IMPACT Rebellion 2023 Results

To say that the road to IMPACT Rebellion 2023 was a cursed one is an understatement, with IMPACT Wrestling losing both Josh Alexander and Mickie James to injury, the IMPACT World Championship and Knockouts World Championship both vacated as a result.

For Rebellion, this meant that the night would end with new champions atop the men’s and women’s singles divisions, and live from Toronto we experienced a truly wild night:

Champagne Singh & Shera def. Heath & Rhino - Countdown to Rebellion Pre-Show

Champagne tried buying a win from heath as the bell rang to no avail, and after teaching Singh a thing or two Heath tagged in Rhino to loud ECW chants as ‘The War Machine’ tied up with Shera. Rhino was all over Shera, but as he readied for the Gore Singh tripped him, allowing ‘The Indian Lion’ back into the bout. Singh continued the beating on Rhino, but a belly-to-belly gave Rhino enough breathing room to tag in Heath, but despite running wild Shera was too much of a distraction, and Singh rolled up Heath as Shera held his feet on the ropes for the 1-2-3. Post-match Rhino hit Singh with a trademark Gore for a measure of revenge.

The Coven (c) def. The Death Dollz - Knockouts Tag Team Championships - Pre-Show

Taylor Wilde stood defiantly with tarot card in hand, but Jessicka sent her spiralling into the corner where Kilynn King tagged in. King and Jessicka jockeyed for position, with Jessicka enjoying the lion’s share of the offence, before Rosemary tagged in and tried to ‘bite King’s face off’ to no avail. Taylor Wilde established firm control over Rosemary, and when Rosemary attempted a tarantula-style manoeuvre she ate a boot from King on the floor. The champs showed off a great degree of understanding despite still being in their infancy as a team, and between them they wore Rosemary down. Rosemary would not stay down, launching Wilde with an exploder suplex before tagging in Jessicka who ran wild on King, coming close with a running splash. Rosemary got a two of her own after a face bite and a spear on King, and as she nailed another spear on King she thought she had it won, but Wilde had got the blind tag and got the win after crushing Rosemary with the Witch’s Wrath.

ABC (c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns - IMPACT World Tag Team Championship Ultimate X Match

The first tag title Ultimate X match since 2015 kicked off the PPV broadcast, with MCMG coming right out the traps to put the boots into Bullet Club’s Ace Austin and Chris Bey. ABC regrouped to nail the veterans with some double team moves, as Sabin sneakily started scaling the structure as Shelley pretended to plead for his life as a distraction. The Guns settled into a groove and dismantled the champs, stopping Austin as he made the first real attempt at retrieving the titles.

The Guns didn’t rush for the titles, and instead focused on incapacitating their opponents and keep them grounded, working the knees and arms of Bullet Club. Shelley managed to tie ABD up as Sabin made an attempt for the titles, but Austin escaped and dodged a Sabin big boot - Shelley eating his partner’s shoe leather for the second time in this bout. Bey was hobbling as he fought off Shelley and crushed Sabin with a moonsault to the floor, then Austin ran wild culminating with a Fosbury flop to take MCMG down. Austin shimmied his way to the belts but was taken down and pummelled by The Guns, but all four men were ready to ascend and fight, with a four-way kickfest teeing off on the Ultimate X ropes. The fight returned to the canvas, Bey and Ace hitting an Art of Finesse and Fold on Shelley, before Austin launched Bey to the ropes to retrieve the titles as Sabin fought on to no avail.

Dirty Dango, Joe Hendry, & Santino Marella def. The Design - Handicap Tag Match

Joe Hendry took the mic after entering to put over and ridicule The Design in equal measures before introducing Santino Marella for his first televised match in ‘nine years’. Dango warmed Angels up for Santino, and Callihan quickly tagged in to try his luck but was pushed back, before Marella launched Deaner with a standing judo hip toss. Hendry tagged in and easily slammed three of the Design, with the Digital Media Champion on his way to taking down Big Kon when Angels intervened with a dropkick. Series of quick tags for both teams kept the matcha a fast pace, with Danog getting worked over by the heels.

Dango eventually got the hot tag to Santino who was a house of fire, and the match became a free for all as Hendry nailed an impressive double fallaway slam onto Deaner and Angels, with Dango hitting a big tope con hilo to leave just Deaner and Santino in the ring. Deaner barked instructions at Callihan, but stopped Callihan hitting the piledriver to retrieve a baseball bat for the former IMPACT World Champion. But the ‘Death Machine’ proved he was alive and well, blasting Deaner with the bat and giving the thumbs down, before walking out on his partners. Cobra Strike on Deaner got the win for Santino.

Gia Miller interviewed Team Dreamer, and an impassioned Dreamer was crying as he spoke of his ill mother, before saying he wants to put an end to this war with Bully Ray.

PCO def. Eddie Edwards - Last Rites Match

One of the most notorious matches in TNA/IMPACT history was resurrected as PCO and Eddie Edwards engaged in a last Rites match. Unlike the infamous Sting vs. Abyss encounter, this was competed under traditional casket match rules, without all the Russo-ness of the OG.

PCO took it straight to the floor with a Homicide-esque cannonball tope suicida to Eddie, with Eddie replying with a suicida of his own. Back in the ring the two exchanged strikes, with PCO coming out on top with a heavy DDT and leg drop to the back of Eddie’s neck. De-Animator by PCO got a big reaction, but Eddie soon fought back with a shot at PCO’s distended shoulder and a Tiger Driver. PCO yelled and smashed his shoulder back into place by ramming the turnbuckle pole, then kicked off a chop battle, which turned into a slapfight. PCO ate a bucklebomb to bounce back and hit a clothesline and Scorpion Death Drop, then had the crowd on their feet after a PCO-sault. PCO hit a running cannonball off the entrance ramp, then chokeslammed Eddie onto the ramp itself. The Canadian crowd were firmly behind Montreal’s PCO, but their support could not stop him being launched to the floor by Edwards. The fight spilled up towards the entrance, where Eddie nailed PCO with a kendo stick, then a tiger suplex and a Boston Knee Party to bus the big monster down.

Eddie attempted to put a bleeding PCO into the casket to no avail, but when PCO fought out he was cracked by Alisha Edwards with a shove, then avoided an Eddie Superkick meaning that his wife ate the kick. PCO then took advantage of the confusion to chokeslam Edwards into the casket fort he win.

Trey Miguel (c) def. Jonathan Gresham & Mike Bailey - X Division Championship Three-Way Elimination

Quick technical hold-and-counter-hold wrestling kicked this off, with all three men jockeying for position. Miguel soon found himself on the receiving end, and sat part of the bout out so Bailey and Gresham could wear each-other down. Trey missed a springboard dropkick, but soon came back with multiple corner attacks to both men, trying to keep it one-on-one whenever he could.

Mike Bailey was having none of this and peppered both men alll over the ring, before dishing out some respectful forearms to Gresham in a weighted exchange. Classic Gresham house of fire onto Miguel, coming close with a nasty looking Tombstone for a nearfall. Poisonrana by Bailey spiked Gresham, and the two fought their way to the floor. Lots of high impact spots and nearfalls, with Gresham somehow kicking out of a Miguel springing DDT and locking in the Figure Four on Bailey. As he had Bailey in the hold Miguel hit a Meteora on Gresham for the pin to eliminate ‘The Octopus’, then put his own Fig Four on ‘Speedball’ to keep up the pressure. Bailey reversed the pressure, but his knee was feeling the damage.

The pace picked up as both men started wailing on each other, with Bailley getting a nearfall after a spirited exchange. Tornado Kick in the corner led into an Ultimo Weapon, but Miguel avoided it and went for a sliding Sunset Flip Bomb on the floor, but ate a moonsault knee to the gut. A second Ultimo Weapon also missed, and a roll-up by Bailey was reversed into one for Miguel, who grabbed a handful of tights to get the win and retain the title.

Team Dreamer def. Team Bully - 10-Wrestler Hardcore War

WarGames rules - sans the double ring and cage - as Moose and Frankie Kazarian kicked this off for Team Bully and Team Dreamer respectively. Kaz threw a garbage can to get things underway, with the action spilling to the outside with Kaz hitting a diving hurricanrana onto Moose on the floor. Slingshot DDT by Kaz made sure the match was under his control, but Moose didn’t stay down long and started wailing on Kaz with the bin. 

Brian Myers entered for Team Bully to give the heels advantage, but Kaz cut him off on the ramp, separating the two allies in a smart move. This didn’t last long as Myers and Moose teamed together to keep Kaz on the receiving end, with Myers setting up tables on the floor as Moose choked Kaz. As Myers and Moose went for a double suplex to the floor, Team Dreamer’s Bupinder Gujjar entered to make the save, crushing Myers with a ripcord knee before cheesegrating Myers’ face - Dreamer style. 

Kenny King entered next to restore the heels’ advantage. Gujjar had him scouted, but King avoided a ripcord knee before taking him down, then folding Kaz with a big spinebuster. Kenny set up a table between the railing and the apron as the countdown started once more.

Killer Kelly out for Team Dreamer, complete with a staplegun. Staple to King’s head, one to Myers, then a staple for Moose’s packet before Kelly stapled herself because why the hell not?

Masha Slamovich out for Team Bully, smashing Kelly with a chair. Myers ran in to Awesome bomb Kelly out of the ring into her team, allowing Masha to hit a Sabu-esque chair assisted cannonball into the fray. 

Yuya Uemura was entrant four for Team Dreamer and went straight for Myers, crushing ‘The Most Professional Wrestler’ with a series of throws. Team Dreamer regrouped in the ring to guard the yard ahead of Bully Ray’s entrance into the match. Bully slowly walked down the ramp, table in hand, distracting Team Dreamer as the rest of Team Bully jumped them in the ring. Bully whipped Kaz with a chain as his team held Kelly in place as Bully berated her.

Tommy Dreamer was the tenth and final entrant into the match, kendo stick in hand as he levelled Team bully on the ramp to loud cheers. Bully held Kelly hostage as Dreamer looked for a fight, but Kelly bit her way out of Bully’s clutches, as Dreamer wailed on Bully and went fully ECW with a Terry Funk Spinning Toe Hold. Everyone ran into the ring to lock in submissions as this turned into some sort of hardcore human centipede - not literally, lucky for us - before Masha and Kelly broke it all up with a pair of steel chairs. Quick chair duel saw Kelly come out on top, launching Masha into a set-up chair with a Spicolli Driver for two. Bully threw Kelly to the outside, but accidentally ate a Moose spear after Dreamer avoided it.

A running parade of finishers was ended by a Snowplow from Masha - only for two. Slamovich spit on Dreamer and received a piledriver for her troubles, as The Good Hands ran down to tip the odds back in Bully’s favour. Kaz disposed of The Good Hands and set up a big ladder near the corner of the ring, then hit a launching cutter from the apron onto Skyler through two tables with an assist from Killer Kelly. In the ring Bully propped Dreamer on a table then climbed halfway up the ladder as he mockingly demanded that several refs hold the ladder for him, before the refs said no and pummelled Bully as he put his hands on one of them. Dreamer hit a Spicolli Driver for a two, then the refs held the ladder for Tommy as he hit a Superfly Splash through Bully through the table for the win.

Steve Maclin def. KUSHIDA - IMPACT World Championship

With the IMPACT World Championship vacated due to Josh Alexander’s injury, intrigue was high as we were guaranteed a new champion walking out of Rebellion. That intrigue only grew as Nick Aldis returned to IMPACT to join commentary, announcing that he’s rejoined the company, before Dave Penzer did the big match in-ring introductions for this bout.

KUSHIDA rushed Maclin from the bell, looking to overwhelm Maclin with his speed and asserting early control as he took the action down to the mat. KUSHIDA was firmly in control, and Maclin was a little rattled as the multi-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion kept him firmly at bay. Maclin finally got an opening after pulling the ‘Time Splitter’s hair, grounded KUSHIDA with a series of high impact moves, then bent KUSHIDA around the ringpost with a turnbuckle assisted bow and arrow. Maclin came close with an Olympic Slam in the middle of the ring. A second Olympic Slam was scouted by KUSHIDA, who followed up with a Yoshihiro Tajiri handspring elbow to build up some momentum. Nasty looking Fisherman’s Buster by KUSHIDA lead to a nearfall, and KUSHIDA dodged the Caught In The Crosshairs to send Maclin careering into the turnbuckle. 

Pele kick on the ramp by KUSHIDA took Maclin down for a running knee, but his momentum was snuffed out by a Maclin German suplex. Bucklebomb into a sit-down powerbomb got Maclin a nearfall, and he had the wherewith-all to roll through a top-rope flipping armbar by KUSHIDA to get to the ropes. KUSHIDA fasebusted Maclin into the corner of the French announce table, but back in the ring he Caught Kushida In The Crosshairs and hit KIA… but KUSHIDA kicked out at two. A rattled Maclin went up top, but his diving attack was caught and transferred into a Hoverboard Lock, but Maclin elbowed his way out and got KUSHIDA up for a Spicolli Driver, only for KUSHIDA to roll through into a Hoverboard Lock as Maclin fought on and hit another Spicolli Driver into the corner. KUSHIDA fought on and went for another Hoverboard Lock, but Maclin hoisted him up with a deadfall KIA DDT for the win and the IMPACT World Championship.

Humble as ever, Maclin took the mic post-match and demanded that IMPACT President Scott D’Amore present him the title personally, but after D’Amore threw the title at the new champ, Maclin crushed him with the belt, leading to the returning Nick Aldis to enter the ring and make the save.

Deonna Purrazzo def. Jordynne Grace - Knockouts World Championship

Show of repsect as Purrazzo and Grace shook hands after the bell rang, with both competitors looking to land their third Knockouts World Championship. The match started with hold and counter-hold wrestling, with Purrazzo working Grace’s arm in hopes of locking in the Venus de Milo. Purrazzo enjoyed most of the opening exchanges in control, but Grace turned it round with a huge tope suicida and a Juggernaut Jackhammer on the floor. Grace grew into the bout using her superior strength advantage to wear down Purrazzo, hitting a super-impressive delayed vertical suplex for a two count. Purrazzo fought on, attacking Grace’s arm and locking in the Fujiwara Armbar, only for Grace to roll out of the hold and onto the ramp. The two jockeyed for position on the ramp, with Purrazzo throwing Grace to the floor and nailing a moonsault from the ramp. 

Back in the ring and Purrazzo was firmly in control, hitting a Flatliner into a Koji Clutch, only for Grace to reverse it into a pinfall attempt for a two-count. Back-and-forth action as Grace hit a Cop Killa for two, then looked to win things with a rear naked choke in the middle of the ring, but Purrazzo fought on. Standing strikes looked to give the advantage back to Grace, but Purrazzo rolled through into the Venus de Milo only for Grace to reach the ropes with her feet. Big spinebuster by Grace got a two count, as did a follow-up Grace Driver as an exasperated ‘Juggernaut’ planned her next move. Duelling chants broke out as Purrazzo hit a sunset flip powerbomb and a Queen’s Gambit for the pinfall victory. Deonna Purrazzo is now a three-time IMPACT Knockout Women’s World Champion.

IMPACT Rebellion 2023 full results:

• Deonna Purrazzo def. Jordynne Grace - Knockouts World Championship
• Steve Maclin def. KUSHIDA - IMPACT World Championship
• Team Dreamer def. Team Bully - 10-Wrestler Hardcore War
• Trey Miguel (c) def. Jonathan Gresham & Mike Bailey - X Division Championship Three-Way Elimination
• PCO def. Eddie Edwards - Last Rites Match
• Dirty Dango, Joe Hendry, & Santino Marella def. The Design - Handicap Tag Match
• ABC (c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns - IMPACT World Tag Team Championship Ultimate X Match
• The Coven (c) def. The Death Dollz - Knockouts Tag Team Championships - Pre-Show
• Champagne Singh & Shera def. Heath & Rhino - Countdown to Rebellion Pre-Show