Impact & NJPW Multiverse United Review – March 30, 2023
Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd (Pre Show)
Gabriel Kidd starts with a headlock and takes Yuya Uemura down to the mat to keep it locked in. Uemura reaches the bottom rope to break it up. They lock up again and Uemura focuses on the arm before taking Kidd down for a brief headlock. Uemura locks Kidd in an arm stretch until they back into the corner.
Uemura gets pushed off the top and out of the ring. Uemura rolls back in and gets body slammed, cover only gets a 2 count. Kidd chops Uemura in the corner. Uemura fires back with chops and they have an exchange.
Kidd open palm strikes Uemura for a cover but it only gets 2 count then Uemura gets whipped but comes back with a clothesline and then corner splash followed by a bulldog, cover. Kidd gets taken down for a dropkick into an arm scissors.
Kidd hits a couple suplexes and covers. Kidd applies a front face lock on the turnbuckle until he’s almost counted out. Uemura comes back with an overhead suplex and then goes up top for a big crossbody for the win.
Winner: Yuya Uemura (7:52)
Rate: 6
X Division Title Fatal 6 Way Match
Trey Miguel (c) vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Rich Swann vs. Kevin Knight vs. Clark Connors vs. Rocky Romero
Trey Miguel runs everyone down in the middle of the ring until they all start punching and kicking him. Clark Connors tosses Miguel out before the remaining in the ring all apply headlocks on each other. They then take turns hitting shoulder tackles until Kevin Knight hits Frankie Kazarian with a hip toss.
They all take turns with arm drags and attempt a dropkick at the same time. Miguel yanks Kazarian out of the ring and then he targets Rocky Romero. Miguel hits a series of arm drags and then gets dropkicked by a few of them.
Connors gets elbowed by Rich Swann & Knight. They take turns hitting splashes. Swann & Knight meet and flip around each other for a beat. Kazarian plants Connors with a DDT, cover but it got a 2 count. Kazarian hits a leg drop on Romero and then on Swann. Knight catches Kazarian off guard with a dropkick. Miguel covers but Swann breaks it up.
Knight flips Miguel onto two guys. Knight goes up top with Connors but Kazarian intervenes. Romero joins and then Miguel comes up to hit the tower of doom only for Swann to splash on Connors.
Romero runs each corner with clotheslines to Miguel, Kazarian, Knight & Swann. Connors spears Romero and then Miguel on the apron. Kazarian cutters Knight. Connors spears Kazarian. Swann kicks Connors but eats a spear. Knight jumps up top but gets shoved down for a spear & Miguel scores the win.
Winner & Still X Division Champion: Trey Miguel (7:11) (STILL CHAMPION!!!!)
Rate: 8 (Recommend)
8 Man Tag Team Match
Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry,Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor & JR Kratos) & Eddie Edwards vs. PCO,Alex Coughlin,Fred Rosser & Sami Callihan
Eddie Edwards & Sami Callihan start off by throwing hands. Tom Lawlor & Fred Rosser come in next and Lawlor knees Rosser until he hops on his back and then fall to the floor. Rosser gets back in first but Lawlor catches him with more punches. Joe Hendry comes in and clotheslines Rosser. Hendry works with Alex Coughlin until tagging JR Kratos, who comes in with strikes. Kratos splashes in the corner but Coughlin catches him with an overhead. PCO comes in but Kratos catches him with punches in the corner.
PCO puts Kratos on the top and chops him. PCO flips Kratos off the top but Edwards comes in and attacks. Everyone joins the fray as the action breaks down. Callihan clobbers Lawlor as the legal men. Lawlor PK’s Callihan but gets slams on the apron by Rosser. Coughlin flies out onto Hendry & Lawlor. PCO dumps Edwards over the top rope and then gets pounced by Kratos. Kratos flies over the top rope onto everyone else. PCO then backflips out onto the sea of people.
Kratos suplexes PCO off the top. Rosser comes in and hits a northern lights on Edwards. He tries a Chicken Wing but Lawlor breaks it. Hendry hits a double fallaway slam on Rosser & Coughlin. Callihan grabs Hendry’s crotch and then hits a piledriver. Rosser drops Lawlor with a gutbuster before Edwards hits Blue Thunder Bomb. Kratos comes in and suplexes Rosser from the mat. PCO gets the tag and meets Kratos in the middle. They duke it out and PCO manages to hit the PCOsault on Kratos for the win.
Winners: PCO,Alex Coughlin,Fred Rosser & Sami Callihan (12:24)
Rate: 5
Jeff Cobb vs. Moose
Match starts off with a lock up then Moose regathers himself and re enters the ring for another lockup. They trade chops in the corner until Cobb hits a dropkick, cover but got a 2 count. Jeff Cobb does a standing moonsault and covers again. Moose takes Cobb down and hits a corner dropkick. Moose hits Sky High for a 2 count.
Moose runs into the corner but Cobb dodges. Cobb slams Moose all the way from the apron back into the ring. They meet in the middle and trade more punches. Cobbs gets a big punch in but Moose rolls him up. Cobb tries a backslide & Moose kicks out.
They double clothesline each other and then nip up for double clotheslines and both men fall out of the ring. They meet back in the middle for another forearm exchange. Moose puts Cobb on the top rope but gets pushed down. Moose runs back up and hits the superplex. After another exchange, Cobb catches Moose with Tour Of The Islands for the win.
Winner: Jeff Cobb (11:51)
Rate: 7
Fatal 4 Way Knockouts Title Qualifying Match
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita
Gisele Shaw is the first to roll out of the ring. Masha Slamovich throws hands at Deonna Purrazzo & Miyu Yamashita but then she gets double elbowed and rolls out. Purrazzo & Yamashita meet with a handshake and then lockup. Purrazzo gets out of a wrist lock and tries a headlock. Purrazzo blocks shoulder tackles and knocks Yamashita down with one of her own.
Shaw trips Purrazzo and pulls her out. Shaw & Yamashita try kicking each other until Shaw lands one first. Yamashita kicks Shaw so hard she rolls out. Yamashita PK Kicks Shaw. Purrazzo baseball slides and is followed by a Slamovich crossbody out onto them. Shaw twirls off the top rope onto all 3 women.
Shaw tries pinning Purrazzo inside. Slamovich kicks Shaw to cut off uppercuts on Purrazzo. Purrazzo & Slamovich trade strikes. Purrazzo hits a hurricanrana and pump kick before landing the moonsault, cover broken by Yamashita. Yamashita unloads with kicks on Slamovich.
Yamashita hits Shaw with a running knee, cover but it got broken by Purrazzo. All 4 are in to hit kicks and clotheslines. All 4 are down and the ref counts. Shaw & Purrazzo meet, while Yamashita & Slamovich duke it out.
It comes down to Purrazzo & Slamovich. Deonna applies the Fujiwara Armbar. Yamashita hits Purrazzo with a kick off the ropes but Shaw kicks Yamashita and spears Slamovich. Slamovich hits Canadian Destroyer on Shaw.
Slamovich picks Purrazzo up but Purrazzo counters with a German into two more. Masha picks Purrazzo up for the Air Raid Crash in the corner. Yamashita Skull Kicks Slamovich, Shaw kicks Yamashita. Purrazzo powerbombs Shaw and hits Queens Gambit for the win.
Winner & Gets Into The Knockouts Title Match At Rebellion: Deonna Purrazzo (9:20)
Rate: 7
Impact World Tag Team Titles Fatal 4 Way Match
Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) vs. Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. TMDK (Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito) vs. Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher)
Alex Shelley & Shane Haste start but TMDK jumps Motor City Machine Guns instead. MCMG go to dive but get cut off by Aussie Open. MCMG then run into Bullet Club and they get dumped. Motor City Machine Guns finally launch out onto the sea of people. MCMG double kick Haste. Haste turns Chris Sabin inside out and Shelley enters with punches.
Bad Dude Tito holds Shelley down so Haste can hit a cannonball. Shelley gets trapped in TMDK’s corner for awhile to get picked apart. Tito knocks Sabin off the corner and goes up top. Shelley rolls away so Haste gets the tag. Shelley finally faceplants Haste in the turnbuckle.
Chris Bey gets the tag and he fires away on Haste. Bey hits Code Red for a cover but only got a 2 count. Kyle Fletcher tags in on Haste. Aussie Open double teams Bey and clears the corners to assert themselves, cover but it got a 2 count. Davis takes over a stalling suplex and then drops Bey, cover but he kicks out.
Ace Austin comes in and unloads on Fletcher. Austin kicks TMDK from the apron. Fletcher grabs him but Austin slips out and delivers more kicks. MCMG grab Austin & Sabin sends Bey flying before kicking Fletcher. Motor City Machine Guns double team Fletcher and then Davis. Shelley holds the ropes open and Sabin dives out.
Bey flips onto everyone else then Fletcher gets sent back inside. Davis double slams Bullet Club. Aussie Open hit the pendulum on Bey for a near fall. Austin breaks another double team spot. Sabin hits 2 cutters on Austin. Fletcher gets double teamed by Motor City Machine Guns, but Davis double clotheslines them.
Bullet Club get taken down as well. Haste returns to clothesline Davis. Aussie Open double team Haste until Tito interferes. Davis gets beat up and he falls out. Tito plants Bey, then Bullet Club double team Tito as they hit the 1,2 Sweet for the win.
Winners & Still Impact World Tag Team Champions: Bullet Club (13:22) (STILL CHAMPIONS!!!)
Rate: 8 (Recommend)
Kushida vs. Lio Rush
Kushida attempts to grapple at first. Lio Rush picks up the pace by running in circles around him. Kushida grabs holds of the left arm and yanks it around. Rush dodges a right hand and kicks Kushida down. They trade chops until Kushida catches Rush with a heel kick.
They go outside & Rush springboards into a crossbody on Kushida. Back inside, Kushida kicks the left arm and continues to work it with a knee drop and slam to the mat. Rush reaches the rope to get a moment away but Kushida still yanks the arm back.
Rush is wrapped up in an arm lock and tries twisting around to avoid the cover. Rush gets to his feet and they trade blows. Rush tries a springboard, but Kushida kicks his arm out from under him. Rush heel kicks Kushida off the apron and then dives onto him. Rush gets a two count back inside.
Rush goes up top but Kushida follows him up and tries the Hoverboard. Rush headbutts him off and tries the splash but nobody’s home. Pele Kick from Rush and then they double clothesline and hit the mat. Kushida catches Rush with the Hoverboard Lock for a moment.
Rush breaks free but eats a Pele Kick. Rush gets a cradle in and then roundhouse kicks him. Kushida drops Rush into a Package Driver for a 2 count. Rush nails the reverse rana and then the cutter off the ropes. Kushida reaches the bottom rope. Rush splashes but Kushida catches him with the Hoverboard Lock and he taps out.
Winner By Submission: Kushida (12:42)
Rate: 9 (Recommend)
After the match both men bow to each other and shake hands to show respect.
Strong Openweight Title Match
Kenta (c) vs. NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Minoru Suzuki
Kenta & Minoru Suzuki attempt to lock up but Kenta pats him on the head before ducking into the ropes. Suzuki takes Kenta out of the ring and delivers a forearm as they circle around. Suzuki drives Kenta into the barricade but Kenta counters by throwing him into the ring post. They trade more blows until Kenta rakes the eyes.
Back inside, Kenta continues stomping on Suzuki and then slaps his face a few times. They trade slaps but Kenta rakes the eyes again. Kenta drops Suzuki then goes for a cover but it got s 2 count. Suzuki slaps him a few times so Kenta grabs the eyes and backs him to the corner until the break.
Kenta applies a headlock after trying a cover. Kenta kicks him in the face to mess with him. Kenta does kicks to the chest as Suzuki rises to his feet. Suzuki elbows the left knee to break it up. He takes Kenta to the corner with several punches and a driving boot to the face. Suzuki kicks the left leg again and applies a lock on it.
Kenta goes up top and hits the lariat, cover. Kenta wraps up Suzuki with the Figure 4 but he reaches the bottom rope. They unload with a series of strikes until Kenta gets knocked down.
They trade several boots to the face and Kenta gets a few in a row to knock him down. Running corner kicks from Kenta connect. Double stomp from the top, Kenta covers for a near fall. Suzuki applies a sleeper. The ref gets hit so Kenta low blows Suzuki. Kenta covers Suzuki with his foot on the ropes for the dirty win.
Winner & Still Strong Openweight Champion: Kenta (15:27) (STILL CHAMPION!!!)
Rate: 6
After the match Suzuki tries to get back in the ring with a chair, but officials hold him back. Kenta celebrates.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Mike Bailey
Match begins with Mike Bailey offers a handshake & Hiroshi Tanahashi accepts it then they circle around and then a lock up. Tanahashi gets taken down with an arm lock. Bailey gets him up and backs him to the corner where Tanahashi swaps places and throws a gut punch.
Tanahashi does a crossbody out of the corner. Bailey does a a series of kicks to send Tanahashi out of the ring. Bailey goes to dive but Tanahashi moves. Bailey follows him for chest chop. They trade more shots at ringside until Bailey runs with a single leg dropkick.
Back inside the ring Tanahashi dropkick Bailey’s knee and then stomps on the left leg. Bailey fires back with forearms but Tanahashi gets a shot in. Bailey does a missile dropkick followed by more kicks to take Tanahashi down. Running shooting star press for a two count.
Tanahashi takes Bailey to the corner with body shots and then a body slam. Tanahashi goes up top and hits a senton for a two count. Bailey cuts Tanahashi off with a kick in the corner, but Tanahashi fires back with a dragon screw in the ropes. Tanahashi slides out and Bailey moonsaults off the ropes to wipe him out.
Both struggle to their feet but slide in before the 20 count as they crawl to each other in the center and trade blows. Bailey breaks it up with kicks to the right arm. Bailey sits down in a cover, two. Moonsault knees connect, followed by a roundhouse to the head for a near fall.
Tanahashi comes back with a sling blade. Bailey follows Tanahashi up top and gets struck down. Tanahashi stomps on the left knee but Bailey manages to hit a hurricanrana off the top rope.
Bailey delivers more kicks to the head followed by the tornado kick into the corner. Bailey tries to hit Ultima Weapon but Tana rolls away. Bailey does a backslide for a near fall. Tanahashi hits Twist & Shout then lands High Fly Flow for the win.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (15:16)
Rate: 9 (Recommend)
