IMPACT Wrestling Hard to Kill: Results, Highlights and Grades

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards (w/ Kenny the Kendo Stick)

Elgin runs through Edwards’ chops just to punch him in the face. Edwards leap frogs to hit an atomic drop. Sends Elgin to the outside for a dive. They then trade back chops until Elgin punches Edwards in the face, knocking him out. Elgin removes the floor cushioning.

Edwards tries to fight out of whatever Elgin is planning, but gets superkicked. Slams Edwards on the barricade. Tosses Edwards back in the ring, only to get knocked off the apron. Edwards goes for a dive, but gets forearmed in mid-air in the jaw. Elgin then hits a spinning suplex on the exposed concrete floor.

Back in the ring, they trade corner clotheslines until Elgin nails a reverse jawbreaker and a spinning fisherman suplex for a two count. Chops Edwards again, this time in the corner. Hard whip into the opposite corner, bringing Edwards to his knees in pain. Then wrenches Eddie’s neck with a rest hold until he fights back with headbutts.

Elgin retaliates with a kick to the back. Elgin goes for a suplex, but Edwards reverses with a suplex of his own sending them both to the outside. Both men are down. Back to their feet, Elgin runs at Eddie only to get belly to belly’d to the floor. Edwards rolls in the ring to hit a suicide dive.

Back in the ring, Elgin finds himself onto the top rope, which Edwards turns into a Backpack Stunner for a two count. Sets up a Tiger Driver, but Elgin spins out with a forearm, knocking Eddie out.

Back to his feet, he grabs Elgin’s waist, only to get snapmared. Goes for a German suplex, but Eddie lands on his feet for a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Runs at Elgin for the Boston Knee Party, but Elgin grabs him for a two count.

Elgin then reverses a suplex attempt. Eddie hits a German suplex, then a clothesline, forearm to the back, then a Brainbuster for a nearfall. They trade forearms, but Elgin wins and knocks Eddie out again. Eddie struggles back to his feet to hit another forearm, only to get knocked out again.

Eddie does it once more, but this time ducks a forearm to hit a chop and quick forearms to the face. They run at each other for a double clothesline, but both men stay on their feet. Eddie hits a massive lariat, then a Tiger Driver for a near fall.

Eddie goes for Boston Knee Party again, but Elgin catches him for a powerbomb, but can’t follow up as Eddie turns it into a hurricanrana. Elgin is able to finally kick Eddie down and seat him on the turnbuckle. He hits a release German suplex straight up on the top rope for a near fall.

Elgin with a lariat, then Splash Mountain Bomb for the nearest of near falls. Eddie wrestles Elgin to the ground attempting a Single Leg Boston Crab, but Elgin kicks him away before countering the Boston Knee Party again and locks in a crossface. Edwards clutches the bottom rope, but Elgin mistakes it for a tap out.

He argues with the ref before hitting a huge lariat, Buckle Bomb, and attempts a spinning powerbomb, but Edwards turns it into a sunset flip for the win.

Winner: Eddie Edwards

Grade: B-

I wasn’t invested into this for the majority of this just because I haven’t been invested into their feud these last couple months (or, really, either character to be honest), but man, those last five or ten minutes won me over. I was all in on this and I couldn’t help but root for Eddie, who played an excellent underdog to Elgin’s bully who you love to hate. I kind of loved those final minutes and like the rest of the crowd, popped big for that finish.

Rhino cuts a backstage promo about his No DQ match with Moose. He knows Moose loves to call his Spear “No Jackhammers Needed,” but says he’s going to hit him with a Gore, which he calls “No F**** Given!”

Rhino vs. Moose – No DQ

Trade shots and cursing at each other to start. Back to back forearms. Moose hits a Spear, but Rhino rolls out the ring. Moose rolls him back in and runs at Rhino, but the latter evades and sends the former to the outside.

Moose is able to grab a steel chair and hit him with it up the ramp. where he teases a suplex, but Rhino fights out of it. Moose is forced to bite Rhino’s face. He runs at Rhino only to get back dropped off the ramp. Rhino clobbers Moose’s back. Moose walks to the ring where he’s hit in the back again. Moose reverses an irish whip into the ring post, sending Rhino into it.

Moose pulls out a table. He attempts to powerbomb Rhino off the apron, but Rhino sweeps Moose’s legs face first onto the apron instead. Moose runs at Rhino, but gets pop-up powerbombed through the table.

Rhino pulls him back in the ring for a pin attempt to get a two count. Rhino goes outside to toss a bunch of chairs into the ring. and trash can lids. Moose punches him in the gut and uses one himself before Rhino can. Then a running senton. The big man climbs to the top rope for a Macho Elbow Drop for a two count.

Moose goes to hit it again, but instead gets hit by Rhino with a chair. Rhino then sets a few chairs in the middle of the mat while Moose is still seated up top. Rhino superplexes Moose onto them for a two count.

Rhino sets a table into the corner, teasing a Gore. Moose counters with a kick and dropkicks Rhino into an opposite corner. Does it twice, but on the third attempt, gets clotheslined for a two count.

Rhino sets up the Gore through a table one more time. Rhino hits it, but Moose pulled the ref in front of him. Rhino pins Moose, but the ref is down. By time another ref runs in, Moose kicks out at two.

Rhino is fired up after exchanging middle fingers with the crowd. Moose low blows Rhino in the heat of the moment before Spearing Rhino for the win.

Winner: Moose

Grade: C-

Basic hardcore match and I’m not really a hardcore guy. I don’t go for these types of matches. Not necessarily a bad match and this may be your type of match if that’s what you’re into, but it doesn’t strike my fancy and, therefore, I found it hard to care.

Backstage, Rich Swann is arguing to get cleared into his injury, but he won’t even be allowed to sit in Willie Mack’s corner at ringside. Willie Mack urges Swann to care after his health and sit backstage. He points out that while Mack was injured, Swann become a number one contender to the World Title. Now, Mack is driven to win the Tag Titles by himself while Swann is injured.