Saturday wasn’t a happy 50th birthday for Tommy Dreamer, as he failed in his quest to capture the Impact World Championship from Rich Swann at Impact Wrestling’s No Surrender event. Though the hardcore legend put up a great effort, fighting through the pain of a dislocated finger suffered in the opening minutes of the match, the younger champion proved equally able to absorb punishment – kicking out of a Spicoli Driver before ultimately putting Dreamer down for the count after a Phoenix Splash.

And while the two opponents both started and finished the match with a show of mutual respect, neither of them got the same from Moose, Swann’s next challenger, who attacked both of them from behind after the match. Moose’s crashing of the party was one of the only real moments on the show that furthered a storyline. Otherwise, the show was fairly straight, with a slate of solid matches from beginning to end.

 

Match 1: XXXL and Tenille Dashwood (w/ Kaleb) vs. Decay (Rosemary, Crazzy Steve, and Black Taurus)

Technical difficulties with the Impact Plus and Impact website resulted in this match being joined in progress. When the show finally did come in, about 10 minutes in, XXXL was in control. But then Black Taurus came in and put both of them down with some big hits. Tenille thought this was a good time to model for some photos by Kaleb, and she distracted Taurus by waving a red T-shirt around, which was silly and didn’t fit the mood for Taurus. But he quickly recovered, hitting a big dive onto Larry D on the floor (kind of – he overshot it and sailed right over Larry’s head). Crazzy Steve did a dive onto everyone, and then Tenille and Acey both teased dives from the top to the floor, but ultimately Acey decided to simply throw Tenille onto everyone else. He went outside to add to the damage, but Rosemary sprayed him in the face with the green mist. Then Black Taurus rolled Larry D into the ring and put him down with a Minotaurnado Slam to get the win.

It’s hard to say how this match was, given the Impact Plus technical difficulties. What was shown was fun.

Winners: Decay

 

Match 2: Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers and Hernandez

Early on, the story was that Myers would tag out whenever Cardona was in there, clearly afraid to face off against his one-time partner. That was fine for Hernandez, who used his power to put them both down. He and Myers took control, isolating Edwards for some time. Eddie was able to tough it out, though, and soon fought his way into dropping Hernandez with a Superplex.

Both men tagged, and finally Cardona and Myers were in there together. Cardona ran through Myers, even hitting his Broski Boot. But then Myers caught him in a Myers Driver for a near-fall. Soon thereafter, all four men started to brawl. Hernandez caught Edwards’ in a dive attempt, but couldn’t stop a second. Meanwhile, Myers was able to drop Cardona face-first on an exposed turnbuckle, and then hit him with Future Endeavoured to get the win.

This was a pretty standard tag team match, but with it being so full of blandness in Cardona and Myers, it was kind of a “who cares?” situation. Hernandez was the standout in this match, but even then, that’s not saying too much.

Winners: Brian Myers and Hernandez

Backstage, Matt Hardy gave a pep talk to Private Party, who plan on taking the Tag Team titles to AEW and they’ll never be back.

 

Match 3: Deaner (w/ Eric Young and Joe Doering) vs. Jake Something

Jake overpowered Deaner early on, sending Deaner to the floor for advice from Young. At some point, Matt Striker said that Deaner no longer “has relations” in the same way as he did before he joined Violent By Design, and now I want to know how Striker knows that. Some help from Young on the outside gave Deaner control, and he used some dirty tactics to punish Jake, using the ropes and ringposts to good effect. Jake powered out of a DDT attempt, picking up Deaner and heaving him across the ring. But then Deaner wedged Jake’s neck in the corner and hit him with a dropkick that pushed Jake hard into his own neck, which didn’t look comfortable. The advantage changed hands several times, with Deaner dissecting him with pointed attacks, but Jake constantly using his power to come back and take over. Jake finally got Deaner up to the top and tried to Superplex Deaner to the floor, but Deaner was able to thwart that. Some more interference by Young finally unleashed the inner fury in Jake and he punched Young off the apron, and finished off Deaner with a Black Hole Slam.

After the match, Young and Doering beat down Jake, and then Violent By Design gave him a Shield-type Powerbomb off the top rope through a table.

The ending came a bit out of nowhere, but the match itself was fine. After the post-match beat-down, it looks like this feud will continue, probably setting up a Jake vs. Doering match next.

Winner: Jake Something

Eddie and Alisha Edwards came into Tommy Dreamer’s dressing room to give him a birthday present and wish him luck against Rich Swann. They emotionally thanked him for all his guidance in their careers.

 

Match 4: Trey Miguel vs. Blake Christian vs. Suicide vs. Chris Bey vs. Daivari vs. Josh Alexander vs. Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin (w/ Mad Man Fulton) – Triple Threat Revolver Match

This was a variation of a Gauntlet Match, with three people in it at a time instead of the traditional 1-on-1, until it comes down to the last three, when it becomes a standard Triple Threat match. Trey Miguel, Blake Christian, and Suicide started off, and they took turns teaming up with one opponent to get in a move on the third. Suicide and Trey had a neat exchange of springboard moonsaults and counters, which was fun. Suicide dropped Christian off the top and then hit a Swanton, but when he went in for the pin, Trey grabbed his legs and locked on an Hourglass submission that forced Suicide to tap.

Chris Bey came in to replace him, and the quickness picked up even more. After Bey and Christian sent Trey hard to the floor, they fought for some time, until Bey ended Christian’s night with an impressive VertiBeyker.

Daivari came in next, and he and Bey exchanged blows while Trey was still down on the outside. They didn’t notice Trey come back in, and he surprised Daivari with a Super Meteora to get the pin.

Josh Alexander was in there next, and his strong style changed the pace of the match. He impressed by dropping Trey with a Backpack Stunner while at the same time hitting Bey with a Snap Suplex. That was sweet. Bey hit a Rolling Enziguri on Josh and then a big Roundhouse Kick. But when Bey went for a Bey Blade, Alexander caught him in a Spinning Torture Rack Slam, that put Bey down and out.

Willie Mack came in next and he showed off some of his own power, including hitting successive Samoan Drops and Trey and Alexander, and nearly pinning them both after following that up with a Standing Moonsault onto both of them. They did a Tower of Doom spot with Mack getting a Sit-out Powerbomb on Alexander who simultaneously Superplexed Trey. Mack hit Alexander with a big Spinning DDT, but couldn’t put him away. But then Miguel hit Willie with a Super Meteora, and he and Alexander both covered him for the pin to neutralize the big man.

Ace Austin was the last entrant, and because he was the freshest, he was able to take control, hitting both with some Roundhouse Kicks that looked great. They finally double-teamed him, and turned their attention towards each other. Trey nearly pinned Alexander after hitting a Reverse Hurancarana, but Austin broke it up. Alexander rolled to the floor to recover, but then got hit with a big somersault dive by Trey – who in turn got hit with a Flying Fosbury Flop by Austin. Austin and Trey continued to battle it out in the ring, only pausing occasionally to hit Josh with a move on the floor to ensure he stayed out of it. But he had enough of that, and when he did get back in there, he outmuscled them, stacking both of them on his shoulders and hitting a Death Valley Driver that sent Trey rolling to the floor.

Josh then hit a brutal Double Underhook Powerbomb Backbreaker on Austin, and followed that up with a Double Underhook Piledriver to get the impressive pin.

This was a really fun match, and in front of a live crowd, would have garnered some huge ovations throughout. The execution of the concept worked out well, despite the somewhat convoluted rules as described on paper. Alexander had a really impressive showing and his definitive win was a good thing to position him as a huge threat for whoever the X-Division Champion will be at the end of the night.

Winner: Josh Alexander

 

Match 5: Havok and Nevaeh vs. Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz) (c) – No-DQ, Texas Tornado match for the Knockouts Championship

Despite it being said that Brandon Tolle wouldn’t be refereeing this one, he was. Though the commentators noted that the stipulations of the match made it so that even if he wasn’t impartial, it wouldn’t matter. The teams started brawling right at the bell, which was flawed strategy for the smaller champs. Kiera nearly got flattened when Havok tried to sit on her head in a scary moment. The first few minutes saw Havok and Nevaeh getting whomped by the challengers with power moves galore. Steelz brought in a chair, but didn’t get a chance to use it before Havok plucked it out of her hands, and wedged it between the turnbuckles. Then Havok and Nevaeh continued the assault. Hogan got a Singapore cane and used that to better effect, chopping down Havok with it and smashing it over her head. With her dispatched, Steelz and Hogan double-teamed Nevaeh for some time. Havok eventually made her way back to the ring, and turned the tide with a  number of big moves that sent the champs flying all over. But when she tried for a Corner Spear on both champs, they dodged it and Havok went shoulder and head into the chair that had been set up before. With her gone, Steelz hit Nevaeh with a Flying Spinning Neckbreaker and pinned her to retain the titles.

The match was pretty much what you’d expect – a Davey vs. Goliath storyline. Fire N Flava are such great characters, and having them retain was the right call. Luckily, no silly referee shenanigans came into play, so perhaps they can move onto a new set of challengers now. As to what comes next for Havok and Nevaeh, perhaps it’s the right time to split them up and add some fresh names to the singles division?

Winners, and still Knockouts Tag Team Champions: Fire N Flava

Backstage, Rich Swann told Gia Miller that Impact management had told Moose that if he interfered in Swann’s match against Dreamer, Moose would be suspended. So that means that he and Tommy only have to worry about each other. Then he said Tommy would have to worry about him

 

Match 6: Rohit Raju (c) (w/ Mahabali Shera vs. TJP – for the X-Division Championship

As TJP was coming to the ring, he had a staredown with Shera on the floor, and Raju flew over the top rope and blindsided him. He beat down TJP before the bell and tried to get a desperate pin, but the referee hadn’t called for the bell yet so didn’t make the count. As Raju protested, TJP came back, dropping Shera with a flying dive, and then brawling with Raju on the floor, both around the ring and around the empty arena floor. All of this without the bell having rung yet.

When they both got in the ring, the ref did start the bell, and the action picked up even more. They told a good story where Raju was relentless on attacking TJP, who had been weakened by the pre-match sneak attack. Raju was very quick on the offense, and was countering a lot of TJP’s moves, and the commentators did a good job in emphasizing both how TJP had been weakened and also how Raju was familiar with TJP’s offense because of how many times these two had squared in the past. Raju used Shera to his advantage, throwing TJP to the floor and distracting the ref while Shera put a beating on TJP behind his back. Raju looked to end things with a top rope attack, but TJP jumped up to the top and Superplexed him down, and then followed that up with a series of suplexes for a near fall. TJP went up for the Mamba Splash, but as he landed, Raju widened his legs and trapped TJP in a Triangle, which TJP was able to roll over into in an Ankle Lock… which Raju was able to reverse into a Crossface… which TJP was able to roll over into a pinfall attempt. That was a great sequence. Raju hit a Mumbai Drive By, but TJP kicked out! TJP then hit Raju with a Super DDT and then went up top to end things with a Mamba Splash for the pin.

This was a good match, and certainly the match of the night so far.

Winner, and still X-Division Champion: TJP

Backstage, Gia Miller interviewed Tommy Dreamer, who emotionally spoke about his love for professional wrestling, and how he wants to give fans a special memory like the so many ones he’s had during his life and career.

 

Match 7: Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee, and Susan vs. Jordynne Grace, Jazz, and ODB

The babyface team used their power to great advantage early on, with all three of them hitting dives that flattened their opponents on the floor – who would have thought Jazz would have done a leap off the top turnbuckle to the floor in 2021?

When things got back in the ring, the pace became more methodical, with Purrazzo using Divorce Court to hurt Grace’s arm and drag her into the corner. There, she, Lee, and even Susan took turns putting the boots to Grace.  Grace finally escaped and tagged in ODB who took over, earning Susan’s wrath in particular by tearing off her jacket. The match broke down after that, with all six women fighting in the ring. When things cleared out, Susan blinded Jazz with a thumb to the eye, and Jazz accidentally punched Grace. Lee, meanwhile, took out ODB with a flying somersault dive from the top to the floor, wiping everyone out. Despite being blinded, Jazz was able to recover and locked a submission on Susan, forcing her to tap out.

This was okay, but was a bit disjointed at times, and the end was a bit of a miss. The accidental striking of Grace by Jazz didn’t end up making any difference – so what was the point? Having Susan be the weak link and letting Jazz get the win over her doesn’t really do anything in terms of setting up a contender for Purrazzo’s title. Even the flying somersault dive by Lee didn’t really mean much all things considered.

Winners: Jordynne Grace, Jazz, and ODB

 

Match 8: Chris Sabin and James Storm vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) (w/ Matt Hardy) vs. The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) (c) – Triple Threat match for the Tag Team Championships

Weird commentary early on with Matt Striker and D-Lo Brown highly praising Private Party – but as the invaders trying to take away the company’s tag team titles, shouldn’t they be more about playing the AEW duo up as villains? Have they completely dropped the idea of this being an INVASION? Strange.

Anyway, Private Party fared well against Storm and Sabin, but then Quen fell into the clutches of the powerful Good Brothers, who slowed things down with their methodical offense. They isolated him for a while, but he was able to finally float over on a German Suplex attempt and Storm tagged himself in.

The pace picked up then, and there was a sequence where Private Party and the Beer Guns fought for a while, before a series of double-team moves on Storm nearly got Private Party the win. Eventually, the Guns joined the fray, and everyone was hitting moves on anyone in their way. When things cleared out, Storm hit Quen with Eye of the Storm, but Quen kicked out at the last second.

Gallows brought a chair into the ring, and as the ref turned his attention on to him, he missed seeing Matt Hardy run in and hit Storm with a Twist of Fate, putting him out. Private Party then set up Storm for Gin & Juice, but as they did, Anderson blind-tagged himself in. He let Private Party hit the move, then scrambled in and got the legal pinfall on Storm.

After the match, Matt Hardy berated Private Party for the loss. Meanwhile, the commentators made it seem as if they were more concerned about where the Good Brothers’ loyalties lie than anything else.

This was a fine match, but ultimately a bit underwhelming as it relates to the broader AEW crossover storyline. Private Party fared well, and with good opponents to play off of, they came across as much better and more credible than they have than in their own company.

Winners, and still Impact Tag Team Champions: The Good Brothers

 

Match 9: Tommy Dreamer vs. Rich Swann (c) – for the Impact World Championship

They did in-ring introductions for this one, and before the match, Swann and Dreamer shook hands, both of which were nice touches.

The opening minutes saw them go even-steven in some technical wrestling, leading to an old-fashioned ECW stalemate – unfortunately, there was no live audience to show their appreciation for this with a customary standing ovation. Swann hit the first big move of the match, avoiding a flying dive attempt by Tommy off the apron to the floor, and then nailing Dreamer with one of his own. But a second attempt by Swann backfired, and Dreamer caught him and hit Swann with a Death Valley Driver on the floor. But in doing so, Tommy dislocated his finger and he had to take a break. Dr. Ross, the company’s medic came to the ring to check on it, but Dreamer refused his help and said he’d gut it out.

Swann got back into the ring and targeted Dreamer’s injured hand, first squeezing it and then stomping on it. He continued with the joint manipulation which backed Tommy into the corner and then hit a series of running forearm smashes to Dreamer in the corner. Dreamer finally blocked one and then clipped Swann with a low dropkick to the leg, and then hit him with a Spear that sent both of them crashing through the ropes and tumbling to the floor.

Swann kicked his way out of a Piledriver attempt on the floor, and then used the ropes to springboard himself and hit Dreamer with a Stunner.

Back in the ring, Dreamer caught Swann up top and dropped him with a Superplex. He tried for a slingshot move, and when Swann stopped himself and dove back for a Springboard Stunner, Dreamer caught him and dropped him instead – that was nice.

In an exchange of rollups, Swann once again grabbed Dreamer’s injured finger to slow down the veteran’s momentum. He then hit a series of Superkicks that brought Tommy to his knees first and then finally down face-first in the middle of the ring. Swann went up top for a Frog Splash, but Dreamer moved, and Swann landed hard. After an exchange of roll-ups, Dreamer stood up with Swann on his shoulder, and hit a Spicoli Driver – but Swann kicked out!

Swann grabbed Dreamer’s injured finger again and hit another Superkick that flattened Tommy. A Phoenix Splash finally was enough to put Dreamer down for good. After the match, Dreamer presented Swann with the title and they thanked each other.

But then Moose ran in and drove through both of them from behind, flattening both of them with a pair of uranages and attacking Swann’s ankle, and then bulldozing Dreamer with a Spear.

Moose then got a chair and bashed Swann’s leg with it, causing the champ to nearly pass out in pain. Moose grabbed Swann’s title and posed with it before finally leaving the ring.

This was a good match. At this point in Dreamer’s career, nobody was expecting an epic, but it was very good, and there was even a moment – after the Spicoli Driver – that it seemed that Dreamer could pull off the upset. If this was Dreamer’s last match, it was certainly respectable enough that he

Winner, and still Impact World Champion: Rich Swann

 

 

No Surrender - February 13th, 2021
3.5

Skyway Studios - Nashville, TN

These Impact Plus specials are a weird sort of animal. The matches are longer than on the weekly TV shows, and they aren’t crowded with silly comedy vignettes. So they feel somewhat special.  But they don’t have the oomph and feel of a Pay-Per-View in terms of significance. Which makes sense in terms of where they air (i.e. Impact Plus). And having so many matches on one show can dilute the good stuff (looking at you, any match involving Matt Cardona and Brian Myers). This show was strong, but if you missed it, you don’t need to go out of your way to find it.