Impact opens with a video package that questions who will qualify during tonight’s show for 4-way title match at No Surrender. Matt Morgan and Kurt Angle already have two spots, and the other two will be decided tonight between eight stars that will take part in a tournament. Plus, the Knockouts Tag Team Tournament will continue on with another first round match taking place on this loaded edition of Impact.
The Impact intro hits and we are welcomed to this week’s huge show as Mike Tenay runs down the brackets to see who will join Matt Morgan and Kurt Angle in the World Title match at No Surrender. We then head right into the matches.
Match 1: Rhino vs. Sting (No Surrender Qualifying Match)
The match starts as Sting starts off strong by sending Rhino into the corner and giving him a couple Stinger Splashes. Sting then puts Rhino in the Scorpion Death Lock but Rhino is able to crawl to the ring rope to break the hold. Rhino is then able to turn the tide of the match and begins to pound on Sting and wears him down with a leg scissors. Rhino then takes Sting down with a belly to belly suplex and tries for a Gore, but Sting sidesteps and counters with a Scorpion Death Drop for the pin fall.
Sting advances in the tournament to face the winner of Hernandez and Homicide, but before that happens, Rhino takes him down with a Gore. Rhino then lays in a few punches before Slick Johnson steps in and stops the attack. Rhino begins to leave the ring but he comes back and takes Sting down with another Gore before the referees swarm the ring to put a stop to the beat down and check on Sting’s condition.
We return after a commercial break to see the trainer taping up Sting’s ribs as AJ Styles stands by with him. Mike Tenay and Taz announce that Sting may have some cracked ribs.
Booker T is irate in Booker’s dressing room promising to take out Matt Morgan. Kurt Angle says he will not do it and says that Morgan is his pet project and he needs to be reprogrammed. Kip James is then seen in the corner installing a phone line but Booker kicks him out. Scott Steiner then comes in and says they are painting the MEM locker room and that he is going to use Booker’s room for a while. Booker and Steiner begin to putt golf balls as Angle has to get out of the zoo.
Match 2: Chris Sabin vs. AJ Styles (No Surrender Qualifying Match)
Alex Shelley joins the announce team for this match as he tag team partner is taking part in this match. The match starts and these two go at it with a quick exchange to kick this match off. Styles finally takes Sabin down with a huge dropkick but Sabin is able to roll out of the ring and takes Styles down with a hurricanrana on the floor. Sabin rolls Styles back into the ring and continues wearing Styles down until Styles finally takes Sabin down with a series of clotheslines.
Styles then hits Sabin with a flying forearm but he isn’t able to keep him down for a three count. Styles then sets up for the Styles Clash but Sabin counters with a pin attempt but Styles is able to kick out. Sabin then tries for the cradle shock but Styles gets out and misses with a clothesline as Sabin hopes on the ropes and tries for a tornado DDT but Styles counters into a slam.
Styles then misses with a corner splash and Sabin comes back with a kick to the face. Sabin then goes for a springboard clothesline but Sabin ducks out of the way and counters with a Pele kick. Styles then hits the Styles Clash for the pin fall victory to advance in the tournament.
Lauren is backstage with Hernandez who questions the coincidence of the LAX going up against each other in this tournament. He says, though, that business is business and they will go at it and give it their best tonight. Eric Young then steps in and tries to get Hernandez to join the World Elite and promises to open Hernandez’s eyes tonight as they are brothers.
Daniels comes down to the ring with a microphone and says that he will step in the ring as the challenger to the X Division Championship at No Surrender. He then calls out Samoa Joe to get something off his chest. Joe comes out and Daniels says he remembers a time of when TNA revolved around the X Division and that the division wall all about three people – Samoa Joe, Daniels and AJ Styles.
Daniels says the three of them grew together and became like family and all of their hard work paid off at Unbreakable in 2005, the first and only time the X Division Championship was defended in the main event and the same night that everyone realized that TNA was the future of professional wrestling.
Samoa Joe cuts in and says he doesn’t care about what Daniels is saying and tries to leave but Daniels stops him and says that the MEM is scared of him, which is why they bought him off. Daniels says his real friends like himself and Styles don’t recognize him anymore and calls him a sellout. Joe finally snaps and suplexes Daniels in the ring and leaves him lying in the ring.
Lauren is backstage with Matt Morgan who says he retaliated last week because he thought Booker T and Scott Steiner was setting him up for failure. He says it was a rookie mistake but assures that everything is fine between him and the MEM, especially between him and Kurt Angle. However, he is really counting down the days to where he steps in the ring against him.
Match 3: Doug Williams vs. Suicide (No Surrender Qualifying Match)
Suicide and Williams go back and forth with wrist locks and head locks to open this match. Williams finally takes Suicide down with a back drop and nails Suicide with a running knee in the corner. Williams continues on the attack and locks in a submission maneuver before hitting a knee drop and picking up a two count. Williams continues to wear down Suicide and picks up a couple of more near falls but Suicide mounts a comeback.
Suicide kicks Williams down from the top rope and hits Willaims withi a series of rapid fire attack before trying for a high risk move, but D’Angleo Dinero runs down to cause a distraction. Instead of finishing off Williams, Suicide dives out on Dinero on the floor. Suicide makes it back into the ring before the referee’s ten count, but finds himself on the receiving end of a German suplex with a bridge as Williams picks up the pin fall.
Jeremy Borash is with Sting who says he has two cracked ribs but he doesn’t think he will get many more chances at the World Championship as he walks up the steps to the rafters.
Lauren is with the Beautiful People who say they don’t care who Madison Rayne has as a partner in the tag team title tournament next week. Velvet Sky says they may be beautiful but they can be ugly in the ring when they want to be.
Match 4: Sojo Bolt & Hamada vs. Christy Hemme & Tara (Knockout Tag Team Tournament Match)
Tara and Hamada exchange with some quick pin attempts as these two fight to a stand still. Sojo Bolt and Christy Hemme are tagged into the match and Bolt quickly works over Hemme before tagging Hamada back into the match as we head into a commercial break.
We come back to see Tara tagged into the match who goes right after Sojo. She then hits a sidekick but Hamada breaks up the pin attempt. Christy comes in for the assist as Tara hits the Widow’s Peak for the pin fall to advance in the tournament. After the match, Hamada hits the Hamada Driver on Bolt and leaves her lying in the ring.
Jeremy Borash is with Kurt Angle who tells Angle that he thinks Matt Morgan is working him. Angle says he would be able to tell and that Morgan is the one who needs Angle. They then run into each other and Morgan says they will work together as a team at No Surrender and promises that he is not screwing with Angle.
A video package highlighting the LAX is aired. The two will be opponents for the first time ever in a No Surrender qualifier, and that match is up next.
Match 5: Homicide vs. Hernandez (No Surrender Qualifying Match)
The two embrace for a moment before locking up to get this match underway. Hernandez easily overpowers Homicide and goes for a Border Toss but Homicide squirms out and uses his quickness to take Hernandez down. Homicide focuses on the leg but Hernandez fights back with an overhead suplex. Hernandez then slams Homicide down to the mat and picks up the pin fall victory.
After the match, Hernandez extends his hand for a handshake and Homicide reluctantly shakes his hands. Homicide refuses to look at Hernandez before he leaves the ring.
Lauren is backstage with the British Invasion as Doug Williams says he is a fan of AJ Styles and he will beat the best as he goes up against Styles one-on-one, fair and square, without the British Invasion in his corner.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Styles, who says he hit rock bottom a few weeks ago and thanks Sting for bringing him back. Styles then says he will beat Williams tonight and become the TNA World Champion at No Surrender.
Kurt Angle comes down to the ringside area to join the announce team for the upcoming match between Williams and Styles to get an up close look at his future opponent.
Match 5: Doug Williams vs. AJ Styles (No Surrender Finals Match)
Styles and Williams go back and forth and try to put the match away in the opening moments. Williams works Styles over with a head scissors but Styles fights his back into the match but they knock heads and both fall to the mat. They get up at the same time and exchange blows before Styles hits a dropkick and then dives out onto Williams on the floor.
Styles rolls Williams back into the ring and goes for a quick pin but Williams kicks out. Williams fights his way back into the match but Styles lays him out with a hard clothesline. Styles then flips over Styles and hits an inverted DDT and picks up the pin fall victory. AJ Styles has qualified for the No Surrender main event.
Jeremy Borash catches up with Styles in the ringside area who says he has conquered the hill but still has a mountain in front of him and no one, even himself, is going to stop him.
Lauren is backstage with Team 3D and Jesse Neal and Team 3D says they are with Neal because he is a true American hero. Brother Ray says Rhino failed in training Neal and that they are going to take him to the Team 3D Wrestling Academy and train him the right way to turn him into a war machine.
Devon turns his attention to the tag team division and tells the British Invasion that they will be coming for them before the end of the show and they will come after Booker T and Scott Steiner next and are counting down the days to No Surrender.
Match 6: Hernandez vs. Sting (No Surrender Finals Match)
Sting’s rib area is taped up and Hernandez traps Sting in the corner and hits a series of shoulder blocks before backing off and asking Earl Hebner to check on Sting. Sting wants to continue and hits a dropkick but Hernandez gets up before Sting and looks at Sting with a concerned look on his face.
Hernandez continues to work over Sting as Sting goes out to the floor and Homicide comes down and attacks Sting. Earl Hebner calls for the disqualification as it is revealed that Homicide is actually Eric Young.
After a commercial break, Hernandez is seen taking on the World Elite by himself but the numbers game catches up with him and Rob Terry slams him down hard to the canvas. AJ Styles comes out to give Hernandez a hand but the numbers are to great for Styles. Beer Money then storm the ring and clear the ring as Team 3D’s music hits as they cut of the exit.
A brawl between the two sides ensues as bodies fly everywhere as the referees try to restore some sort of order to the Impact Zone. Team 3D hits a flying head butt on Sheik Abdul Bashir before Devon goes out for a table. As Team 3D sets up the table, Booker T and Scott Steiner run down and nail Team 3D from behind as Beer Money comes in to help.
Soon, all Beer Money and Team 3D are going up against Booker & Steiner and the British Invasion. The numbers game work in favor of the Mafia and the World Elite as Steiner and Booker send James Storm through the table. Both factions celebrate in the ring with each other as Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- Sting defeated Rhino by pin fall.
- AJ Styles defeated Chris Sabin by pin fall.
- Doug Williams defeated Suicide by pin fall.
- Tara & Christy Hemme defeated Sojo Bolt and Hamada by pin fall.
- AJ Styles defeated Dough Williams by pin fall.
- Sting defeated Hernandez by disqualification.
Starman’s Thoughts
Tonight’s show sure had a theme with qualifying matches and most of the matches were pretty decent, especially the Styles/Sabin match. Sure it was pretty easy to tell who was going to win, but they both gave it their all. Tonight’s show also seemed to have a good focus to it and wasn’t running all over the place like it was last week. I was glad to see that they pulled in the reigns a bit.
It was also refreshing to hear a few of the wrestlers over throughout the night – namely Doug Williams with AJ Styles. Styles probably isn’t one that needs the extra pat on the back, but I enjoyed hearing Williams give Styles his due and gave a reason to explain why his faction was not going to be ringside in such a high profile match. Later on, Angle put over Williams, who probably does need it, during his match against Styles.
After not being a part of last month’s pay-per-view, AJ Styles will be taking part in the main event for No Surrender. After beating Williams, he had a quick post-match ringside interview with Jeremy Borash and said that no one, including himself, was going to stop him from winning the TNA Championship.
As I said a few weeks ago, I am really digging these old school ringside interviews and hope that TNA keeps them coming, along with keeping up with the decent in-ring action during the show.
Not all of the matches that I saw were that great, though, as it seems that both matches that involved Hernandez were lacking. That is not to say that Hernandez isn’t a great worker, it’s just that the matches that he was in were booked horribly.
TNA really hyped the fact that Hernandez and Homicide were facing off against each other for the first time. I was pretty excited for the match but it was pretty much over and done with before it got a chance to get really good. Sure, Hernandez should be able to easily overpower his former partner, but it would have been nice to see this match get a little more time, especially since it was between one of the better tag teams in TNA’s history.
The main event also left a lot to be desired as it seemed that there was plenty to do with Sting’s injury angle. The match itself was cut short, though, due to outside interference and Sting will be heading to the main event of No Surrender without actually defeating his opponent to do so.
The interference does give Hernandez and the World Elite something to work with in terms of a feud, but I believe it lessened the No Surrender main event, Hernandez’s push as a main event player, and really discredits the referee’s new power to make decisions as it was obvious that Eric Young was the one that interfered in the match. Due to what was at stake, you’d think the referee would restart the match instead of giving Sting a free pass to the main event.
