IMPACT! WRESTLING - February 22, 2019

IMPACT! WRESTLING – February 22, 2019:  Fallout from UNCAGED, Moose & Kross confront the champ, The Lucha’s and LAX tie it up yet again for the gold, The Rascalz take on the Desi Hit Squad, and more!

We welcome everyone to the IMPACT! Zone yet again, this time from Sin City for the next few weeks, as we get the fallout from UNCAGED, as the intensity rises between Moose, Kross, Cage, and the Champ, Sami Callahan pays Rich Swann a visit, The Rascalz look to derail the Desi Hit Squad, Tessa’s on a rampage after her lost to Taya, and  the Lucha Bros and LAX lock horns one last time for the Tag Team titles!

After the review of last week’s show, we have the World Champion come on out to begin the night’s festivities. He talks about how he’s been a fighting champion, and said he gave a title shot to anyone that wanted one.  He talks about how his wife worries about his body breaking down.  He also talks about his victory last week during UNCAGED, and now looks forward to his next contender.  Moose’s music hits, and he comes out.  Moose lays down his rap about how he feels Johnny is a crybaby, and the only reason he’s not champion is because of Cage and Kross.  Kross then comes out and heads to the ring to confront both men.  Kross comes out and lays down his own line about how grating it is to be around Moose.  Moose questions Kross fashion sense, and Kross gets back into his face.  Johnny interrupts, and says that being friends in the business is tough.  Johnny says that both men believe they’re “A” talent.  But he says they need to have a match to see who’s the Alpha and who’s the bitch.  This becomes a match between Moose and Kross to see who will be the #1 contender for his title.  Kross sees what Johnny is doing, and calls him on it…but then decides to show Johnny by trying to nail Moose, but Moose nails him first…the match is on!

Moose and Kross trade blows, but Kross gets the upper hand, as Johnny is giving commentary with Josh and Don.  Kross gets Moose in the corner, but Moose pulls the ref in front of him.  Kross lifts up a fist to move the ref out of the way, but as he turns back to Moose, Moose lays a low blow on him.  He then tries to get the upper hand on Kross, but Kross delivers a low blow of their own.  Moose clotheslines Kross out of the ring, but Kross pulls him out of the ring, and they fight again.  Kross pulls Moose into the ring post and nails him.  Kross banters with Johnny at the announce table, and he ends up throwing hot coffee in Johnny’s face, blinding him just enough to where Moose recovers to try and nail Kross with a boot, but Kross moves and nails Johnny instead.  Then, Kross and Moose head back to the ring, and Johnny jumps in and attacks both of them, with the ref calling for the bell, as the match ends in a no contest.  Johnny then gets worked over by Kross and Moose.  Then, Cage’s music hits and he heads to the ring to help out Johnny fight off the heels.  Cage and Johnny hit a double superkick to send both Kross and Moose back up the ramp.  Cage hands the belt to Johnny and walks out of the ring.

We head to a clip where Don Callis hires the old Disco Inferno himself---Glenn Gilbertti.

LAX is backstage with Konnan, getting hyped for their match with the Lucha Bros.  He reminds them to keep it professional.  This is the last time these two teams will meet.

Cage and Johnny are backstage, and Johnny comes back to thank Cage for saving his bacon.  He offers a tag team match to eliminate Kross and Moose once and for all, so that they can have a one on one match for the title.  Cage is apprehensive, considering he’s been burned before.  So Johnny offers him a contract for a title shot, and all he’s gotta do is sign on the dotted line. 

We’re back in the circle of the Rascalz as they talk about their matches tonight.  It’s the stoner circle, and as Gamma Singh comes into their circle, and pulls out a hukkah.  He calls them amateurs, and wonders how they expect them to beat his Desi Hit Squad.  He then apparently smokes them under the table.  Silly stuff…completely worthless segment.  Just promote the matches.

We get a promo for Reno Scum…a tag team making their return to IMPACT! Next week.

Gama Singh is in the ring introducing the Desi Hit Squad.  They’re taking on the Rascalz.  Trey and Dez team up, looking a little dazed from their smoke out.  Bell hasn’t even rung yet, and Raj immediately takes advantage of a distracted Dez to try for a rollup, but Dez kicks out.  Raj working Dez early. Raj tags Rohit, and they continue the beatdown of Dez.  Dez is in the Hit Squad corner and trying to fight his way out, but runs into a face slam by Raj.  Dez delivers chops to Raj’s legs, and delivers a superkick to Raj to stop the momentum.  He then goes for the tag, but Trey is distracted.  Raj gets the tag to Rohit, and finally Trey is tagged in, and the Rascalz get the advantage.  They then begin some double team offense that spills out of the ring.  While Dez is on the outside, Trey goes to work on Rohit.  Rohit manages to get Trey off his feet, and the Hit Squad get the advantage yet again.  Trey then gets Rohit in the corner and delivers his inside superkick while Rohit is bent over.  Then he and Dez deliver a double 619, and a final cutter to end the Hit Squad threat with a pin and win. 

Melissa Santos is backstage with Eli Drake, discussing his kendo stick shot on Eddie in last week’s World Cup match.  Eli says that when you cross him, you will pay the price.  He says he’s going to take Eddie Edwards and show him why hardcore is for losers.

Sami Callahan visits Rich Swann in the hospital, where he put him after his vicious attack last week.  Sami apologizes to Swann for what he did.  But he says that Swann isn’t living up to his potential.  Sami yet again reminds him of what happened when Swann ran into trouble, and that he was there.  The doctor then shows up and tells him that only family is allowed in the room.  Sami then takes and OVE shirt, puts it on Swann’s chest, and walks out.

Eli Drake comes out, ready to do battle with Eddie Edwards.  After a little delay in getting “Kenny” from Eddie, the match begins.  The match begins with some pretty basic wrestling holds and reversals, then Eli backs Eddie into the corner, and just after the clean break, slaps Eddie, but Eddie battles back , and after a few hip tosses, Eli takes a powder outside of the ring.  Eli gets back in, jacks his jaw at Eddie, and gets a chop for his trouble.  Eddie clotheslines him out of the ring, and then they battle outside.  Eddie then picks up Eli and smashes him into the ring post crotch first.  Eddie sits down on the ramp, then looks for “Kenny”.  The ref stops him just enough for Eli to deliver a clothesline to gain the upper hand.  Back in the ring, Drake goes to work.  Eddie manages to get the upper hand again, but it’s short lived as Drake delivers a kick to Eddie.  He goes up top for an elbow, but misses.  Eddie tries some offense again, but Eli nails another kick.  Eli goes for a moonsault off the rope, and he misses.  Eddie recovers and works on Eli again, but Eli fights back.  He gets Eli on the top rope, and nails a facebreaker, but only gets a two count.  Eddie lands a chop, then throws down a spinning sitting slam, and goes for the pin, but only gets two.  Eddie tries to get a samoan drop, but Eli counters, and gets Eddie into a cradle, but only gets a two count.  Eli looks to go for the Gravy Train, but Eddie counters into a Tiger Driver.  But he only gets a two count.  Eddie rolls out of the ring and grabs “Kenny”.  The ref tries to talk Eddie out of it. Eli uses the distraction in order to hit the Gravy Train, but he only manages a two count.  Drake then goes for “Kenny” and tries to hit Eddie with it, but Eddie counters into a flip over pin attempt, and gets the 3 count for the win…with a wrestling move.  Eli's in shock.

We see Tessa Blanchard backstage, arguing with IMPACT management, and has the door slammed in her face.  She then comments to the interviewer backstage that IMPACT Management won’t allow her to have a rematch for the Knockouts Championship.  She feels they’re also protecting Gail Kim after what she did to her weeks ago.  She says it’s far from done.

We see Mr. Disco himself looking for directions backstage to the IMPACT Management office.  The guy gives him convoluted directions, and Gilbertti ends up outside the building…locked out, in fact.

Alisha comes out to wrestle Delilah Doom.  Both ladies trade offense back and forth.  Alisha eventually heads to the top rope and lands a splash, but Doom rolls it over, and only gets a two count.  Alisha then looks to mount more offense, but Tessa comes down the ramp and Alisha attacks her, but Tessa gets her out of the ring and press slams her onto the ramp.  She then goes after Doom, who tries to land a 619 on her, but Tessa catches her.  Tessa then deadlifts her into a sit-out powerbomb.  Tessa then goes for the Magnum and takes her out.  She faces the camera and paces the ring, blowing snot at Doom and scrapes her feet at Alisha, as both women are left in pain as she heads to back up the ramp.

Delilah is backstage, not happy that Tessa ruined her debut, so she issues a challenge to Tessa next week.

We head to the Undead Realm, where the Rev. James Mitchell, Dark Allie, and Su Yung are met by Rosemary.  Rosemary wants Allie back as the Shadow demands, but Mitchell won’t allow it.  They propose a deal:  A Dark War match between Su Yung, Dark Allie, and another member of their army, vs. Rosemary and her army.  If Rosemary wins, she gets Allie, but if Su and Dark Allie win, he gets Rosemary’s soul.  The deal is sealed.

Melissa is backstage with Taya, and they discuss Tessa’s actions tonight.  Melissa asks how Taya will respond, and Taya says she won’t.  She says Tessa is a big baby and throwing a temper tantrum.  She’s the Knockouts Champion, she beat Tessa, and has better things to do with her time.

Main Event time as LAX hits the ring.  The Luca Bros come out, but don’t even make it down the ramp before LAX runs up to meet them and the fight is on!  LAX takes control early as they batter the tag team champions outside the ring, smashing Fenix into the post, and Pentagon into the stairs.  Santana goes for a suicide dive.  He holds off as Pentagon ducks, but then he holds the rope down as Ortiz dives through the ropes and onto Pentagon.  LAX standing tall as we head to break.

Back from the break, and Fenix and Ortiz trade blows, and then Ortiz hits him with a flip flop.  Then LAX hits a double superkick on Fenix, but then Pentagon nails a superkick on Ortiz.  Santana and Pentagon face off, and blows are traded once more.  Ortiz recovers as they begin a double team on Pentagon, landing a series of kicks and splashes on Pentagon, he rolls out of the ring, as Fenix recovers in the corner, and they go to work on him.  Santana lands a big splash on him, and Ortiz follows up with a headbutt.  Only a two count.  The double team continues.  They have done well to keep Fenix isolated. They go for a double team flip on Fenix, but he lands a kick to Ortiz, and suplexes Santana, and lands the hot tag to Pentagon.

Pentagon goes to work, taking down LAX on his own.  Then him and Fenix land a double superkick on Ortiz, but only manages a two count.  They work over Santana and hit the Death Valley Driver, but Ortiz saves Santana from the three count.  Fenix goes for Santana in the corner, but he gets sent out of the ring, but lands on his feet.  They go after Pentagon with a cutter, and a superkick.  They land a flapjack slam.  But only a two count.  Fenix makes the save, and nails Santana, who goes flying out of the ring.  The Luchas then land their finishing maneuver.  As Fenix nails Santana out of the ring, Pentagon gets the pin and the champs retain their titles.  Konnan shakes the hands of the Luchas, and wants LAX to do the same.  There’s some tension.  But as the Luchas go for the shake, they balk at the last second and give some disrespect to LAX.  LAX attacks and beats down the Luchas, and take their masks as the show goes off the air.

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I have to say...I have two different sets of eyes on this show.  From the perspective of being there LIVE and in person, it was a great experience, and awesome for my first live wrestling show of ANY sort in over 30 years.  That being said, it's a whole different kind of experience seeing a wrestling show live---especially a TV taping, than actually watching it on TV (or, in MY case, through Twitch).  I guess it's just TV...but the show seemed to flow quicker on TV than it does in person.  There were also some dark matches that happened before the actual taping started (and one AFTER the show was done taping), and it seemed to move in a little bit of slower motion.  With changing camera angles, the TV version of the product seems to move a bit quicker.  Plus, we didn't get to see all the backstage interviews, and we didn't see other segments to move some of the storylines along, so you kind of have to play the guessing game as far as figuring out what's happening.

It looks like the war Johnny Impact has had to wage the last few months isn't going away any time soon.  Moose and Kross are NOT going to idly stand by and let their opportunities to be champion just slip away.  But they also have issues with each other from time to time.  Chasing a title will do that.  Plus, throw in Brian Cage, who--yet again--saved Johnny's bacon, but doesn't trust him.  But a guaranteed contract for a title shot?  That's pretty motivating.

Sami and Swann's story took a new level of low for Sami as he continues to haunt Rich about joining OVE and "coming home" to the family.  With being laid up after what Callahan did to him---will Rich cave in?  Or will he continue to fight?

Eddie & Eli Drake's story is far from over.  As much as Eli wants to rid the world of wrestling of its hardcore legacy, he's still willing to get hardcore and dirty with Eddie.  Is this his way of "teaching" Eddie?  To bring the crazy Bostonian back to where he was?  Either way, credit to Eddie for managing to beat Eli tonight with an actual wrestling move.  Will be interesting to see where this story goes.

Tessa is crazy obsessed!  It seems like EVERYONE is fair game for her to vent her frustrations out on.  She wants the title back, but she's gonna have to start at the back of the line.  Twice beaten by the Champ, and it's time for Taya to have someone new to dance with.  But will Tessa's obsession get the best of her?  How far will she go?  She apparently still has a beef with Gail Kim?  Will that force the Queen of the Knockouts to lace up the boots again to put the 3rd generation star down?  And it WAS nice to see Alisha back on TV after some time off.  The division needs ALL of it's stars rotating on TV regularly.  It's good for the division, and good for the fans.  Taya needs competition, and it's time to start lining up contenders.  I'm also interested in seeing more of this Delilah Doom.  

I'm feeling A LOT better about IMPACT's Tag Team Division.  LAX, The Lucha Bros, Desi Hit Squad, The Rascalz, Reno Scum, (possibly?  Edwards & Drake), Fallah Bahh & KM...you've got a pretty decent division here, with loads of talent.  I was down on the Desi Hit Squad for awhile, but they've impressed me more in their matches as of late.  Them and the Rascalz look like a good feud to get to a #1 contenders spot for the belts down the line.  But I am liking the tag team division right now.  

The "Dark War" is upon us, and the deal Rosemary made---virtually with the Devil himself in the Rev. Mitchell---could prove costly for the Demon Assassin.  I have to wager that whomever she'll get for her army, they'll be ready for Su & Dark Allie.  Allie's soul hangs in the balance.  

What more can be said about the two best tag teams in wrestling right now? The Lucha Bros & LAX find new ways to kill it every time they hook up in the ring.  They never leave any corner of the ring unused, and they always leave the audience wanting for more.  This is tag team wrestling at its finest.  And tonight, the Luchas proved to be the better.  Now, with their lack of respect to LAX, and LAX's subsequent attack on them, and even grabbing the most sacred thing to a masked luchador---the mask itself---has family now been put aside for glory and gold?  Has respect gone by the wayside for both teams?  And was this truly the last round between these two teams?  And where does Konnan fit in on this issue?  It just gets more interesting from here.  And I have to wonder----where....oh WHERE...have the OGz been?  They've been quiet and gone for a LONG time!  I wonder if THIS is the time that LAX possibly makes a pact with them in order to take down the Lucha Bros?  What side will they fall on?  Will King and Konnan reach an understanding?  There's some interesting sidebars to this story we've yet to see.

I see that IMPACT brought in the talents of Mr. Disco Inferno himself---Glenn Gilbertti.  I wonder if he's used as enhancement, or as a comedy act?  He'll be decent at both.  As far as acts go---the whole stoner segment with the Rascalz---run it's course.  Even though Gama Singh's appearance with the hukkah livened it up a little---still not working for me.  These kids are faaaaar too talented to be wasting segments on something THIS silly and insipid.  But I have a feeling they're here to stay.  

I enjoyed the show...both live at Sam's Town AND here tonight, now that I had the additional backstage segments added to help move the show along.  Like I said, the show flows, and there's really not too many "dead" segments in it.  There's more matches, and they stay consistent with their storytelling.  Which I like.  Nice to have that for a change...unlike SOME promotions we know.

That does it for this week.  As always, subscribe and pass the good word along.  And don't be afraid to comment as well.

Next time:  Week 2 from Sam's Town in Las Vegas!  

Until then...

SUPERGIRL - Season 4.12

SUPERGIRL – SEASON 4, EP. 12:  “Menagerie”

The Girl of Steel returns tonight with a brand new chapter in her saga, as she takes on a new partner in Nia Nall.  She also works with J’Onn on a case, which, coincidentally, ties into an investigation that Alex happens to be working on regarding a new villain called Menagerie.  And Nia invites Brainy to her Valentine’s Day party. 

We see a couple on the run, as a radio plays news about their latest heights.  The man driving doesn’t keep his eye on the road, and they crash into a tree.  When the woman gets out, she checks out where they crashed.  She comes upon some worm like aliens. 

We see J’Onn inviting Kara and Alex to his new office.  They talk about all the people that he’s helped since he set up his office.  Alex feels a bit discontent because she feels that even though she’s done well as leader of the DEO, her personal life has suffered.  \

Suddenly, she gets a call, and she’s got to go, they found a wrecked car, and she’s off to investigate.  J’Onn looks at Kara, and senses her discontent.  Kara misses working with her sister.  As she takes off, a woman comes to the door, looking for J’Onn’s help.  She feels her husband has disappeared.

We see Lockwood’s family talking to him during visiting hours.  They don’t feel it’s right he’s locked up, buying into his point of view that he’s trying to SAVE humanity.  He tells them that he believes the message will continue to get out.  As visiting hour ends, his wife leaves, but he keeps the son back, and he ends up having a chat with him.

Brainy comes over to Nia’s, in order to begin her training as a super hero.  Nia is appreciative, but the fact is, she feels she is not ready yet because she is still grieving the loss of her mother.  Brainy understands, and gives his condolences.  Nia says that her roommate is throwing a Valentine’s Day party, and she would like it if he came.  He accepts, and reminds him, it’s a date.  He seems confused.

Alex and the DEO arrive at the scene where the criminals in the beginning of the episode had crashed, and their bodies are there.  As the team investigates the crime scene, Col. Haley arrives at the scene to meet with Alex.  They make small talk, and Haley talks about helping her daughter, which Alex was surprised she has one.  Haley reminds her she does have a life outside of the job.  She goes on to comment that she didn’t have a good time in Washington, as the President isn’t pleased with what’s going on at this point and time.  Along with the issue of Agent Liberty.  They come across the bodies of the two thieves, their hearts taken out perfectly.

Alex and Brainy are working on what it was that killed them, and Brainy comes up with the fact that it’s a snake like creature.  Haley comes in for an update, and once updated, she says keep it out of the press.  They end up going to work.

James comes in to see Lena, and she suggests going away to Paris for Valentine’s Day.  She wants to keep their relationship alive.  He thinks it’s a good idea. 

J’Onn comes to visit Kara at CatCo, and asks for her help in finding a missing person that the client that appeared at his door asked for earlier.  They track a couple of leads, but come up short.  J’Onn calls Alex at the DEO to see if she can dig up anything, but she says she can’t, because she’s investigating the alien heart abductors.  She directs him to Brainy, who can multitask.  Brainy had asked Alex for his help with Valentine’s Day because Nia invited him to her house, and Alex states she hates Valentine’s Day.  Brainy continues to work both.  Meanwhile, Kara and J’Onn get a lead on Sinclair, the man in question that’s missing, and realize that he was meeting with a woman who was involved with the Agents of Liberty.  Turns out, he was having an affair.  So they get the address where the woman is at, and take off to investigate.

We see Lockwood’s son with the Agent of Liberty mask, go online, and ask the public for help in apprehending and destroying the aliens.

Col. Haley pops up at L-Corp, looking to offer a military contract for Lena, looking to get her research for her, to combat the alien threats.  Lena wasn’t looking for that when she started her research.  Haley then hears a report on the news about the aliens who stole the hearts.  Haley bails, and Lena looks on at the news story.

Kara and J’Onn arrive at the house, and the stumble upon the couple, both hearts removed.  Just then, the DEO arrive.  Kara and J’Onn help Alex with her investigation, now that it has crossed paths with theirs.  They decide to team up to solve the situation.  They find Brainy at Nia’s party, needing his help.  They head over there with the information they got. 

At the Oval Office, the President is not happy that Haley allowed the information to leak about the alien threat.  And he also was getting irritated with the Lockwood problem.  His assistant said she’d come up with a plan, and took off.

Lockwood’s son arrives to see him again in prison.  He tells them he got the message out, but his Dad urges him to stay on it to motivate the people in their investigation.  They need let the public know that it’s the Agents of Liberty getting the job done.

Alex, J’Onn, and Kara arrive at Nia’s.  They find Brainy, and give him the info.  Alex bumps into an old date she can’t remember.  Kara also talks to Nia, and let’s her know that her situation isn’t as great as Nia thinks.  She tells her that Alex was mindwiped, but that she continues on because she has to.

The group arrives at the house of Pamela Ferrer who they suspect is the next target, only to find out she IS the alien threat.  The Alien having merged with the woman, she calls herself Menagerie, and attacks.  Kara gets nipped, but obviously can’t penetrate her skin.  Menagerie escapes, but Alex is concerned for Kara.  J’Onn takes Kara home, just to appease Alex. 

Nia has a dream about Menagerie, then she wakes up to her roommate picking up after the party. 

James and Lena are in the car discussing her possibly taking the government contract.  James doesn’t agree with it, because he feels they’ll weaponized it.  He tries to get her to see his side of things, but she won’t have it.  The both feel that their relationship is over, and James gets out of the car. 

Kara and J’Onn talk at his office, and she hates the fact that she can’t work with Alex as Kara anymore, because she will be overly concerned about her.  Kara laments about how everything was better about Alex during the past summer because she didn’t have to worry about Kara at all, until the Kryptonite Bomb dropped.  Then Alex has been more concerned with her, and put her own life on the backburner.  She feels she must accept it, and move on, but at least she’d have J’Onn to work with.

The Agents of Liberty arrive back at the Ferrer house, and look at the dead Agents bodies.  Menagerie comes upon them, and looks for her loot, but also decides to kill the Agents of Liberty.

Lockwood’s son keeps tabs on the Agents of the Liberty, and finds out their location.  They head to a Heart Association ball, and find Menagerie there, ready to loot and kill.  The DEO shows up, and tells them to stand down.  As Nia and her roommate see the events unfold on TV, Nia takes off.  Supergirl arrives to help out, while the DEO try to keep everyone safe.  Supergirl and Menagerie are about to do battle when The Dreamer finally shows up and helps take down Menagerie, if only briefly.  Nia goes to help Alex with the public, while Supergirl and Menagerie face off.  Menagerie sprays a mist in Supergirl’s face, blinding her.  Supergirl uses her super breath to blow her back, thus knocking her down.  The Agents of Liberty come up upon Menagerie, and just as Supergirl was telling them to stay back, the Agents lop her head snake head off.  Menagerie is stopped.

Lockwood’s son says that THEY were the ones to stop the aliens, and not Supergirl.  Alex and Haley talk about the cleanup, and Alex mentions that the Agents of Liberty have only made things worse.  They spent more time protecting them and not stopping the alien.  Haley suggests they owe Supergirl, and Alex agrees, but with public opinion swayed, it makes it harder.  Haley informs Alex of the President’s plan.  While Nia and Supergirl chat on a roof, saying that while she can’t work with Alex directly, at least she can be of some help from afar.  And appreciates Nia’s help as well.

Nia returns home to see Brainy there with her roommate who got her box of chocolates.  Nia says that’s okay, and that she needs Brainy’s help to train her.

Alex shows up at Kara’s with a Valentine’s gift, and tells Kara that she’s going to start focusing on herself, and knows Kara will be okay. 

Lena makes a call to Haley, and says she’s in on the government contract.  Then, at the White House, the President’s assistant tells him that Lockwood can’t be held in prison by the Patriot Act.  He signs off on Lockwood’s release.  We then see Lockwood addressing the public, saying that he’s grateful to the people for believing in him, and that it was the Agents of Liberty that saved the day, and they will continue to do so.

In a special cell, Menagerie gets a letter from Manchester Black.  He’s got plans for her.

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The Maid of Might comes back with a new villain, a new situation, and yet, a bigger mess as it continues the 2nd half of this season.

First of all...brand new alien baddie in Menagerie---an alien that bonds with a human (providing it's not ripping your heart out with delicate precision).  Powerful, dangerous, and caused enough problems this episode, but a villain that was easily defeated by humans.  A point I'll drive home in a minute.  This new villain will apparently have a bigger role next episode, as we witness her being recruited by Manchester Black at the end of this episode.  What her long term deal will be is unknown, but we know she'll tangle with Supergirl yet again.

It looks like Lena is embracing full Luthor mode, as she accepted a government contract to make her little super power experiment ready for military use.  Something that doesn't jive with James, and for good reason.  Part of the problem with ANY government is when they find something or see something of exceptional power, or has the potential thereof, they will exploit it to their own means...even if it ends up harming the public, or causing panic and fear.  Lena feels this is critical in helping HER cause, which was curing disease, even if it empowers a few people, that's okay.  But this is something I feel that, once completed, will be overtaken by the military by force, thus pushing Lena out into the cold.  Or, the exposure to the pubic by the end of the season for part of the problem that's plaguing National City and the ENTIRE community could be a backlash against her---turning the public against her.  And if she's exposed by Supergirl...it creates another rivalry in the Luthor/Super-camp.  And there's still LEX to deal with.  And I have a feeling, he's pulling some mighty big strings from afar.

It was cool for Nia to finally embrace her destiny as The Dreamer.  And just in time, as well.  Kara needed her help.  Nia is going to be one of Supergirl's biggest assests down the road, because she needs a strong ally when she doesn't have Alex by her side.  Nia and Brainy's training will be interesting indeed...mostly because I feel the shy awkwardness and mild flirting will be cute to watch.

Haley has a human side....who knew?  Does that make her any more human?  Mildly.  Outside of that, she's just as much a hardened military bitch as it comes.  She's out to create super soldiers to battle aliens, and looks for full control of them.  Since she can't have Supergirl under her thumb, using Lena to help achieve that end is the next best thing.  At some point, that's REALLY going to put her at odds with Alex to a point that it will cause a showdown at some point.

What is the President up to, anyway?  Wants the whole plan to deal with the aliens to work with Haley and Lena, but at the same time, feels the whole protests for the Agents of Liberty are a nuisance.  But...at the end of the episode, releases Lockwood from prison.  This is NOT making the situation any better, and I have NO IDEA what angles he's playing.  I haven't trusted the man since he took office, and THIS doesn't put my mind any more at ease.

Was good to see J'Onn and Kara work together as PI and reporter, not totally relying on their superpowers, and using their brain power to solve problems.  It's good to see that the heroes on our show don't always have to punch the bad guys to get to where they need to go...only when needed. 

Alex...just when we thought her life couldn't be anymore miserable...we realize it is.  If there's one thing that's bogged down this season a little, it's Alex's personal life.  I feel like we've been stuck in neutral on it, and it needs to get some forward progress again, and in a hurry.  

Seems like Manchester Black is back for some vengeance...and we'll get THAT showdown in two weeks.

On the whole, not a bad episode...it moved things along, and now we have Lockwood to deal with once again.  We shall see how things proceed from here.

That does it until March 3rd.  Please subscribe and leave a comment...I'd appreciate it as always.

Until March 3rd...Up,Up and Away!

IMPACT! WRESTLING - Weekend Edition

IMPACT! WRESTLING - WEEKEND EDITION



Sorry this is a little late, guys, but I was NOT able to do a review of this past Friday's show (2/15/19), because I was attending two of the 3 live tapings for IMPACT! here in Las Vegas at Sam's Town.  And since the hotel screwed up my deal with my room for an extra night, I was only able to attend 2 of the 3 tapings, but nonetheless, I had a BLAST this weekend, and my thanks to IMPACT! for providing me an excellent weekend of wrestling, and get away from my normal.  But I'll throw a quick commentary with the results of Friday's show from Pursuit/Twitch, having caught some of the highlights of the show.  I won't be revealing or spoiling what I saw this weekend...you'll start seeing THOSE shows over the next few weeks.  But safe to say...awesome weekend.

Let's do a quick review of what happened Friday, for those that might've missed out:

KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP:  Tessa Blanchard v. Taya Valkyrie (C) in a Street FIght -  This looked like a pretty brutal bout from the get go, with almost anything and everything being used from chairs to tables, to the railing outside.  This was the penultimate fight between these two, with Tessa's suspension ending on this night, she instantly got a challenge from the Champ for the title in a street fight.  These women apparently spared NO expense in beating the hell out of each other.  At one point, chairs got tossed into the ring, and Taya landed a brutal suplex on Tessa right onto the chairs.  There was one point where they were each sitting in chairs, trading shots with one another.  In, the end, though, it was Taya, who landed a flying stomp off the rope onto Tessa, who was on a table, breaking said table, and finally pinning Tessa to retain the title.  I think at this point, this feud is over for now.  Anything further, you'd have to up the stakes, and with Tessa also wrestling on WOW, and is now their Champion, I feel that her time will be split between there and IMPACT, so her being the champion right now isn't workable.  But make no mistake...she'll NEVER be completely OUT of the picture.  It's time for Taya to have a new challenger.

Willie Mack v. Ethan Page - Willie Mack continues to impress, and move up the ranks, with a big victory over "All Ego" Ethan Page.  This match was practically a squash, since Mack controlled the match most of the way through.  This included a titty-twister (which I'd never seen in wrestling until now), and a couple of senton drops, a samoan drop, and the Mack Stunner from Hot Chocolate to pick up the W.  Page seems lost without Sydal.  

Sami Callahan came out to, yet again, as he has the past few weeks, persuade Rich Swann to join OVE, and come "home".  Swann, yet again, rebuked Callahan, and got beat up for his troubles.  During the fight, Sami got the upperhand by piledriving Swann on the stage, and then tossed him off the stage onto a table.  

WORLD CUP:  TEAM IMPACT (Eli Drake/Eddie Edwards/Sami Callahan/Fallah Bahh) v. TEAM AAA (Puma King/Aerostar/Vikingo/Psycho Clown) -  This match was for bragging rights between brands as Team IMPACT put up some of their best, against some of AAA's top luchadores from their brand.  This was an elimination match - pin or submit, and you're gone.  The action breaks down quickly in this match at one point, as all 8 men are in the ring dueling it out.  But Team AAA gets the upperhand when they managed to get a rollup on Drake as he tried to use Eddie's kendo stick, but Eddie took it out of his hands, causing just enough of a distraction for Drake to eat the pinfall.  He's gone.

Vikingo was the next to go, as he tried to go toe-to-toe with Bahh, but Bahh lands a powerslam to get the pin, and end Vikingo's night.  Bahh is the next to bid farewell form the match as Aerostar nails the pin after Bahh misses a Bonzai Drop.  After a couple of quick tags from Team IMPACT, Eddie Edwards scores the next fall as he takes down Aerostar with a Boston Knee Party.  IMPACT has the edge yet again at this point.  

Puma King was the next to go, as Callahan knocked him off the top rope and landed a piledriver to score the fall.  Soon, the top star of AAA, Psycho Clown, gets a rollup on Sami Callahan, and scores the pinfall, leaving Eddie and Clown as the final two.  Sami and Clown do battle, and Drake returns to the ring while there's a distraction, nails Eddie with his kendo stick, and Clown gets Eddie into a small cradle to score the pin, and win the match for the AAA brand.  

IMPACT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:  KILLER KROSS V. BRIAN CAGE V. MOOSE V. JOHNNY IMPACT (C) -  The Main Event of this UNCAGED edition of IMPACT! had the Championship on the line, as Johnny had 3 men chasing his gold, and he had a HUGE target on his back going in.  The match started off in a melee, as Impact went for superkicks on everyone, dove out of the ring, and the action spilled out there.  Everyone hit some high impact moves during the course of this affair, with Kross and Moose working together to gain an upper hand, before Kross turned on Moose in the match and nailed him.  Cage took a lot of the brunt of the attacks in the match.  Everyone hit their finisher, with Impact on the receiving end of a Go To Hell, a headbutt, and a Drill Claw, but the Champ manages to kick out.  Eventually, Cage delivers a Drill Claw to Kross, as Johnny hits the Starship Pain on Moose, and manages to get the pin before Cage could pin Kross.  Johnny retains his championship.  But from the looks of things---I feel we are FAR from over with this story.

Overall, it sounds and looks like a great show, and I just wanted to give a quick review before we get back to next week with a regular review.  I really didn't want to miss the UNCAGED show, and don't have DVR to record it (sadly, can only afford the cable set up where I live), but catching the highlights, it was a really good show with lots of action.   We got the continued story between Sami & Rich Swann, Taya and Tessa blew out their feud in grand fashion, allowing Taya to move onto the next challenger.  Eddie and Eli Drake don't seem to be done with each other yet, and Willie Mack continues to impress.  

The shows I attended this weekend, furthers more storylines, but not going to elaborate as to what they are, but I will say the 2nd night was EXCEPTIONAL, and will be a great show to watch.  And hey..I got on TV...not gonna complain about that.

Thanks for stopping by, as usual.  Please subscribe, and pass the good word around.  And hey...leave a comment!  I'd sure as hell appreciate it!

Until next week!

COMIC SCHOOL W/PROFESSOR MIKE - Session #5

COMIC SCHOOL W/PROFESSOR MIKE - SESSION #5


Welcome back to class, guys!  I hope you enjoyed your week from last session to this one.  And I am glad you're here today.  With it close to Valentine's Day for all you lovers out there, I thought that we'd focus this week's lesson on that altruistic emotion we all come across in our lives:  love.  This week's lesson will focus on those iconic couples from the comics, what makes them a match, and why there will NEVER be another person for either of them.  

But first...it's that time, where we much check your answers from last week's quiz, and see what you got:

1.  Two part question:  How many Green Lanterns patrol the Universe?  And what sector does Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Kyle Rayner patrol? There are 3600 Green Lanterns that patrol the Universe at the behest of The Guardians.  Hal, John, Guy, and Kyle do (and have) patroled their home sector--designated 2814.

2.  Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman, Kraven The Hunter,  and Mysterio make up what super-villain team that plagues Spider-Man time and again?  They comprised the team known as The Sinister Six

3.  Who were the original members of Flash's Rogues Gallery?  Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, The Trickster, The Top, The Pied Piper, and Heat Wave.  

4.  Who were the members of the original Defenders?  The original members were Doctor Strange, The Hulk, and The Sub Mariner

5.  Who was the entity that had taken all of the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe, and transferred them to a planet to do battle in the "Secret War"?  It was a being called The Beyonder that had taken all the heroes and villains from Earth to a placed called "Battleworld", to partake in the first "Secret War".


Well...that's another quiz down, and we'll see how well you are prepared for the one at the END of this session.  With that being said...

LOVE.  We've all experienced it, we've all either benefited or gotten destroyed by it (or perhaps both), but nonetheless, love is one of the universal things we have.  It's not picky, doesn't play favorites, and leads you to where IT wants you to go.  Having said that, in the world of comics, we have our hero, and we have the love interest.  It's been a lifelong thing that every hero or star of the strip has SOME love interest.  Archie has Betty & Veronica (lucky bastard), Dagwood always had Blondie, Sally had Linus, and so on.  You get the point.  Today, we're going to look at some superhero couples, what makes them work, and WHY they should NEVER be apart.  Writers these days (and editorial mandates as well), tend to be lazy asses who can't seem to write a little romance or anything about love.  And if a superhero falls in love, it ALWAYS has to fail, or be ruined in some manner, because they just can't write for them anymore, they're bored, or---who knows---maybe the writer or editor got a divorce, and is bitter, so they'll show it in the book.  The following couples I feel are TIMELESS and you can't break them up---no matter WHO you stick in the path as an obstacle course.  It's INEVITABLE they stay together, because time has dictated as such.  And over the course of the decades...WHY would there be ANYBODY you could put on the canvas that would be acceptable otherwise?  Boggles my mind the laziness of writers nowadays.  Everything's gotta be grim and dark....or just pain stupid.  

Anyways....let us take a peek at some selected iconic comic book couples that I feel should NEVER change, and should be left as is, because---as stories have dictated over time---there is NO OTHER person right for that hero than the one they're with.

1.  Clark Kent & Lois Lane:  Yeah...name me a more iconic couple in superhero comics.  Lois & Clark are the standard bearer for the classic superhero couple.  It's been an 80 year romance that has gone up, down, around, and back again.  For all the times Lois tried in vain to discover Superman's secret ID, and never able to (which, for such an intrepid reporter...she sure was DUMB...Clark didn't exactly have the world's greatest disguise.  But then again, slightly hunching and acting the idiot and wearing glasses with slicked back hair must've been just the right amount of subterfuge to fool an award winning investigative reporter such as Lois), figure it out until the mid '90s, when he finally fessed up in front of her just prior to DC killing him off in the "Death of Superman" storyline.  They wanted to have the eventual Lois & Clark nuptials to coincide with the "Lois & Clark" TV show at the time.  But it was also inevitable as well.  These two had been so off-and-on it wasn't even funny.  And not even dalliances with Lori Lemarus, Clark's Smallville sweetheart Lana Lang, nor even Diana herself, could stop the Lois & Clark freight train from taking off.  It's the only logical outcome.  Clark has been in love with Lois since the day they met, and while Lois was in love with the Man of Steel at first, she eventually saw Clark as her ideal mate.  She benefited from having them be both one and the same.  They compliment each other well.  Lois is strong, intelligent, no-nonsense, and can handle Clark's ways, and Lois is Clark's tether to humanity.  For as much as an outsider Clark was growing up...Lois has shown him that he's not alone.  She reminds Clark of his own humanity, and she also shows him that she's as strong as any human can me in times of crisis.  She is his rock.  And now, with a young son out in the world, their adventures only get greater.  

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2.  Peter Parker & Mary Jane Watson:  Peter Parker...for being the shy, geeky bookworm that he was...and still IS, to an extent---sure as hell had his share of hot women.  Had classmate Liz Allan crush on him, dated Betty Brant, Gwen Stacy, Deb Whitman, Felicia Hardy, hell...even had a date with Carol Danvers AND dated Bobbie Morse, and yet---NONE of the women who've popped up in his life...either as a fling or a girlfriend...could EVER hold a candle to good ol' MJ.  Out of ALL the women in the webslinger's life---no woman has stood the test of time, nor has been able to outlast the longevity of Mary Jane.  Gwen Stacy may have been Peter's first big love...but Gwen would've NEVER been able to handle his life as Spider-Man.  And I'm not talking about the Gwen of TODAY (Spider-Gwen don't count).  Betty couldn't handle it, and the Black Cat only loved Spidey...NOT Peter.  MJ has been the one to shoulder Peter's dual life, has been through MOST of his scrapes and stood by him, and she has been the one constant in his life that ISN'T Aunt May.  And had Joe Quesada and the rest of the Marvel writers not crapped up the works and actually learned to WRITE for these two...you wouldn't have gotten that "One More Day" crap.  This whole concept of a "free-swingin'" Spidey could only last so long...and ANY relationship you stuck him in was doomed to fail...except ONE.  Because no matter how much you kept her out of the books, took her off canvas, and tried to do away with her...you couldn't have a Spider-Man book without Mary Jane Watson.  And you couldn't keep these two apart.  It's only LOGICAL that these two are together.  No other woman qualifies.  Not even remotely close.  There's a website called www.spideykicksbutt.com, and in it, there's this great article on Spidey's realtionships, and the title of it is Why Did It Have to Be YOU, Mary Jane?  The author, who goes by the name "Madgoblin", went into intricate detail on why the ONLY woman for Peter Parker...past, present, and future...could ONLY be MJ.  To think otherwise is just plain stupid.

3.  Barry Allen & Iris West:  Now, we've all seen the TV show, and we've gotten to see the progression of Barry & Iris from best friends to eventual husband and wife.  Well, when we first meet Barry & Iris back in the pages of SHOWCASE #4, which happens to be Barry's first appearance, they're already dating.  One might look at Iris and see "Lois Light".  But Iris was different than Lois in the fact that she actually DID find out about her husband's secret ID (Barry talked in his sleep---so simple).  Barry was the first hero to actually have "the life".  To be a world famous superhero, have the great job, AND get the girl.  And Iris was no shrinking violet by any means...the woman can hold her own---AND she's a crafty investigative reporter in her own right.  But...much like the TV show has reflected the comic...Iris is SUPPORTIVE of Barry in his life as The Flash.  Barry has always made Iris the center of his life.  He had someone to bounce off of, and she'd give him perspective.  She was always his lighting rod (cheesy, but true).  And though in the Pre-Crisis age, Iris had been killed by Eobard Thawne, we found out that she never died at all...but was actually from the future herself.  Thus, her death before her birth was causing problems in the time stream.  Nevertheless, they were reunited.  Then, CRISIS happened, and Barry had supposedly "died" for over 20 years.  Now, things have been set back, and despite some time jumps and reality shifts, the bond between Barry & Iris are as strong as it ever was.  They compliment each other well, and are steadfast by each other.  It's one of the few examples of a "perfect" relationship in comics.  

  

4.  Ralph & Sue Dibny:  If there was ever a comic book version of "The Thin Man" and the lead characters of that movie series---Nick & Norah Charles---Ralph & Sue are the Nick & Norah of the superhero set.  They met when he crashed her debutante ball, and they hit it off immediately.  She was well affluent, and he was a simple PI, who had gained super powers.  These two are joined at the hip, and their quick patter, along with Ralph's twitchy nose for a mystery, led this devoted married couple on adventures around the globe, and eventually with the Justice League, where Sue served as an assistant for this motley bunch.  But there has NEVER been any doubt about the love Ralph & Sue had for each other.  They found each other fascinating, and allowed their love to blossom.  They're comical, but fun at the same time.  And despite the unpleasantness of "Identity Crisis", which was a VERY dark, and sadly sordid story that rather ruined a lot of the fun of Ralph & Sue for this "dark and gritty" theme DC seemed to like to churn out, I still go back to the fond days of Ralph & Sue's adventures.  It's a couple that would NEVER be apart, and you always wanted to check in on them...just to see what crazy stuff they got into.  But you could tell they had a blast doing it.

5.  Reed & Sue Richards:  If ever there was a "First Family" of comics that didn't have the original Captain Marvel (that's SHAZAM to you people nowadays), it was Reed & Sue.  The story of a brilliant scientist---perhaps the Greatest Mind on Earth---and he gets one of the most beautiful women in the Marvel Universe...who is also much younger than him (cradle robber).  Sometimes, I have often wondered...with as preoccupied as Reed gets with science...how he EVER managed to land Sue Storm...but by golly, he did.  And though they have been on some rocky terrain in their time (and I STILL put a lot of that on Reed), the point of it is---they have found a way to make it last.  Sue has been, no doubt, enamored with Reed ever since she met him as a teenager.  Through all their rough patches, she has still stood by her man...and even given him a son, Franklin.  Along with the support of her brother Johnny and Ben Grimm, of course, it's given Reed and Sue some solid support and foundation to help weather the storms of their marriage, and stay together.  There's no doubt Sue loves Reed...and, in his own weird way, I know Reed loves Sue as well.  

6.  Oliver Queen & Dinah Drake Lance:  Not sure how many of you would've pictured Ollie  & Dinah on this list, but I feel they belong---even though the TV show gives us Ollie & Felicity.  I'd rather stick with canon and real continuity here, and go with the comics.  Ollie and his "Pretty Bird" pretty much hit it off from the word "go".  They have a "His Girl Friday" quality banter and relationship---no one is better, and one gets the upper hand.  They operate on a level playing field in their relationship, and work exceptional as a team.  Green Arrow & Black Canary operate fluidly, and the names just roll off the tongue nicely.  They're both smart asses, but compliment each other well.  Often times, you'd say it's unconventional, but there is no doubt Dinah loves Ollie.  Plus---she's the only one willing to put up with his crap.  

7.  Scott Summers & Jean Grey:  I almost didn't add this relationship to the list, because more often than not, it's been more of a tragic tale than one of true love.  Scott & Jean met and Charles Xavier's School when they were younger.  They instantly fell in love, and were among Professor X's original X-Men recruits.  Through thick and thin, they survived a lot of tragic moments to be together.  But the Dark Phoenix ruined all that, and resulted in Jean's death.  Not the first time that would happen.  She would then be revived, but this time around, Scott was married to her clone, Madelyne Pryor.  Eventually, Maddie went mad, became the Goblin Queen, and tried to kill Jean, only to die herself.  Free to finally be together, they actually got married---only for her to die yet again.  Then, she came back...yet again...only for Scott to have a psychic affair with the White Queen, which resulted in them being apart...and Jean dying...yet again.  But somehow, someway, all things do come around again.  Scott and Jean are bound by a universal love...and no amount of tragedy that's befallen them has kept them away from each other forever.  But again...this is also due to incredibly lazy writing.  They create all this drama and kill off one of the characters multiple times...and for what?  A better story?  It's a well that Marvel AND DC have gone to the well with and come up short.

8  Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon:  Bit of a surprise on this list, considering the youths in question.  But It's a sweet tale of the Boy Wonder falling for the Commissioner's daughter.  College boy meets Librarian.  Robin & Batgirl.  Dick & Babs were the cute couple of the DC Universe.  Their banter goes back to the early days when Babs made her first appearance as Batgirl.  Feeling that the hero shtick was a "boys only" club, put Dick and Babs at odds early, but there was also mutual respect...especially after the older Barbara laid a big one on Dickie Boy's kisser.  That was enough for him to develop a HUGE crush.  Though nothing happened initially, there was always a mild flirtation there---until Dick joined and led the Teen Titans, and eventually fell in love with Korianda'r...our resident Starfire.  Even engaged to be married at one point, the relationship eventually fell apart.  Partly, I believe, because Dick never reconciled his feelings for Barbara.  Even after her paralyzing at the hands of The Joker, it didn't stop Babs and Dick from becoming an item.  Her role as Oracle was integral to Dick finally establishing his own identity as Nightwing.  They taunt and tease, and Babs certainly knows how to push his buttons, but Dick is just as much a flirt back towards her.  And now with the DC Universe reshaped and revamped...Barbara is once again swinging across rooftops with the former Teen Wonder, and their relationship still as strong as ever.

Here are some honorable mentions:

Wally West & Linda Park:  Wally was a womanizing kid who blew his millions, and failed miserably at living up to Barry Allen's legend.  His early relationship with reporter Linda Park didn't help.  But...they both managed to somehow fall in love, and Wally came back from the other side of the Speed Force to save her.  Up or down, she has always been Wally's beacon.  And with two kids--Jai & Iris, the family grew bigger.  DC has somehow managed to screw this up as well...thanks, Dan DiDio.

Gambit & Rogue:  Talk about an unconventional relationship.  He's a gambler, a grifter, and a thief....she's a woman who can't make physical contact with anyone.  Two Southern kids who happen to find each other while with the X-Men, Anna Marie and Remy LeBeau were not the likeliest of couples.  He came off like a womanizer, and she had connection issues, considering her mutant powers didn't allow her physical contact.  But their love for each other has stood the test of time for over 20 years, and now they're finally married...with Rogue FINALLY able to enjoy the ability to touch her lover.  She made Gambit an honest man...for the most part.  They banter and give each other hell...but not too many couples these days in the Marvel Universe with that kind of loyalty.  And that's a fact...Sugah!

Okay kids...that's the lesson for today.  I hope you have fun on your little Heart's Day, and make sure to come back to class next week.  If I missed anyone, please comment below.  But until then...here's a little "Lover's Edition" of your pop quiz:

1.  One of Wally West's girlfriends had super-powers and ended up as a villain.  What was her name and villain ID?

2.  What was the name of the woman who was supposed to marry Wolverine before she was killed?

3.  Name TWO women who exclusively dated Bruce Wayne (comics only).

4.  What was the name of Hal Jordan's girlfriend, and what was HER alter ego?

5.  Barry Allen was going to be remarried in the comics in 1983, before he was forced to kill the Reverse-Flash for trying to kill her like he did Iris Allen.  What was her name?

That does it for this week.  As per the usual, please subscribe to the blog and pass along the good word.  Also, don't be afraid to leave comments or questions...happy to answer back!

Until next time...CLASS DISMISSED!