Burn, Baby, Burn (11/19 Impact Recap)

Video footage of Turning Point starts off the show as the voice over guy says that TNA showed the world why they are the best wrestling company on the planet.  He says that the best is yet to come.  The Impact intro then hits and the pyro goes off as we are welcomed to this week’s broadcast that will feature AJ Styles & Kurt Angle against Daniels & Desmond Wolfe.

Mick Foley’s music hits as Foley and Abyss head out to the ring.  Foley has gauze over his left eye as Taz mentions that he has suffered first degree burns.  Foley says all he remembers is seeing a flash come at his face and everything became illuminated for him.  Foley wonders if Dixie Carter no longer wants him around in TNA and talks about how he wasn’t consulted about the Hulk Hogan signing and that he even needed his ID to get into the Impact Zone earlier today.

Abyss steps in and tells him that it is supposed to be about Dr. Stevie and Raven to get Foley back on track.  Foley says that he and Raven have a history and warns Raven that vengeance will be theirs, tonight.  Raven and Stevie come out and Stevie says that Abyss started this war and he was backed into a corner, which is why he brought Raven into this.

Raven says that he thought throwing a fireball in his face would bring back the old Mick Foley and questions Foley’s power within TNA.  Foley says he has the power to book matches and puts the two sides in a tag team match later on tonight even though Abyss appears to not think it is in their best interest.

At the announce table, Mike Tenay and Taz put over the Turning Point pay-per-view and Tenay states that the exclusive Sting interview took an unprecedented turn of events and tells fans to stay tuned for that.

Jeremy Borash is in the locker room with Kurt Angle and AJ Styles who says the friendly competition between him and Daniels has gotten personal.  Styles says he is ready to throw their friendship out of the window since the title seems more important.  Angle, on the other hand, wonders why Styles just gave Daniels a title shot at Final Resolution instead of himself.  Styles tells Angle that he does not back down from a challenge before Borash mentions that the two have a tag team match later on tonight.  The two then walk away from each other.

Match 1: Scott Steiner vs. Amazing Red
Prior to the match, Don West voices his displeasure for having this match since there is no reason for it and Steiner is just out to hurt people.  Red gets in a quick burst of offense before Steiner begins to power him around.  Steiner hits him with a piledriver before heading out a grabbing a lead pipe and the X Division Championship.  Steiner nails Red with the pipe in front of the referee which causes a disqualification.

Steiner then places the title over Red’s face and begins punching it before Bobby Lashley runs in to the ring and chases Steiner out as we head into a commercial break.

Jeremy Borash is backstage with Kevin Nash and Eric Young and Borash wants some answers from Nash.  Nash has the Global Championship and hands it over to EY and gives him credit for outsmarting the smartest wrestler on the planet at Bound for Glory.  Nash says he now wants to team with Young.  EY says he will need some time to think about it before the two then shake hands.  Nash then addresses Mick Foley and says he is going to make a call to Hulk Hogan and he will give him some answers.

Match 2: The Motorcity Machine Guns & Beer Money vs. World Elite
Eric Young and Kevin Nash joined the announce team and Earl Hebner tells Young if he moves from the table he will be disqualified.  Storm picks up a quick near fall on Kiyoshi after hitting a power slam.  Alex Shelley is tagged in and the World Elite turn the tide of the match and they begin working him over with quick tags.  Shelley is able to finally counter Kiyoshi and drive his face into the turnbuckle before making the hot tag to Chris Sabin.

Sabin comes in and the match quickly breaks down with bodies flying everywhere.  Beer Money suplexes Kiyoshi on the ring entrance before they turn their attention to Young and Nash at the announce table.  Meanwhile, Rob Terry interferes in the match and accidently clotheslines Brutus Magnus.  The Guns then hit a double team move on Magnus to pick up the pin fall.  Eric Young becomes irate at Terry for costing them the match and gets in his face.

After a break, Mick Foley is seen walking up to Kevin Nash in the back.  Foley says everyone knows that he is Hogan’s boy and he knows what Hogan is up to.  Nash says he is here for business and his suspension cost him a lot of money.  Nash tells Foley that if he gets him his lost money he will give him his answers.  Nash finally ends by saying that Hogan will not be coming alone.

A video package of the Hulk Hogan signing is aired where Hogan says that his signing has caused a lot of fans to jump ship and start watching TNA.  Hogan says he cannot wait to step into the Impact Zone and is looking forward to it.

Abyss is with Mick Foley in his office and is begging him not to wrestle tonight.  Foley tries to crack jokes and Abyss and Jeremy Borash tell him it’s not laughing matter.  Foley agrees that there was nothing funny about it and that’s why he is doing what he is doing tonight.  Foley says the choice is his to make and there is nothing else anyone can do about it.

Match 3: Hamada vs. Taylor Wilde
The two go back and forth in the opening moments with a great series of counters and reversals.  Hamada finally connects with a huge kick to the face and hits a moonsault but Taylor is able to kick out.  Taylor then begins to counter Hamada’s moves with pin attempts but Hamada finally connects with another kick to the head and hits the Hamada Driver to pick up the pin fall.

Abyss is seen outside of Mick Foley’s office where he is blocking the office door with the receptionist’s desk to lock him in the office as we head into a commercial break.

Another Hulk Hogan video is aired where Hogan inflates his ego once again by saying that he made the momentum shift for a company once before, but calls his move to TNA the biggest move he has ever made.  Hogan then promises that TNA will be number one in a short period of time.

Match 4: Raven & Dr. Stevie vs. Abyss & Mick Foley
Mick Foley doesn’t come out and Abyss goes right on the attack on the ring entrance.  The numbers game catches up with Abyss and Stevie finally rolls him into the ring to get this match officially started.  Stevie and Raven take turns working him over until Abyss starts firing off punches and gives Stevie the Shock Treatment.  Raven then nails Abyss from behind before he tries to get a fireball started.  Abyss instead nails him and causes him to drop his lighter.  Referee Slick Johnson sees it on the ground and calls for the disqualification.

Raven and Abyss start battling in the ringside area before Stevie hits Abyss from behind.  Raven gives Abyss the Evenflow DDT on the floor before the begin strangling him with a cable as we head into a commercial break.

ODB’s talk show is back on the air and her special guest this week is Homicide, who gives a bottle of tequila to the host.  Homicide begins talking about Suicide and says that he is mad at him since he knows his identity.  Homicide and ODB begin yelling and jumping around as the segment comes to an end.

Lauren is backstage with Tomko who is back in TNA.  Tomko says TNA is better than ever and cannot wait to show the fans what they should have seen in the first place.  He then says that he is going to heed Dixie Carter’s advice and step it up.  As Tomko walks away, the Beautiful People come into the picture and mock Lauren and her interview skills.

Match 5: Alissa Flash vs. Sarita
Sarita picks up a near fall after connecting with a cross body block for the middle turnbuckle.  Sarita tries for another one and Alissa counters by kicking her in the midsection.  Alissa continues on the attack and picks up a few near falls before Sarita connects with a kick to Alissa’s head and she picks up the pin fall.  After the match, Traci Brooks attacks Alissa from behind and security come out to separate the two.

Mick Foley is seen walking around in the back looking for Dr. Stevie and Raven.  He is then jumped from behind and Raven begins to choke him with a cable and Stevie says he will hunt Foley forever for trying to get rid of him.

Match 6: Team 3D & Rhino vs. D’Angelo Dinero/Matt Morgan/Hernandez (Street Fight)
The bell rings and a brawl ensues as the young stars get the early upper hand.  Hernandez then goes airborne and takes out Brother Devon and Rhino as his partners begin tossing weapons into the ring.  Dinero takes Brother Ray out with some trash can lids and their fight goes out to the floor.  Morgan and Devon start battling in the ring and Morgan puts a garbage can over Devon’s head and hits him with a series of elbows as their fight goes out to the floor.

Hernandez and Rhino begin fighting in the ring and Hernandez hits a splash from the top rope but Rhino is able to kick out of a pin attempt.  Ray comes in and nails Hernandez with a big boot and Devon climbs the ropes for a flying head butt by the Pope connects with a series of shots from a kendo stick and the trio set their sights on Devon before they call for the tables.

Morgan sets one up on the outside and puts Ray on it but Ray moves out of the way as Morgan jumps from the apron and crashes through the table.  Ray then enters the ring as he and Devon connect with the 3D on Dinero but Hernandez takes them both out with a double clothesline.  Hernandez then spears Rhino and goes for the cover but the referee is pulled out of the ring.

A mohawked man then enters the ring and levels Hernandez with a chair shot and it is revealed to be Jesse Neal with a new look.  He then places Rhino on top of Hernandez as they pick up the victory.

After a break, Jeremy Borash meets up with Rhino, Team 3D and Jesse Neal in the locker room.  Rhino says Neal cost him matches a while back but welcomes him into their fold.  Brother Ray says they made him into what his is and he is the future of TNA.  Neal says he has trained and is hanging with the best and he will soon be the best.

Mike Tenay then apologizes to the fans as he has no showed his interview earlier in the day.  Footage is aired with TNA waiting outside his house but he would not come out.

Lauren is backstage with Desmond Wolfe and Daniels and asks if they are on the same page.  Wolfe says he normally likes to fly solo but has a lot of respect for Daniels and says that he plenty of surprises up his sleeve for Kurt Angle.  Daniels goes on to say that AJ Styles could not beat Daniels at Turning Point because Styles cannot beat him at all.  Daniels says tonight he will prove tonight that he deserves a one-on-one title shot.

Match 7: Daniels & Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle & AJ Styles
Daniels and Angle go back and forth in the early going with Daniels picking up the first pin attempt.  Angle kicks out and motions that he wants Daniels to tag in Wolfe but Styles wants to be tagged in to go up against Daniels.  Styles is tagged in and Daniels runs around Styles and tags in Wolfe.

Styles takes Wolfe down and nails Wolfe with a backbreaker before tagging Angle back in to the match.  Angle briefly works him over before Daniels connects with a kick to the back of Angle’s head without the referee seeing.  Wolfe and Daniels then work over Angle’s arm with quick tags in and out of the match until Angle finally hits a desperation belly-to-belly suplex.

Angle tags in Styles and he comes in and works over Wolfe with a series of shoulder blocks and a backbreaker.  Styles then connects with a Pele kick and Styles heads to the top but Daniels pulls his foot and he crashes down to the top turnbuckle.  Wolfe then follows with a Tower of London but Styles kicks out at two.  Angle then comes in and chases Wolfe out of the ring as Daniels hits the BME on Styles for the three count.

After the victory, Daniels celebrates in the ring as Mike Tenay and Taz say that he just proved that he is worthy of a title shot as Impact comes to a close.

Quick Results
- Amazing Red defeated Scott Steiner by disqualification.
- The Motorcity Machine Guns & Beer Money defeated World Elite by pin fall.
- Hamada defeated Taylor Wilde by pin fall.
- Abyss defeated Dr. Stevie & Raven by disqualification.
- Sarita defeated Alissa Flash by pin fall.
- Team 3D & Rhino defeated D’Angelo Dinero/Matt Morgan/Hernandez in a street fight by pin fall.
- Daniels & Desmond Wolfe defeated Kurt Angle & AJ Styles by pin fall.

Starman’s Thoughts
In my mind, TNA was riding a huge high coming into this week’s show.  Turning Point was one of the better pay-per-views, if not the best pay-per-view, of the year.  TNA took that and followed it up with a show that really seemed to be all over the place.  There were some good aspects of the broadcast, but there also was a lot of bad mixed in.

There were a few matches on tonight’s show that were a lot of fun to watch.  Of course, the main event was great, which shouldn’t have been too hard considering the talent involved, and set up a couple of potential matches for Final Resolution.  Both Knockout matches were also fun to watch, although Alissa Flash once again came up empty handed.  Hamada, though, looked great in her match and I was surprised to see her win clean over Taylor Wilde.

The street fight rematch between Team 3D & Rhino and Dinero, Morgan and Hernandez was also fun to watch.  What really stood out to me, though, was Jesse Neal’s involvement in the match.  At first I almost didn’t even recognize him as he looked a lot more polished but it was a nice surprise.  After seeing it, though, I wish that they would have done this at Turning Point and had this as the reason that the veterans won the match instead of the weak finish they had at the pay-per-view.

Right now I am not feeling the partnership between the World Elite and Kevin Nash.  Sure, the two had a partnership a few months ago when the Main Event Mafia was still around, but this partnership seems to be a little odd to me.  I usually hate swerves and the like, but I am actually hoping that this ends this way with Nash turning on them and destroying EY in the process.  The sooner this happens the better it is in my mind.

Aside from that, there were a few small things that really bothered me in one way or another.  First of all, did Don West really need to have a microphone while ringside during the opening match?  West is loud enough that he could have easily been heard without it, but it really took away from the match.

Next, I really hated the fact that Raven and Dr. Stevie choked out both Abyss and Mick Foley and there was no follow up whatsoever.  Yes, one of TNA’s shareholders had just been strangled in the back but nothing more was ever said of it after it happened.  This seems to be a reoccurring problem within TNA and having some sort of follow up would help wonders in terms of the storyline.

Up next on my list was the return of ODB’s talk show.  I can’t remember the last time her show was aired and honestly, I did not miss it one bit.  Come to think of it, I’m not even sure what point the segment was trying to get across.  All I know is that I needed some tequila of my own to quickly get that segment removed from my memory.

Out of all of the bad aspects I just mentioned, there was one more that topped them all and that was the exclusive Sting interview.  TNA hyped this interview last week and kept us waiting for it throughout tonight’s show, but when it came down to airing it, they finally mentioned that Sting no-showed.

This interview was supposed to be the highlight of the show, especially since it has been over a month since Sting has even been seen on a TNA program.  I think it wouldn’t have been nearly as bad had they mentioned how it was going to play out during the broadcast or at least have it as a “live via satellite” interview so they would have at least had an excuse for the no-show.

However, they just strung us along until the final moment and then gave us the bad news.  My guess is that this will continue like this for a while before Sting finally emerges.  And while I am on the topic of bad news, Nash mentioned that Hogan isn’t coming alone.  Yep, that could mean more bad news for TNA and all of its fans.