BULLET CLUB mar tag bout while Suzuki and company stand tall in main event
There was an NJPW flavour on IMPACT this week, as FinJuice sought an IMPACT World Tag Championship shot against the Good Brothers by beating them in a non title match, while Minoru Suzuki made his in ring debut for the promotion as Moose and Josh Alexander both prepared for action at Battle in the Valley.
David Finlay would kick off the action against Karl Anderson in their tag bout, Finlay coming up with the wrist of the Machine Gun to open up quick tags with Juice Robinson. When Robinson set up for the Left Hand of God though, a momentary distraction from Doc Gallows allowed for a rake of the eyes from Anderson, and the champions took control.
Gallows would charge Robinson in the corner and wore him down with a sleeper until a chin crusher from Juice saw tags both sides. Finlay flew into the ring with a European Uppercut to Anderson and plancha to Gallows, before the Irish Curse backbreaker got two. FinJuice set up for the Doomsday Device on Anderson, and though the Machine Gun wriggled off the hook, he still tasted the Left Hand of God as Finlay flew with a cross body to Gallows.
Just as all four men were laid out, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo and Chris Bey all ran into the fray. With a barrage of low blows to every competitor in the match, it was clear that some combination of BULLET CLUB were staking a claim to the IMPACT tag belts, whether in a straight up tag bout, or in a potential three way; time will tell.
The main event of the evening saw Moose and W Morrissey form an unlikely alliance with Minoru Suzuki, as they faced off against the man Moose cheated out of the IMPACT World Heavyweight Championship in Josh Alexander, Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards. Alexander wanted to start the match with Moose, who quickly tagged Suzuki in instead. The King quickly looked for the Fujiward Armbar, before instead landing heavy strikes to Alexander and then tagging in Morrissey.
Morrissey and then Moose would isolate Edwards for a time, but after battling back, Edwards set up for a trio of dives for himself, Cardona and Alexander. Cardona built momentum before Suzuki caught him in the ropes with an armbar, and tagged in to continue the punishment. Cardona would be rooted in the wrong corner for several minutes to come, but a Codebreaker to Morrissey finally created space to tag in Alexander.
The Walking Weapon went right for Moose with an Ankle Lock attempt before a barrage of German suplexes. Alexander and Edwards teed off on Morrissey, who tasted a German Suplex himself before a Blue Thunder Bomb from Edwards for two, broken up by Suzuki. As battle lines were drawn center ring, Suzuki landed the Gotch Style Piledriver on the Walking Weapon, but Edwards would fire back into the fray, sending Cardona careening with a tope onto Moose, only for Morrissey to strike with a huge big boot and then a powerbomb to pick up three.
Moose wrestles Juice Robinson in a singles contest at Battle in the Valley in the San Jose Civic. Josh Alexander will face Yuya Uemura. Tickets on sale here.
