Impact Wrestling "Best Of 2017" Recap: Alberto El Patron, Decay Vs. LAX In A Street Fight, Low Ki
Welcome to our live coverage of Impact on POP, which will begin at 8pm ET! Tonight's show is recap of Impact Wrestling's best moments from 2017. Be sure to leave your feedback in the comments section, share our coverage of tonight's episode through social media, and REFRESH for the most up to date coverage. Above and below is what's on tap for tonight's show:
It all goes down tonight on #IMPACTonPOP as we look at the Best of 2017 Part 1. What an incredible year it was! Changes, new faces, blasts from the past and more all took place in 2017 and we cover it all!https://t.co/bTpMEY1X6E with more: https://t.co/fMy2ki0Fc3 pic.twitter.com/zymma0eJ17
? IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) December 21, 2017
- Josh Mathews welcomes us in to Part 1 of Impact Wrestling's "Best of 2017."
- First up is the debut of Bruce Prichard. He heads to the ring and picks up a mic. Prichard says he's wrestling with how Impact isn't what he remembered. He says Impact had hope and they were on the cusp of greatness, but it didn't work. "TNA is dead," Prichard says, to pretty much no reaction, and says it's now Impact Wrestling. He talks about how was around John Cena, Steve Austin, The Rock, and knows how to make wrestling great and that's by starting at the top, the face of the company. He then introduces then Impact Champion, Lashley. Lashley on the mic and gloats about how he's walked through everyone that's gotten in his way. Prichard said there is simply nobody in the back that can take on Lashley, cue Alberto El Patron to a decent pop. Lashley looks unimpressed. Lashley tries to get in the first word and Alberto tells him to shut his mouth. "Si! Si! Si!" chant from the crowd. Alberto says "you haven't beat me" as we head to break.
- Back from break and we see the Impact debut of Alberto as he takes on Lashley.
Alberto El Patron vs. Lashley (c) (Impact Championship)
Early on, Lashley handles Alberto fairly easily, using his power to keep his opponent grounded. Action heads out to the floor, Alberto gets in a shot that drops Lashley and throws him head-first into the announce table. Lashley into the ring, Alberto off the top rope with a weak chop, pin, two. Lashley with a neckbreaker, pin, two. Alberto rolls all the way to the floor. Action back in the ring, Lashley with a nice suplex, looking to deliver a spear, but gets his feet kicked out from under him. Referee beings his 10-count, gets to seven before both men get to their feet. Back and forth punches, Alberto with a few kicks. Lashley puts Alberto up on the top rope, Alberto goes for a cross armbreaker in the ropes, lets go before five.
Alberto up top, jumps off right into a sidewalk slam, pin, two. Out from the back comes EC3, watching from the stage as we go to commercial. Backstabber by Alberto, pin, two. He looks for the cross arm breaker, nope. Lashley tries for a clothesline, Alberto ducks, Lashley mistakenly hits the ref. Alberto locks in the armbreaker, new ref slides into the match. Lashley is in the middle of the ring, but is able to lift and powerbomb Alberto, pin, two. Lashley charges the corner, misses. Alberto hits a double stomp on Lashley, another pin attempt, another two-count. Multiple counters until Lashley hits a spinbuster, cover, two. EC3 continues to watch from afar.
Another ref gets taken out, spinebuster by Lashley who then heads out to the floor to grab the title. Lashley with a kick to the face, Alberto picks up the title and nails Lashley right in the head. Second ref wakes up, slow count, but Alberto gets the three-count.
Winner: Alberto El Patron via Pinfall
- Post-match, Earl Hebner comes to the ring to talk with the other referees. Impact officials head down to the ring, while Alberto gets on the mic and celebrates. Referees and officials don't seem so happy with the outcome of the match.
- Back to Josh Mathews who recapped some of this year's big moments – including Cody and Brandi Rhodes appearing – and Alberto's battle with EC3. We then see clips of Sienna and Laurel Van Ness's feud, Moose vs. Cody Rhodes, Bruce Prichard building up the tag division and the return of LAX.
- LAX Lair, Konnan talks about bringing violence to Impact.
- Josh Mathews talks about LAX being like a clubhouse and a place he would like to check out, but probably wouldn't be allowed in. We then check out some X Division action.
Trevor Lee (c) (with Gregory Helms) vs. Andrew Everett vs. Suicide vs. Low Ki vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Sonjay Dutt (X Division Championship)
Trevor Lee gets off to a fast start. Suicide goes to work on Everett and Xavier. Dutt with a running DDT off of everyone involved in the match. Couple back-to-back pins, all two counts. Then a dropkick party that nobody lands. Lee ends up cheering in the middle of the ring and gets five dropkicks to the mug. Low Ki clears out two guys on the outside, but Lee nails him with a huge kick. Dutt with a moonsault to the floor to take out Everett and Suicide. Lee tries for a kick, blocked, dropped face-first on the apron. Xavier and Dutt in the ring, hurricanrana by Dutt doesn't quite work. Xavier moonsaults over Low Ki, jumps over a charging Low Ki and hits a handspring flip over the top to take out four guys.
Everett with a handspring elbow off the rope. Lee sends Low Ki out to the barricade, drops Xavier, and shoves away Suicide. Lee's focus is back to Everett as he launches him across the ring. Everyone is getting kicked now, Lee goes for a pin on Suicide, double stomp by Low Ki breaks up the pin. Low Ki gets dumped out to the floor again, who ends up kicking Lee as he gets close to the ropes. Xavier drops Low Ki, heads up top, flying nothing! Dutt outta nowhere with a crossbody into a pin, two. Dutt gets sent out of the ring, Suicide on the apron, jumps up and falls back on two guys. Everett with a high shooting star press to the floor, taking out four guys. Action back in the ring, Everett heads to the top rope, Low Ki with a big kick that clears him out. Warrior's Way on Lee, pin, and that will do it.
Winner: Low-Ki via Pinfall
- Post-match, Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash get into a verbal fight as Mathews taunts Borash for cheering on Low Ki. Borash ends up popping Mathews in the face.
- Back to Josh Mathews who speaks for a moment about LAX and Decay's Street Fight.
Decay vs. LAX (Impact Tag Team Championship Street Fight)
In the ring is Ortiz, Santana, Crazzy Steve, and Abyss, but that doesn't last long as Abyss and Santana fight on the floor. Back and forth chops between Steve and Santana, with Ortiz sneaking in from behind. Abyss tries for a double chokeslam, but gets stopped momentarily, then hits a double clothesline. Rosemary on the outside yelling her face off. A table and two barbed wire boards are in the ring. Homicide slides in with a chair and gets in a few shots. Trash can across Steve's back and Abyss' face. LAX just using whatever weapon they can find and swing them at Decay. We momentarily see a black bag filled with thumbtacks. Steve off the top rope and clears out LAX. Abyss hits a double chokeslam and now Decay hammers away with a kendo stick and trash can. Steve launches a garbage can at Ortiz. Steve sent to the outside, Abyss chucks a chair at Ortiz's head!
In comes Rosemary tries to spray mist on Oritz, misses, and hits Abyss, who gets put through a barbed wire board. Diamante suplexes Rosemary and beats her up on the outside. Barbed wire side put on Abyss, Santana with a running senton on the board to crush him. Steve is back in, goes for a pin, Konnan pulls the ref out. Homicide runs in, but gets thrown out by Steve. Ortiz put on a table, Steve then places a bunch of thumbtacks over Ortiz and heads up to the top rope. Homicide with the distraction, Santana from the other side and kicks him in the face. LAX then hits a powerbomb/blockbuster combo through the table and thumbtacks for the win.
Winners: LAX via Pinfall
- Josh Mathews talks about how Impact Wrestling headed to India for a few shows, earlier in the year.
- We then see a recap of the stars traveling over through a number of their videos and the opening video for Impact's show there. Mahabali Shera talks about what it means to him to wrestle in his country and getting a chance to see his family. We then see the feud between Low Ki and Sonjay Dutt for the X Division Championship as we head to break.
Sonjay Dutt vs. Low Ki (c) (X Division Championship)
Crowd with a "Sonjay!" chant as Low Ki instantly goes after Dutt's injured eye (who was wearing an eye patch until Low Ki tossed it). Nice hurricanrana by Dutt, followed up by an arm drag. Dutt in the corner, Low Ki charges in, misses a kick. Low Ki sent to the outside, Dutt with a baseball slide, but Low Ki drives him into the barricade. He then dumps Sonjay into the crowd and clears back the fans. Superkick by Dutt and sends Low Ki back into the ring apron. Rough looking moonsault by Dutt as he only clips Low Ki. Dutt is then slammed on the steel steps as we head to break.
Low Ki in control, Dutt recovers and counters Low Ki attempting to spring board off the second rope, sending Low Ki flat on his back. Dutt with a dropkick to the face, pin, two. Crowd is very much behind Dutt in this one, chanting for him multiple times throughout the match. Dutt is dazed, Low Ki looking to attack, hits a cartwheel kick to the face and heads up to the top rope. He gets dropped on the top rope, kicked to the face, Dutt heads up and gets a headbutt that sends him back. He immediately rolls back, big punch, and lands a top rope superplex! Pin by Dutt, only two. Dutt tries for a sunset flip, double stomp counter by Low Ki, pin, two. Low Ki sits Dutt up on the top rope, Dutt fights him away, hits a tornado DDT off the ropes. Dutt goes up top and hits a splash for the three-count.
Winner: Sonjay Dutt via Pinfall