Impact Wrestling Recap (4/20): Lashley Vs. Storm, Rosemary Vs. ODB, Low-Ki Returns To Win Gold

By Leon Milici

IMPACT WRESTLING
Thursday April 20th, 2017
From 'The Impact Zone' In Orlando, Florida

* The show opens up in memory of the recently deceased Matt 'Rosey' Anoa'i.

James Storm and Bobby Lashley are both shown arriving to the Impact Zone earlier today. This is followed by a video hyping tonight's main event. It chronicles James Storm's history in the company and Bobby Lashley's rise in the company as a multiple time champion. The opening video can be seen below.

Jeremy Borash and The Pope are on commentary at ringside. No Josh Mathews..... They welcome the Spike TV UK audience because tonight is their debut episode back in that market. Pope and Borash hype tonight's show and they cue to the ring.

The Latin American Xchange (Santana & Ortiz) vs. Jake Holmes & Joe Coleman

Santana attacks Coleman on the apron and then takes the fight to Holmes. Ortiz is in and the tandem offense begins. LAX connects with several aerial tandem moves. Coleman finally breaks free and tags in Holmes. He doesn't get very far. He eats a cutter from Santana and is then cannonballed in the corner. Santana and Ortiz then hit the street sweeper on Holmes and win the match.

LAX defeats Jake Holmes & Joe Coleman

After the match, Konnan is on the mic in ring with LAX. He repeats his LAX is "serious like a late period" line. Konnan promises that LAX is going to complete a power grab in Impact. Konnan then intros each member of LAX. From Homicide and Diamante to the tag champs Santana and Ortiz. Konnan says that you can stop a revolutionary but not a revolution.... The Decay's music hits and they make their way towards LAX. Both groups start brawling near the ramp way and into the ring. Each group takes turns getting the advantage. Jeremy Borash calls for security as the brawl continues, and the show heads to break.

When the show returns, Highlights are shown of what transpired during the break. Both LAX and Decay ended up all laid out on the ringside floor, after Crazzy Steve dove on top of everyone...... Karen Jarrett's music hits and she makes her way to the ring. Karen is excited because Impact is "Live" tonight. Karen then announces that Global Force Wrestling and Impact Wrestling have officially merged.

Karen calls tonight a night of champions. She hypes the World, Knockouts and X Division titles matches on this week's show. Before Karen can intro someone into the ring. Sonjay Dutt's music hits and he makes his way to the ring..... Dutt gets on the mic and says that it feels great to be back. He gives a quick history lesson of the X division and his participation in it, dating back to 2003. Dutt then suggests to Karen that tonight's X Division title match be placed in the main event. Sanjay then says that he wants to be added to that match, so that he can win the X division title for the very first time.

Tonight's X division challenger Andrew Everett makes his way to the ring. He tells Dutt how much he respects him but that he wants Trevor Lee to himself tonight. Out comes Shane Helms with the champion Trevor Lee. Helms says that he and Lee are running things in the X division. Helms says that no one asked for Sonjay to come back. Helms calls Sonjay a failure for never being able to win the X division championship in his career. Bruce Prichard makes his way to the ring. Bruce tells Helms that he doesn't run things here. Prichard announces that the X division match will be the main event and makes it a 6-way match. He puts Sonjay Dutt in the match. After Prichard makes his announcement, Lee and Helms go after Dutt and Everett but they fend them off. The X division title is left in the ring and Everett and Sonjay pick up the title at the same time and stare each other down.

A vignette airs for Anthony Mayweather(Crimson). He talks about his background and upbringing in Ohio without a father. Crimson talks about he is now a father and how having a son, has made him more driven to be a better man. Crimson also talks about his lack of focus when he was a teenager and how it led to him joining the military. How that experience gave him a direction and made him the man, he is today. The video ends with hype for Crimson's return to Impact next week, in his new Veterans of War team.

KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Rosemary (c) vs. ODB

ODB starts brawling with Rosemary early on. She dominates the early going. Rosemary retreats to the outside and tries to bait ODB inside the ring but fails. ODB pulls Rosemary outside and slams her down. When the action heads to the ramp way, Rosemary battles back and clotheslines ODB onto the ramp. The action is back in the ring and Rosemary is back in control and hits a running forearm. She follows it up with a suplex. Rosemary then heads to the top rope and misses with a senton splash. ODB grabs Rosemary and hits a fall away slam. She then rams Rosemary's head into the top turnbuckle, before hitting a top rope thesz press. ODB then corners Rosemary and tries to run at her but gets kicked in the lower midsection. A stunned ODB falls to the ground. Rosemary picks her up and then hits the red wedding on ODB and pins her.

Rosemary defeats ODB by pinfall to retain The Impact Knockouts Championship

After the match, Jeremy Borash resets the show from ringside and hypes The Impact World Title Match. 'Swoggle' is then shown walking around in the crowd and waving towards the broadcast table. Borash announces that LAX will meet Decay in a streetfight next week on Impact.

McKenzie Mitchell is backstage when the show returns from the break. Mitchell says that she is trying to find out who the 6 men will be in the X-Division Title match. Just then, Bruce Prichard and Karen Jarrett come out of their office. Mitchell asks Bruce who are the six men in the X division match. Bruce announces that it's Trevor Lee, Andrew Everett, Sonjay Dutt and Suicide. When Mitchell tries to find out the identity of the other two. Bruce says that he is going to leave that as a surprise. Sienna then shows up and confronts Karen Jarrett. Sienna makes a comment about all the GFW talent being backstage. Sienna wants to know where the GFW women's champion Christina Von Eerie is. She asks if she is hiding. Jarrett says that she isn't and that Sienna better be ready for her.

A video package then airs chronicling the history between Allie and Laurel Van Ness. Leading into what transpired last week when "The Fury" Kongo Kong arrived and attacked Braxton Sutter.....

Kongo Kong w/Laurel Van Ness, KM & Sienna vs. Chris Silvio

Borash calls Kong unstoppable and that he's never seen anyone like him before....... Kong dominates this short match. Which is to be expected. Kong does a running cannon ball on Silvio. He's then dragged to the corner and Kong leaps off the top with a splash. Silvio is flattened and pinned.

Kongo Kong defeats Chris Silvio

James Storm is backstage and cuts a spirited promo about how long he has waited to become world champion once again.

Alberto El Patron appears via video from Tucson, Arizona. He says that he will be having a close eye on tonight's Impact Championship again. Alberto says that he will prefer Lashley winning, so that he can beat him again.

McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with GFW champion Magnus. He tells Mitchell that he came back to help an old friend in Jeremy Borash. Magnus then takes issue with Alberto El Patron being granted the next shot at the Impact World Championship. Magnus says that Alberto hasn't done as much as he has in Impact Wrestling. Magnus feels that he should be next in line because he is the GFW champ, and because he got the pinfall in last week's 8 man tag.

IMPACT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Bobby Lashley (c) vs. James Storm

Jeremy Borash is doing the introductions when Josh Mathews makes his way to the ring with Lashley. Mathews then makes his way to the announce desk. Borash acts stunned before making the in-ring introductions.... JB then makes his way back to commentary. Mathews goes on a rant about how Borash and Pope have done an awful job in the 1st hour. Mathews says that Impact is live on SpikeTV UK and that Borash and Pope are embarrassing the company.... The crowd starts chanting "Josh is Boring".

Test of strength early on between Lashley and Storm, that leads to Lashley taking over with a lariat, shoulder tackle and neck breaker. Mathews on commentary, compares himself doing play by play during a Lashley match to JR calling Steve Austin's matches..... Lashley stays in control over Storm until James is thrown over the top rope, and skins the cat. Storm gets back in the match by clotheslining Lashley to the outside..... EC3 then makes his way to ringside, while Storm is brawling with Lashley on the outside. Mathews offers Lashley a beer bottle to use against Storm. Meanwhile, Lashley and Storm battle to the opposite side and Bobby ends up suplexing Storm onto the steel steps, as the show heads to break.

When the show returns, Lashley is still in control of the match. He is pounding away on James Storm with crossface blows. Moments later, Lashley applies a sleeper hold but Storm counters into one of his own. Lashley breaks free of it and hits a power slam. Lashley then tries to set up for a spear but Storm counters and rallies with a flurry of offensive moves. Both men battle to the top rope. Storm attempts a superplex but is knocked down. James recovers quickly and snap mares Lashley off the top rope. Storm then hits a flying elbow for a near pin fall. James then hits a lung blower on Lashley and sets up for The Last Call superkick. Lashley ducks it but ends up getting hit by "The Eye of The Storm" power bomb for a near fall. After a roll up attempt by Storm fails, Lashley hits the dominator on him for a near fall. Lashley then goes for a steel chair and brings it into the ring. Lashley swings at Storm but ends up hitting himself with the chair. Storm covers Lashley but he kicks out. When both men battle towards the corner, Referee Brian Hebner is accidentally struck and is laid out. Storm then hits the Last Call kick on Lashley but there is no ref to count. Storm then heads to ringside and grabs a beer bottle. EC3 comes into the ring, gets behind Storm, takes the beer bottle away and strikes Storm in the head with it. Lashley and the ref recover moments later. Lashley hits a running spear on Storm and pins him.

Bobby Lashley defeats James Storm by pinfall to retain The Impact World Championship

McKenzie Mitchell is backstage and sees Dutch Mantel leaving his office. She runs up to him and asks him who the two mystery men will be in The X Division Title match. Dutch reveals that Dezmond Xavier will be the fifth participant. Dutch says that most people don't know he is, but will after tonight. When asked about the sixth and final participant. Dutch says that people like a surprise and that he wants to keep it that way.

When the show returns from the break, Footage is shown from a Border City Wrestling show in Canada. Where Moose was attacked by Chris Adonis and put in the Adonis Lock after Moose successfully defended his Impact Grand Championship.... Moose is then backstage with McKenzie Mitchell. Moose talks about being targeted by everyone since becoming Grand Champion. Just then, Chris Adonis shows up in a sling. He tells Moose that he won't be coming after him but someone else will. Davey Richards then attacks Moose from behind and lays him out. Angelina Love shows up as well and tells a fallen Moose, that Richards is his next challenger.

Back at the announce table. After some Mathews bickering. Borash intros a video package for The X Division.

SIX WAY MATCH FOR THE X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Trevor Lee (c) w/Shane Helms vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Andrew Everett vs. Suicide vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Low-Ki

Low-Ki is the final participant introduced. He is wearing a "Agent 47 Hitman" themed suit with black leather gloves. It's a black suit with a red tie. He doesn't pull a Cesaro and tear his way out of it. He wears it throughout the match. Frantic pace from start to finish here. Sonjay Dutt does the first innovative move with an 4 man assisted tornado DDT, where he leaps off of 4 wrestlers at the same time. Moments later, All six men execute a simultaneous dropkick, where no one connects and it leads to a standoff. Trevor Lee then gets dropkicked by all 5 of his competitors at the same time. The action now heads to the outside with all six men taking to the air. Dezmond Xavier has a real impressive show of athleticism, as he heads to the air and hits a springboard corkscrew plancha to the outside. As the show heads to it's final break.

After the break, Trevor Lee has grounded Andrew Everett inside the ring. It's made note of on commentary that Sonjay Dutt's eye has been swollen shut. A close up shows that indeed, his right eye has swelled up the size of a golf ball. The commentators are unsure if he can continue this match. Back in the ring, Lee and Everett are still going at it. Evenly contested between the two while the other competitors are currently absent from the action. Minutes later, Everett hits a springboard elbow on Lee. Trevor rebounds and sends Andrew to the outside. Lowki tries to make his way back in but he is discarded quickly by Lee. Trevor is then contested by Suicide but he suffers the same fate. Lee turns his attention back to Everett but this time, Andrew gets the better of him with a Pele kick. Everett delivers the same to Low-Ki. A one eyed Sonjay Dutt is back in and starts superkicking everyone. Suicide takes out Dutt. Trevor Lee then hits the collision course on Suicide. Low-Ki breaks up the potential 3 count with a double foot stomp. Low-Ki loses the suit jacket and tries to finish off Lee but is sent to the outside. Suicide and Trevor go at it before Low-Ki and Dezmond get back into the action. Dezmond hits a great looking 619 from the ringpost. Low-Ki is knocked down and Sonjay flies off the top rope onto him, and gets a near fall. Frantic finish involving all six men. Suicide hits the suicide plunge on 4 men on the outside. Everett then leaps onto all 5 men with a shooting star press. Andrew tries to go to the top rope but is entangled with Xavier. After a pretty aerial display of evasion by both men. Everett hits two frankendrivers. One on Dezmond and the other on Trevor Lee. Everett tries to head to the top rope to finish off Lee. Low-Ki does a springboard martial arts kick and knocks Everett down and out. Low-Ki then hits a double foot stomp on Trevor Lee and wins The X Division Championship.

Low-Ki wins The Six Way Match to capture The X Division Championship

After the match, While Low-Ki celebrates with his newly won championship. Mathews and Borash stand up and start bickering. Pope gets fed up and walks away when Mathews insults him. JB then gets in Mathews face and strikes him down. The show ends with Low-Ki posing on the ramp way while some fans start chanting JB.

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