Impact Wrestling Results: Winners, Grades, Highlights, Analysis from May 5

The wild and unpredictable nature of Monster's Ball made the main event of Thursday's Impact Wrestling between Jonah and PCO a can't-miss spectacle.

The violent battle for wrestling supremacy headlined an AXS TV broadcast that also featured the final preparations for Saturday's Under Siege live event and the culmination of a monthslong feud between W. Morrissey and Brian Myers as they squared off in a tables match.

The rivalry between W. Morrissey and Brian Myers culminated in a Tables Match Thursday night as the former finally paid off months of near-misses by powerbombing The Most Professional Wrestler over the top rope and through a table at ringside.

The victory came after repeated interference from Digital Media champion Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green, as well as a perfectly timed save from former Knockouts champion Jordynne Grace. A wild, chaotic match that was always fun and never felt like it overstayed its welcome, this was a great way to kick off the night's show and wrap up one of the more underrated feuds of the first half of 2022.

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Myers talked trash to Morrissey, then ate a big boot to the face in a fun bit of comeuppance.
• Cardona tipped over a table and joined in beating down Morrissey, the Major Players drawing big heat.
• Chelsea Green attempted a sneak attack with the Digital Media Championship but Morrissey cut her off. 
• Jordynne Grace came to the aid of Morrissey and helped the big man neutralize Cardona and Green, including a combination powerbomb/big boot through a table to the Broski.
• The finish was an emphatic exclamation point for the feud.

Ace Austin defended his X-Division Championship against New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Rocky Romero in a match that was as good as one would expect given the talent involved. 

As he has every time he has entered the Impact Zone, Romero put over his opponent while reminding fans that he is still a seriously talented professional wrestler. The skill sets meshed well, Romero worked hard and Austin scored the definitive victory with The Fold.

Romero does not get enough credit for his selflessness when he pops up on Impact or in AEW. He is a recognizable face with plenty of stroke in Japan, but is consistently putting other talents over. In this one, he helped establish Austin's third run with the X-Division Championship. 

Grade

B

Top Moments

• After an ugly Hurricanrana on the floor, an alert Austin immediately tapped on his opponent's back, a low-key means of checking on Romero's wellbeing.
• Romero countered a kick into a single-legged Boston Crab in a creative spot.
• Trey Miguel hit the ring after the match and cleared The Inevitable out of the ring. "I'm cashing in my rematch at Under Siege and I'm leaving a two-time Impact Wrestling X-Division champion!" he warned the current champ.

Masha Slamovich continued her unbeaten run through Impact Wrestling with a victory in seconds over Damaris. The win was like every other we have seen from Slamovich: uncontested and short. Until she mixes it up with top stars, Slamovich will continue to be a talented individual with no real connection to the Impact faithful.

The Bullet Club's Jay and Bey Connection looked for another quality win, this time against Rich Swann and Willie Mack. Another strong match on this broadcast saw White and Bey highlight their in-ring chemistry, the former delivering a half-and-half suplex ahead of Bey executing the Ultimate Finnesser for the win.

Mack is a fantastic babyface, a guy who knows when to up the intensity both in his in-ring game and facial expressions. Both he and Swann are underutilized, and hopefully the backstage confrontation with Matt Cardona and Brian Myers will result in something more for the two of them to do.

A sneak attack by Honor No More on the Bullet Club brought The Good Brothers to the ring and helped hype Saturday's big tag team match. Why the Ring of Honor alumni could not get the upper hand to help build credibility is a question that has been asked since they arrived on the scene, but at least a high-profile showdown between the two factions should be a lot of fun.

Grade

D for Slamovich's squash win; B- for the tag match

Top Moments

• Raj Singh and Mahabali Shera cut a promo on Bhupinder Gujjar.
• Mack broke through a double clothesline and obliterated the opposition with a massive clothesline of his own in a great fiery babyface moment.
• White applying a simple sleeper to Swann to prevent him from breaking up the pin is such a smart, cerebral little detail that helped enhance the quality of the match.

Tomohiro Ishii will challenge for the Impact World Championship against Josh Alexander on Saturday at Under Siege, but the Stone Pitbull had another double-tough challenge in front of him Thursday night as he battled Steve Maclin in singles competition.

Maclin, still riding momentum following his victory over Chris Sabin and Jay White at Rebellion, put up a hell of a fight that suggested he is on the level of the New Japan export. He was tough, tenacious and nearly upset his opponent but ultimately succumbed to the brainbuster as Ishii continued his recent roll.

At one point in his career, Maclin touted the tagline "forgotten no more." It is appropriate for his run in Impact thus far because the former WWE Superstar has repeatedly performed up to the level of his opposition, developing into a bona fide breakout star and a candidate to be Impact world champion before the end of the year.

When he finally starts getting the nod in these matches, he will be on his way to achieving main event recognition with the promotion.

Grade

B+

Top Moments

• The exchange of fists at the opening bell put over the kickass, no-nonsense approach of the competitors.
• The commentary team really put over Maclin's victory over White and Sabin at Rebellion.
• Maclin's lariat into a near-fall was a great moment that teased he may score the improbable upset.

A reanimated PCO and Jonah settled their differences Thursday night in a chaotic Monster's Ball match that played up the history of the gimmick bout and put an end to a rivalry that has managed to intensify every time the competitors have squared off.

Utilizing weapons, high spots and brutality, the competitors delivered a match that was appropriately violent while playing to their brawling tendencies. There were several strong near-falls and a great false finish after Jonah powerbombed his opponent into a pile of thumbtacks. In the end, though, it was PCO who earned the win with a moonsault after sending Jonah through a table at ringside.

Monster's Ball is a trademark match of Impact and one typically reserved for the most intense rivalries. It is a testament to what PCO and Jonah have been able to accomplish in recent months that they were able to have fans buy into it.

PCO scored a much-needed win for Honor No More. Recent vignettes and his positioning on the card suggest management sees greater potential in him than other members of the faction. If that is the case, do not be surprised to see the Frankenstein of pro wrestling retained and utilized more frequently, even without his Ring of Honor brethren by his side.

Grade

B

Top Moments

• PCO delivered a Hurricanrana that sent Jonah onto several chairs in the ring.
• Jonah responded, sending PCO crashing through a ladder in the corner.
• PCO delivered the Deanimator on the ring apron, driving his body into his opponent.
• The first cover of the match took place over 15 minutes into the brawl.
• "Jonah's messed up right now," Tom Hannifan said matter-of-factly on commentary.
• The Jonah Bomb onto thumbtacks was a sickening, brutal moment that still only netted a two-count.