Impact Slammiversary 2023 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights
Alex Shelley worked his entire career, amassing championships in the X-Division and as a tag team specialist before realizing his dream of becoming world champion by defeating Steve Maclin.
Saturday night, he made his first defense of the world title against Nick Aldis in the main event of Slammiversary, a celebration of 21 years of Impact Wrestling.
That match headlined a card that also saw former WWE star turned Impact top contender Trinity challenge Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts World Championship and a return to the squared circle for Impact Wrestling President Scott D'Amore, who recruited a mystery partner to battle Bully Ray and Deaner.
Who emerged from those three matches victoriously, what else went down on the FITE TV broadcast and how did each contest grade out?
Find out with this recap of the July 15 pay-per-view event.
Match Card
1 of 12Announced in advance of Impact's anniversary event were:
- Impact World Championship Match: Alex Shelley (c) vs. Nick Aldis
- Knockouts World Championship Match: Trinity vs. Deonna Purrazzo (c)
- Scott D'Amore and a Mystery Partner vs. Bully Ray and Deaner (Detroit Red Wings legend Darren McCarty as guest enforcer)
- X-Division Championship Match: Chris Sabin (c) vs. Lio Rush
- Impact World Tag Team Championship Match: Chris Bey and Ace Austin (c) vs. Moose and Brian Myers vs. Rich Swann and Sami Callihan vs. Subculture
- Frankie Kazarian (with Traci Brooks) vs. Eddie Edwards (w/ Alisha Edwards)
- Ultimate X Match: "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Kushida vs. Kevin Knight vs. Angels
- Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match: Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly vs. Taylor Wilde and Kilynn King (c)
- Digital Media Championship Match: Joe Hendry (c) vs. Kenny King
- Six-Person Tag Team Match: Death Dollz and Jody Threat vs. Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans and Jay Vidal
Six-Person Tag Team Match
2 of 12
The Death Dollz (Courtney Rush and Jessicka) recruited Jody Threat as their partner in a mutual battle with heels Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans, and Jai Vidal and the result was a Six-Person Tag Team Match to kick off the night's festivities.
As a little taste of the action to come, this was fine. The crowd was red-hot for hometown heroine Threat and rooted her on as she scored the fall for her team.
Beyond that, this had solid and respectable in-ring action from all involved and upon looking at the night's card, was the right choice to get things started.
With that said, Shaw is a genuine star, and on a quick glance, this felt like a step down for her after being at the center of the Deonna Purrazzo vs. Trinity story heading into this event.
Result
Threat and The Death Dollz defeated Shaw, Vidal and Evans
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Threat entered the match unbeaten in Impact Wrestling.
- Rush is previously known to Impact fans as Rosemary. After years under the facepaint of that character, it is nice to see her getting screentime under the persona she first used earlier in her career.
- The crowd erupted for Ontario's own Threat, who got her start in the industry in Toronto, just a quick ride from Slammiversary's host city of Windsor.
Impact Wrestling Digital Media Championship Match: Joe Hendry vs. Kenny King
3 of 12
Impact Wrestling Digital Media champion Joe Hendry sought to complete weeks of verbal tormenting of No. 1 contender Kenny King with a successful title defense Saturday night in the second of two pre-show matches.
He did not, thanks to chicanery from the challenger and his protege, Sheldon Jean.
Like the opener, this was a nice table-setting match that heated the crowd up, got the uber-over Hendry on the card and furthered the ongoing rivalry between the two.
The stripper gimmick overshadowed the in-ring action but was over with the crowd and was harmless fun. A solid, inoffensive outing that was not necessarily reflective of the talents involved but still served its purpose.
Result
King defeated Hendry to win the title
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The "Stripper Kenny" song that Hendry used to taunt King leading into the show was a ton of fun and played on the heel's past as a Chippendale dancer.
- King stuck a Chippendale bowtie around Hendry's neck, stopping to choke him with it behind the official's back. Nice prop use in relation to the story at play.
- "I've seen looser hips on my grandpa," Matthew Rehwoldt said of Hendry in a fun quip on commentary.
- King benefited from interference from Jean to roll Hendry up, put his feet on the ropes and score the win, ending the longest Digital Media Championship reign in company history.
Ultimate X Match
4 of 12
Featuring: "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Jonathan Gresham, Kushida, Kevin Knight, Alan Angels and a returning, unadvertised Jake Something
The Impact Wrestling staple Ultimate X kicked off the night's main card and concluded with Kushida scoring a guaranteed shot at the X-Division Championship by way of his victory.
The match, high-energy and high-risk as usual, captivated the audience with the athleticism of all involved and the surprise return of Something was a nice touch. Add to that the story of Angels fighting dirty to counteract the more gifted arsenals of his opponents and you have a more-than-solid opener.
Kushida earning the title shot may telegraph the outcome of the X-Division title match between Chris Sabin and Lio Rush later in the show, but do not count out a babyface vs. babyface showdown with Sabin given their history as partners alongside Alex Shelley.
Result
Kushida defeated Bailey, Gresham, Knight, Angels and Something
Grade
B-
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Jake Something returned to the company and entered the match as the sixth competitor. Long one of the most underrated guys in pro wrestling, he was a more than welcome addition to the opener.
- Angels delivered a double Spanish Fly from the top rope to Bailey and Gresham. Holy dookie, indeed.
- Angels broke out a steel chair, neutralizing the high-flying Bailey and the massive Something in pursuit of victory. He would repeatedly take advantage of the no-disqualification stipulation, delivering low blows to his opponents to take them out of the picture.
- Kushida withstood the underhanded methods of Angels to score the win and a guaranteed opportunity at the X-Division Championship.
Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match
5 of 12
Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly did battle in a brutal Dog Collar Match but since then, have focused their fury and attention on The Coven's Taylor Wilde and Kilynn King and the Knockouts Tag Team Championship.
This was the best match of this early portion of the card.
The chemistry was there, there was an appropriate amount of near-fall drama, and Slamovich and Kelly both worked very well as babyfaces. All four women overcame a crowd still burned out from the one-two punch of Hendry and Ultimate X and turned in the best in-ring work of the show to this point.
Bring on the rematches and once they are over, there is a wealth of possibility as the new champions can portray babyface or heel as needed.
Result
Slamovich and Kelly defeated The Coven to win the titles
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The entrance video, theme song, body language...the team of Kelly and Slamovich are fantastic. Put all of the belts on them now and let them beat everyone.
- Kelly is fantastic and her increased exposure on Impact television has been a long time coming. Ditto Slamovich, whose presence and physicality are nearly unmatched. She probably should have been Knockouts champion by now.
- Wilde is somehow better now than she was prior to her long absence from the ring. She does less, but it means more. King, as we have seen in both Impact and during her time working for AEW on Dark and Dark: Elevation, is poised to be a primetime player in women's wrestling for years to come.
- Slamovich kicked out of the Witch's Wrath, much to the dismay of Wilde. Slamovich responded moments later with a Snow Plow to claim the titles.
Scott D'Amore and A Mystery Partner vs. Bully Ray and Deaner
6 of 12
Former Detroit Red Wings bruiser Darren McCarty served as the special guest enforcer for the match.
Eric Young made his return to Impact Wrestling Saturday, joining the company's president, Scott D'Amore, in a heated grudge match against Bully Ray and Deaner.
The Team Canada reunion ended gleefully as the babyfaces benefited from interference from former associate A1 and McCarty to score the win in a match that was a ton of fun, if nothing else.
D'Amore enjoyed a successful homecoming, winning the match while his mother watched from the front row. For a guy who has embraced the role of face of Impact Wrestling, it was a moment he earned and one that comes at the expense of no one.
Ray is bulletproof, Deaner is a solid heel but his role is pretty well carved out at this point. They will recover just fine. This was about the former captain of Team Canada-turned-brains behind the company and on that front, it delivered.
A few fun spots, including Dudley specialties used against the loudmouth Ray, elevated it.
Result
Young and D'Amore defeated Ray and Deaner
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Steve Maclin was originally slated to be Bully Ray's partner but was injured prior to the show and thus, unable to compete. Deaner of The Design filled in on late notice, but it actually worked out given the history between him and D'Amore's mystery partner, Young.
- Young and D'Amore's former Team Canada teammate, A1, was seen sitting ringside for the match.
- The crowd broke out into the Canadian national anthem in support for the babyfaces.
- A frustrated referee threw down his stripes and walked out, allowing McCarty to put the official's shirt on and assume that role.
- A1 interfered, wiped out Kon and ensured the powerhouse of The Design would not get involved again. McCarty delivered a stunner to Ray and the babyfaces ironically delivered the Dudley Boyz trademark "Wasssssup" headbutt.
- D'Amore delivered the Canadian Destroyer that he created to Deaner and Young followed with a top-rope elbow drop for the win.
X-Division Championship Match: Chris Sabin vs. Lio Rush
7 of 12
What appeared to be the best match on the card, at least on paper, was more of an angle than anything.
Rush's attack on Sabin prior to the bell injured the champion's head and neck but the defiant babyface brushed off the doctor's orders and attempted to compete anyway, only to succumb to two frog splashes as The Bad Child took home the gold.
In terms of building heat for Rush, this worked. He attacked before the bell and picked at scraps rather than winning the title cleanly and honestly. It also made him look ruthless, caring not that he potentially seriously injured Sabin.
Sabin saves face, looks like a gutsy babyface, and has the case for a rematch at some point in the future.
It may not have been the preferred booking, but it sets up another match down the road and enhances both competitors.
Result
Rush defeated Sabin to win the title
Grade
Incomplete
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Rush attacked before the bell, wiping Sabin out with a tope suicida. The champion sold the head and neck but shoved off the Impact Wrestling physician and decided to work the match anyway. It gives the babyface an out and builds heat for the heel challenger.
- Rush delivered the Final Hour frog splash but a defiant Sabin kicked out at two. Another Final Hour, though, gave the heel the victory and title.
Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Championship 4-Way Match
8 of 12
Participants: The ABC (Ace Austin and Chris Bey), Moose and Brian Myers, Rich Swann and Sami Callihan, and Subculture (Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster)
The tag team championships became the latest titles to change hands on this night as Subculture's Andrews and Webster bested their opponents, though not without controversy as The Radicalz interfered and wiped out Austin and Bey to ignite that rivalry.
Despite the circumstances, it was a coronation of the British tandem, which has earned acclaim for their work post-WWE. It remains to be seen how long they will stick around Impact but if history is any indication, it may be for just a round of television tapings.
Based on their previous appearances, and their performance here, it may behoove the company to look at signing the team to a deal if it has not already.
Result
Subculture defeated The ABC, Myers and Moose, and Callihan and Swan to win the title titles
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Bey and Swann downed Moose with a double cutter to slow the former world champion's momentum.
- There is an abundance of talent in this match and the fact that there are three former world champions involved proves that the roster is deep and the wrestlers themselves are adaptable.
- Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz hit the ring, wiping Austin and Bey out in retaliation for not allowing them to be in the match. Webster and Andrews capitalized, the latter delivering Fall to Pieces to Myers for the win and titles.
Frankie Kazarian vs. Eddie Edwards
9 of 12
If you are a wrestling fan and have made it to 2023 expecting anything but a great match out of Eddie Edwards and Frankie Kazarian, consider yourself the only one.
Both men have made careers out of delivering between the ropes and this was no different. The ring work was superb. Everything was smooth and the spots were built well.
The finish was a bit too convoluted for the match to earn more than a 'B' grade, though it was nice to see Brooks get some spotlight after being somewhat forgotten in the pantheon of Impact Wrestling Knockouts.
Edwards winning in the manner that he did would seem to suggest that the feud will continue but where it goes from here without feeling like it overstayed its welcome is the question.
Result
Edwards defeated Kazarian
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Original Knockout Traci Brooks accompanied her husband, Kazarian, in an attempt to offset the presence of Alisha Edwards at ringside.
- The commentary team of Rehwoldt and Tom Hannifan put over the fact that both men's trainer, the great Killer Kowalski, was from Windsor, Ontario. On top of that, they noted that Kazarian sported purple and gold because they were the preferred colors of Kowalski. Great stuff from the most underrated booth in wrestling.
- Based on the chants of the fans, the biggest heel in this match was the city of Boston, which the fans in Windsor believe, "sucks."
- The double suplex over the top and to the floor spot will never not be terrifying.
- Brooks rocked Alisha with a big clothesline, taking her out of the equation.
- A ref bump spot led to Edwards using the kendo stick on Kazarian, then putting him away with the Boston Knee Party for the tainted match in the third match of their series.
Knockouts World Championship Match: Trinity vs. Deonna Purrazzo
10 of 12
For the first time in her Impact Wrestling career, Deonna Purrazzo tapped out, bringing an end to her latest reign as Knockouts World champion as Trinity earned what may be the most personally significant victory of her career.
The win and first title reign outside of WWE vindicates her. After knowing her value and walking out of the company that made her a star in the professional wrestling world, she proved she could find success elsewhere and at a high level.
For those who questioned whether she could hang with top talent outside of the machine, and if her style would translate beyond the rings of WWE, they got their answer here.
Trinity wrestled one of the best matches of her career against a competitor in Purrazzo who has made a career out of being one of the best professional wrestlers in the industry. She hung with The Virtuosa and paid off the trust Impact had in her to be one of its top stars.
Now, she has the title to back it up. How she performs from here, as champion and a face of Impact Wrestling, will ultimately determine the level of success Trinity enjoys.
For now, she should be extremely proud of herself and Purrazzo can rest easy knowing she has another superb match in a line of them to point to as evidence of her excellence.
Result
Trinity defeated Purrazzo to win the title
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- It is a testament to the manner in which Purrazzo has built her resume and reputation, and the star power of Trinity, that the match had the "big match" feel that it did from the get-go.
- Purrazzo controlling and Trinity fighting from underneath was absolutely the right layout for this match. The challenger has always been at her best as the babyface fighting from underneath and using her explosive offense to do so.
- Purrazzo delivered the Queen's Gambit on the ring apron (the hardest part of the ring!), but the challenger still kicked out at two.
- Trinity delivered a Full Nelson Bomb off the ropes and segued into Starstruck, forcing the submission and winning the title. It has to be one of the most rewarding moments of her career given all that went into her departure from WWE and arrival in Impact.
Impact Wrestling World Championship Match: Alex Shelley vs. Nick Aldis
11 of 12
Alex Shelley retained his Impact Wrestling World Championship by defeating Nick Aldis in a grueling Slammiversary main event but it was the return of the former titleholder, Josh Alexander, that made headlines as the show went off the air.
The Walking Weapon came face-to-face with a victorious Shelley and uttered one simple phrase: "I'm back."
It was a noteworthy conclusion to a main event that was smartly wrestled and featured some expert psychology from two uber-talented technicians. Aldis sold the hell out of his left hand every time Shelley grabbed hold of his fingers and pulled and twisted at them.
Conversely, Shelley sold the effects the early cloverleaf had on his back all the way through the post-match celebration.
A good, old-fashioned pro wrestling main event, it was highlighted the skills of its competitors while the finish involving the title will almost assuredly draw criticism and protest from the heel challenger, despite his own attempts at cheating.
The feud between Shelley and Aldis will continue, with the added element of Alexander and just like that, the top of the card in Impact is suddenly more crowded and interesting.
Exactly what you want from the show-closer of a major pay-per-view event.
Result
Shelley defeated Aldis to retain
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- There are wrestlers in their so-called "primes" who are not as good as Shelley is at this advanced stage of his career. He is still a top-tier worker whose technical skill is still on point.
- Impact fans who have not kept up with Aldis over the years have to be surprised by the world champion-caliber wrestler on display here. Brutus Magnus, this is not.
- Aldis injured Shelley's back early and the champion responded by targeting the left hand of the challenger with small joint manipulation. The two ailments would rear their heads throughout the match.
- Shelley teased using the world title but the referee stopped him. Aldis capitalized on the distraction, delivering a low blow but failing to put Shelley away. The champion recovered, delivered a DDT on the title and put Aldis away with Shellshock in a finish that will likely have long-reaching repercussions.
Overall Grade
12 of 12Like Impact Wrestling as a whole, this was a good show from top to bottom.
There were hits and misses along the way, as is to be expected, but the majority of it was solid, at best, and the changing of titles should create an air of freshness come Thursday's episode.
The Knockouts division starred here, with both singles and tag title matches really impressing.
The team of Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich is intriguing and should make for some great television, especially if there are rematches with Taylor Wilde and Kilynn King to be had. Trinity and Deonna Purrazzo stole the show with a great championship encounter in which the right competitor went over, but not at the expense of her opponent's credibility.
Lio Rush was put over about as strongly as can be, the world title picture is stacked and the Scott D'Amore homecoming was good, old-fashioned feel-good stuff.
On a night that celebrated another year of the lil' company that could, Impact did what it has for the majority of its 21 years: exceeded expectations, delivered quality professional wrestling between the ropes, and lived to see another day.
Overall Grade: B+
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