Recapping American wrestling since 2013. Not only following the current stuff in WWE, Impact and ROH but also going back in time and doing stuff from back then as well.
Gia Miller interviews Lars Frederiksen for Behind The Ring. Lars says that the best wrestling is authentic and has something real to it, whether it be real, authentic people or real, authentic storylines. He mentions the overlap of outcastism between punk rock and professional wrestling, and talks about the many promotions that were around back in the 1970s and 1980s that he got to see. He also compares songwriting to cutting a three-minute wrestling promo, Rancid's prodigious touring schedule, and how excited he is to be in TNA.
We look back on "The Wanted Man" Nic Nemeth vs. Frankie Kazarian from last night's show.
Before the next match, John Skyler says he and Jason Hotch have been underappreciated for far too long and that they will change things and prove a point when Sinner and Saint (Judas Icarus and Travis Williams) lose to "these good hands."
The Good Hands (John Skyler and Jason Hotch) beat Sinner and Saint (Judas Icarus and Travis Williams).
This week's episode is a "best-of" episode featuring past Turkey Suit matches from TNA/IMPACT's history. Matches and moments include:
Alex Shelley vs. Shiek Abdul Bashir vs. Rhino in the 2008 Turkey Bowl match
Before the next match, Jason Hotch says that while TNA is back, so is the turkey suit. He says nobody has to worry about him or his teammates in the turkey suit, as Champagne Singh is lucky enough to be on the winning team with "these Good Hands."
In a new match for this episode, Jake Something, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Johnny Swinger and PCO beat The Good Hands (John Skyler and Jason Hotch), Champagne Singh and Jai Vidal in the 2023 Thanksgiving Gravy Train Turkey Trot Match. PCO pins Jai Vidal with the PCO-Sault, and therefore, Jai Vidal must wear the turkey suit. After the match, Jai Vidal tries to run out of the ring, but Savannah Evans and Gisele Shaw make sure that he wears the suit.
Robbie E vs. Grado in the Turkey Suit Challenge from 2016
Rockstar Spud's Thanksgiving Dinner from 2013
The Eli Drake Gravy Train Turkey Trot from 2017
Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin in the finals of the 2007 Turkey Bowl
Dirty Dango beats Crazzy Steve in the BTI match following a thumb to the eye. After the match, Dango says that even when he wins, he still hates professional wrestling, and that something he will love is putting an end to "that stupid puppet show" Director of Authority Santino Marella next month in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He says Santino should be ashamed of himself for putting on a puppet show, then Santino shows up and tells Dirty Dango that he has had enough of him and that he will give him the beating of a lifetime after what he said about his family. Santino goes on to call Dango a "son of a bitch," and as he tells Dango what he will do to him, Dango is hit from behind with a Wake-Up Call by Heath.
Eddie Edwards beats Frankie Kazarian. During the match, Alisha Edwards distracts the referee, and Eddie rams Kazarian - who has him in the crossface chickenwing - right into the back of the ref in the corner. As the ref is down, Alisha hits Kazarian in the back with a Kendo stick as he goes for the Flux Capacitor. Eddie then hits the Boston Knee Party for the win.
We hear from Chris Sabin, who says that if Lio Rush wants to jump the line to face him for the X Division Championship, then he will give him what he wants at Slammiversary so he can get his ass whipped by the greatest X Division Championship of all time.
Gia Miller interviews Lio Rush. Lio Rush says he is not here to make friends, and he does not care if people do not like what he did last week. As he says he is here for the X Division Championship, "The National Treasure" Nick Aldis confronts Lio Rush for getting in his business, saying that he is here to make history - not friends - and that their championship aspirations are the only thing he has in common. He says that the two of them have to get the win tonight and go their separate ways before telling him not to let his ego or any momentum he has get in either his way or his own way.
Backstage, Frankie Kazarian congratulates Eddie Edwards on winning tonight by any costs before saying that it is not how Killer Kowalski trained either of them. He then says they have won one match each and proposes a rubber match at Slammiversary, and says that she will bring his wife Traci Brooks ringside to even the odds.
Rich Swann and Sami Callihan beat Champagne Singh and Shera.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Moose and Brian Myers. Myers says he and Moose are the best team in IMPACT and that they are focused and ready for Slammiversary, and Moose says Rich Swann and Sami Callihan may have had reps, but they do not have the real competition that they will give them at Slammiversary. Moose says he has something to prove, and while Rich Swann beat him, they will beat Rich Swann and Sami Callihan.
We hear from Dirty Dango. He says that he hadn't watched pro wrestling since "it was cool" in 1998, and when he got into the business, he was let down by how much it had changed. He says that the nearby concrete buckling is more fun than getting in the ring with someone who is nervous and will injure him, and tells the IMPACT roster to go back to school. He calls Director of Authority Santino Marella "a one-hit wonder" who is still living in 2005 and is the wrestling equivalent of "Yoko Ono performing in concert and yodeling the whole time." He also calls Heath, who he will face next week, as "another hanger-on" who will never get the jump on him again before telling him he should find work at Home Depot, and says the last thing Heath should be doing is becoming the next Santino Marella.
Jonathan Gresham beats Angels with the Octopus. After the match, Deaner tells Angels to leave the ring when Gresham offers to shake Angels' hand. Deaner gets in the ring and confronts Angels, but as he points at him, Angels grabs his hand and repeats his point before shaking Gresham's hands and walking away while an angry Deaner yells at Kon.
We hear from ABC ("Inevitable" Ace Austin and Chris Bey). Austin says Slammiversary is on the horizon and that they have the match to look before, and while the deck is stacked against them, it is nothing they cannot handle, and Bey says they will do the courtesy of teaching Moose and Brian Myers the alphabet. Suddenly, The Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) show up wanting a shot at the tag team titles, but Bey tells them that while they have won tag team gold elsewhere, they have never won it in IMPACT, and that they need to go to the back of the line. Zachary proposes a match between himself and Bey where if he wins, The Rascalz get a shot at the tag team titles. Bey likes the idea and accepts the challenge.
Backstage, PCO is seen playing with live jumper cables while Scott D'Amore enjoys what is going on.
We see a recap of the sights and sounds of Wagga Wagga, Australia from IMPACT Wrestling's recent Australian show as well as scenes from a meeting at Indie School, an alternate school for those with mental health and traumatic issues.
Backstage, Trinity meets with "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo to thank her for having her back last week, but questions the speed at which he helped her out. Trinity says she does not need anyone's help, and Deonna says she does not need anybody's help, either. She proposes that they prove that next week when she issues a championship open challenge so she does not forget that. Trinity says she will not forget if Deonna educates herself before Slammiversary.
Before the next match, John Skyler says picked a fight with Scott D'Amore, who has taken a leave of absence from IMPACT Wrestling, only to have a fight with PCO, who has taken a leave of absence from reality. He says that monsters are usually scary, but after looking at the crowd, he cannot tell between PCO and "the mutants out here in Georgia" before stating that PCO will be the monster who is slain by "these good hands."
PCO beats The Good Hands (John Skyler and Jason Hotch) in a two-on-one handicap match. After the match, Jason Hotch confronts Scott D'Amore, and when he pokes D'Amore in the chest, D'Amore takes his glasses and watch off. Hotch slaps D'Amore, but D'Amore fights back and hits him with the Sky High. Before he can hit Hotch with a Canadian Destroyer, Bully Ray shows up, and Steve Maclin shows up from behind and hits PCO with a low blow before smacking D'Amore with a chair. Bully Ray gets in the ring and hits both PCO and D'Amore with the chair before Maclin handcuffs D'Amore to the top rope. Maclin instructs Hotch to get a table out from underneath the ring, and a handcuff D'Amore spits at Maclin before Bully Ray throws D'Amore's watch at him. D'Amore can only watch as Buly Ray and Maclin put PCO through the table. Bully Ray then teases hitting D'Amore with a chair before he and Maclin throw PCO down an exit ramp leading backstage. D'Amore then throws a chair at Bully, and Bully Ray and Maclin briefly surround the ring before leaving and attacking PCO backstage. Bully chokes PCO with the chair before Maclin pours battery acid into PCO's mouth. Bully Ray then pours two bottles' worth of lighter fluid before lighting him up with a match. A flaming PCO gets up and stumbles a few feet before falling onto the cameraperson.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Scott D'Amore as D'Amore frantically searches for PCO.
"The Quintessential Diva" Gisele Shaw beats Courtney Rush with a schoolkid pin while putting her feet on the ropes for leverage after the distraction by both Savannah Evans - which is thwarted by Jessicka - and Jai Vidal.
Backstage, Kenny King and Sheldon Jean are constantly reminded of the "Stripper Kenny" video from last week. Joe Hendry shows up, and Kenny King tells Hendry that he made his life hell after last week and that he will make his life rough. Sheldon Jean says he cannotb elieve anything that comes out of Hendry's mouth and that he and Kenny always back up what they say, and that Hendry has nobody in his corner. Hendry suddenly summons Yuya Uemura, and Kenny and Sheldon leave. Hendry asks Uemura what the Japanese word for "champion" is, to which Uemura answers "Champion."
Lio Rush and "The National Treasure" Nick Aldis beat The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley) with a low blow from Lio Rush to Chris Sabin as Sabin goes after Aldis before hitting the Final Hour for the win.
"Speedball" Mike Bailey beats Raj Singh in the BTI match. After the match, Bailey tells Jonathan Gresham that he accepts his challenge.
Backstage, Matt Cardona finds out he has his very own private dressing room with champagne and shrimp cocktails, then finds out it is Joe Hendry's dressing room thanks to mistaken identity and that his real dressing room is a storage closet. Cardona says he would rather change in the parking lot than in the storage closet.
Brian Myers beats Dirty Dango to qualify for the four-way Impact World Championship #1 contender's match at No Surrender.
Backstage, Gisele Shaw and Jai Vidal go backstage and make everyone's lives miserable by ruining their food until "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo approaches her for mentioning Chelsea Green. Gisele Shaw tries to throw a bowl of chili at her, but Purrazzo shoves it in her face. Director of Authority Santino Marella then shows up and makes a match between them for No Surrender.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Trey Miguel. Trey says that Crazzy Steve is a dog chasing a car and that he would not know what to do if he caught one, then says Crazzy Steve has "Crazzy" in his name. He also says that when he tags something he owns, and that it does not work the other way around like Steve thinks it does. As Trey says that Steve does not own him and that he wants nothing to do with him, the lights go out and come back on, then Crazzy Steve's laughter is heard as images of Trey Miguel's mark are covered in blood on the nearby monitors.
Before the next match, John Skyler says that "a good hand" is not a backhanded insult, then says a hand is a useful appendage unlike the state of Florida and that if he and Jason Hotch had their way, they would never come back to Florida again.
Tommy Dreamer and Mickie James beat The Good Hands (John Skyler and Jason Hotch). After the match, Dreamer is attacked from behind by Bully Ray as Mickie James celebrates in the corner. As Mickie confronts Bully Ray, she is attacked from behind by Masha Slamovich, who hits her with the Snow Plow.
Backstage, Johnny Swinger and "Outlandish" Zicky Dice meet with Director of Authority Santino Marella with their title shot when Dirty Dango show up and denies their request despite not being a deputy director. Swinger says he needs a shot at Dango and Marella leave, and Zicky tells Swinger all he needs is one win to get to more wins and that he has an idea for an opponent that even Swinger can beat. He then leaves, but without pushing Swinger on his cart, leading to Swinger asking "Can a guy get a push around here? Where it counts?"
We see a video package for Rich Swann vs. "The Walking Weapon" Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship. Swann admits he could not share his title win with an arena full of people, but he still inspired people with his world title reign. Swann then admits that his world title loss to Kenny Omega messed with him, and since then, he has waited to get the title back while watching what has happened with the world title, and while he is happy for Josh Alexander, he wanted to bring the title home. He then says that after winning the recent Golden Six Shooter Match, he finally has his moment to take the World Championship back. Swann says he has his mojo back, and soon, he will have the Impact World Championship back.
Before the next match, Steph de Lander says the entire Knockouts division is in the back shaking in their boots because she is here, and that she does not have to sell herself because everyone can see with her eyes that she is "The Powerhouse Predator." She then says that Jordynne Grace has gone from losing the Knockouts Championship to losing to the new girl in her first match, then proclaims that she is "your worst nightmare."
Jordynne Grace beats Steph de Lander.
Backstage, Matt Cardona is insulted about having a closet for a dressing room, and the backstage hand he talks to leads him out of the building and into the parking lot, locking him out, but not before throwing his bag out of the door and being reminded of his own words from earlier tonight.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews "The Walking Weapon" Josh Alexander. Josh says Rich Swann has had a hell of a journey and that he held Impact on his back when the company needed him most, while he himself has had an incredible reign with great challengers. He says that Swann has never had another shot at the World title since losing it, and while Swann is his friend, he will not be his friend at No Surrender. Suddenly, Kenny King shows up and accuses Josh of nepotism when he is a credible threat. Josh Alexander says he has beaten people other than his friends to keep his title, then Kenny King then says that if Josh's wife didn't wear the pants in the family, he would not be World Champion. Swann then shows up and mocks Kenny King before telling him he has to earn his shot and tells him to keep his name out of his mouth before he pops him in the mouth. Swann then shows up and mocks Kenny King before telling him he has to earn his shot and tells him to keep his name out of his mouth before he pops him in the mouth. King runs his mouth at Swann as he says that Josh and Swann want to jump him, and Swann pops him in the mouth. Kenny King runs his mouth at Swann, and Swann pops him in the mouth. Josh then says that Swann and Kenny can handle this, and when Swann wants to fight Kenny, Kenny says he will see him when he sees him.
The Death Dollz (Rosemary and Taya Valyrie) beat Taylor Wilde and Killer Kelly after Taylor Wilde draws the Devil card out of her tarot card and refuses to help her. After the match, Father James Mitchell shows up and introduces himself to Jessicka as he says it has been a while since he and Rosemary have met and that Rosemary has paid proper respect to his boss, who is Rosemary's father, and that makes his boss very angry. He then says that if his boss is unhappy, everyone is unhappy, and that he is here to put a hex on Rosemary. Suddenly, Sienna and Marti Bell show up from behind and lay out Taya and Jessicka before doing the same to Rosemary.
Backstage, Eddie Edwards meets with Shera and Raj Singh. He tells Shera that he knows how much of a problem PCO can be, and asks Shera to take out PCO for him. Raj Singh says it will cost him "a little extra," but Eddie says he will do whatever it takes to get the job done.
Backstage, The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley) reunite with KUSHIDA when Chris Bey and Ace Austin show up. Austin says he and Bey are not the same team they were when they left for Japan, and says if it were not for The Major Players, they would be tag team champions right now. As Chris Bey brags about beating The Major Players and KUSHIDA, Bey says that Bullet Club is never outnumbered, and challenges KUSHIDA and the Guns to a six-man tag match against the two of them and KENTA at No Surrender.
PCO beats Shera to qualify for the four-way Impact World Championship #1 contender's match at No Surrender.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Matt Cardona, who says that he has a string of bad luck with Joe Hendry and that it is now personal, and that he is going to find Hendry right now. As he does, Myers - and members of security - show up with shrimp cocktails. The members of security clap and sing Joe Hendry's theme, and Cardona is not amused when Myers claps with them.
Backstage, Frankie Kazarian talks with Callihan and asks him why he would want to join The Design. The Design (Deaner, Kon, Angels) then show up, and Deaner says that if Kazarian has a question, it should go through him. Deaner then asks why "the sickness" runs through his veins, and Kazarian confronts Deaner only for Kon to get in front of him. Kazarian asks Kon if he is a gambler, then says he is game for a match "if Dad will let [him]."
Before the next match, Joe Hendry says he is in a good mood because he is in the Sunshine State and he defended the Digital Media Championship against "Dancing Moose," and that he is defending against Matt Cardona, otherwise known as "Edge's Bitch." He says that "Edge's Bitch" will ring in the fans' ears as well as "We believe," as they believe in Joe Hendry.
Joe Hendry retains the Impact Wrestling Digital Media Championship when Brian Myers' attempt at interference by distracting the referee with the Digital Media title backfires when he inadvertently hits Cardona with the Roster Cut. After the match, Moose gets in the ring, but he accidentally spears Cardona before Hendry sends him out of the ring. Matt Cardona is distraught in the middle of the ring as the fans call him "Edge's Bitch."
