The Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Show – Lou Thesz/George Tragos Hall of Fame weekend is the biggest of event of the year for IPW. It’s a time to honor the greats of wrestling’s past with an induction into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
This year stars like Trish Stratus, Jim Ross, and Mike Rotunda received their induction. While the three-day event honors the past, the IPW Hall of Fame show that took place last Friday night in Waterloo gave fans a glimpse into IPW’s future.
Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Show
Golden Spotlight
In the match of the night, the “Golden God” Bryce Jordyn defeated former WWE Superstar Mike Bennett. Physicality was high during this match as Jordyn had to up the intensity to match what Bennett brings every time he steps through the ropes.
Bennett stepped in to fill the vacancy left when at the time Ring of Honor Champion Jonathan Gresham had to cancel taking part in the show. Any nervousness within Jordyn was quickly removed after receiving a hard right hand from Bennett.
The two engaged in a back-and-forth contest. Jordyn’s speed and athleticism serving as the perfect counterpart to Bennett’s strength and physicality. Two of the night’s best near falls came in this match.
Jordyn hitting a pair of super kick’s had the Waterloo crowd on the edge of their seats. Then Bennett’s picture-perfect pile driver sent them over the edge in excitement as Jordyn barely got his shoulder up before the three count.
Both men pulled out all the stops before Jordyn hit his “Destino” finisher for the upset win. After the match, Bennett got on the mic and talked about Boston Strong Style and this type of match being what pro wrestling is all about.
He praised Jordyn for his efforts, and even though he had a punchable face, Bennett expects big things from him in the future. The two shook hands and embraced to a boisterous ovation from the IPW fans.
Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Show
Legendary Challenge
Entering his one-on-one contest with former WWE, WCW, and ECW legend 2 Cold Scorpio, the “Lone Diamond” Jaxon King had heard the scoffs. He’d heard the comments of people not giving him a chance at defeating 2 Cold Scorpio.
“He was too young” to be a threat to Scorpio. Motivated by the detractors, King quickly set the tone for this match, refusing to shake Scorpio’s hand as the match began. From here King brought out everything in his arsenal, not holding anything back against the legend.
A missile dropkick from the top turnbuckle gained King his closest two count of the match. Despite his best efforts and aggressive attitude, it wasn’t meant to be for Jaxon King on this night as he eventually fell to the legendary 2 Cold Scorpio.
A vicious powerbomb put King down for the three count. After the loss, King vowed to use this opportunity to grow and become even better going forward.
Respect Earned
During the 2021 IPW Hall of Fame Show, Ethan Everheart was a tag team champion with Justin Decent. The pair successfully defended their titles in a multi-team tag match, a match featuring Colt Cabana.
Fast forward to this year and Everheart, now on his own, found himself staring across the ring at the AEW and Ring of Honor star. For Everheart, a native of Waterloo, this was the biggest singles match of his IPW career.
No partner to fall back on, this was his time to shine, and the 20-year-old did just that. He went step for step with Cabana, answering the veteran’s attempts with counters of his own. Everheart didn’t let Cabana’s attempts at comedic moments throughout the match throw him off his game.
No, he was laser focused throughout the match. Neither man held the advantage for long during this contest, but in the end the crafty veteran found his opportunity.
After avoiding an attack from Everheart, Cabana got the victory with a surprise roll-up. The win didn’t keep Cabana from giving props to Everheart for being as talented as he is at a young age.
He promised one day, Everheart was going to become the man in IPW. Much like Bennett and Jordyn later in the night, in a true motion of respect, these two shook hands before Cabana exited so Everheart could soak in the crowd’s approval.
Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Show
Ultimate Underdog
This year in a field of competitors featuring monstrous men like Viktor Payn and the Death Dealer, the victor turned out to be the smallest man in the ring, Zeke Dynamics. Never one to back down from a fight, Dynamics avoided elimination multiple times throughout the match and had his hand in several eliminations.
The odds looked grim for Dynamics when it came down to the final three competitors. Gable Galileo and Matty Star, who had formed an alliance, eliminated last year’s battle royal winner, the Death Dealer.
The nefarious duo then turned their focus to Dynamics. In true underdog fashion, Dynamics first eliminated Galileo, using the “King of the Cosmos” own momentum against him.
The victory came in a more exciting fashion as Dynamics reversed a powerbomb attempt from Star into a modified frankensteiner over the top rope. Dynamics victory on the opening match of the show elicited one of the loudest reactions of the night.
Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Show
A Champion Emerges
For the first time in his IPW career, Cole Cannon is a champion. Last Friday, Cannon outlasted four other men in a IPW Extreme Championship Scramble Match. His opponents that night were Zeke Dynamic, Matty Star, Sparrow, and champion at the time, Malice.
The five men used a variety of weapons to inflict as much damage as possible, including chairs and kendo sticks. Malice had a rough start to the match, with all four of his opponents using a weapon against him.
However, the long-standing Extreme Champion fought off the attack and used a chair against Sparrow and Star. Each man had an opportunity to shine, with Zeke Dynamic hitting a beautiful moonsault from the top turnbuckle to Star and Sparrow on the outside being a match highlight.
After Malice was taken out, charging head first into a chair, Cole Cannon seized the opportunity. A spectacular Cannon Driver onto Matty Star gave Cannon the 1-2-3. After the match, in the ultimate act of respect, Malice handed Cannon his hard-earned IPW Extreme Championship.
Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Show
The new stars of IPW weren’t the only ones that shined Saturday night. Miss Frankie Jay returned to action during the Hall of Fame Show when she took on the debuting, Rebecca Roper.
Their match was midway through when the Hale Twins, Briar and Sage, along with Captain Midnight Guthrie, interrupted.
Their actions transformed this into a tag team match, one that Roper and Frankie Jay got the victory in. Two veterans of the ring, Jeremy Wyatt and the Big Picture put on a classic of their own.
The contrast in styles meshed well, and both notched another impressive performance at the Hall of Fame to their belt. The Tag Team Championships were successfully defended by Justin Decent and the Death Dealer.
These two have met countless times and this was just another great match added to their story. Smooth pulled out all the stops but was unable to take the championship off Jeffries. It was a victory that sent the fans home happy and closed out another classic Hall of Fame Show.
