Double J in Jeopardy (5/21 Impact Recap)

A video recap showing the relationship between Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley starts the show.  We then see footage of the beat down that Foley gave Jarrett last week at the Asylum in Nashville, TN.

The Impact intro hits and Mike Tenay wonders who the final entrant will be in the 4-way main event at Sacrifice.  Jeff Jarrett’s music hits as he comes down to the ring with a microphone and says that a reaction needs to happen for last week’s actions.  Jarrett then adds his name to the 4-way match and says that Mick Foley will not walk out of Sacrifice as the TNA World Champion.

Mick Foley’s music hits as he comes down to the ringside area and says that something inside him snapped at the Asylum as he realized how much he hated him.  Then Foley asks what Jarrett is planning to put up for the match and suggests that Jarrett put up his voting shares in TNA.  After some goading from Foley, Jarrett says he is all in and agrees to the voting shares.

As Jarrett starts walking away Foley heads into the ring and decides to start booking some matches and says that all four competitors will be in singles matches tonight. Foley books Sting against Eric Young, Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan and Jeff Jarrett against Samoa Joe.  As far as Foley goes, he will take a former world champion that is in the backstage area.

Jeremy Borash is backstage with Kurt Angle and Scott Steiner and Angle is irate.  Angle is looking for Sting and wants to make sure Sting knows his role come Sunday.

A video recap of the Motorcity Machine Guns and Lethal Consequences trying to unmask Suicide but is rescued by Daniels.  We then head to the back where Lauren is with Daniels and Suicide.  The two are going to team together against the MMG’s and Lethal Consequences before taking on Suicide at Sacrifice.  Lauren then asks Suicide who he is and he just says “I am Suicide,” in a gravely voice.

Match 1: Lethal Consequences vs. Motorcity Machine Guns vs. Daniels & Suicide
Daniels starts off against Lethal before Shelley makes a blind tag on Lethal to get into the match.  Daniels is able to score a quick pin attempt on Shelley but quickly loses the momentum as the Guns use their double team moves against him.  The MMG’s use quick tags to wear down Daniels until Creed and Lethal get involved and stop their momentum.

Daniels is able to finally tag in Suicide but the Guns are able to take him down and Shelley nearly wins the match after a frog splash.  The match then breaks down as Daniels takes down Lethal with a split legged moonsault out to the floor.  Back in the ring, Suicide counters an attempt at Slicked Bread #2 and Suicide takes him down with some knees into the chest to win the match for his team.

We head to the back where Kurt Angle is still looking for Sting.  Angle heads up to the rafters as Steiner walks away.

Video footage of Booker T and Kevin Nash training for their match is aired.  Booker says he doesn’t even know the words “I quit.”  Nash also chimes in and questions Samoa Joe’s nation of violence.  Nash says he has been violent all his life.

Team 3D comes out to the ring as footage of the beat down they suffered from the British Invasion is aired.  Brother Ray says that the tag team tournament has been going very well, however, in trying to give back to the tag team division one team has tried to bite the hand that feeds.  Ray calls out the British Invasion and says that even Beer Money has class these days and promises that the Brits will never show them up again.

The British Invasion then come out and Brutus Magnus says they didn’t need to call them out as they were going to come out anyway.  Team 3D attacks them as they come into the ring but Rob Terry uses the Feast or Fired briefcases as a weapon to take down Team 3D once again.  Terry then slides a table into the ring and Magnus and Williams sets it up.  Beer Money then comes out to the ring and chases them out of the ring before they can do any more damage to Team 3D.

Robert Roode says that they should at least have the decency to fight fair and tell them that they will be waiting for them at Sacrifice.  After that, they plan on taking their titles back from Team 3D.  As the British Invasion leave, they are backed up by Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi.

Eric Young is backstage with Jeff Jarrett who says that he is tired of EY’s complaining.  Jarrett tells him to go out to the ring and be a man for once and tells him to take advantage of the opportunity.  Young gets in Jarrett’s face and tells him that he is going to regret saying that to him one day.

Kurt Angle has finally found Sting and Sting tells him that he was screwed at Lockdown and the match is about him and Foley and putting respect back into the TNA World Championship and bringing it back to the Mafia.  Angle finally says he understands and says that they will team up and bring it back to the Mafia as the two then shake hands.

Match 2: Eric Young vs. Sting
Young and Sting shake hands prior to the match before the two go back and forth with collar and elbows.  Sting is finally able to take control of the match and sends EY out to the floor with a clothesline.  Young crawls back into the ring and is quickly tossed over the top rope once again.  Young comes in and takes Sting down with a flying forearm but misses with a missile dropkick and Sting counters into a Scorpion Death Lock.  Young finally submits and Sting wins the match.

Jeremy Borash is with Mick Foley and asks about his opponent tonight who is a former World Champion that has never stepped foot inside of a TNA ring before.  Foley won’t budge on the answer and says that he may need to bring a chair to the ring for his match as backup.

A video package of Kong’s rampage and demolition of the Beautiful People is aired.  Jim Cornette is then seen standing in the ring with a table in front of him.  He says it is time for the official contract signing for the Knockouts match at Sacrifice.  Angelina Love, along with security guards comes down to the ring first.  Cornette tells the security to leave before Awesome Kong, along with Raisha Saeed, come down to the ring.

Love and Saeed both sign the contract as Cornette asks for any final words.  Love tries to plead with Kong and says that she is sorry and wants to put everything behind them and wants to treat Kong to a real makeover and officially bring her in to Mi Pi Sexy after they tear the house down at Sacrifice.  Kong just glares Love down before trying to choke her out until referees step in.  Rudy Charles gets Awesome Bombed through the table for his troubles.

Footage of Lauren and Abyss is aired where Lauren is looking for Dr. Stevie.  His receptionist says that he is out of town and won’t be back until Monday.  Obviously Dr. Stevie works on Memorial Day.

Lauren is backstage with AJ Styles who says his match against Booker T just isn’t about the Legends Championship, it’s about pride and not saying the words “I quit.”  Styles goes on about how he has never said those two words during his wrestling career and he says he will not say it on Sunday.  Lauren then asks about his current situation with Samoa Joe and he says there is nothing with him and Joe.

Lauren is then backstage with Matt Morgan who says he made a big time business decision just like Kevin Garnett did last year when he left the Minnesota Timberwolves and joined the Boston Celtics who became the NBA Champions.  Morgan says Kurt Angle is going to find out first hand what he is all about and Angle is going to buy him tonight.

Match 3: Matt Morgan vs. Kurt Angle
The match starts and Morgan is able to get the quick upper hand and takes the fight out to the floor.  Morgan works Angle over and slams his head into the guard railing as we head into a commercial break.  We return we see Morgan take Angle down with a back breaker.  Angle is finally able to turn the tide as he takes Morgan down with a series of German suplexes.

Angle goes for the Angle Slam but Morgan is able to counter and takes Angle down with the Carbon Footprint but Angle is able to kick out of the pin attempt.  Morgan goes for a choke slam but Angle is able to counter and puts Morgan in the ankle lock but Morgan is able to kick him off.  Morgan regains control of the match and tries for the Hellevator but Angle is able to counter into a small package and win the match.

After the match, Kurt Angle walks over and shakes Morgan’s hand.

Lauren is with Jeff Jarrett and asks about his hamstring and says it will heal.  Jarrett says that he has too much riding on the line that he is not going to lose.  Jarrett promises that Foley will not walk out as the champion at Sacrifice and it will return to business as usual in TNA.

Lauren is backstage with Jenna Morasca who says that she is still waiting for an apology from Sharmell and has until Sunday to give an apology or else there will be serious trouble.

Match 4: Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Jarrett
Samoa Joe goes after Jarrett on the entrance ramp as the fight spills out into the crowd.  The two fight through the bleachers as Joe begins to focus on Jarrett’s bandaged leg.  Slick Johnson tries to get in the middle of it but Joe just sends him into the guard railing before going back on the assault.  Earl Hebner comes out and calls the match but it doesn’t stop Joe who begins to use a steel chair on Jarrett’s leg.

AJ Styles comes down to Jarrett’s aid but the two get into a shoving match before they come to blows.  TNA security and officials have to come out a separate the two.

Mick Foley comes down to the ring with a chair and a microphone.  Foley says he is going to do battle with one of the greatest superstars to ever have stepped foot in a wrestling ring.  Foley says he is a household name and introduces Rocky Balboa.  TNA security carries a cardboard cutout of Rocky to the ring.

Match 5: Mick Foley vs. Rocky Balboa
The bell rings as the crowd gets a “Rocky” chant going.  Foley takes the cutout down with a clothesline and takes him down with a suplex.  One piledriver and one elbow later and Foley pins Rocky.

Foley then thanks Rocky and the TNA fans and says it is the greatest night in the history of his life before doing a Rocky impersonation.  Jeff Jarrett’s music hits as he comes down to the ring and says he doesn’t want to hear any more of his crap and that he is making a mockery of the promotion he created before hitting him with a series of fists.

Kurt Angle comes in the ring and takes down Jarrett with an Angle Slam and then applies the ankle lock as Sting comes in.  Sting tries to play a peacemaker as Foley blindsides Sting with a steel chair.  Jarrett then hits the Stroke on Angle but Foley nails Jarrett in the head as he gets up.

Foley then leaves his three opponents lying in the ring as he walks away and Impact comes to a close.

Quick Results
- Daniels & Suicide defeated the Motorcity Machine Guns and Lethal Consequences in a triple threat tag team match by pin fall.
- Sting defeated Eric Young by submission.
- Kurt Angle defeated Matt Morgan by pin fall.
- Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett fought to a no contest.
- Mick Foley defeated Rocky Balboa cutout by pin fall.

Starman’s Thoughts
Tonight’s go home show for Sacrifice was going good and strong until the very end.  As a matter of fact, Mike Tenay really summed it up in one sentence, “And now he’s going to have a match… against a piece of cardboard.”

Up until the “match” between Mick Foley and Rocky Balboa, the matches pitting the other three participants in the Sacrifice 4-way match were done really well.  Sting and Eric Young fought in a short but sweet match, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe brawled to a no contest and Kurt Angle and Matt Morgan had one of the better matches that has taken place on Impact in a few months.

And then we get Foley and a cardboard cutout.  If this didn’t have anything to do with the main event at Sacrifice it would have been fine.  It would have been fine had it not been in the closing moments of the go home edition of Impact for Sacrifice, but that was not the case.  I already didn’t like the fact that TNA waited until three days before the event to finalize the main event but this really takes the cake.

As I said earlier, the show up until then was strong so the entire show wasn’t all a mockery as Jeff Jarrett so put it.  The tag team work was top notch and I have really enjoyed how it has played out.  Having a brand new tag team in the finals is a nice touch and the British Invasion has already been made out to be a competitive tag team with a mean streak.  It is good to see the tag team division have a focus once again especially with some fresh faces.

The Knockouts contract signing was also done well tonight.  I am not usually a fan of contract signings as most of them usually end the same with the competitors coming to blows but this one didn’t.  It almost did but security and officials were on hand to stop it and Rudy Charles got to pay the price for getting in Kong’s way.  Effective as it shows Kong will stop at nothing to get her title back.

Aside from the cardboard cutout, one aspect I didn’t enjoy was the Samoa Joe/AJ Styles confrontation.  I think I will be on board once this gets steam but on the go home show before a pay-per-view probably isn’t the best place for something like this, unless, of course, they are planting the seeds of something that is going to happen at Sacrifice.  My one problem with the whole thing is that both Styles and Joe are in matches at Sacrifice and neither got much hype at all.  The rift between Styles and Joe got more attention than those matches did.

Finally, did I miss something or did things that happen recently just go on without any further mention?  Didn’t Samoa Joe put Eric Young in his trunk last week?  EY was back on the show this week and there wasn’t one mention of it.  You would think that there would at least be some passing mention to it.

Anyway, Sacrifice is this Sunday so don’t forget to come back this weekend for my Sacrifice preview and predictions.