Cage. They roll in and RVD up top, and hits a flying kick. Cage fights back with one arm, hits a knee strike and superkick. RVD dropkick a chair into Cage’s face, lays the boots to him and cage’s mouth is busted up. Forbes holds the chair in front of Cage’s face and RVD hits coast to coast and covers but stops and Daga arrives. Refs take Cage away and RVD attacks Daga. RVD defeated Cage @ 5:18 via ref stoppage [*½] Cage was busted open but this was a write out angle; still not good. With Cage leaving, they should have just had RVD pin him.
RVD vs. Daga: RVD controls until Daga makes the comeback and dumps him. He follows with a dive, back in and Daga flies but gets cut off and RVD cradles him for 2. Daga hits a gut buster, suplex and covers for 2. He follows with strikes, Katie trips him up as RVD attacks. The leg drop follows and RVD heads up top and the frog splash finishes it. RVD defeated Daga @ 4:00 via pin [**] This was OK for what it was, but this RVD push puzzles me.
– Gaby tries to interview Sami, but Jake refuses this request.
Call Your Title Shot Trophy on The Line: Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards: They get right to action, trading and Edwards dumps him and follows with a plancha. They trade strikes and chops, Elgin drops Edwards with a forearm strike and peels up the mats. Edwards counters back, but Elgin again drops him with strikes. Back in and Edwards knocks Elgin to the floor, but Elgin cuts off the suicide dive with a forearm strike. He follows with an anarchist suplex onto the exposed floor. Back in and Elgin covers for 2. He follows with clotheslines, Edwards fires back, but Elgin cuts him of with a fisherman’s suplex for 2. Elgin continues to deliver strikes, working him over in the corner and controlling with ease. He grounds things, hits an enziguri and they do the Tiger Mask/Dynamite Kid suplex spot to the floor. Edwards follows with an overhead belly to belly on the floor, rolls back in and follows with the suicide dive. Back in and Edwards hits an enziguri follows him up top and Elgin fights back until Edwards hits the backpack stunner for 2. Elgin fires back, drops Edwards, follows with an overhead slam and Edwards counters the German into a blue thunder bomb for 2. Elgin counters the Boston knee party into a spinebuster, hits clotheslines and Edwards counters into a German, Elgin pops up and hits a lariat. Elgin follows with a suplex for 2. Edwards fights off a powerbomb, they trade and Edwards is down. Back up and they trade again, as Elgin drops him. Edwards keeps fighting back, they trade and trade lariats as Edwards finally levels him, the tiger driver follows and that gets 2. Edwards hits a RANA, Elgin fires back with an enziguri, superkick and they work up top. Edwards tries to fight him off, Elgin delivers elbow strikes and hits an avalanche German for 2. Elgin fires up and the lariat follows, and splash mountain follows for 2. Edwards attacks the knee, works a half crab and Elgin kicks his way out. He counters into a crossface, Edwards fights, and makes the ropes. Elgin is pissed and argues with the ref. The lariat follows and hits a buckle bomb, but Edwards counters into a cradle for the win. Eddie Edwards defeated Michael Elgin @ 20:05 via pin [****] This was the first match on the show with a real sense of urgency, and was the great hard-hitting match you’d expect from these two.
No DQ Match: Moose vs. Rhino: Moose is working Randy Savage tribute fear tonight. They brawl at the bell, and Moose hits the spear as Rhino rolls to the floor. Moose follows him out and rolls him back in. Rhino dumps him and they brawl on the floor. Moose follows with chair shots, they battle up the ramp and Moose bites him. Rhino hits a huge backdrop and Moose crashes onto the ramp. Rhino follows with chair shots, but Moose cuts him off. He gets a table, sets it up and makes a bridge with it. To the apron and Rhino cuts him off, slamming him to the apron. Rhino powerbombs him through the table, and back in, covers for 2. Rhino tosses chairs in, but Moose cuts him off and delivers trashcan lid shots. The dropkick follows and Moose heads up top, and the elbow drop connects for 2. He lays a chair on Rhino, heads up top and Rhino pops up and cuts him off with chair shots. He piles up chairs, and follows with a superplex onto the chairs for 2. Rhino props up a table in the corner, Moose cuts him off and hits a dropkick and another. Rhino cuts him off with a lariat for 2. Rhino gores the ref and Moose through the table, and covers for 2 with the new ref. Rhino fires up and picks Moose up, Moose low blows him and the spear finishes it. Moose defeated Rhino @ 12:05 via pin [**¾] This was a solid but lethargic brawl, Moose looked good and thankfully won.
Tag Team Title Match: Champions The North vs. Willie Mack: Josh and Mack start us off, until Page tags himself in. The North keep tagging in and out to mock Mack’s lack of partner. They then attack and beat down Mack in the corner. Mack fights back, takes them down and slams Josh. He follows with a knee drop and enziguri, dumping Josh. Page cuts of the dive, Josh attacks and grounds Mack. The champions follow with double teams, as page grounds tings and talks shit to Mack. Josh in and follows with a suplex for 2. He grounds the action, Page tags in and lays the boots to Mack. Mack counters into a DDT, Josh tags in and Mack follows with clotheslines on both. The cannonball follows, hits a Samoan drop and the standing moonsault is stopped by Page. Mack dumps Page, spinebuster on Josh and Page makes the save. Mack dumps him and follows with running strikes, kicks and an XPLODER for 2. Mack heads up top and Page cuts him off but gets kicked to the floor. Josh attacks and hits a Finlay roll. Double teams follow and the double Gotch gets 2. They look for more double teams, taking Mack up top and Mack fights them off, knocks page to the mat and Mack ends up hitting a doomsday destroyer! Page is dumped, and Mack follows with a tope. Back in and the frog splash follows for 2 as Page pulls out the ref. Mack begs the ref not to DQ him and Mack hits the stunner, but is double teamed and the double team spinebuster finishes it. Champions The North defeated Willie Mack @ 10:40 via pin [***¼] This was good, they made the most of a bad situation, Mack put in a great babyface performance and you can still do the rematch of the originally scheduled match down the line.
– In April, Impact returns to PPV in NYC for Rebellion.
World Title Match: Champion Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard: Sami attacks, hits the cactus special and Tessa kicks out at 2. Sami follows with chops they work up top and Tessa bite shim and hits magnum and covers for 2. Great start. They come face to face, and trade strikes. Head scissors by Tessa and she dropkicks him to the floor. The suicide dive follows and she hits another. The third is cut off but Tessa counters into a RANA. Tessa up top and follows with the cannonball to the floor. She follows with strikes until Sami tosses a beer into her face and runs her knees first into the barricade. Sami rolls back in and Tessa follows. Sami posts her knee and then punches at it. Tessa kicks him in the face but Sami works an Indian deathlock. Tessa tries to fire back, but Sami takes out her knee. He follows with a sitout knee buster and covers for 2. He continues to work the knee until Tessa kicks him to the floor. Back in and Tessa fires back, Sami laughs at her and drops her with one shot. He dumps her to the floor, follows and sets up a table. Tessa counters the powerbomb but Sami counters the cannonball and powerbombs her through the table. Tessa barely beats the count back in, Sami to the floor, peels up the padding and to the apron they go. Tessa fires up and they trade. Sami rakes the eyes and Tessa does the same to him. To the ropes and Tessa hits magnum on the apron as Sami spills to the floor. Tessa fights to her feet and they roll back in. Sami argues with the ref, they come face to face and trade. Tessa keeps asking for more. Sami takes out her knee but Tessa counters into a Samoan drop. To the corner, draping code breaker by Tessa and that gets 2. Tessa heads up top, Sami side steps magnum and hits a shoulder breaker for 2. Kick by Sami, strikes by Tessa, and Sami follows with a German, Tessa pops up and hits a cutter for 2. They fight to their feet; Sami cuts her off with a sitout powerbomb and transitions into stretch muffler. Tessa fights for the ropes and Sami transitions into an STF. Tessa starts to fade as the ref checks the arm and Sami cranks back on her arm but Tessa makes the ropes with a foot. Sami grabs his belt, the ref takes it, Sami has knux, and Tessa low blows him and heads up top. Magnum follows for 2. Tessa gets the crossface, but Sami fights to his feet, and hits a cactus special for 2. Sami looks to finish things, but Tessa counters into a cradle and gets 2. She follow with strikes, Sami spits on her and Tessa continues with strikes, pump kick by Sami and Tessa counters into the destroyer. She hits another and the buzzsaw DDT finishes it. Tessa Blanchard defeated Champion Sami Callihan @ 23:50 via pin [****] They had a great main event, their best one on one match to date as the others were very good but the drama and moment took this one over the top of those previous matches. The story was well done, it came off like a big deal, but like any big moment the follow up will be key.
The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 81. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Jeremy Lambert review NJPW New Year’s Dash, break down this good and horrible of the AWE vs. NXT battle, and preview Impact Hard to Kill. The show is approximately 128–minutes long.
* Intro
* Jeremy’s NJPW WrestleKingdom 14 Thoughts: 1:50
* NJPW New Year’s Dash Review: 13:10
* Impact Hard to Kill Preview: 37:55
* AEW Dynamite (1.08.20) Review: 1:02:00
* NXT TV (1.08.20) Review: 1:31:00
* The Head to Head Comparison: 1:54:50
* Important Closing Notes: 2:00:50
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Source:411mania.com
