Final IMPACT - IMPACT Wrestling recap for August 31, 2023

KUSHIDA beats Drilla Maloney (formerly Dan Maloney) with the Hoverboard Lock in the BTI match.

Alisha Edwards last eliminates Jody Threat and KiLynn King after leaving the ring through the middle rope and hiding underneath the ring for a good portion of the match to win a Knockouts #1 Contender's Battle Royal and become #1 contender for the Knockouts World Championship.

Backstage, we hear from The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley). "The Walking Weapon" Josh Alexander shows up to clear the air and apologizes to them, saying he should have not left the match at Emergence after everything Moose did to him. He says he must get his emotions in check and figure out what is going on. Alex Shelley says that he appreciates the transparency, but thinks that Josh thinks he is a transitional champion. The Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) show up after Josh leaves, and The Machine Guns do not appreciate the interruption, their disrespecting the tag team titles or Zachary Wentz's threats to kick their asses.

Backstage, Eddie Edwards congratulates Alisha Edwards on winning tonight's battle royal, and Alisha tells Frankie Kazarian and Traci Brooks to take a good look at the real power couple in IMPACT and the next Knockouts Champion.

Crazzy Steve vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey ends as soon as it begins when Crazzy Steve gouges Mike Bailey's eyes and keeps him in the corner for more than five seconds. After the match, Steve pulls out a fork and tries to dig Bailey's eyes out, and also goes for the referee's eyes. Black Taurus shows up to confront Crazzy Steve only to be attacked, and when security shows up, Steve fights them and gouges one of the security guards' eyes before leaving.

We hear from Brian Myers, Moose and Eddie Edwards. Myers says they got their biggest victories of all time at Emergence and that tonight will be no different when they beat Frankie Kazarian, Jake Something and Sanada. Moose says he and Eddie have had their differences in the past and were once best friends, but he tells Myers to trust Eddie. Eddie says that he is on a roll after teaching Kazarian a lesson. Bully Ray shows up wanting to talk with Myers and Moose alone. Eddie leaves, then Bully Ray says they have a problem with PCO, but Moose and Myers say Bully has a PCO problem, not them, and walk away. Bully then hears PCO yelling his name, then runs away.

Will Ospreay returns to IMPACT Wrestling at Bound For Glory on October 21st!

Backstage, Bully Ray has to calm PCO down and tell him that this has gone too far. PCO tells Bully he tried to kill him, but Bully says he tried to kill the monster because he had to it. He says he did what he did to him because he cares about PCO, and says he needs the man back.

Eric Young beats Kon with two piledrivers, one on the outside and the other in the middle of the ring after Kon demands Eric Young finish him off.

Backstage, we hear from Lio Rush, who has heard that Chris Sabin wants to get back in the ring with him and wants to know why he is wrestling Zachary Wentz tonight. He says Sabin is still shook from Slammiversary and should tell him when he is really ready for him just to prove he is the definition of insanity. He says there will not be a different outcome this time or any time around when KUSHIDA shows up with the big red X from the Ultimate X Match around his neck.

We see a video package of Jordynne Grace working out as it is announced that she will return at Victory Road.

Backstage, Gia Miller interviews "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo, who says that she is a three-time Knockouts Champion and has faced setbacks before while remaining the face of the Knockouts Division. She says Jordynne Grace chose the moment they had their first all-Knockout main event to steal her spotlight, and says every time they have been in the ring, she has beaten her. She asks if Jordynne is still hung up on losing to her last time, and says that if Jordynne wants to re-emerge at Emergence, she will lay down the challenge for a match at Victory Road.

Chris Sabin beats Zachary Wentz after Trey Miguel gets on the apron and Alex Shelley is able to stop him from interfering. After the match, Trey Miguel attacks Sabin and gets Zachary Wentz out of the ring.

Backstage, we hear from ABC ("Inevitable" Ace Austin and Chris Bey). Ace Austin congratulates The Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) on becoming tag team champions after doing whatever it took to get the job done, saying he has had to do that too. Chris Bey says the tag team titles "Bey-long" to them and that The Rascalz will have to pay up like they paid off The Good Hands (John Skyler and Jason Hotch). The Good Hands show up and say they have a score to settle and to keep their names out of their mouths, but Bey says that if they want action, they can give it to them. Skyler says "Not yet," and he and Hotch walk away.

Backstage, Subculture meets with Director of Authority Santino Marella regarding a rematch for the IMPACT World Tag Team Championships. Suddenly, Rich Swann and Sami Callihan show up, and Callihan says that The Rascalz screwed them out of the tag team titles. Santino puts both sides in a tag team match, then JOYA (Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura) shows up wanting a shot at the tag team championships. Santino says there is a lot going on in the tag team division and that they will get there one day.

Kenny King and Sheldon Jean are in the ring. Kenny King says that the fans are in the presence of a big star in an historic reign after beating both Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura and beat down "the joke" that was Johnny Swinger at Emergence. After bragging about what he did to Tommy Dreamer and stating that his title is the only one that matters in his IMPACT Wrestling, Dreamer shows up and says Swinger received a phone call stating that his father passed away and that he was there to check on him. He also says that Kenny King and Sheldon Jean were not watching the main event while surrounded by women in the bar and that King was once the guy who would ask for advice from veterans like him who paved the way for them to be in the ring. Kenny King says he could care less and that he is in the position where Tommy Dreamer once stood, and says he would be in his spot if Dreamer would step aside. Dreamer says Kenny always takes shortcuts and settles because he has never been in the main event. He also says he has turned down millions of dollars from other companies because he always believed and listened to every veteran he could to get to where he is now, and if Kenny King wants to knock the veterans, then he will have to knock them out to get that spot. He says that he could do something for Kenny King, who says that Dreamer does not have a thing that he wants, after losing his mother, being diagnosed with skin cancer and losing Terry Funk in the span of three months, and challenges him to a title vs. career match.

It is announced that Awesome Kong will return at IMPACT 1000, then we hear from Gail Kim, who says that if Kong is coming back, so is she. After calling Awesome Kong her greatest partner she challenges all Knockouts past and present to stand with or against them at IMPACT 1000.

We hear from Steve Maclin, who says that torture is time, not pain, and that time makes him dangerous and able to do what he does best: recon. He says "The Walking Weapon" Josh Alexander may be back, but he has also returned, and he wants Alexander at Victory Road.

Frankie Kazarian, Jake Something and Sanada beat Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers in a six-man tag match.

Here is tonight's post-show!