A new year brings a new champion in Impact Wrestling -- even if he technically won it last year.
Taiji Ishimori unseated Trevor Lee as Impact Wrestling X Division champion on Thursday night's episode of Impact, winning with a 450 splash to gain his first reign with the title.
Below is an excerpt of our Fightful live coverage.
They start the match off by grappling before Lee beats Taiji down and plays to the crowd. Taiji hit a a huricanrrana than sends Lee out of the ring before playing to the crowd, Lee quick to get back in before Caleb yanks Taiji off of the apron and to the floor as Lee distracts the referee. Caleb sends Taiji into the railing repeatedly before rolling him back into the ring for a quick two count. Lee keeps the high flying Ishimori grounded before whipping him into the corner for another quick two count. Taiji comes back with a springboard meteora before hitting a double foot stomp off of the top.
Taiji then knocks Caleb off of the apron before Lee hits a Spanish fly. They exchange standing switches and back flips before Taiji hits a hand spring roundhouse kick for a near fall. Lee then hits a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall before Taiji hits a gutbuster and a 450 splash for the pin and the win.
Winner: Taiji Ishimori defeats Trevor Lee via pinfall to become the new X-Division champion
Despite the title switch just airing, Ishimori actually won the title at the Ottawa, Ontario Impact tapings back on November 9. It was the first time in nine years that the championship changed hands in Canada, and ended Trevor Lee's third reign.
Elsewhere on the show, LAX regained the Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championships, by defeating oVw. Just moments after James Storm was forced away from Impact, LAX would have been forced to leave the company if they had lost. You can see a clip from the match below.
You can see Fightful.com's full coverage of Impact Wrestling at this link.
