Impact opens with footage from Lockdown where Team 3D became TNA Tag Team Champions and Mick Foley walked out as the TNA World Champion. Bobby Lashley also showed up as the voiceover guy asks how Lashley will fit into the power struggle and promises that this is an episode that cannot be missed.
The Impact intro hits as Mike Tenay asks how TNA will react to Mick Foley being the World Champion. Jeff Jarrett’s music hits as he comes down to the ring with the TNA World Championship over his shoulder. Jarrett introduces Mick Foley who comes out to the ring wearing a sports coat, dress pants and a pair of sneakers. The first thing Foley does is thanks Dirk, the cameraman, for his assistance in his match at Lockdown.
Foley then turns serious and says winning the TNA Championship meant a lot to him and wants the fans to give a round of applause to Sting for putting up a great fight. Jarrett steps in and awards Mick Foley the TNA Championship as Foley begins posing with the title held high above his head. Jarrett goes on to say that he never thought that they would be standing in the ring like this six months ago.
Jarrett then informs Foley that he will be defending the title at Sacrifice and TNA management has decided it will be in a four-way match. If Foley is pinned, he will lose the title, however, if one of his three opponents gets pinned, they will also sacrifice something. His opponents will be chosen by what they are willing to sacrifice.
Foley says he understands the stipulations but wants to know who TNA management is. Foley is under the impression that the management is himself and Jarrett and he didn’t book himself in a match like that. Foley says he can sense some jealousy in Jarrett and books Jarrett in a match tonight and puts him in a “Cactus Jack Smack Attack,” where he will personally select some items to do battle with Scott Steiner.
Lauren is standing in the back with the Beautiful People who are celebrating Angelina Love’s victory at Lockdown. They are throwing confetti around and are going to throw the biggest party to celebrate tonight.
Footage from earlier today is aired where Don West is standing by with Team 3D. Brother Ray thanks the fans and thanks Beer Money before calling them one hell of a tag team. Brother Ray says tag team wrestling is alive and well but it isn’t a strong as it could be. To breathe new life into the division they will be holding a Team 3D Tag Team Invitational Tournament where the winners will win $100,000 and get a shot at the TNA Tag Team Championship.
Match 1: Beer Money, Inc. vs. Lethal Consequences (Team 3D Invitational Tournament Quarterfinal Match)
Lethal and Creed start this match out quick with their speed and take down both Storm and Roode. The action breaks down shortly after with Creed taking out both members of Beer Money with a dive over the top ropes. Creed then sends Roode back into the way the hard way but Storm is able to make a blind tag and Storm takes Creed down.
Beer Money then methodically picks Creed apart with quick tags and double team moves. Creed is able to finally make it over to his corner to tag in Lethal and takes Roode down with a missile dropkick before hitting the Lethal Combination on Roode but he is able to kick out of the pin fall. With the referee distracted, Storm hits Lethal with a superkick and Beer Money takes him down with the DWI to score the pin fall and advance in the tournament.
Jeremy Borash is with the Main Event Mafia in their locker room where Kurt Angle says the MEM beat themselves at Lockdown. Scott Steiner wants to accept responsibility by putting his trust in Jarrett. Steiner calls Jarrett out and says he is going to spit in his face after he beats his ass.
After a commercial break Jeremy Borash is with Jeff Jarrett who says he made a business decision at Lockdown as all of the young stars bust their asses for TNA. Eric Young comes up to Jarrett and asks what he needs to do to get a chance in TNA. Jarrett tells him to find Holliday, whose partner is having travel issues, and enter the Tag Team Tournament.
We then see a graphic of Jethro Holliday, who was Trevor Murdoch in WWE. The two will be taking on No Limit. Also on tonight’s show will be a ladder match between Sojo Bolt and Taylor Wilde for a shot at the Knockouts Championship and AJ Styles will defend the Legends Championship against Kevin Nash.
We are then treated to backstage footage from Lockdown where Mick Foley leaves Philadelphia and drives home. We then see him put his kids on the school bus the next morning and gloats to the bus driver about winning the championship.
Lauren is backstage with the Main Event Mafia and asks Kevin Nash if his ring rust will have any effect in his match. Nash says he is going to bring Booker’s Legends Championship back as Sharmell and Jenna Morasca begin getting into an argument. Booker and Nash have to stand in the middle of it and Sharmell tells Booker to take care of the problem.
More footage of Foley is aired where we see him going into diner and mingles with the local folk and talks to a fan on the phone.
Jeremy Borash is with Jeff Jarrett again as AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels walk in and appreciates what they have done for them. Styles tells Jarrett that they have his back tonight.
Match 2: Sojourner Bolt vs. Taylor Wilde (Ladder Match for Knockouts Title Match)
The bell rings and they both climb up the ladder in the ring before Taylor knocks Bolt off. Bolt then pushes the ladder over but Taylor lands on her feet. Bolt takes her down with a right and sets the ladder up in the corner. It backfires, though, as Taylor is able to send her flying into it.
Taylor then begins climbing up the ladder but Sojo is able to stop Taylor and take her down with a back drop off the ladder. Bolt begins climbing up the ladder and the she suffers the same fate. Bolt then grabs a pair of brass knuckles as the two climb up opposite sides of the ladder. Bolt delivers a knockout punch and grabs the contract to win the match.
Jeremy Borash is with Jeff Jarrett once again and asks about his match against Scott Steiner as Slick Johnson runs in and says that his daughter called and wants to talk to him right away.
Velvet Sky is in the ring and shills the TNA Knockouts trading cards. She also says that they are going to make Madison Rayne an official member of the Beautiful People and formerly introduce the new TNA Knockout Champion, Angelina Love.
Love comes down to the ring and thanks all of her fans for supporting her through all of the years. Velvet Sky then calls out for some dancing boys as three guys in wife-beaters and blue jeans come out to the ring and dance for Angelina. Awesome Kong’s music then interrupts as some comes down to the ring and chases Love out of the ring. Kong then delivers an Awesome Bomb to one of the dancers as the others leave the ring.
More footage of Foley is aired where we see him getting a massage and he gives the blind masseuse a $100 tip instead of a $1 tip as he is making championship money.
Match 3: Kevin Nash vs. AJ Styles (Legends Championship)
The match starts and Nash goes on the offense by taking Styles down with a series of knees. Styles then goes after said knees and takes Nash off his feet and continues to work over his legs. Nash, though, is able to nail Styles with his huge elbow pad that knocks him out of the ring.
Nash retrieves Styles and takes him down with a side slam and picks up a two count. Styles begins fighting back and takes Nash down with a flying forearm and is able to cover for a two count. Styles hits Nash with the Pele kick but Nash again kicks out of the pin attempt.
Styles then misses with a springboard flip as we see Booker T and Sharmell come down to the ring. Booker hits Styles with an axe kick as Nash goes for the Jackknife powerbomb but Rudy Charles calls for the bell as he saw the interference and awards the match to Styles.
We see footage of what happened during the commercial break where Kurt Angle had to step in between Booker T and Kevin Nash. Mike Tenay says there is trouble in paradise.
Match 4: No Limit vs. Jethro Holliday & Eric Young (Team 3D Invitational Tournament Quarterfinal Match)
The match starts and EY takes Yujiro down with a dropkick and goes for a quick cover. Young tags in Holliday and he takes Yujiro down with a hard full nelson slam but he is able to kick out of another pin fall. Yujiro rakes the eyes of Holliday and tags in his partner as Naito takes Holliday down with a missile dropkick. No Limit then flies around the ring to wear down their opponents.
Naito continues to work over Holliday with a chin lock and tags in Yujiro who slams Holliday down to the mat and goes for a high risk move but Holliday is able to lift up a boot. Young is tagged back in and nearly picks up the pin fall after slamming Yujiro down to the mat. Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi begin causing a distraction but EY is able to roll up Yujiro for the pin fall.
Lauren is with AJ Styles who says that Nash brought his A-game until Booker interfered. Styles then runs into Joe in the parking lot and asks what is going on with him. Styles wants to talk things over as friends and Joe says there are no friends, just his nation of violence.
Footage of Abyss’ latest therapy session is aired. Lauren is with him and asks Dr. Stevie when he got his degree in psychology and wonders if he studied for one while he was in ECW. Dr. Stevie says that he loves her compassion and wonders if she feels the same compassion for him. Stevie says that Abyss is like a brother to him as he has gone through the same thing that Abyss has. Lauren then allows Stevie to continue with the therapy.
A sit down interview between Mike Tenay and Christopher Daniels is aired. Daniels talks about the early days in TNA and how it was supposed to be an alternative to what was going on in professional wrestling. He couldn’t accept seeing the Main Event Mafia on television trying to be bigger than TNA and realized that there was an opportunity for him to prove to everyone that he belongs in the upper echelon in the company.
More up close and personal footage of Mick Foley is aired where he is signing autographs for people at an airport. He also sets off the metal detector with the TNA World Championship.
Mick Foley joins the broadcast team to add a little more “color” to the upcoming main event. There are some odd weapons lined in the entry way, such as a Santa Claus statue, a toy pitchfork, and a roll of carpet.
Match 5: Scott Steiner vs. Jeff Jarrett (Cactus Jack Smack Attack)
The bell rings and Jarrett repeatedly hits Steiner with a kendo stick before picking up a crutch and nailing Steiner in the midsection. Jarrett sends Steiner out to the floor and nails Steiner with a metal sign from a fan. Steiner begins to fight back and sends Jarrett into the railing before slamming him on the ground.
Steiner picks up a pogo stick but Jarrett clotheslines him and picks up a mail box, but Steiner cuts him off and nails Jarrett with the Santa statue. Steiner then suplexes Jarrett on to a garbage can that as we head into a commercial break.
We return to the match to see that it is back in the ring and Jarrett sends Steiner’s head into a chair placed in the corner of the ring. Jarrett then DDT’s Steiner into a garbage can but Steiner is able to deliver a suplex to Jarrett to stop his momentum. Steiner locks on the Steiner Recliner but Jarrett makes it to the ropes. Jarrett comes back and tries to go for the Stroke onto a chair but Steiner stops him and sends Jarrett into the chair.
Steiner places a garbage can onto Jarrett’s head and hits him with a crutch and tries to go for another Steiner Recliner but Jarrett hits a low blow and hits the Stroke. Jarrett goes for a pin fall but Steiner kicks out and comes back by hitting Jarrett with a garbage can. Steiner goes for another Steiner Recliner and he makes his way back to the ropes once again. Jarrett is able to turn the tide once again as Jarrett grabs his guitar and smashes it over Steiner’s head. Jarrett hits the Stroke once again and picks up the pin fall.
After the match, Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and takes Jarrett down with the Angle Slam. Angle then locks on the ankle lock as Steiner puts on the Steiner Recliner. Mick Foley then enters the ring with a chair and nails Angle from behind and chases Steiner out of the ring. Foley then cracks Jarrett in the head with the chair as we head into a commercial break.
Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels are in the ring and Jarrett says he has nobody to blame but himself for hiring Foley. Jarrett says it is now personal between them and says he is going to shove a pink slip up his ass the next time he sees him.
Bobby Lashley’s music cuts off Jarrett as he shows up on the ring entrance as Angle and Steiner are pointing at him and smiling as Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- Beer Money, Inc. defeated Lethal Consequences by pin fall in the Tag Team Tournament.
- Sojourner Bolt defeated Taylor Wilde in a ladder match to earn a shot at the Knockout Championship.
- AJ Styles defeated Kevin Nash by disqualification.
- Jethro Holliday & Eric Young defeated No Limit by pin fall in the Tag Team Tournament.
- Jeff Jarrett defeated Scott Steiner by pin fall in a Cactus Jack Smack Attack.
Starman’s Thoughts
I’m not quite sure why, but as of right now I am not feeling Mick Foley as the World Champion. I didn’t like it once I saw it happen at Lockdown and after tonight’s edition of Impact, I like it even less. It may be due to the fact that I feel he holds too much power within the company already. Case in point, Foley booking Jeff Jarrett in a match against Scott Steiner tonight. The seemingly endless footage of Foley doing whatever didn’t help matters much, either.
I did like Foley’s remark about who exactly is TNA management, as the fans have been wondering about that for years.
One other thing I enjoyed was Team 3D’s Tag Team Invitational Tournament. Tag team wrestling isn’t what it used to be, but there was a time in recent history when TNA had a great tag team division. This could help breathe new life into the division and give it a share of the spotlight. I am actually excited to see how this tournament plays out and what tag teams are entered.
Jethro Holliday (Trevor Murdoch) was a nice surprise, but it would have been great had Lance Cade been along with him. It was said that his original partner had travel issues, which could possibly lead to Cade’s appearance, but for now he is partnered with Eric Young as they make their way into the semi-final round of the tournament.
While it was good to see Holliday work on television again, I didn’t really like the fact that the two random partners defeated an established tag team. If it was Holliday and Cade that won it would be a different story.
Finally, did my eyes deceive me as there were no commercial breaks during any of the matches aside from the main event? That has to be some sort of record.
