AJ Styles: Olympic Gold Medalist? (8/21 Impact Recap)

Impact opens with highlights of last week’s broadcast and we then see footage of Kurt Angle’s arrival to the Impact Zone earlier in the day.  Jeremy Borash meets up with him and Angle says he is here for two things – to get his gold medal back and to confront the S.O.B. who stuck his nose in his business.  Angle says that it is no secret as to who it is and says that it is no longer two years ago, it is Planet Angle now.

A video game Impact intro hits and we are welcomed to show which will feature an X Division title match between Petey Williams and Consequences Creed, Gail Kim and Awesome Kong in a street fight and a Four Ways to Glory qualifying match between Rhino and Booker T.

Match 1: Robert Roode vs. Hernandez
Roode doesn’t wait for Hernandez to get in the ring and attacks him on the outside.  Roode brings it into the ring but Hernandez is able to take control and holds Roode up for a long suplex.  Roode goes to the outside and Hernandez chases after him but James Storm hides below the apron and levels Hernandez with a clothesline.  While the referee has his hands full with Salinas and Hector Guerrero, both Roode and Storm toss Hernandez into the steel steps.

Roode continues on the assault in the ring and picks up a near fall after a neck breaker.  Roode follows with a headlock but Hernandez is able to get out of it and begins to power Roode around the ring and picks up a near fall after driving Roode down to the mat.  Hernandez gets Roode up in the Border Toss position as Jacqueline gets in the ring but Salinas quickly comes in and takes her down.

The distraction is enough to stop Hernandez from doing the move as Storm gets on the apron and holds Hernandez in place but he is able to break free before Roode is able to do anything. Hernandez then pushes Roode into Storm and then drives him down with a gut wrench slam and picks up the three count.

Jeremy Borash is with the Olympic Gold Medalist, AJ Styles, who says he will give him a chance to win it back in a ladder match.  Kurt Angle then comes into the picture being held back by security who is demanding that he returns his gold medal.  A ladder match is booked for later tonight.

Match 2: Eric Young & BG James vs. The Motorcity Machine Guns
Both Eric Young and BG James are startled by the pyro during their ring entrance.  The bell rings and the two teams get in the offense until the MMG’s turn on the double team moves against James.  James, however, is able to stall the MMG’s with a double DDT and tags in Young, who is able to get a two count on a roll up.  The MMG’s try to mount some more double team offense, but Young is able to put the match away with a neck breaker on Sabin to pick up the pin fall.

After the match, Alex Shelley shakes the hands of his opponents but Sabin refuses to.  Instead, he spits in his hand and slaps James across the face.  The two begin to brawl in the ring and have to be separated by security.  James yells out and says that he will take respect from him.

Jeremy Borash and Kurt Angle join Booker T and Sharmell in their locker room and has a favor to ask of him.  Angle asks him to be in his corner during his ladder match in case a certain man with a guitar shows up.  Booker says that he has his own problems to take care of with a Rhinoceros, but will back him up.

A video package of the history between SoCal Val, Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt is aired.  SoCal Val is tonight’s guest on Karen’s Angle and says that she doesn’t know what to do anymore with the situation between Lethal and Dutt.  Dutt comes out and says that he is in love with her and wants her to pick him over Lethal.  Lethal charges out and knocks Dutt off the couch and tosses him through the set.  Val tries to stop it but Lethal pushes her away in a blind rage as security comes in to help her out.  Mike Tenay and Don West mention that Val sustained a concussion and facial bruising due to the melee.

The next installment of TNA Rough Cut is aired and it is focusing on Consequences Creed working toward his dream of becoming a professional wrestler.  His friend talks about Creed’s DVD collection of wrestling videos.  Creed says he looked up to Kurt Angle but he realized in high school wrestling that he should be himself.

Match 3: Matt Morgan vs. Frankie Capone
Capone attacks Morgan before the bell, but Morgan powers him over his shoulder and powering him around for a bit.  Morgan levels Capone with a big boot and puts him away with the Hellevator for the win.

After the match, Brother Ray comes out with a microphone and says that Morgan just defeated someone that has no future in the business as Brother Devon comes out and takes him out from behind.  The two-on-one assault doesn’t last long as Abyss comes out and helps Morgan clear the ring.

A pre-taped interview between Mike Tenay and Kevin Nash is aired.  Nash says that he helped get Samoa Joe into TNA and that they have become friends, but his temper will eventually catch up with him and could possibly cost him the title.  Nash then talks about the younger wrestlers today and how they don’t care about the pecking order and that may be what has Sting upset.  Nash says he doesn’t want to speak for Sting as he will get a chance to speak his mind next week on Impact.

Clips of an interview conducted between Lauren and the Beautiful People from earlier in the day is aired.  Lauren asks Angelina Love about her thoughts on challenging Taylor Wilde for the Knockout Championship at No Surrender.  Love says that she is going to win the title and give it a makeover until they are interrupted by Kip James.  They walk into a room where Taylor is getting her hair done and knock her out before giving her a makeover of their own.
Jeremy Borash is standing by with Rhino, who says there is a lot of drama going down that doesn’t have to do with wrestling.  Rhino says he isn’t going to choose sides as he is there to wrestle.  He says he is going to beat Booker and earn a spot in the main event at No Surrender.

Match 4: Booker T vs. Rhino (Four Ways to Glory Qualifying Match)
Another whoissuicide.com message flashed across the screen during Booker’s ring entrance.  Rhino gains the early advantage in the match and goes for a couple of quick pin attempts to put this match away early on.  Rhino takes Booker down with a hard spinebuster but Sharmell lays Booker’s foot across the ring ropes to stop the pin attempt.  Christian Cage comes out of the tunnel and carries her to the back to help even the odds as we head into a commercial break.

Booker is in control of the match when we return from the break.  Booker nails Rhino with a few kicks before Rhino takes him down with a desperation shoulder block.  Rhino follows up with a belly-to-belly suplex but misses with a diving headbutt.  Booker returns with an axe kick and picks up the win to qualify for the main event at No Surrender.

Lauren is standing by with Gail Kim and talks about her history with Awesome Kong and asks if a street fight against her is a good idea.  Kim says that she is willing to do anything to win back the Knockout title and tonight we will see a different side of her that we have never seen before.  I guess that side will be her backside as she is walking through the exit doors.

Footage of the match between Petey Williams and Consequences Creed from Hard Justice is aired.  The return match between these two will take place right now.

Match 5: Consequences Creed vs. Petey Williams (X Division Title Match)
Williams and Creed go back and forth with some mat wrestling at the start of this match.  Creed is able to pick up a near fall on Williams, but comes up short before being thrown around the ring by his hair.  Sheik Abdul Bashir is shown watching the match from the ramp as Creed picks up another two count.

Williams and Creed continues to go back and forth as this match goes on.  Creed is able to face plant Williams before giving him a gut buster and Bashir makes his way to the ring, but Creed is there to knock him back to the floor.  Creed also tosses Williams out to the floor and dives over the ropes onto both of them.  Back in the ring, Creed takes down Williams with a superkick and puts him on his shoulders as Bashir enters the ring to attack Creed and the referee disqualifies Williams.

Bashir continues to attack Creed in the ring until Williams gets in his face for interfering in his match.  The two yell at each other in the ring as we head to Borash who is standing by with the Rock n’ Rave Infection.  The Prince Justice Brotherhood appears who serves them with a subpoena for disgracing rock music.  Curry Man and Shark Boy warn them to turn their music down but they get hit with plastic guitars for their troubles.

Match 6: Awesome Kong vs. Gail Kim (Knockout Street Fight)
Gail Kim hugs her sister, Katie, before the start of this match.  The bell rings and these two begin fighting on the floor and Kong sends her flying into the ring post.  The fight heads out into the crowd and into the bleachers as Kong begins using a fan’s umbrella on Kim’s back.  The fight makes its way back around to the ringside area and Kong finally loses control of the match by missing with a clothesline and hitting the ring post.

Kim chases Raisha Saeed into the ring with a kendo stick and cracks her a few times before landing the neckbreaker on Saeed.  Kong slides in a chair behind Kim but Kim kicks it in her face.  Kim wedges the chair in between the ropes as Kong charges at her and nails herself in the head with the chair.  Kim tries to take advantage with a pin attempt, but Kong is able to kick out.  Kim then climbs out to the top rope and tries for a cross body block, but Kong catches her and turns it into an Implant Buster to pick up the win.

Saeed comes back into the ring with another chair and continues to assault her as Katie Kim looks on with concern.  Kong looks to give Kim an Awesome Bomb onto the chair but a referee comes out to stop them.  Katie comes into the ring to help her sister until Kong pulls her up by her hair and is about to drive her down onto the chair until ODB and Roxxi come out with chairs of the own.  Kong leaves the group in the ring as Mike Tenay pleads with the production crew to go into break.

Match 7: Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles (Gold Medal Ladder Match)
Kurt Angle comes down with a ladder and immediately goes for the gold as Styles comes charging down the ramp and attacks Booker T, who is standing by in the ringside area.  Samoa Joe comes out as well and attacks Booker as Styles stops Angle from climbing up the ladder.  The two begin to fight for the ladder on the outside as Angle backs Styles into the guard railing.  Styles then stops Angle from bringing the ladder into the ring and gains the advantage as we see Sharmell coming down the ramp and we are sent to a commercial break.

We return to see Angle choking Styles with his shirt before dropping Styles face first into the ladder.  Angle sets up the ladder but Styles is able to get up and stop Angle from using it.  Angle locks in a head lock as Samoa Joe tells Styles how to get out of the hold.  Styles escapes the hold and Styles counters an Olympic Slam with a DDT.  Styles comes back with a backbreaker and sets up a ladder but Angle is able to stop him from climbing up with an Olympic Slam.

Angle starts climbing and gets a hold of his medals, but Styles pushes the ladder down and it looks like Angle lands awkwardly.  Styles then lands a flying forearm on Angle as Samoa Joe and Booker T begin fighting on the outside until Booker finally takes him out with a mysterious black bat.

Back in the ring, Styles nearly gets to the medals as Angle climbs up from the other side to stop him but the lights turn out and Jeff Jarrett’s music begins to play.  The lights turn back on and we see Styles with a guitar in his hand taking out Kurt Angle.  With Angle down, Styles is able to grab the gold medal to win the match.

Quick Results
- Hernandez defeated Robert Roode by pin fall.
- Eric Young & BG James defeated The Motorcity Machine Guns by pin fall.
- Matt Morgan defeated Frankie Capone by pin fall.
- Booker T defeated Rhino by pin fall to qualify for the main event at No Surrender.
- Consequences Creed defeated Petey Williams by disqualification
- Awesome Kong defeated Gail Kim by pin fall in a Knockout Street Fight.
- AJ Styles defeated Kurt Angle in a Gold Medal Ladder Match.

Starman’s Thoughts
It could be due to the fact that I am tired, but nothing really stuck out to me tonight as being noteworthy.  The opening match was entertaining, the ladder match was decent and the X Division title match was fun to watch, but Sting’s and Jarrett’s involvement in the show without being there is really starting to get on my nerves.  I don’t mind when angles take time to simmer and build, but after seeing the same things week in and week out, I am ready to see this come to an end without it even really going anywhere.  Hopefully Sting will set the ball rolling as he is scheduled to be on Impact next week.