Impact Wrestling 7/5/18 Recap – Rich Swann Steals The Show With Fenix & LAX Implodes

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Rich Swann’s debut last week, alongside the issues between Tommy and Eddie, and Pentagon Jr. challenging Sami to a hair vs. mask match are recapped before we see Kong vs. Cage showcased and Madison beat Tessa. Rich Swann comes out to face Fenix, which should be incredible. Swann eats some matwork before doing the revolving door kip ups. Fenix hits a run-up ropewalk armdrag. They exchange crazy things into armdrags. Swann hits a rana that Fenix handstands out of. They exchange moonsault avoidance and Swann hits an apron 619 and a crazy corkscrew dive off the top.


Fenix elbows the jaw, but tweaks his knee. Fenix hits an armdrag to the floor and hits a flip dive before landing a back-roll into a blind cutter for 2. This is already the best match in the company in at least a year – it feels like Impact is finally back to having state of the art wrestling for the first time in a decade. Fenix goes for a cutter, but SWANN HANDSPRINGS OUT OF IT and they double back handsrping off the ropes and Swann hits a neckbreaker! They exchange chops and forearms before Swann hits a Ki Krusher for 2. 450 off the second rope gets 2 for Swann! Fenix hits a super rana and a fire thunder driver for 2.9! Fenix hits a muscle buster into a Michinoku driver for 3. Holy crap was this great.


The Crist brothers attack Fenix, but Pentagon Jr. makes the save, but hits Zero Fear to Fenix only to unmask as Sami Callihan! Okay, that was fantastic. Swann makes a save to prevent them from stealing Fenix’s mask too, but gets beaten up too. Pentagon returns and attacks them and flip dives onto the pile. This seems to set up a six man tag at some point. Allie and Madison face Su Yung and an Undead Bridesmaid. Don Callis hypes up Killer Kross as a submission specialist, bare knuckle boxer, and a guy with pro wrestling training – so Impact signed him despite him being as Don put it, a “clinical psychopath”.


Josh says that Konnan will reveal who took him out and KM apologizes to Fallah Bahh for being a jerk. Killer Kross beats up a wall before his Impact debut tonight. Madison says that she’s ready for Su with Allie. Fallah Bahh comes out to be destroyed by Killer Kross. Bahh machine gun chops him, but Kross hits a big lariat. Kross locks on a choke and takes him out, before he wins and he then chokes out KM. Petey comes in to hit him with a chair, and it has no effect until he tosses it to the face and Kross leaves.


Jimmy Jacobs and Kongo Kong intimidate the interview lady. GWN clips shows RVD vs. Sting at Slammiversary. Desi Hit Squad’s debut win is shown from last week before they celebrate. Su and her Undead Bridesmaid are out to face Allie, out first, and Madison. The bridesmaid is wrestling in a thong, which is a bit odd. They double-team Allie with a neckbreaker for 2. Ripcord cutter hits for Madison on the Bridesmaid, and the rest grab Madison. Allie “I’M ALLIE”s up and dives on the rest of them Madison hits Crossrayne, but Tessa jumps Madison and the ref doesn’t see it due to him taking a shot to the eye. Allie makes a save BEHIND THE REF, still no DQ call. Crossrayne to the bridesmaid for the win. This was a goofy match given that the ref missed a billion instances of interfering, but was fun.


King, Santana, and Ortiz are backstage and King talks about how he should’ve dropped Konnan when he had the chance. King says he has no proof and him taking Konnan’s spot is just evolution. Gama Singh forces his guys to do pushups in the rain Sami and OVE cut a promo on Pentagon and say they took his mask, they’ll take Fenix’s mask, and Swann’s whole face. Austin Aries talks about pro wrestling being his first choice in life and feeling that the business chose him. He talks about sleeping in his car, while a guy like Moose is entitled. He says it’s a good thing Moose’s mother loves him because she’ll love him as a loser after the PPV. This was great stuff.


Back with LAX and Konnan talks about exposing King tonight. Tommy and Eddie’s issues are recapped before Tommy talks about trying to help Eddie – and failing a lot in his life. Tommy says he’s got a lot of baggage and he’s never turned on anyone in his life and he’s proud of that. He says that Eddie thinks he’s with his wife – but he’s ugly and she’s 25 and way out of any league he’s in. Rebel comes out and Don’s a big fan. Grado comes out with Katarina. They exchange bad cradles for a bit. Don and Josh talk about GWN while Don asks if his match against Erik Watts in ’04 is the most-watch match on it. Rebel hits the FFG, but an Irish Curse ends it. Grado does the HBK pose in front of her.


Joe Hendry sings to Grado and Katarina. They dance around and we get some hints that Katarina is only with Grado to get with Hendry. Kongo Kong is out to face Cage, who sends him out to land a flip dive onto him! Cage goes for a Ligerbomb, but KONGO HITS A RANA for 2. Cage hits a 619 and a giant German for 2. Kong chokeslams him for 2. Kong goes up, but eats a high kick and a superplex! Cage hits an F5 to end it – this was short, but great and all-action. Easily Kongo Kong’s best match in Impact so far.

Konnan comes out and calls out King and LAX. Konnan says he isn’t mad that King put a hit on him, he’s mad about being a guy that helped him through hard times. He helped him become the king of NY and gave him that name. Konnan says his proof is in the calls that King said happened when he was laid out – those calls never happened. Konnan says he’s just a gloryhole, leading to the first “gloryhole” chant on a wrestling show. Konnan says King was a punk-ass bitch before, and he is one now. King admits to the hit and he doesn’t need his help and he’d better leave before he becomes Old Yeller. King demands the new LAX support him and they flip him off. Homicide and Hernandez return to destroy the new LAX, with King choking out Konnan. Homicide gets a huge chant here for being a guy who hasn’t been a major deal in the company in a decade.