Impact opens as we see a 4-way tag team match is already in progress.
Match 1: Team 3D vs. the British Invasion vs. Beer Money vs. Scott Steiner & Booker T (Tag Team Gauntlet)
The announce team tells us that these four teams have been at each others throats since arriving at the Impact Zone, so TNA management decided to start this match early instead of having it break out backstage.
So far, six of the eight participants have joined the match as Booker T and James Storm have yet to come out. Booker T finally comes out as Robert Roode is working over his partner in the ring. Booker makes an immediate impact and helps Steiner out before being tagged into the match. Booker continues to work over Roode and tags in Doug Williams as the clock counts down and James Storm enters the match.
Roode tags Storm into the match and takes Williams down with a neckbreaker and hits the Eye of the Storm but Booker comes in and drills Storm with a superkick. Williams tags in Steiner who takes Storm down with a belly-to-belly suplex but Storm is quick to recover and tags in his partner.
Roode comes in and cleans house of the tag champs and the British Invasion but the Brits break up a pin attempt on Steiner. Devon comes in and nails the Brits with a double clothesline before taking Steiner down with a shoulder block. The match then begins to break down as Team 3D isolate Steiner in the ring and nail the 3D.
Devon tries for the pin attempt but it is broken up by Booker. Brutus Magnus then comes in a covers Steiner and picks up the pin fall as Booker T looks on in shock. Kurt Angle is seen watching from a monitor in the back who also has a look of shock on his face. Booker and Steiner get into the face of the British Invasion as security has to come in a step in between the two as we head into a commercial break.
We come back to see the Mafia yelling at the British Invasion in the backstage area. Eric Young steps in and gets in Angle’s face and says anything he has to say to his men should be said directly to him. Angle says he will deal with Young later and tells him to get out of his face.
The announce team runs down tonight’s card with Daffney & Alissa Flash going up against Taylor Wilde and Sarita and the Beautiful People will take on Madison Rayne and a mystery partner in the Knockout Tag Team Tournament. Plus, AJ Styles and Daniels will go up against Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe in a tag team match.
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring with a microphone and calls out Matt Morgan to a ring to have a conversation. Angle tells Morgan that he is on the cusp of becoming the next member of the MEM, but there is one more thing he needs to do. Before Angle can complete his sentence, he is cut off by Sting’s music as the Icon and AJ Styles walk towards the ring.
Sting says that they cannot believe what they are hearing and can’t quite figure it out. Sting demonstrates how Morgan should be acting by getting into Angle’s face and wonders why he won’t say that to Angle himself. Sting says that the MEM needs Morgan, but Morgan does not need the Mafia.
Angle butts in and says that Sting is an older wrestler and doesn’t have it anymore. Because of that, Sting is using AJ Styles to get the TNA World Championship and get his last chance of glory. Angle says his intentions are clear and that is to keep the TNA World Title.
Morgan jumps in and says that Angle is trying to use him to keep his hands on the title. Morgan goes on and says that he doesn’t want to wait until No Surrender to be used and offers Angle his services tonight to be in his corner during his tag team match. Morgan then stares down Angle and argue as we head into a commercial break.
Lauren is backstage with Earl Hebner as she has a video monitor and asks why he made the controversial decision during last week’s match where he disqualified Hernandez after Eric Young interfered in the main event. Hebner defends his actions and being a senior official, he has told his team to trust nobody and walks away.
Jeremy Borash is with Mick Foley who says he is looking forward to his upcoming match against Kevin Nash next week. Dr. Stevie then comes in as Foley mentions their time in ECW and says that he won’t be hiding behind his doctor credentials tonight and books him in a match against Abyss for tonight to try to collect on his own bounty.
Match 2: Daffney & Alissa Flash vs. Sarita & Taylor Wilde (Knockout Tag Team Tournament Match)
The match starts and Alissa quickly slams Taylor down to the mat, however, Taylor is able to recover and tags in Sarita, who takes her down with an arm drag and picks up a two count. Alissa turns the tide with a hard clothesline and makes the tag to her partner, who continues on the attack, but Sarita goes on the offensive and scores a pin attempt.
Taylor is tagged back into the match as is Alissa, who slams Taylor down to the match and begins to stomp on her. Daffney is tagged back in who takes Taylor down with a knee to the face and locks her in a submission hold but Taylor fights her way out of it as both competitors make the tag to their partners.
Sarita comes in and takes Daffney down with a DDT as this match breaks down as Taylor and Sarita hit some tandem offense on Alissa but fall short on the pin attempt. Taylor and Daffney fight out to the floor as Sarita slams Alissa and picks up the pin fall to advance in the tournament.
Jeremy Borash is with the World Elite and Eric Young says they had a deal with Kurt Angle and they did the right thing by winning the match earlier in the night. Young then sends a message to Angle by saying his door is always open if he wants to have a chat.
Lauren is backstage with Suicide who says that he represents a threat to D’Angelo Dinero and his church. Suicide says that next week the dark savior is coming and it is going to be a cleansing of the wicked. Dinero and Suicide will meet in a match next week.
The Motorcity Machine Guns come out to the ring with their tissue holders as they come out a reveal their own broadcast table that was under tarp next to the ringside area.
Match 3: Jay Lethal vs. D’Angelo Dinero
The Motorcity Machine Guns provide commentary for this match from their own table. The match starts as the two fight back and forth and the Pope retreats to the floor but ends up being hit by a diving Lethal. Dinero is rolled back into the ring but Lethal ends up being hung up on the ropes and Dinero clotheslines him out to the floor.
Dinero brings Lethal back into the ring and continues to work over Lethal and picks up a couple of near falls until Lethal turns the tide with a boot to the face followed by a couple of forearms and takes Dinero down with an elbow to the face. Lethal picks up several near falls until the Pope finally hits a neckbreaker to stop his momentum. Dinero then hits his DDE to pick up the pin fall.
The Main Event Mafia is seen in the locker room of the World Elite as Kurt Angle says Brutus Magnus was out of line during their match and that if they wanted to get their attention, then they have it. Angle says they had a pact and were supposed to rule TNA for years to come. Young says they will not apologize but they need to stick together and be a team. The two sides shake on it but Steiner says that he hates foreigners and spits at their feet before leaving.
Match 4: The Beautiful People vs. Madison Rayne & Roxxi (Knockout Tag Team Tournament Match)
The Motorcity Machine Guns are still providing commentary at their own table. Roxxi turns out to be Madison’s mystery partner for tonight’s matchup and the fans give her a “welcome back” chant.
The match starts and Roxxi goes up against Angelina and goes for a quick pin attempt. Angelina is able to take Roxxi down by pulling her down by her hair and tags in Velvet, who continues working over Roxxi until Roxxi nails her in the face and tags in Madison. They both hit Velvet with a double elbow by Angelina quickly helps by pulling Madison down by her hair from the apron.
The Beautiful People then use quick tags to work over Madison but they cannot put the match away. Madison then fights her way back and tags in Roxxi and hits the Voodoo Drop on Angelina but she is able to kick out before the count of three. Madison is tagged back in and Angelina rolls up Madison and pulls on the tights to get the victory.
Cody Deaner is talking to Mick Foley who says he doesn’t have a lot of experience fighting a woman and asks for a tune up match tonight. Foley says the ratings tonight will go through the roof as he will get his match. Foley and Jeremy Borash then laugh as they both have an idea as to who will be facing Deaner.
After a commercial break, Mick Foley comes out and joins the announce team number one to get a closer look at the Abyss-Dr. Stevie match.
Match 5: Abyss vs. Dr. Stevie
Dr. Stevie attacks Abyss on the entrance ramp as he is making his way towards the ring. Stevie goes into the ring to get the match officially started and continues to beat down Abyss but Abyss gets up to his feet and takes Stevie down with a hard chop. Abyss then crushes Stevie in the corner and takes him down with a Black Hole Slam for the pin fall.
After the match, Kevin Nash sneaks into the ring and takes Abyss down with a clothesline as Nash and Stevie begin to beat down Abyss. Mick Foley comes into the ring and tosses Stevie out to the floor and Nash retreats to the floor as he wants nothing to do with Foley.
The World Elite head into the ring and Eric Young says there has been a lot of controversy tonight with their group, however, that has not deterred them from their goal of recruiting Hernandez. Young says he will do whatever it takes to open his eyes before calling Hernandez down to the ring.
Hector Guerrero comes out instead and says that Hernandez is not coming out since Young got him disqualified in one of the most important matches in his life. Guerrero says Hernandez can have a bad temper and that although they are not American, America is their country. Guerrero tells Young to stop the madness before it gets out of hand.
EY says they have been treated as second class citizens by the American people. Young says he is letting Guerrero speak his mind as he respects what he and his family have done for the wrestling business. Young then tells Guerrero to tell Hernandez to pay attention to the show tonight as Young will give him a reason to come out and talk to him.
Tara is seen in the back wearing her MMA gear as Mike Tenay foreshadows that she may be Deaner’s opponent in his upcoming match. A video package highlighting Tara’s time in TNA is aired as we head into the next match.
Match 6: Tara vs. Cody Deaner (MMA Match)
Deaner comes out to the ring wearing Zubaz and has duct tape covering his head gear and gloves. The bell rings as Deaner allows Tara to punch him in the face and she does with a hard right fist. Tara then fires a series of punches and kicks him down to the mat. Tara then takes him down but Deaner makes his way to the ropes to break the hold.
Deaner gets back to his feet and sets up for the Karate Kid crane kick but Tara takes him down by kicking him in the head and locks him in an arm bar but Deaner gets to the ropes once again.
Deaner gets to his feet once again and lunges at Tara but ends up hitting the referee instead. Tara then corners Deaner and nails him with a series of punches as Awesome Kong sneaks into the ring and crushes Tara in the corner. Kong hits the Implant Buster as the referee recovers and awards the match to Deaner.
Lauren meets up with Cody Deaner is the back and says that he beat the spider monkey from pillar to post. Deaner says he needs to add her name to the list along with Mike Tyson, Tony Danza and Carrot Top. Deaner says he will be adding ODB’s name to the list next.
Video footage is aired that show Rhino attacking Bobby Lashley at a gym as Rhino gives him a welcome to TNA. Mike Tenay says that the unprovoked attack by Rhino went over the line.
Match 7: AJ Styles & Daniels vs. Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe
Sting joined Styles and Daniels to be in their corner during the main event. Likewise, Matt Morgan joined the MEM in their corner, although Angle didn’t look like he wanted him there.
The match starts as Angle and Daniels wrestle to a standstill. Daniels is able to take Angle down with a single leg dropkick before tagging in Styles, who picks up a quick pin attempt. Angle comes back and pokes Styles in the eyes as Angle tags in Samoa Joe. Styles is able to take Joe down and tags Daniels into the match as the Motorcity Machine Guns are shown playing the Impact video game at their announce table.
Meanwhile, Joe turns the tide of the match and beats Daniels down in the corner but Daniels counters with some knees to the face and tags in Styles as they take Joe down with some double team moves. Joe fights his way back into the match and slams Styles down to the match and tags in Angle, who goes for a immediate cover but Styles kicks out.
Angle takes Styles down with an overhead suplex before tagging Joe back into the match. Joe takes Styles down with a snap slam and then goes for an arm bar but Styles makes it to the rope to break the hold. Styles is then able to hit the Pele kick on Joe as they both crawl to their corners to make tags to their partners.
Daniels takes Angle down with a series of clotheslines and nearly picks up a pin fall and counters an attempt at an Angle Slam with a hip toss. Daniels then tries for a submission but Joe comes in and tries to break it with a knee drop but Daniels is able to move out of the way.
Daniels tags in Styles as Daniels hits the BME on Angle and Styles follows with a frog splash and covers but Joe breaks it up with a senton bomb. Joe and Daniels then fight out to the floor as Joe picks up a chair as Sting steps in the way and the referee turns his attention to the action outside of the ring.
Meanwhile, Morgan sets up a chair against the ropes for Angle to use but Styles sends him into it headfirst. Styles then rolls up Angle as the referee slides into the ring to make the count for the pin fall.
After the match, Angle cannot believe what just happened as Morgan steps into the ring and explains his actions. Angle slaps Morgan across the face as Morgan comes back and hits Angle with the Hellevator and stands over Angle’s body.
We then head to the back to see the World Elite picking up a limp Homicide and carrying him towards the ring as we head into a commercial break.
We return to see EY standing over Homicide and calls Hernandez out to the ring to join their group or Homicide’s blood will be on his hands. Hernandez comes out and lets his actions speak for himself as he clears the ring and tosses Sheik Abdul Bashir onto the group. Homicide then recovers and nails Hernandez with a steel chair as the rest of the World Elite swarm the ring and pick up the pieces.
Homicide and Young then shake hands and Homicide drapes the Mexican flag over Hernandez as Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- The British Invasion defeated Booker T & Scott Steiner, Team 3D and Beer Money in a tag team gauntlet match by pin fall.
- Sarita & Taylor Wilde defeated Daffney & Alissa Flash by pin fall to advance in the Knockout Tag Team Tournament.
- D’Angelo Dinero defeated Jay Lethal by pin fall.
- The Beautiful People defeated Madison Rayne & Roxxi by pin fall to advance in the Knockout Tag Team Tournament.
- Abyss defeated Dr. Stevie by pin fall.
- Cody Deaner defeated Tara in a MMA-style match.
- AJ Styles & Daniels defeated Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe by pin fall.
Starman’s Thoughts
Tonight’s show literally started with a match as we got to forego the usual start to Impact and instead join a match that was already in progress. It was a nice change of pace that really set up for a night that featured a ton of in-ring action throughout the show. No video recap of last week’s show, no Impact intro, no fireworks, just a bunch of wrestlers in the ring going at it in a face-paced, energetic match.
Of course, not all of the in-ring action was like that as the show did have some low spots, namely a squash match for Abyss against Dr. Stevie and an MMA-style match between Cody Deaner and Tara. As a matter of fact, none of the matches that were sandwiched between the opener and the main event were that great, but I was glad to see that TNA continued to push an in-ring product as opposed to the backstage segments.
Sure, the backstage segments were still used throughout the show, however, most of them centered around a specific storyline and didn’t veer off too far from the task at hand, which is what tends to usually happen when JB and Mick Foley are on camera together. Instead, we got to see the World Elite solidify their faction by taking a victory away from the Main Event Mafia and the group trying to gain more strength by winning over the services of Hernandez.
I will admit that I thought the World Elite’s first attempt at Hernandez was done poorly. This was something that could have been teased and talked about for weeks but Young offered, Hernandez said no and he left the ring. Basically, what could have amounted to a month worth of storyline was over and done in a matter of minutes. The angle took a turn for the better, however, as Young kept at it and ended up getting Hernandez’s former partner to join the fold.
The addition of Homicide into the World Elite will open some new possibilities as it pertains to Hernandez. Maybe TNA fans will finally be treated to a potential classic match between the former partners as their first and only meeting was too rushed and too much of a disappointment.
While I am on the topic of disappointments, what is going on with the Motorcity Machine Guns? For weeks they have been trying different things to get on television with their most recent attempt being that of commentators during Impact. Now, I won’t say that their commentary reached the depths of what was known as Black Snow and Chet Lemon, but it was close.
Maybe it was just an off-night for the two, but I usually love hearing their pop culture laced banter, but tonight it was just horrible. It could also be stemming from the fact that I’d much rather see them get television time with in-ring matches instead of the path that they are currently headed on. Can this tag team, which is still probably one of the better ones on the roster, ever catch a decent break within TNA?
Finally, it was great to see Roxxi back in a TNA ring, even if it was for one night only. She also looks a lot better with some hair on her head, even though it was still a bit short.
Thanks again for a good recap.