Impact Wrestling: Deathproof

[Hoss]

I think you captured the essence of an Impact show during this time period pretty well.

Could be because I copied about half of what happened in real life on this show. Still, I very much appreciate the feedback and am looking forward to developing things in my own way.

The next entry for this will be "The Road To No Surrender", followed by the Impact+ special written in full. Hope to have the "Road To" up this weekend.

 

[Hoss]

THE ROAD TO:
NO SURRENDER 2019

The first major event following Bound For Glory would be No Surrender, taking place December 7th from the Brightside Music and Event Center in Dayton, Ohio – hometown of the newly crowned World Champion Sami Callihan. While the focus of the champ had to be on the upcoming January pay-per-view, Hard To Kill, there was no overlooking this pit stop, where he’d be looking to set the tone for his upcoming World Championship title defense. So, what better place to begin than with the set-up to the No Surrender main event?

● THE FIVE-WAY ELIMINATOR ●

The most consequential bout en route to No Surrender, as well as Hard To Kill, took place on the November 26 Impact Wrestling from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City. In a match to determine the number one contender for the Impact World Championship at Hard To Kill, a Five-Way Eliminator match featuring Moose, Rob Van Dam, Brian Cage, Daga and Tessa Blanchard would take place. The last person standing got the right to challenge Sami Callihan at the pay-per-view in Dallas.

It would be a great television bout, showcasing five of the undeniable top stars of the company. Unsurprisingly, it was Tessa Blanchard who had the support of the audience throughout, while Moose and Rob Van Dam seemed to be neck-and-neck for the most detested guys in this matchup.

Daga got taken out of the match first by Brian Cage, who was on a warpath to get a rematch for his title. The next elimination would come unexpectedly. Inside the ring, Brian Cage was measuring Moose, seemingly looking to deliver something huge, when, quite suddenly, Rhino hit the ring! The unchained animal shot across the ring and delivered a merciless GORE on Rob Van Dam, finally getting his hands on the man who betrayed him back at Bound For Glory. However, Rhino’s sudden arrival interfered with Cage’s hunting of Moose. With the benefit of the distraction, Moose struck Cage with a huge pump kick, followed by the No Jackhammer Needed spear to eliminate the former champ from the fray! At that point, Van Dam was mostly easy pickings for Moose to eliminate next, bringing the match down to just him and Blanchard.

Perhaps the two fastest-rising organic stars on Impact’s roster went at it in a fiery back-and-forth. Late in the match, as Blanchard had Moose lined up to deliver a diving attack, perhaps the Magnum, the expected oVe fuckery finally materialized in the form of Madman Fulton cutting her off on the top rope, sending her crashing to the mat while the referee was selling a bump. Fulton entered the ring, and Moose had no problem clearing out for him. As Fulton stalked Tessa, however, Jake Crist returned for the first time in weeks, since being exiled from oVe. Jake flew in and cracked Fulton across the spine with a steel chair, using the weapon to exact some revenge on Callihan’s Monster. After Fulton had fled the ring in pain, Moose was quick to blindside Jake with a pump kick that removed him from the equation. Finally, back to just being Moose and Tessa, there was a near-fall when Tessa managed to get Moose into a small package. Moose was able to recover somewhat, until he hit the ropes, looking to deliver a running move, only to be caught with a drop toe-hold that had him land face-first into the steel chair that Jake Crist was wielding. The referee was still too hobbled after taking the bump earlier that he had failed to remove the chair! Tessa then ascended the top once more, flying off and hitting Moose with Magnum! Quickly into the cover, Tessa was able to outlast four top flight Impact Wrestling talents to secure a shot at Sami Callihan and his World Championship!

…or so she thought –

There was still one last roadblock in the way for Tessa. In light of the ref bump, interference, and inadvertent use of the steel chair by Tessa, Moose was petitioning that they run it back to determine a decisive number one contender. This became even more messy when Sami Callihan became involved and managed to insert Madman Fulton in to create a triple threat match between Tessa, Moose and Fulton. If either Tessa or Moose won, they would get their title match at Hard To Kill, as well as earn the right to choose the match stipulation. But if Fulton won, neither would be getting a shot at Sami at Hard To Kill. The terms were good enough for Tessa, who of course is never one to back down from a challenge. So there would be a triple threat, where Tessa Blanchard would once again punch her ticket to Hard To Kill, pinning Fulton thanks to interference from Jake Crist once again. And now, she would be locked into facing Sami at Hard To Kill once again, and now would have the right to choose the stipulation of the match as well. Though what her choice of stipulation would be, would still be yet to be revealed.

In the meantime, the main event of No Surrender in Dayton would be set. A tag team match that would pit Sami Callihan and his monster, Madman Fulton, against the unexpected duo of Tessa Blanchard and Jake Crist. Of course the suspicion looms if Tessa should trust Jake to any extent. oVe have been known to execute some long-cons, so it will be seen if Tessa is able to keep her eye on the prize, having to look over her shoulder at all times, in the lion’s den of Dayton, where all three of the other men in this match reside.

● STATE OF THE MOOSE NATION ●

For the runner-up of the Five-Way Eliminator, Moose, the loss, and the ensuing Triple Threat loss afterwards, were major set-backs for one of the company’s most highly touted up-and-comers. After weeks of vignettes, putting himself over as the most elite athlete in all of pro-wrestling, he ran into a brick wall in his pursuit of the Impact World Championship. As Moose looked to bounce back for the defeat, an unlikely challenge would present itself in the form of Acey Romero, who stood up to Moose backstage as he attempted to bully some backstage employees. Moose derided Acey as an inferior athlete and man, and promised to put him in his place at No Surrender!

● EXTREME RETALIATION ●

The rivalry between Rhino and Rob Van Dam would continue to spiral, naturally. After turning on Rhino at Bound For Glory, Rob Van Dam had been sending in outside vignettes taunting Rhino, downplaying the deception and going on rambling rants about people stealing all his moves and shit. Meanwhile, Rhino was running through jobbers on a regular basis, looking fired up, as he waited for Van Dam’s return. And just as he promised, he struck once Van Dam returned to participate in the Five-Way Eliminator. After blasting Van Dam with the fearsome Gore, Rhino made it clear that this was just the beginning for the punishment he had in store for Van Dam.

Well, the extremely non-chalant Van Dam was suddenly not so chill about the whole situation. In the last episode of Impact prior to No Surrender, Van Dam sent in another vignette from his hot tub where he had his ribs taped up. The promo he cut could charitably be called a burial of Rhino, who he repeatedly maligned, talking about how he’s always been the bigger star out of the two of them and the true icon of their generation. In the face of this, Scott D’Amore announced the two men would meet at No Surrender in a Last Man Standing match to put all the bad blood to bed.

● PATH OF CAGE? ●

For Brian Cage, his last couple of months had been a major whirlwind. The highest highs of his career, suddenly turned into a living nightmare. The loss of his championship to the man who smashed a champagne bottle over his wife’s head and threatened his family was, unsurprisingly, eating at him. After being eliminated from the Five-Way Eliminator, derailing his hopes for a title rematch, Cage appeared dejected and, when asked by Alicia Atout on Impact Wrestling, said that his future was looking unclear. This comment had the online discourse ablaze, as there has been a lot of buzz that Cage could be looking to join either WWE or AEW in the near future. As of now, it remains to be seen.

● THE ROAD TO VALHALLA ●

As for the most coveted prize among the Knockouts division, things were heating up and Taya Valkyrie was starting to sweat. After falling victim to a sudden inside cradle by Jordynne Grace on Impact, the pressure was immediate for Taya to grant Jordynne a singles title match. However, Taya used her usual underhanded tactics to keep pushing off facing Jordynne. Backstage, an alliance began to form between Taya and the self-proclaimed “Locker Room Leader” Madison Rayne, who broke off her short-lived alliance with Kiera Hogan to back the Knockouts Champion, claiming she was no longer interested in helping the “ungrateful” young stars in the locker room. Meanwhile, the new girl on the block, “The Ballsy Badass” Shotzi Blackheart was continuing to make waves as well. After a backstage confrontation, a tag match of Shotzi and Jordynne vs. Taya and Madison was set in place. Yet again, after doing her best to stay uninvolved with the match itself, Taya ended up being pinned via a sunset flip by Shotzi, so whatever hopes she had of downplaying her previous loss to Jordynne were now completely out the window.

As Hard To Kill continued to loom with the assumption that Taya would be defending her title on the pay-per-view, Scott D’Amore finally sat down to have a conversation with Taya. After some haggling, a resolution was reached: Jordynne Grace and Shotzi Blackheart would be clashing at No Surrender to decide on a number one contender for Taya’s belt at Hard To Kill. Further cementing the card, an underlying feud between Madison Rayne and Rosemary would be featured in a singles match on the Impact+ Special – a match stemming from Rayne and Rosemary butting heads over Rayne’s treatment of the young talent on the roster.

● THEY THE NORTH ●

Coming off the heels of a triumphant title defense at Bound For Glory, the perpetually boastful team of Josh Alexander and Ethan Page were only becoming more and more overbearing with their claims of superiority over everyone else. The first resistance they faced came in the form of Ken Shamrock and Naomichi Marufuji, who were united specifically by their shared opposition to The North. Alexander and Page defended the titles against Shamrock and Marufuji on an episode of Impact Wrestling from Terminal 5 in New York City, Alexander evening the score by forcing Marufuji to tap out to the ankle lock.

Next, The North would instigate their way into another title defense. Thanks to “All Ego” Ethan Page’s unquenchable desire to run his mouth, The North were ringside on commentary for a match pitting Rich Swann and Willie Mack against Fallah Bahh and TJP. Mid-match, Page was overheard by Willie Mack making some disparaging remarks at the commentary table, which resulted in Mack beginning a brawl with The North. The match was thrown out for that week, but ran back a week later with The North banned from ringside. Mack and Swann would take the win in the rematch, after which they were declared the number one contenders for the Tag Team Championship against The North at No Surrender.

● ACE IN THE HOLE ●

The so-called “XXX Division Champion” and actual X-Division Champion Ace Austin would continue in his skeevy ways in the weeks that followed his Street Fight win over Eddie Edwards. In his ongoing plot to bang Eddie’s wife, Ace managed to convince Alisha to go out for some dinner, managing to convince her that his intentions were pure. However, in classic romcom fashion, he was overheard by Alisha, bragging to Reno SCUM about how he’s used her to totally get inside Eddie’s head. In the end, the joke would be on Ace, as Alisha would invite the champ to her hotel room where none other than Eddie Edwards would be lying in wait. At the hotel, Eddie blindsided Ace, beat him down and sent him fleeing from the hotel in nothing but his skivvies. With Ace’s plan exposed and some measure of vengeance gained by both Eddie and Alisha, it seemed the recent turmoil of their relationship was over and the two loverbirds were decidedly reunited. At No Surrender, Scott D’Amore has booked a non-title Tables Match between the two of them to lay their issues to rest.

● THE SUPER X CUP RETURNS ●

On the final Impact Wrestling before No Surrender, after Scott D’Amore booked Ace Austin to face Eddie Edwards in a non-title Tables Match at No Surrender, he also revealed another bit of information that Ace would find pertinent. The Super X Cup would return at the Impact Wrestling tapings following No Surrender, to decide a challenger for his X-Division Championship at Hard To Kill. The tournament field would be made up of four Impact Wrestling stars and four outside stars, from partner promotions, as well as independent free agents! The four Impact talents competing in the tournament would be: Cousin Jake, Rohit Raju, TJP and Trey Miguel. The non-Impact talents would include AAA’s El Hijo del Vikingo, Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Hajime Ohara, and independent free agents Blake Christian and “Taiga Style” Lee Moriarty. At No Surrender, there will be an 8-man tag match where the four Impact Wrestling talents will take on the four outsider talents, as an “opening ceremony” of sorts to the upcoming tournament. The tournament bracket would later be posted via Impact Wrestling’s social media.

● WHAT ELSE? ●

Stewing elsewhere in the land of Impact, we had a few other developing stories. One with the most intrigue was likely the transformation of Su Yung into Susie and the mystery surrounding the whole situation. She had run-ins with Havok and Rosemary backstage, women that she has previously gone to dark depths against in her former incarnation, and neither woman was willing to go along with this new persona. While Susie claimed she had never met Havok and Rosemary, the two of them shunned her and swore a refusal to forgive and forget the wars they had gone through.

Elsewhere, Petey Williams had begun a story on Xplosion, doing interviews where he’d claim his legacy in Impact was being buried – claiming to be a legend of the company, constantly overlooked in the history of the promotion. He claimed to be one of the guys who kept the company chugging along to this very day, and asserted that since he wasn’t being given the recognition he had earned, he was about to start making people pay homage. While he stacked wins on Xplosion, he also appeared in backstage segments on Impact Wrestling, talking to The Deaners and offering some tutelage. While Cousin Jake declined the help, Cody Deaner seemed to be considering the offer…

NO SURRENDER CARD
December 7 @ The Brightside Music and Event Center in Dayton, Ohio

Official Theme Song: Thin Ice - Guilt Trip


Main Event
Sami Callihan and Madman Fulton vs. Tessa Blanchard and Jake Crist

Last Man Standing
Rob Van Dam vs. Rhino

Impact World Tag Team Championship
The North (c) vs. Rich Swann and Willie Mack

Number One Contender's Match
Jordynne Grace vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Non-Title Tables Match
Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin

Super X Cup Opening Ceremony
Cousin Jake, Rohit Raju, TJP and Trey Miguel vs. El Hijo del Vikingo, Hajime Ohara, Blake Christian and Lee Moriarty

Rosemary vs. Madison Rayne

Moose vs. Acey Romero

---

​

 

[BattleTank]

This writeup really showcased your vision for this version of TNA. You got all of the important points across, and set up some great stuff for the future. It was really well written and got me pumped for this! I'm most excited to see how you book Tessa here, because irl if I remember correctly, she was getting pushed hard and was about to win the WHC. Also love the Non-Titles Tables Match, should be a great match.

Main Event
Sami Callihan and Madman Fulton vs. Tessa Blanchard and Jake Crist

Last Man Standing
Rob Van Dam vs. Rhino

Impact World Tag Team Championship
The North (c) vs. Rich Swann and Willie Mack

Number One Contender's Match
Jordynne Grace vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Non-Title Tables Match
Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin

Super X Cup Opening Ceremony
Cousin Jake, Rohit Raju, TJP and Trey Miguel vs. El Hijo del Vikingo, Hajime Ohara, Blake Christian and Lee Moriarty

Rosemary vs. Madison Rayne

Moose vs. Acey Romero

Best of luck with this, brother! I'll be waiting to read it!

 

[Stojy]

Main Event
Sami Callihan and Madman Fulton vs. Tessa Blanchard and Jake Crist
Build to this was good enough. I forgot Tessa was going against the men at this point. I did thing the way Fulton got involved in the title situation by randomly being included in it felt a bit off/forced. Seemed maybe you were deliberately trying to keep Moose from getting pinned by Blanchard which is fair enough. I expect Crist to rejoin his comrades here, and Tessa will need to find another path to Sami... On another note, can we please get a Madman Fulton push at some point? Thanks.

Last Man Standing
Rob Van Dam vs. Rhino
RVD wins when Rhino gets suffocated by Van Dam's wife's tits and can't answer the ten count. Seriously though, RVD was pretty cooked by this point, but I always found something hilariously enjoyable about his hot tub promos and talking about people stealing his moves. There's potential for this character to be so over the top that it's amazing, and a win here could set him on that path.

Impact World Tag Team Championship
The North (c) vs. Rich Swann and Willie Mack
I like Swann and Mack as a team, but they aren't beating The North. Plus, if you had The North's title reign end on a match like this with such limited build, I'd be disappointed.

Number One Contender's Match
Jordynne Grace vs. Shotzi Blackheart
Shotzi's new. Give the shiny new toy a chance, making Grace's charge to the title a little more difficult after Rayne costs her here. Expect Grace to be champ soon enough.

Non-Title Tables Match
Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin
The non title stip leads me to believe Edwards is winning this. I guess that makes sense, but what if seeing Ace in his skivvies made Alisha realise she want's that dick and she costs Eddie the match? Book it! Ace for World Champ plz.

Super X Cup Opening Ceremony
Cousin Jake, Rohit Raju, TJP and Trey Miguel vs. El Hijo del Vikingo, Hajime Ohara, Blake Christian and Lee Moriarty
I guess giving the outsiders a chance to shine here makes sense. Super excited for the super X cup too. Smart of you to bring this back.

Rosemary vs. Madison Rayne
Rosemary wins, but doesn't completely destroy Rayne, so that she can still get involved in the number one contender's match later. Have made note of Rosemary and Havoc's interactions with Susie also. Expecting more at some point...

Moose vs. Acey Romero
Moose must win this.

A pretty solid build to No Surrender. Write up is a breeze to get through, looking forward to the show.

 

[Dubb]

I don't pretend to know a lot about TNA in 2019 but I've read through and will take a stab at some predictions!

Main Event
Sami Callihan and Madman Fulton vs. Tessa Blanchard and Jake Crist
Mainly because fuck Tessa Blanchard... lol.

Last Man Standing
Rob Van Dam vs. Rhino
Not sure how much either have left to offer but if this is a blow off, I think Rhino picks up the win.

Impact World Tag Team Championship
The North (c) vs. Rich Swann and Willie Mack
Doesn't seem like the timing is right yet for a title change.

Number One Contender's Match
Jordynne Grace vs. Shotzi Blackheart
A tough call here as obviously Grace becomes such a big deal in Impact, but Shotzi is a fresh face that could use a win. But it seems like the big picture story is Grace vs. Taya, so I think Shotzi becomes an obstacle that she overcomes on her way to finally getting her shot against Taya.

Non-Title Tables Match
Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin
Seems like Austin is due for some comeuppance here, so Edwards probably gets the win for the babyface payoff moment. Plus, like Stojy mentioned, it's nontitle so it probably makes sense.

Super X Cup Opening Ceremony
Cousin Jake, Rohit Raju, TJP and Trey Miguel vs. El Hijo del Vikingo, Hajime Ohara, Blake Christian and Lee Moriarty
Obviously more of a showcase. I'm probably wrong as keeping the home roster strong is probably the ideal in a match like this, but I love Vikingo so this is more of a heart pick.

Rosemary vs. Madison Rayne
I'm a sucker for spooky gimmicks.

Moose vs. Acey Romero
Seems like a good way for Moose to reassert his dominance after his setbacks.