Impact opens with Bound for Glory hype as we head into a special 3-hour episode. A special Super Impact hits and head into the Impact Zone where the members of the Main Event Mafia are standing in the ring.
Kurt Angle says he will face AJ Styles tonight, but he doesn’t want to talk about that, he wants to talk about the one year anniversary of the greatest faction in wrestling history. Angle runs down the Bound for Glory matches that involve Mafia members and orders that they all win their matches. Angle goes on to say that he will hold up his end by defeating Matt Morgan.
AJ Styles’ music interrupts as Styles, Morgan, Hernandez, Bobby Lashley, Beer Money and Team 3D step out of the entrance tunnel. Styles says they are three days away before the Mafia becomes extinct. Morgan steps in and says he doesn’t want to wait and rushes to the ring, while the rest follow. We have a brawl in and around the ring until security comes in to break it up.
Match 1: The Beautiful People vs. Tara/Awesome Kong/ODB
The bell rings and Awesome Kong immediately knocks down both of her opponents before leaving the ring. She continues beating on Tara on the outside and sends her into the guard railing as the Beautiful People work over ODB in the ring. Kong heads to the back as ODB finally fights her way back into the match.
ODB tags in Tara who comes in and takes down all of the Beautiful People and is about to hit a high risk move but ODB tags herself back into the match. Tara and ODB then get into an argument before Tara hits ODB with a superkick. Velvet then covers ODB for the pin fall and steals the victory.
Lauren is backstage with D’Angelo Dinero who says he will defeat Daniels tonight in his warm up match for Bound for Glory. The Pope goes on to say that he will go through the rest of the X Division and make them bow down to kiss his ring.
After a break, Lauren meets up with Bobby Lashley in the hallway but he doesn’t get a chance to say much before he is gored by Rhino. Rhino then yells in his face and tells Lashley that he won’t even make it to Bound for Glory.
An X Division Ultimate X video aired that showed some of the highlights from past Ultimate X matches. Ultimate X 17 will take place at Bound for Glory. This leads us in to an X Division Title match.
Match 2: Suicide vs. Amazing Red (X Division Title Match)
Amazing Red comes out with Don West following behind him. The match starts and the two stars counter each others moves in the early going with Suicide getting the first pin attempt, but Red easily kicks out. Red turns the momentum with a kick to the back of the head, but Suicide is also able to kick out.
That match turns once again with Suicide hitting a leaping leg drop. Suicide heads to the top rope for a high risk move but D’Angelo Dinero runs out and pushes Suicide off the ropes and the referee calls for the bell. The Pope continues his beat down on Suicide and sets him up for the DDE, but Red gives Dinero a dropkick as he rolls out of the ring. Don West then comes in the ring and celebrates with Red as we head into a commercial break.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Don West and Amazing Red as West goes on about Red and his talent. West says that Red asked him to be his official promoter as West goes on to cut a promo for Red about his upcoming Ultimate X match for the X Division Title at Bound for Glory.
Match 3: Hernandez vs. the British Invasion (Run the Gauntlet Match)
Eric Young comes out and joins the announce team for the match. Hernandez will have to take on all three members one at a time in this match up. His first opponent is Doug Williams and he quickly powers him around before hitting a huge shoulder block and picks up the pin fall.
Williams hits Hernandez from behind as Brutus Magnus comes in for his next challenge. Magnus comes in and continues on the attack and picks up a two count after landing a back body drop. Hernandez fights his way back into the match with a slingshot shoulder block before hitting the Border Toss for the pin fall.
Rob Terry sneaks into the ring and takes Hernandez down with a clothesline and takes him down yet again with a shoulder block. Terry traps Hernandez in a corner and begins to rifle off a series of punches before Hernandez picks Terry up and hits a sit out powerbomb for the three count.
After the victory, EY runs to the ring and grabs a kendo stick and begins to repeatedly hit Hernandez in the face and neck. Williams and Magnus come back in and finish Hernandez off before the four of them celebrate in the ring.
An interview that Mike Tenay conducted between Booker T, Brother Ray, Brutus Magnus and Robert Roode is aired. All four opponents are in different locations for the interview to prevent any fighting. Each of the members gets an opportunity to speak about the upcoming Full Metal Mayhem match. Tenay cuts the interview off as the partners are currently involved in a brawl in the catering area. We head to the brawl as their partners run in to join the melee. It is finally broken up by an assortment of other wrestlers and referees.
Lauren is in the locker room with AJ Styles who says he is a fighting champion and will not back down from Kurt Angle or Sting. Styles says he is going to leave zero doubt by taking on Angle, who is the best in the business. He says it could affect his title defense against Sting, but he doesn’t see that happening.
Match 4: D’Angelo Dinero vs. Daniels
The match starts with a quick exchange of offense from both competitors. Dinero gets the upper hand and picks up a near fall after hitting an elbow drop. Dinero continues to work over Daniels but he fights his way back into the match and takes Dinero down with a neckbreaker.
The match goes back and forth with Daniels bridging out of a pin attempt and countering with the Angel’s Wings to win the match. The lights then go out of the Impact Zone as Suicide comes out and hits Daniels with a clothesline before hitting the Gringo Killer. Suicide takes off his match and reveals that it is Homicide and he is chased out of the ring by security.
Mick Foley comes to the ring with a homemade Abyss mask and a big tub of popcorn. Foley says he used to wear a mask for a few years before his mask became mass marketed in which the likes of a person, such as Chris Parks, could go out and buy one to pretend to be Mick Foley. Foley goes to out to say that Abyss is nothing more than a Mick Foley rip off and plays a video of Abyss’ greatest hits.
Foley provides commentary for the video and gives us a rundown of when his career first came across such events as the mask, the use of thumbtacks and a flaming table. Abyss then cuts him off and comes down to the ring with a barbed wire baseball bat. Abyss goes to attack Foley but is stopped by the sounds of Lauren, who is tied up and is with Dr. Stevie. Abyss then runs out of the ring to find Lauren as Foley sits back and munches on popcorn.
Homicide cuts off a JB promo who says he stole Suicide’s costume while he was taking a shower after his match. He thanks Suicide for the use of it and says he will be in the Ultimate X match. Homicide also says he knows who Suicide is and says he knew it was him all along. Security then corner Homicide and remove him from the Impact Zone.
Match 5: Hamada vs. Alissa Flash (Falls Count Anywhere)
Alissa Flash attacks Hamada on the entrance ramp to get this match started. Alissa pulls out a table and sets it up against the ring before Hamada is able to take her down with a kick to the face. Alissa is able to mount a comeback after pulling Hamada down from the ring apron. They two fight back up the ramp and exchange blows before Hamada tosses Alissa down to the floor and follows it up by diving on top of her.
Hamada heads back to the ringside area and sets up the table before bringing Alissa back to the table. Hamada puts her on the table and climbs up the ropes, but Alissa gets up and pulls her down and the two fight on the apron. Hamada is able to drive Alissa’s face into the apron before climbing the ropes and connecting with a moonsault that drove Alissa throw the table and onto the floor. Hamada gets the pin fall for the victory.
Jeremy Borash is with Kurt Angle who says he is going to beat AJ Styles tonight and soar into Bound for Glory with some momentum. Angle says both Styles and Morgan are good, but he is the best. They will both learn their lessons when they go up against him.
Match 6: Rhino vs. Bobby Lashley (Stretcher Match)
Lashley’s ribs are all taped up after being gored by Rhino earlier in the show. The match starts and Rhino goes right on the attack and focuses on the taped ribs. Lashley fights his way back into the match with a flurry offense and sends Rhino out to the floor. Lashley sends Rhino into the guard railing a couple of times before putting him on the stretcher and begins rolling him towards the backstage area but Rhino gets up.
Rhino nails Lashley a few times before trying to hit a gore, but Lashley sidesteps Rhino and he instead hits the set. Lashley then nails Rhino with a series of blows before putting him on the stretcher. Lashley gets out the door but Rhino gets up and hits Lashley with the stretcher. Lashley counters a Gore with boot to the face and puts Rhino back on the stretcher and wheels him into the ambulance to win the match.
Abyss is seen walking around the backstage areas of the Impact Zone and is looking for Lauren. He hears a scream and heads towards it before we head into a commercial break.
SoCal Val is with Bobby Lashley who asks if Samoa Joe is ready to tap out. Joe, however, is ready to give him an answer and attacks him from behind with a chair before putting him in the rear naked choke. Joe says he left him with one breath and promises Lashley will take his last at Bound for Glory.
We return to Abyss’ search and he comes across Lauren, but it is actually Daffney wearing a wig. He is then attacked by Dr. Stevie and Mick Foley, who mentions it was all a set up that Abyss fell for.
Match 7: Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles
This match is given a 20-minute time limit. The bell sounds and the two lock up and grapple in the opening moments to feel each other out. Angle gains the early advantage by putting Styles in a headlock but Styles fights out and connects with a dropkick as Angle rolls out of the ring to regroup.
Angle comes back in the ring and Styles slams him down to the mat before Angle rolls out of the ring once again. Angle comes back in and they go at a test of strength until Angle kicks Styles in the midsection. Styles fires back with a clothesline and Angle again rolls out to the floor. Angle then outsmarts Styles but getting Styles to try to dive out on him and hung him up on the ropes.
With Styles on the floor, Angle does a summersault dive over the ropes and onto Styles. Angle rolls Styles back into the ring and goes for the cover but Styles kicks out. Angle continues to wear down Styles with suplexes and grappling holds but is unable to put Styles away. Angle then locks Styles in a body scissors before going into a side headlock. Styles, though, fights his way out with a back body drop and fires off a series of clotheslines.
Styles heads to the apron and nails Angle with a flying forearm and tries for the Styles Clash but Angle counters and sends Styles into the turnbuckles. Angle tries for an Angle Slam but Styles counters and connects with a Pele kick, however, it isn’t enough to keep Angle down. Styles heads to the top rope but Angle springs up and suplexes him down to the mat. Angle covers but Styles is able to kick out before the three count.
Angle tries for another Angle Slam but Styles counters with an arm drag and follows with a discus clothesline that nets another two count. Angle then counters a move and puts Styles in an ankle lock but Styles rolls through and rolls Angle up but only gets a two count. Angle comes back and hits a series of German suplexes but Styles is able to kick out of the pin attempt.
Angle pulls down the straps and goes for another Angle Slam but Styles is able to counter into the Styles Clash but Angle kicks out of the pin attempt. Styles tries for another flying forearm but Angle counters and finally hits the Angle Slam but Styles kicks out. Angle heads to the top rope and goes for a moonsault but Styles rolls out of the way and Styles hits a 450 splash but Angle again kicks out.
A well deserved “this is awesome” chant breaks out as Styles puts Angle on the top turnbuckle and goes for a superplex but Angle tosses Styles to the canvas. The two counter a series of piledrivers before Angle finally takes Styles down and puts him in the ankle lock. The bell finally sounds as the time limit has expired and this match ends in a draw.
Angle looks pisses as he pushes Earl Hebner around and Sting makes his way down to the ring and we head into a commercial break.
We see highlights of the match we just witnessed before heading into a video package hyping the upcoming Bound for Glory match between Bobby Lashley and Samoa Joe. The video focuses on Lashley’s MMA career what he plans on accomplishing in TNA. Joe says he is pro wrestling and Lashley will find that out come Sunday. Taz and Mike Tenay even got to throw in their thoughts on the match. This was great stuff that should be done more often to hype PPV matches.
After a commercial, we get to see another Bound for Glory video preview, with the focus this time on the upcoming match between Mick Foley and Abyss. They run down the brief history between the two and they both offer their thoughts. Foley says it will be the biggest match of his career while he will have a chance to show people that he still has it. Abyss says they will leave it all out there at Monster’s Ball.
After another commercial, we head into a third video package where the spotlight is set on Kurt Angle going against Matt Morgan. Angle says he has to prove himself by winning at the biggest pay-per-view of the year. Both wrestlers put each other over in their interview segments, while Dixie Carter even got some screen time and says it will be wrestling’s best against wrestling’s future and Morgan will test Angle.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Kurt Angle who says he was the winner of the match and proved that he is the greatest wrestler on the planet. He goes on to say that he just beat the TNA World Champion and on Sunday he will beat Matt Morgan. From there, he will go on to take back the TNA World Championship.
After another commercial break, we see another video package that previews the Bound for Glory main event between Sting and AJ Styles. Sting talks about his career and how 23 years have had its toll on him, but finds it hard to say goodbye to all of the fans and the thrill of performing. Styles talks about Sting’s track record at Bound for Glory and says that it does worry him a little bit and that it is one of the biggest matches of his career. Sting mentions that it may be his last match and Dixie Carter even says that she isn’t sure if he will stick around much longer.
Jeremy Borash is in the locker room with AJ Styles and says he didn’t win or lose his match but he will learn from it. For now, though, he has to focus all of his attention on Sting.
We are then treated to one final video that hypes the Bound for Glory pay-per-view with the wrestlers giving their thoughts on the magnitude and importance of the event as Impact comes to a close
Quick Results
- The Beautiful People defeated Tara/Awesome Kong/ODB by pin fall.
- Amazing Red and Suicide fought to a no contest.
- Hernandez defeated the British Invasion in a gauntlet match.
- Daniels defeated D’Angelo Dinero by pin fall.
- Hamada defeated Alissa Flash by pin fall in a falls count anywhere match.
- Bobby Lashley defeated Rhino in a stretcher match.
- AJ Styles and Kurt Angle fought to a time limit draw.
Starman’s Thoughts
TNA went into its biggest pay-per-view of the year on a very high note with tonight’s special 3-hour edition of Impact. In typical TNA fashion, even with three hours a majority of the matches lasted around three minutes, but the fans were treated to a 20 minute classic between AJ Styles and Kurt Angle.
The match between Styles and Angle was probably one of the best matches that was ever aired on Impact even though there wasn’t a decisive winner. For the most part, it was probably a good thing that there wasn’t one as it just left the fans wanting to see more. They would be smart to leave something like that for a pay-per-view instead of giving it away on free TV. You have to give TNA some credit as well for putting it on without any commercial interruptions.
Like I said last week, though, you knew that the time limit was going to come into effect sooner or later once they made it a point to announce it.
Aside from the main event, two other matches really stuck out in my mind – the stretcher match between Rhino and Bobby Lashley and the falls count anywhere match between Alissa Flash and Hamada.
The stretcher match was a good brawl between the two powerhouses and I liked the fact that it was an actual “put the stretcher into the ambulance” stretcher match instead of the crappy roll past the finish line stretcher matches in the WWE. The match also softened up Lashley a bit for BFG, which could potentially be used as an excuse for him losing or make him look even stronger if he goes over.
The Knockout falls count anywhere match was also great in my mind, although it was a little bit oddly placed as neither Alissa Flash nor Hamada are scheduled to be on the Bound for Glory card. The ending moonsault onto the table was incredible and I hope to see more from these two in the future.
As I am on the topic of oddly placed angles, I felt that Homicide gave out a great promo about Suicide, but that too seemed oddly placed. Yes, the two will be in a match at Bound for Glory, but to suddenly reveal that Homicide knows the identity of Suicide should be something that progresses over time. It could very well still do that, but it’s not something that should be added in just three days before the biggest pay-per-view of the year.
By the way, after seeing Homicide’s promo, I really wish he was still on his own and without the World Elite. He doesn’t seem to be a good fit for that group anyway.
While I am on the topic of the World Elite, I have to say that the British Invasion looked pretty weak against Hernandez. I like how Hernandez is being pushed as a huge, mega powerful star, but he cut through the IWGP Tag Team Champions with relative ease. If it was three jobbers, then I can see that as being a good idea, but not with three mid-card stars that hold title belts.
John Cena recently fought in a gauntlet match on Raw and it was booked in such a way that made both him and his opponents look good. His opponents beat him down but he kept fighting back and overcoming the odds. It might have been better for everyone involved had it been booked in a way such as that.
Finally, Impact ended with a series of well produced video packages that hyped Bound for Glory and its big name matches. I thought it was odd for them to end the show with about 45 minutes of these videos, which pretty much took the entire final hour of the show. Don’t get me wrong as they were all great videos, but it might have been better to have these videos air throughout the show instead of waiting until the end.
In case you didn’t notice, Bound for Glory is this weekend and it should turn out to be a solid show.
