Impact opens footage the rocky relationship between Matt Morgan and Kurt Angle. Plus, this week will feature round one of the Knockouts Tag Team Tournament and Dixie Carter will make her Impact debut with Bobby Lashley.
Lauren meets up with AJ Styles and Sting in the parking lot and Styles says he is there to work tonight. Sting says that he thinks TNA will grow up a lot tonight as he runs into Kip James, who offers to park Sting’s car. Sting says he doesn’t need to park his car and walks away as Kip explains to Lauren that he used to have a car like that when he was over.
The Impact intro hits as we are welcomed to this week’s show as Mike Tenay hypes Dixie Carter’s appearance and tonight’s main event that will feature AJ Styles, Sting and Hernandez taking on Booker T, Scott Steiner and Matt Morgan. We then see Daniels had joined Tenay and Taz at the announce table as he wants to get a good look at the X Division match.
Match 1: Suicide vs. Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe goes right on the attack and dazes Suicide with a series of kicks and punches. Suicide is able to come back and takes Joe down with a dropkick and picks up a two count with a pin attempt. D’Angelo Dinero is seen walking down the ramp to get a closer look as Suicide takes his eyes off Joe and gets a boot in the face because of it that sends him out to the floor.
Dinero and Suicide get into a brawl on the floor and Joe and Daniels gets into it as the referee calls for the bell. David Penzer announces that the referee has scheduled for the match to continue later on as a tag team match between Joe and Dinero against Daniels and Suicide.
Eric Young is backstage with Lauren who guarantees that Hernandez will become a member of the World Elite tonight as he is an outsider just as he is. Young promises that he will open Hernandez’s eyes tonight.
After a commercial break, the World Elite fill the ring and Sheik Abdul Bashir says he wants to talk about the war in Iraq and reminds the fans that President Bush announced that the war was over in May of 2003. Six years later, the war is still raging and he wonders why innocent men, women and children are still being killed.
Bashir says the people are being brainwashed by the American media where they are more willing to vote for an American Idol as opposed to an American President. Bashir goes on to say that the American people are addicts for their oil and that they want to be the richest nation once again. Bashir then thanks the fans for their time.
Eric Young grabs the microphone and walks to talk about Hernandez. Before he can say much more, Hernandez’s music hits as he comes down to the ring and tells Young to say what he has to say to his face. EY tells Hernandez that he will never earn the respect of the American fans or be treated equally as they see him as a foreigner and a criminal. Young tells him to come home and be elite, just like them. Hernandez answers by saying that the American people are his family and this is his country before leaving the ring.
Lauren is with Sharmell and Traci who will be in the Knockout Tag Team tournament and will be facing Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed in the first round. Both of them say they are part of the Main Event Mafia and they aren’t sweating facing elephant and her trainer.
After a commercial break, Lauren is standing by as the Motorcity Machine Guns are in control on the cameras and are zooming in on Lauren’s chest. Dr. Stevie then walks in and asks if they are ready to make some real money and tell the Guns to go end the career of Abyss. They agree to go do it and walk away.
Match 2: Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed vs. Traci & Sharmell (Knockouts Tag Team Tournament)
The bell rings and Traci immediately tags in Sharmell as she doesn’t want to go up against Kong. Saeed then comes in and works over Traci with a scoop slam and a snap slam but fails to keep Traci down for a three count. A distraction from Sharmell allows Traci to take control as she begins to work Saeed over but she is able to kick Traci off and tag Kong into the match.
Kong comes in and begins to power Traci around and delivers a splash off the middle rope but Sharmell breaks up the pin fall before running out of the ring. As Kong stares Sharmell down, Saeed makes a blind tag and covers Traci for the pin fall to advance in the tournament. Kong doesn’t look too happy, though, that her partner has stolen her glory.
A video package highlighting Morgan’s time in TNA and his quest on becoming a member of the Main Event Mafia is aired.
Jeremy Borash is with Matt Morgan, who walks into the dressing room of the Main Event Mafia. Angle says that it was Morgan’s lack of experience that cost them the match last week and he is going to team him up with Booker and Steiner to get more experience. Morgan asks if Dixie Carter signed off on it and he said that he talked to her in Nashville earlier in the week.
Morgan then says that he heard a rumor that he will defend the TNA Championship in a 4-way match at No Surrender. While Carter was around, Morgan pitched for himself to be in the match and promises to have Angle’s back just as he had his back at Hard Justice. Morgan then leaves as Angle says that he must be screwing with him as Booker and Steiner say they have Angle’s back.
A video package highlighting Jesse Neal’s training with Rhino is aired, where he says he is not going to quit. He is in a match against Rhino up next.
Match 3: Jesse Neal vs. Rhino
Rhino puts out a hand for a handshake but goes right in on the attack and takes Neal by surprise. Rhino is relentless on his attack and pins Neal after a hard spinebuster. Rhino then waits for Neal to stand back up and takes him down with a gore. The referee then reverses the decision and awards Neal the victory as Rhino begins to stomp on Neal as Brother Devon runs in to the ring to put a stop to the beating.
Jeremy Borash is the manager’s office with ODB, Cody Deaner and Mick Foley, who is holding a gavel and wearing a judge’s wig. Abyss walks in and returns Foley’s barbed wire bat as Foley gives Abyss a bag of groceries. Foley is now ready to hear both sides of ODB’s and Deaner’s cases for the Knockout Championship.
ODB says that she is all woman and that’s what the Knockout Title is about. Deaner reveals his evidence that includes photos of Mike Tyson and Chuck Norris. Foley cannot decide so he says he will hold up the title until No Surrender where they will do battle to determine the new champion.
Match 4: The Motorcity Machine Guns vs. Abyss ($50,000 Bounty Handicap Match)
The Guns go right on the attack and take Abyss down by using the quick tandem offense. Abyss, though, is able to take them both down at the same time with a double suplex before he begins to power them around. The numbers game catches up with Abyss, however, as they begin to use their speed and quickness to try to wear the big man down.
Abyss is again able to use his power to put an end to the tandem offense and takes them both down as Dr. Stevie tries to get involved but is quickly tossed aside as Abyss catches Sabin and sends him crashing down with a Black Hole Slam. Abyss picks up the pin fall to put an end to the match.
After the match, Dr. Stevie tries to push around the Guns but they quickly take him down and Sabin hits the hesitation dropkick. Abyss sees and applauds their actions as he heads back into the ring with a steel chair but is stopped dead in his tracks as Kevin Nash’s music hits as he walks out with the TNA Legends Championship slung over his shoulder.
Kevin Nash says that Abyss stuck his nose into Nash’s business at Hard Justice. Nash tells Richards that he will take him up on his offer and hand Abyss’ head over on a silver platter as Abyss has made this personal.
Lauren is backstage with Daffney who will face a debuting Hamada who says that she relies on violence because she is disturbed. She goes on to say that Hamada will learn first hand how crazy she is.
Match 5: Daffney vs. Hamada (No Disqualification)
Daffney goes right on the attack as this match starts and goes for a quick pin attempt but Hamada kicks out. The two then trade slaps but Hamada takes Daffney down with a hard kick as the match goes out to the floor as we head into a commercial break.
We return to the match as we see Daffney in control as there is a table set up on the outside. Hamada is able to turn the tide of the match and plants Daffney with a DDT but she is able to kick out of the pin attempt.
The fight falls out to the floor and Daffney misses with a chair shot but Hamada is able to do some damage with it before placing her on the table a doing a moonsault from the top rope onto the floor as the fans erupt in a “TNA!” chant. Hamada rolls Daffney into the ring and hits the Hamada Driver to pick up the pin fall.
The Beautiful People bust into Madison Rayne’s dressing room and wants to know about her mystery partner in the tag team tournament as they are going up against them. Angelina informs her that she has an ass kicking coming and begin to bear her up as JB tries to step in the middle of them before the Beautiful People leave.
Match 6: D’Angelo Dinero & Samoa Joe vs. Suicide & Daniels
The match begins as both Suicide and Daniels take turns working on Dinero as we head into a commercial break. We return to see Daniels connect with a kick to Joe’s head as they are both laid out in the ring and make the tag to their partners.
Suicide comes in and quickly takes Dinero down and picks up a two count as this match breaks down with all four in the ring until Daniels takes Joe down on the floor with a springboard moonsault. Meanwhile, Dinero tries to hit the Elijah Express but misses as Suicide rolls up the Pope for the pin fall.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Dixie Carter and Bobby Lashley and Dixie is there to announce that they have signed a new 3-year deal with SpikeTV and is proud of the accomplishments within TNA, such as the addition of Bobby Lashley.
Bobby Lashley talks about signing with TNA and talks about being given the opportunity to do both pro wrestling and MMA at the same time. Lashley talks about making it to the top of TNA and to prove that he still has what it takes to be a champion. Dixie says that Lashley’s TNA pay-per-view debut will be against Rhino at No Surrender.
Kurt Angle comes out to join the announce team for tonight’s main event, which is up next.
Match 7: Matt Morgan/Booker T/Scott Steiner vs. Hernandez/AJ Styles/Sting
Sting and Booker lock up and trade blows to start the match and Sting takes Booker down with a standing dropkick. Styles is tagged in and Booker quickly turns the tide before tagging in Steiner. Styles find his way on the receiving end of Steiner’s punishment until he comes back with a dropkick and a knee drop for a one count.
Hernandez and Morgan are tagged into the match as the two big men trade shoulder blocks and Morgan takes Hernandez down with a hard clothesline. Hernandez comes back with a standing vertical suplex and Morgan rolls out as he tries to regroup with his team but Hernandez takes them all out by diving over the ropes and onto all three of them as we head into a commercial break.
We come back to see Steiner in control of the match with a headlock on Styles. Steiner then hits an overhead suplex and tags Morgan back into the match and methodically powers Styles around until he is able to slip out and tag Hernandez into the match.
Hernandez comes in and takes everyone out and nearly pins Morgan as the match begins to break down with all six getting into action. Morgan tries to go for the Hellevator but Steiner comes in and wants to use a chair on Hernandez instead. This gives Hernandez some time to recover and pushes Morgan into Steiner and the chair and tags Styles into the match. Styles immediately hits Morgan with a flying forearm and picks up the pin fall to win the match for his team.
Sting, Styles and Hernandez all raise their arms in victory above Morgan as Angle begins to blame the loss on Morgan’s inexperience. After the winners leave, Booker and Steiner argue with Morgan until he drills both of them with a couple of blows and he begins to point at Angle as Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- Suicide and Samoa Joe fought to a no-contest.
- Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed defeated Traci & Sharmell in the first round of the Knockouts Tag Team Tournament.
- Jesse Neal defeated Rhino on a reversed decision by the referee.
- Abyss defeated the Motorcity Machine Guns by pin fall.
- Hamada defeated Daffney in a no disqualification match by pin fall.
- Suicide & Daniels defeated D’Angelo Dinero & Samoa Joe by pin fall.
- Hernandez/AJ Styles/Sting defeated Matt Morgan/Booker T/Scott Steiner by pin fall.
Starman’s Thoughts
Last week, TNA promoted the fact that Dixie Carter was going to appear on tonight’s show. They promoted that throughout the week on both their web site and through mobile alerts. They even hyped it some more on tonight’s show. The interview itself was short and simple, but I think it worked well.
It is unfortunate, however, that they decided to cram everything else into tonight’s show that really diluted her appearance, and everything else for that matter.
There were way too many things going on during tonight’s show. There were seven matches and a ton of backstage interviews and segments that it was as if they wanted to touch on each and every single angle that is currently running throughout the company.
As the old saying goes “less is more” and I would have like Impact much more tonight if it didn’t go all over the place to the point that it left me wondering what all had just happened over the past two hours.
I will now try my best to collect my thoughts on tonight’s show.
First off, I enjoyed Dixie Carter’s interview with Jeremy Borash and Bobby Lashley. It wasn’t too fancy or too special, but it served a purpose and gave TNA a chance to introduce the TNA president on camera for the first time.
While I enjoyed the segment, I don’t think that she will be an on-air figure any time soon. I think it would be in their best interest, and more effective, to keep her on-camera appearances to a minimum to almost treat her presence as something meaningful and worthwhile. Plus, it’s not like TNA needs any more authority figures running around.
Speaking of authority figures, I know I praised TNA for allowing the referees to have more control, but this week it almost got out of hand. It appears now that referees can also book matches and completely reverse a decision based on the post match actions. With the amount of post match beatdowns that take place, that can really come back to haunt TNA.
I know very little about Hamada, but she impressed me with her debut. By the sounds of it, she also impressed the live crowd in attendance during the show. As a matter of fact, all the Knockouts really are getting a solid push on television as of late, especially with the tag team tournament.
With all of the in consideration, it really is sad to see that they have all of that talent yet the main championship is being used as a comedy prop in a fight between ODB and Cody Deaner. What a waste.
The show opened with some good promos from the likes of Sheik Abdul Bashir, Eric Young and even Hernandez. Bashir really did do a good job on the stick and I am starting to wonder if he should be the mouthpiece instead of Young, although EY did hold his own and is fitting into his new role quite nicely.
As I said before, tonight’s show was all over the place that it took away from all that everything that was done. I have to applaud the amount of in-ring action, but tonight was a little overkill and I hope some sense of normalcy returns next week.
