Impact recap & reactions (May 25, 2023): PCO is cleared for world title shot

The main event of Under Siege was scheduled to be Steve Maclin defending the Impact World Championship against PCO, but the status of that match was put into question when Maclin tried to break PCO’s back last week. Maclin used a sledgehammer to smash concrete slabs on the monster’s spine. Surely, PCO would not be fit to compete, right? Think again. PCO is called the French-Canadian Frankenstein for a reason. PCO made a surprise return during Impact Wrestling (May 25, 2023).

Maclin arrogantly claimed PCO would not be showing up to Under Siege, so he handpicked the replacement opponent. The champ offered the title shot to Champagne Singh. Scott D’Amore interrupted to put the kibosh on that idea. Tensions increased between Impact’s head honcho and Impact’s world champ. Maclin tried to put D’Amore in his place by claiming the title belt trumps office authority.

D’Amore dropped the bomb that there will be no replacement. Lights out, lights on. PCO was in the ring kicking ass. The monster held the championship to stand tall as the closing image before Under Siege.

Let’s blitz through the rest of the results from Impact Wrestling.

• Chris Sabin defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey. Speedball kicked out of the Cradle Shock finisher, then he rallied with precision strikes and the tornado kick. Bailey missed the Ultima Weapon knee drop. Sabin pounced for a musclebuster and ended the match with a Cradle Shock.

• Trinity will never forget the Chicago fans showing so much love for her debut in Impact. She isn’t worried about the drama queen Gisele Shaw. Shaw will get knocked upside the head. Trinity will improve to 2-0 at Under Siege and move upward toward the Knockouts Championship.

• Kenny King & Sheldon Jean defeated Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus. King planted Steve with the Royal Flush to win. Afterward, King called out Nick Aldis, who was on commentary for the match. King threatened to stick his foot up Aldis’ ass. Aldis addressed the reality of the situation. Instead of King claiming that Aldis needs to work his way up to him, the truth is that King is trying to make a name for himself at Aldis’ expense. Aldis teased fisticuffs. Jean went on the attack, and Aldis calmly rammed him into the ring post. King teased a fighting stance, then he bailed from the ring. King was content to wait for their match at Under Siege.

• Taylor Wilde defeated Jessicka; Rosemary returns with new persona. The hourglass was running out for Rosemary to return from the Undead Realm. Jessicka was not focused on her match, so Wilde earned a quick win. Afterward, the Coven roughed up Jessicka. Rosemary arrived in the form of Courtney Rush with pep similar to Jessicka. Rush cleared the ring. Backstage, Rush explained that Rosemary was using her body as a vessel. Rush was eager for adventure. Death Dollz! (Full details here.)

• Rich Swann defeated Angels. Deaner, Kon, and Sami Callihan were ringside. Swann kicked out of a frog splash, then he seized the opportunity for a super rana. Swann finished with a 450 splash. Afterward, the Design beat down Swann and Callihan. Deaner bashed Callihan with a baseball bat.
• Deonna Purrazzo held no grudge for accidental contact from Jordynne Grace in their tag match. Alisha Edwards entered to stir the pot. The locker room is full of backstabbers. She warned that Purrazzo will see Grace’s true colors.
• Masha Slamovich attacked Killer Kelly backstage. They brawled into the kitchen. Slamovich used an electrical cord to choke out Kelly.

• Jordynne Grace defeated Alisha Edwards. The Juggernaut toyed with Edwards before squashing with an airplane spin and a Grace driver.
• Dango explained why he attacked Santino Marella. When Santino went for the cobra, Dango realized they were stuck as the same jesters from 2010. Dango also insulted the boys in the locker room and Joe Hendry. (Full details here.)

• #1 contender hype video for the six-way at Under Siege between Eddie Edwards, Moose, Frankie Kazarian, Alex Shelley, Jonathan Gresham, and Yuya Uemura.

• Chris Bey defeated John Skyler. Brian Myers, Jason Hotch, and Ace Austin were ringside. This played out to a similar finish from last week when Myers interfered for Hotch to beat Ace. This time, Bey was prepared and popped Myers. Bey bounced back for a cutter to pin Skyler.

This episode of Impact Wrestling was a momentum builder heading into Under Siege. Chris Sabin picked up a huge win over “Speedball” Mike Bailey. That makes Sabin the favorite in my book over X-Division champ Trey Miguel. At the least, it produces legitimate doubt if Trey will retain. Nick Aldis showed his swagger by clowning on Kenny King. In the main event segment, Impact confirmed PCO for his world title shot. Scott D’Amore acted as the mouthpiece here, since PCO doesn’t talk that much. There was some good tension between D’Amore and Steve Maclin, but I hope D’Amore slides to the background for future challengers. It is entertaining when D’Amore gets sassy, however, he’s not in the position to pay it off with a match against Maclin. For the Knockouts Championship feud, I would have liked to see more interaction this week between Deonna Purrazzo and Jordynne Grace. This are big stakes for Grace. A loss means she can’t compete for the title again while Purrazzo is champ. That stipulation doesn’t feel as big as it should.

The show-stealers were character reboots for Rosemary and Dango. Courtney Rush is a fresh start, and the world is wide open. Dango railing on the current wrestler culture had stinging truths in a heel way. Also, that mini brawl between Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly kicked ass. Give me more of that feud, please.

The full card for Under Siege on Friday, May 26 includes:

• Impact World Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs. PCO in No DQ
• Knockouts Championship: Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. Jordynne Grace (If Grace loses, then she will not receive another title shot as long as Purrazzo is champion.)
• X-Division Championship: Trey Miguel (c) vs. Chris Sabin
• Impact World Tag Team Championship: Ace Austin & Chris Bey (c) vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster
• #1 Contender for Impact World Championship: Moose vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Yuya Uemura vs. Alex Shelley vs. Frankie Kazarian
• Sami Callihan, Rich Swann, & a partner vs. Deaner, Angels, & Kon
• Nick Aldis vs. Kenny King
• Trinity vs. Gisele Shaw
• Impact Digital Media Championship: Joe Hendry (c) vs. Dango on the pre-show
• Courtney Rush & Jessicka vs. Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King on the pre-show.

The Under Siege pre-show kicks off at 7:30 pm ET for free on YouTube. The main show starts at 8 pm ET available through IMPACT Plus, YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders, and Fite TV.

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