Welcome to the Fightful.com live discussion & coverage for the 12/8/2022 edition of IMPACT Wrestling on AXS TV. We will bring full results and breakdowns for every match and segment on the show. Follow Fightful on Twitter.com/Fightful and Facebook.com/FIGHTFULONLINE
Here's what is set for tonight's show:
Preview
IMPACT Wrestling (12/8/2022).
- IMPACT Tag Team Championship Match: Heath & Rhino (c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin).
- Savannah Evans (w/ Tasha Steelz) vs. Taya Valkyrie (w/ Jessicka & Rosemary).
- IMPACT World Heavyweight Champion Josh Alexander Speaks.
Refresh the site for the latest updates as the show happens.
Live Coverage.
- Deaner was on screen to begin the match saying the following: "I will walk the valley of the shadow of death & fear no evil." He then said that Violent By Design was not a Faction, a group, but rather a movement led by a designer. Deaner said that the movement has been reborn and cleansed in the blood of the designer. Deaner called out Sami Callihan and dared him to confront him and his stable mates, Alan Angels & Kon.
- After that promo, Tom Hannifan & Matt Rehwoldt welcomed the audience to the broadcast before transitioning to the opening match.
IMPACT Tag Team Championship Match.
Heath & Rhino (c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin).
Rhino & Sabin began the match with the two locking up before Rhino pushed Sabin into the ropes. Rhino got a wrist lock on Sabin, but Sabin flipped to reverse it into a wrist lock of his own, but Rhino broke the hold with a jab on Sabin. Sabin hit a diving cross body on Rhino for a near fall. Heath tagged in, but Shelley & Sabin worked Heath's arm immediately. Shelley got a wrist lock on Heath before Heath got to the ropes and got a hammerlock into a wrist lock on Shelley. Shelley walked through the ropes to break the hold before locking in a headlock, but Heath ran the ropes and hit a shoulder tackle on Shelley. Heath threw punches on Shelley in the corner before going for a corner splash, but Shelley evaded and hit an Atomic Drop on Heath. Sabin got Heath's leg and hit a Dragon Screw through the rope on Heath's leg before Shelley hit a Dragon screw on the other leg. Shelley & Sabin hit running dropkicks on Heath's legs before they hit an Assisted Dragon Screw on Heath for a near fall. Shelley & Sabin hit double-PK Kicks on Heath before Shelley locked in the Figure Four on Heath. Heath hit a series of slaps on Shelley's face before getting a rope break. Heath caught Shelley off the ropes and hit a Powerslam on Shelley before Sabin 7 Rhino tagged in. Rhino hit a lariat, a back elbow, a corner spear, and a Spinebuster on Sabin for a near fall. Rhino called for the GORE, but Shelley distracted him to allow Sabin to hit a corner lariat. Shelley 7 Sabin hit stereo kicks before Sabin hit a rolling elbow, but Rhino responded by hitting a TKO on Sabin for a near fall. Heath tossed Shelley out of the ring before tagging in. Sabin hit a basement dropkick on Heath's injured leg before tossing Rhino out of the ring, but Heath & Sabin were attacked by The Major Players (Brian Myers & Matt Cardona) from behind, causing the match to end in a No Contest, with Heath & Rhino retaining the gold.
Result: No Contest/ Heath & Rhino Still IMPACT Tag Team Champions.
- IMPACT World Heavyweight Champion Josh Alexander confronted IMPACT President Scott D'Amore, saying that he was a fool for trusting Tommy Dreamer. D'Amore asked him if he had to take the approach, but Alexander emphasized that he had to before going to the ring. Zicky Dice & Johnny Swinger were backstage with Scott D'Amore to ask for a title match, but D'Amore told Swinger to win 50 matches and he would get it.
- IMPACT Knockout's Champion Jordynne Grace & Mickie James did a photoshoot to promote their Title vs. Career match on Hard To Kill. Grace said that she had enough respect for James to retire her.
Savannah Evans (w/ Tasha Steelz) vs. Taya Valkyrie (w/ Jessicka & Rosemary).
Valkyrie & Evans began the match, with Evans pushing Taya to the mat. The two then locked up before Evans leaned Taya in the corner and went for a chop, but Taya evaded to the opposite corner. Rosemary instructed Taya to bite Evans' face-off, but Evans slammed Taya into the mat. Evans got a waist lock on Taya before hitting a takedown on Taya. Taya hit a knee strike before running the ropes and hitting a spear on Evans to send her out of the ring. Taya went for a PK Kick, but Evans got her leg and slammed to the apron, but Taya landed in a split before Evans slammed Taya to the floor before the commercial break. Back from the break, Evans hit corner spears on Taya before hitting a butterfly Suplex on Taya. Evans locked in a Bulldog Choke on Taya, but Taya broke the hold and hit the Tijeras on Evans. Evans hit a boot kick and a lariat on Taya before firing the elbow strikes to the face and getting a single-leg hook on Taya for a near fall. Evans went for a boot, but Taya evaded and hit a kick to the abdomen, a kick to the head, a lariat, and a Blue Thunder Bomb on Evans for a near fall. Taya targeted Evans' left leg before locking in a modified knee bar before transitioning into an STF, but Evans broke the hold with elbow strikes, a hair pull, and a forearm strikes on Taya. Valkyrie got a roll-up on Evans for a near fall before hitting a headbutt. Taya went for the Glam Slam, but Evans got out of the hold and hit the Full-Nelson Slam on Valkyrie for the pinfall win.
Winner: Savannah Evans (w/ Tasha Steelz).
- There was a video vignette of Bullet Club's Ace Austin & Chris Bey from their excursion in NJPW & their 6-2 record in the Super Juniors' World Tag League.
- Moose attacked Bhupinder Gujjar backstage, telling him to leave a message to IMPACT Digital Media Champion.
- Delirious was backstage cutting a promo, with Delirious challenging Eddie Edwards to a match.
Kon (w/ Deaner & Alan Angels) vs. Sami Callihan.
The match began with Callihan hitting a chop on Kon, but Kon was unphased. Callihan hit more chops on Kon before Callihan poked Kon's eye. Callihan went for an Exploder Suplex on Kon, but Kon pushed Callihan off and hit a lariat on Callihan. Kon hit a corner lariat on Callihan as Deaner & Angels looked from ringside. Kon stomped away at Callihan in the corner. Kon popped Callihan to the corner before dropping him with a Spienbuster. Kon hit a leg drop on Callihan before locking in a double nerve hold on Callihan. Kon punched Callihan before the two exchanged strikes. Callihan hit a stunner on Kon before Kon went for a corner splash, but Callihan evaded and hit a bodyslam on Callihan. Callihan hit more chops on Kon's chest, but Kon shook it off and went for a chokeslam, but Callihan put him on one knee and hit a forearm strike on Kon for a near fall. The two got to the outside before Kon hit a chokeslam on Callihan onto the apron. Deaner & Angels stared at Callihan, to which Callihan responded by pulling a chair. Angels took the chair off Callihan, allowing the referee to be distracted. Deaner attacked Callihan from behind before Kon caught him from the top rope and hit a running Death Valley Driver for the pinfall win.
Winner: Kon (w/ Deaner & Alan Angels).
- X-Division Champion Trey Miguel was interviewed backstage with Gia Miller. Regarding defacing the title, Miguel said that people calling it disrespectful was an interesting choice of worst. Miguel nearly spray-painted Miller before he was interrupted by Crazzy Steve. Steve told Miguel that his actions have consequences & that he is an artist of his own, but he does it in blood, teasing a match between the two.
- IMPACT World Heavyweight Champion Josh Alexander came to the ring in complete gear. Alexander said that he took some time to think about how he would respond to Bully Ray's antics on OverDrive. Alexander said that he would have an Open Challenge for the title, but said that there is only one guy to face for the title. Alexander called out Bully Ray, telling him that he would still have his match on Hard To Kill unless coming to the ring is what he was afraid of. Bully Ray was backstage looking at photos from OverDrive of Alexander & his wife, Jade Chung. Ray said that he would not allow the match to happen now as he made the promise to have it on Hard To Kill. Instead, Mike Bailey came to the ring to answer Alexander's challenge. Alexander agreed to the match, calling for a referee to begin the match.
IMPACT World Heavyweight Championship Match
Josh Alexander (c) vs. Mike Bailey.
The match began with the two locking up before Alexander hit a shoulder tackle on Bailey. Bailey got back up and locked up with Alexander again before the two collided in the ring. The two collided shoulders twice before Bailey hit an arm drag & a chest kick on Alexander, but Alexander responded with a forearm strike. Alexander hit a body slam on Bailey before the two exchanged forearm strikes before Alexander hit a knee strike on Bailey's abdomen. Alexander hit a punch and an elbow strike on Bailey followed up by a chop. The two exchanged chops before Bailey hit side kicks on Alexander before hitting an Enziguri to send him out of the ring. Bailey hit a Tope Suicida on Alexander to the outside before the break. Back from the break, Bailey hit a double knee drop on Alexander for a near fall. Bailey hit forearm strikes on Alexander, but Alexander hit a big boot on Bailey. Alexander dropped his knee pad and laid in the knee strikes on Bailey's back before locking in a Back Hyperextension, but Bailey got up and went for a boot, but Alexander hit an elbow strike on Bailey's foot and a chop to drop kick. Alexander hit a series of chops across the corners before hitting a side back-breaker on Bailey for a near fall. Alexander laid in the stomps on Bailey and hit a series of forearm strikes on Bailey to the head, but Bailey ran the ropes and hit a Claymore kick on Alexander. Bailey laid in kicks on Alexander before hitting a standing Tornillo Splash for a near fall. Bailey went for another kick, but Alexander hit three German Suplexes on Bailey for a near fall. Alexander went for the C4, but Bailey evaded and went for a kick before Alexander went for an Ankle Lock, but Bailey evaded and hit a knee strike on Alexander's shoulder. Bailey targetted Alexander's left shoulder before going for an Octopus Hold, but Alexander slammed Bailey's head into the top turnbuckle to break the hold, but Bailey tightened the hold before hitting a Poison Rana on Alexander for a near fall. Back from the break, Alexander laid in the knee strikes on Bailey to the head. Bailey hit a chop, a rib kick, and went for a springboard move but Alexander caught him with a forearm strike. Alexander went for a C4 Spike, but Bailey reversed it with a small package for a near fall before hitting a Pele Kick. Bailey went for a Standing Moonsault, but Alexander evaded and hit a Thrust Kick, the Spinning Roundhouse Kick, and went for the Ultimate Weapon but Alexander evaded and hit a Powerbomb Backbreaker on Bailey. Alexander went for a C4 Spike, but Alexander collapsed while spiking Bailey to the mat on his neck. Alexander went for the Spike again, but Bailey used his weight to send themselves to the outside. Bailey slid back into the ring before hitting. pump kick to send Alexander off the apron before hitting a Triangle Moonsault on Alexander to the outside. Bailey climbed to the top rope and hit a Missile Dropkick on Alexander back in the ring. Bailey laid in the kicks on Alexander as the two exchanged slaps, but Bailey responded with a roundhouse kick. Bailey went for the Spinning Roundhouse Kick again, but Alexander caught his leg into an Ankle lock, but Bailey broke the hold with forearm strikes on Alexander's head. Alexander dropped Bailey with a forearm strike before firing away two more strikes. The two exchanged strikes furiously before Bailey hit a pump kick & a Roundhouse kick on Alexander. Alexander stood on the ropes as Bailey went for a Pump kick, but Alexander caught him and hit a World Strongest Slam on Bailey onto the apron before the commercial break. Back from the break, Alexander hit the Green Bay Slam on Bailey before climbing to the top rope, but Bailey caught his arm and slammed it to the rope. Bailey went for a Frankensteiner, but Alexander caught him. Bailey got off ALexander's grip before hitting an Enziguri kick on Alexander. Bailey got to the top rope, but Alexander got off the top rope and hit the Helicopter Slam on Bailey for a near fall, but Alexander immediately locked in the Ankle Lock on Bailey before Bailey reversed it into a Victory Roll for a near fall. Bailey booted Alexander in the head before hitting the Ultimate Weapon on Alexander but did not get the pin due to his injured leg. Bailey hit a PK Kick on Alexander before hitting a Moonsault double knee-drop on Alexander. Bailey hit a Roundhouse kick on Alexander's head before hitting a kick on Alexander's arm and chest. Alexander got back up and hit two slaps before Bailey laid in the kicks on Alexander, but Alexander responded with five German Suplexes on Bailey before the commercial break. Back from the break, Alexander went for a Superplex on Bailey, but Bailey locked in a Double Wrist lock on Alexander before dropping him off the top rope, but Alexander locked in another ankle lock before transitioning into an Angle Slam for a near fall. Alexander went for a Top Rope Moonsault on Bailey, but Bailey evaded causing Alexander to crash onto the mat. Bailey climbed to the top rope, but Alexander climbed back up and hit an Avalanche Angle Slam on Bailey for a shocking near fall. Alexander & Bailey were both exhausted as Alexander tried to lift Bailey, but Bailey kept collapsing on the mat. Alexander locked in the Ankle Lock on Bailey, inching the hold deep. Bailey lifted both his knees to stop the angle, but Alexander hit a Tombstone on Bailey for a near fall before locking in the Ankle Lock on Bailey once again. Alexander stomped Bailey's back to keep the hold, but Bailey hit three up-kicks to break the hold. Alexander slammed Bailey's leg onto the ropes before locking in the Ankle Lock once again, locking in the leg scissors to keep the hold tight. Alexander kept the hold tighter and tighter as Bailey tried to get the bottom rope, but Bailey finally got a rope break to break the hold. Alexander went for a Fireman's Carry on Bailey off the top rope, but Bailey got off the hold before Alexander dumped Bailey onto the mat. Bailey tried to climb to the middle rope, but Alexander hit a forearm strike on Bailey. Bailey climbed to the top rope again before Alexander had Bailey hanging off the middle rope. Alexander stomped away at Bailey, but Bailey powered through before hitting a Frankensteiner on Alexander. Bailey climbed to the top rope before hitting Ultimate Weapon on Alexander, but Alexander got a rope break at the count of 2.9. Bailey locked in a Kimura lock on Alexander before firing away with the kicks on Alexander. Bailey placed Alexander on the top rope before getting Alexander and going for the Flamingo Driver, but Alexander rolled over and hit a Styles Clash before locking in the Ankle Lock again. Bailey hit up-kicks on Alexander's head to break the hold, but Alexander caught Bailey and hit the "Close Your Eyes & Count to Fuck" Piledriver on Bailey. Alexander hit a series of knee strikes before connecting the C4 Spike. Alexander had the death stare and hit a second and final C4 Spike on Bailey for the hard-fought win & title retention. A tired but triumphant Alexander stood tall as the extended broadcast ended.
Winner & Still IMPACT World Heavyweight Champion: Josh Alexander.
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