Abyss is in the locker room with a bunch of the X Division stars and is showing off Hulk Hogan’s Hall of Fame ring. Abyss says last Thursday was the greatest day of his life. A video package highlighting Abyss recent matches with Mick Foley and Jeff Jarrett is aired which led the little pep talk that Hogan gave him last week.
The Impact intro then hits as we are welcomed to this week’s show where we will see Abyss take on Desmond Wolfe and Rob Terry will defend the Global Championship against Mr. Anderson. AJ Styles’ music then hits as the TNA World Champion comes down to the ring with Ric Flair. A video of last weeks beating of D’Angelo Dinero is aired and Taz mentions that Dinero suffered partially torn ligaments in his ankle.
Styles gets on the microphone and says that the Pope tried to step up last week and be a man but Styles showed him that he is THE man. Styles then warns Dinero to think twice if he wants to step up again because Styles will make sure he doesn’t walk again for a long time. Flair steps in and is irate that Hulk Hogan gave his HOF ring to Abyss and compares it to giving it to a random fan in the crowd.
Flair then calls out Abyss and he comes out with the old American Made theme music for Hulk Hogan. Flair says that when he sees Abyss he wants to puke and calls him a clown that is only good for shining the champion’s boots. Abyss says he isn’t a shoe shine boy but is more than happy to stick AJ’s boots up Flair’s ass. Styles steps in between them and calls Abyss a disgrace and wants him to take the ring off before he disgraces Hogan’s name.
Hulk Hogan’s music hits as he comes down to the ring and tells Styles that calling Abyss out only to run him down makes him look weak. Flair steps in and wants to know why he gave Abyss the HOF ring before taking off his jacket and challenging them to a fight. As Hogan and Abyss get ready, Styles and Flair leave the ring before Flair gets on the microphone and says that before the night is over, the HOF ring will be on Styles’ finger.
Mick Foley is seen walking in the back before Taz says that he talked with him earlier in the day and he is not in a good mood. The announce team runs down tonight’s card with Rob Terry defending the Global Championship against Mr. Anderson and Abyss going up against Desmond Wolfe. The first match of the night is up next.
Match 1: Nasty Boys vs. Team 3D (Tables Match)
Jimmy Hart comes out with the Nasty Boys as we are treated to a recap of the first meeting between these two teams that took place at Against All Odds. Team 3D comes out to the ring with a table and the Nasty Boys meet them on the ramp to get this match started. Team 3D gets the early advantage against the Nasty Boys and quickly bring a table into the ring.
The table is set up but the Nasty Boys come back and tries to send Devon through the table but Ray moves it. Ray heads to the top but Jimmy Hart causes a distraction allowing the Nasty Boys to send Ray to the canvas. Jesse Neal then comes out and assists Team 3D which allows them to drive Jerry Sags through the table with a 3D to win the match.
Mick Foley is confronting Eric Bischoff in the office and says that he was set up last week so Bischoff could get to Abyss. Bischoff says he needs to look at the end result and takes credit for what happened to Abyss last week. Bischoff says he is living up to his end of the bargain and Foley should be living up to his. Bischoff wants to know what happened to Foley’s suit and Foley says it is in his hotel room as he leaves the office.
Match 2: ODB vs. Daffney
Footage of Daffney’s assault on Tara is aired prior to the match. Daffney runs right after ODB but ODB sidesteps her and goes on the attack with her flask in her hand. Christy cuts in with Tara in the hallway who says that Daffney is dangerously violent and she found that out first hand. Tara then says that Daffney has not heard the last of her. We return to the match to see Daffney in control and is wrapping ODB’s knee around the ring post. She then begins to nail her with a broom stick as the referee calls for the bell and disqualifies Daffney from the match. Dr. Stevie finally comes out and takes her down to stop the attack.
We head to the back where Jeremy Borash is standing by with the TNA Tag Team Champions who talks about their one-on-one match at Against All Odds. Hernandez says they have been over it and they are fine with it. Morgan said he did the same thing that Hernandez would have done if he was in the same opportunity. Morgan continues by saying that they are now 100% committed to defending their titles to anyone, anytime and anywhere.
Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac are seen digging in a dumpster and pulling out weapons such as a lead pipe and Mike Tenay says rumor has it that Eric Young and Kevin Nash are looking for a fight tonight as we head into a commercial break.
Beer Money is standing in the ring and Robert Roode says that their tag teams was founded almost two years ago and have built a reputation on pride. James Storm steps in and says that they have been in TNA since the very beginning but for some reason the management wants to put them on the sidelines, which doesn’t sit well with them. Storm says if TNA wants to take it to the next level, they are going to need a little Beer Money.
Hernandez comes out and says everyone knows how good they are and is going to walk into Hulk Hogan’s office and demand that they are put in a match against Beer Money at Destination X. Roode accepts the challenge for his team as Hernandez ends by saying “may the best team win.”
Jeremy Borash is with Eric Young and Kevin Nash who says that all they want is Hall & Pac. They don’t need a ring or a referee, just a fight with them. EY says all they want is a little television time and promises to send Hall & Pac packing for good.
Jeff Jarrett is seen storming into Eric Bischoff’s office and tells him that it is going to take more than six thugs to run him out of the company that he started. Jarrett tells him to up his game and Bischoff apologizes before saying that he was wrong about him. Bischoff says Jarrett deserves better and wants to give it to him later on in the ring. Jarrett doesn’t seem to buy it but Bischoff tells Jarrett to trust him.
A video package that surrounded the friction between Jeff Jarrett and Eric Bischoff is aired. Eric Bischoff then walks down to the ring and says that he is man enough to admit his mistakes. Bischoff then calls for Jeff Jarrett and wants him to come out with his music, fireworks, and all. Jarrett comes out and Bischoff says he wants to put their past behind them before he calls for an assistant to bring out the barbed wire bat.
Bischoff holds the bat up and says that Jarrett did the ring thing last week by not using the bat. The problem is, however, he didn’t do the right thing by Bischoff’s standards. Bischoff says he will give Jarrett one more shot to do the right thing and hands him a spatula and a hair net before instructing him to help out with catering. Bischoff then leaves the ring as Jarrett stares him down.
Matt Morgan stops Hernandez in the back and wants to know why he gave Beer Money a shot at the titles without talking to him first. Morgan wanted to start out with the likes of Generation Me or the Motorcity Machine Guns. Morgan says they need to be smart and wants to be on the same page with Hernandez from now on.
Match 3: Brian Kendrick vs. Kazarian (X Division Title Shot at Destination X)
The bell rings and Kaz works over Kendrick’s arm for a moment before slamming him down to the mat and connecting with a springboard leg drop. Kendrick is able to come back with an enziguri as a cut in runs down the events that surrounded Samoa Joe last week. Back to the match, Kaz hits the Flux Capacitor and picks up the pin fall to get a shot at the X Division Championship at Destination X.
We then see Kevin Nash and Eric Young taping up their fists as they were given their TV time to brawl with Scott Hall & Syxx-Pac as we head into a commercial break.
Jeremy Borash is with Abyss who says he welcomes anyone to come and try to take the Hall of Fame ring off of his finger. Abyss says that the ring has given him new power and says that he is a Monster of the Rings.
A video package highlighting the history of the Legends/Global Championship that started with Booker T, then to AJ Styles to become the first Grand Slam Champion in TNA. Eric Young then renamed it the Global Championship after winning the title and Rob Terry became the current champion by beating Young at a house show in Whales.
Christy is with Mr. Anderson who says he will get his first taste of TNA gold tonight. Anderson says that Rob Terry is about the size of six gorillas but he knows he has what it takes before telling us that he will be the next Global Champion. Kurt Angle is then seen walking in the back as the title match is up next.
Brutus Magnus stops Rob Terry and tells him that Terry was better off being with the British Invasion than against them. Magnus says Terry will answer to him but Terry tells him to piss off.
Match 4: Rob Terry vs. Mr. Anderson (Global Championship)
Prior to the title match, Mr. Anderson gets on the microphone once again and asks if he is supposed to feel sorry for spitting on some necklace that a solider gave to Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle rises on his platform behind Anderson as he pulls out a set of dog tags of his own of a Vietnamese soldier as Angle busts him in the back with a steel chair.
Angle then motions to Rob Terry as he walks down the ramp to pick up Anderson and carries him to the ring. The bell rings and Terry slams Anderson down with a running power slam and picks up the pin fall victory to retain the title.
We then see footage of Jeff Jarrett in the back flipping burgers and Mick Foley is seen walking in the back with a trench coat on as we head into a commercial break.
A video package highlight the short time with the band is aired. When then see Kevin Nash and Eric Young walk out to the parking lot where EY goes right after Syxx-Pac and Scott Hall takes Nash down with a lead pipe to the knee. Hall turns his attention to EY and tells Young to stay out of the family business. Pac takes Young down with a kick to the face and spray paints “4 Life” on his back as they walk off.
Jeff Jarrett is seen in the back and is cutting up onions as we head into Bischoff’s office where he is on the phone. Bischoff says in the phone that they will not be using guest hosts every week and states that it is the dumbest idea he has ever heard of. Mick Foley then walks into the office where he reveals the suit that Bischoff paid for last week. It has a mustard stain on it in which he says it happened when he saw Jarrett working in catering.
Bischoff tells Foley that he believes he can be an asset to TNA and is going to set him up with an etiquette coach so he can carry himself with dignity and meet with executives to help turn the company around. Foley likes the idea and thanks Bischoff before leaving the office.
Match 5: Desmond Wolfe vs. Abyss
Abyss comes out to the ring with a mixture of his usual theme music and the American Made music. The match starts and Wolfe works over Abyss’ arm but Abyss comes back and squashes Wolfe in the corner. Abyss then hits the Black Hole Slam and picks up the pin fall victory.
After the match, AJ Styles and Ric Flair comes down to the ring and go after Abyss but he is able to fight them off. Wolfe then comes in with a chair and hits Abyss with it multiple times before Flair and Styles join in. Wolfe handcuffs Abyss to the ropes as Hulk Hogan makes his way down to the ring and cleans house before Flair takes him down with a chop block. Hogan is then beaten down by the three of them as Abyss stands helpless in the corner. Styles then busts Hogan open by cracking him in the head with the title belt which gives Abyss the power to break out of the cuffs to help his friend as the heels leave the ring and we head into a commercial break.
We see a recap of what just happened prior to the break and Hogan gets on the microphone and says that he is booking Flair in a match on March 8th when TNA moves to Monday nights. Hogan says it will be Flair & Styles against Abyss & Hogan himself. That announcement even causes Mike Tenay to be censored as he cannot believe the news. Taz says business is about to pick up as Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- Team 3D defeated the Nasty Boys in a table match.
- ODB defeated Daffney by disqualification.
- Kazarian defeated Brian Kendrick by pin fall to earn a shot at the X Division Title.
- Rob Terry defeated Mr. Anderson by pin fall to retain the Global Championship.
- Abyss defeated Desmond Wolfe by pin fall.
Starman’s Thoughts
Tonight’s show really lacked wrestling and was way too heavy on talking on backstage segments, but that’s not to say that it was all that bad. Yes, the matches were all pretty much horrible, I mean Desmond Wolfe should never lose a match cleanly in under two minutes, but some intriguing aspects came out of tonight’s show.
The pairing of Abyss and Hulk Hogan was the main focus of tonight’s show and while it is really hokey, it seems to be bringing out the best in AJ Styles and Ric Flair. Both of them were great on the mic tonight and I’m starting to feel that some of Flair’s best qualities are starting to rub off on Styles. Styles seemed to be really comfortable on the microphone tonight, which has been one of his weak points in the past, and it is really adding a new layer to his character.
As for Abyss, this whole thing with the Hall of Fame ring is ridiculous, but on the bright side, at least it pretty much put an end to the paranoid and gullible character that he has played in the last several months. I also have to say that the mash up of his theme and the American Made theme is a bit overboard.
Aside from the Hogan & Abyss/Styles & Flair saga, I have to say that I really like the push that Daffney is getting in the Knockouts Division. I have always been a fan of hers and I’m glad she is finally getting a chance to shine. Plus, it gives us a new face in the title scene other than ODB or Awesome Kong.
Speaking of the title scenes, both the Tag Team Championship and the X Division Championship got new contenders during the course of tonight’s show. Kazarian earned a shot at the X Division Championship by defeating Brian Kendrick and Beer Money earned a shot by… well, I guess just whining about TNA needing them to get to the next level.
In all seriousness, Beer Money has been pushed to the sidelines as of late and deserve better and I’m not complaining about the match up between them and Morgan & Hernandez, but the whole segment fell a little flat in my mind, especially since Hernandez took it upon himself to book the match for his team. At least it is Beer Money that is getting a title shot and not the Nasty Boys.
Another segment that really fell flat tonight was the big “brawl” between the Band and Nash & Young. This whole thing ran its course over a series of segments and the finally payoff was a tiny beat down of EY followed by Syxx-Pac spray painting his back. Also, it sure was convenient that Hall took out Nash on camera with what I assume was a shot to the knee. Gee… I wonder how long it will be before Nash turns on Young. I’m hoping for soon just so we can move on from all of this.
As if that wasn’t lackluster enough, the follow up on the abduction of Samoa Joe was horrendous. It barely got a passing mention, but when it did it pretty much cut into what little wrestling took place on tonight’s show. An angle such as this should get a little more attention than it did considering an abduction took place.
Finally, to end this on a good note, Eric Bischoff was great once again tonight and I really liked the little jab about the guest host idea. Bischoff really is making the most of his time in TNA and I am starting to look forward to seeing him more so than some of the regular TNA talent.
Some a few personal considerations about iMPACT!:
- Just like you wrote, after that segment with Nash/Hall/EY/Pac, I was just, “OK, so, they hyped this crap all night and that’s it in 1 f’n minute?”. That’s inexplicable in my mind. One more thing that could be scrapped and nobody would care more. Other thing: thank God I’m not the only one who sees the obvious – Nash will turn on Young! I think this all ‘thing’ will serve to help build a star in EY, which is good. However, he was so much good as a heel, but that’s all right.
- Again, what’s the point of hype an encounter/a confrontation? That does not make sense to me. WHY in the hell would we want to see Flair and AJ take off Hogan’s ring out of Abyss?! WHY do we want to see Nash and Young confront and fight with Hall and Pac?! They’re not even “employed” (that’s what they tell us, so, I need to focus on that)! WHY do we want to see Mick Foley in a suit?! WHY so much crap with Eric Bischoff and his problems with Foley and Jeff Jarrett?! Who cares? Give us action, WRESTLING, not stupid angles that lead us NOWHERE!
- Is ODB babyface again? I’m not a specialist in wrestling (just like guys such Jim Cornette, Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff or Hulk Hogan should be), but in my point of view you DON’T solidify a crazy heel like Daffney with a former-babyface and former-heel and actually-don’t-know-what in a woman like ODB! They should give Daff girls with no chance in hell of beat her. That or an established babyface (Sarita and Taylor?). Is Jesse Neal a babyface again? I would swear he was heel before Against All Odds (when he faced Samoa Joe).
- SO MANY babyfaces! When the heels of the show are guys like Brian Kendrick (who doesn’t get mic time and, therefore, we CAN’T take him seriously), Eric Bischoff, the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart, Hall and Pac, some thing is not right. Why in the hell they turned 3D, Rob Terry, Eric Young and Joe? You HAVE to have some sort of equilibrium between the two aspects, and they do not have it. That makes the show worse, in my opinion.
- So “Pope” is the #1 Contender, they show us what happened to him last week, and not even a promo from him? I don’t know, he being carried to the hospital, he at home, he in crutches, nothing? Bad.
- Just like you, I think they should had given some time to the Joe situation. But no, they preferred interrupt a nice match (in paper, of course) with that. And talking about this, we get a #1 contender crowned, and the champion doesn’t even show up? He’s a bad guy, he takes cheap shots, he should send a message to Kaz!
- NEXT PPV is Destination X. X Division on the show? 3 minutes or whatever Kendrick and Kaz got?
- Ken Anderson beat Abyss (that is receiving a push) twice, KURT F’N ANGLE and Jeff Jarrett, and the last two matches he looses to “Pope” (this is OK, I get it) and ROB TERRY?! I understand, OK: storyline-wise with Angle, OK, but at least if it was to Joe or whatever; now, that thing? And more: a VIDEO PACKAGE about some CLASSIC AND IMPORTANT belt, and we got a match like that?! Really?
- Where is Daniels? Rhino? Tomko? Why can’t they do something GOOD with a guy like Wolfe? Where are the Beautiful People? Angelina Love? Kong and Hamada? Taylor and Sarita? I KNOW: there is no time for everybody, but that’s exactly why they should re-structure the show – cutting so many useless appearances of Bischoff, Hogan, Jarrett in the kitchen, Foley walking backstage, Nash and EY preparing for the FIGHT~!, etc.
Now things I liked:
- Daffney getting a title opportunity at Tara. I mean, Daff is hot and, although not the awesome wrestler, she has a nice character and can give us good brawls and such (like last week with Tara). I’m looking forward to this.
- Beer Money getting a new chance at the tag team titles. They said it right: they’re the greatest tag team in the world! Or at least, they used to be. The friction between Morgan and Hernandez is getting cool – although it’s repetitive, because one year ago Morgan betrayed his tag team partner (Abyss). It seems obvious they will loose the titles.
- Brutus Magnus was very good tonight. In seconds, I loved him and his interaction with Rob Terry.
- The thing Eric Bischoff said, before Mick Foley entered in is office, about the guest hosts from WWE.
- The 3D to Sags into a table. Thank God.
- AJ Styles, once again, steps up on the mic again. He was very good.
A lot of good points and questions by Hugo.
TNA has gone from msut-see to you can get by with Starman’s recap.
Sting, oh Sting where art thou?
Apparently he saw enough in two weeks from the rafters to know this was a gigantic waste of his time.
The one move since HH’s arrival that seems to working is the heel turn of AJ and pairing with Ric Flair.
Thanks to both of you for sharing your comments. StarmanFan, I’m glad to hear that my recaps will suffice in case you ever miss an episode of Impact. That is probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen written about my work.
At any rate, Hugo does bring up some strong and valid points about TNA, most of which can be solved if the creative minds running the show would adhere to a little more continuity and focus on time management. TNA is lacking in both of those qualities a majority of the time and their product suffers due to it.
For example, even though I said I love Eric Bischoff’s character and look forward to seeing what he will do next more than some others on the roster, there were some aspects of last night’s show that could have been cut out or made shorter to give more time to something else. Just last night Jeff Jarrett stormed into the office and chewed Bischoff out. Bischoff said that Jarrett was absolutely right and wanted to meet him in the ring. We then are treated to a video package that runs down the friction between the two before going to the ring where Bischoff calls out Jarrett and says he did the right thing but it still wasn’t what he wanted so he orders Jarrett to go work in catering. Throughout the rest of the broadcast we see small segments with Jarrett flipping burgers and cutting onions. He is then briefly mentioned by Mick Foley to explain a mustard stain on his suit.
Now, I’m not sure how all of this is going to end up, but I hope that the payoff is good due to the amount of time they have spent on it. I’m not sure how much time this whole thing took to play out, but I do remember it taking a while – a lot longer than it should have. They could have cut out about half of it and still ended up at the same place. The remaining time could have gone to make some of the matches longer and meaningful or to further some other angles that are more worthy, such as the Samoa Joe abduction or the beat down of D’Angelo Dinero.
As for Dinero, I didn’t mind the fact that he wasn’t on the show as he was selling an injury, but I don’t like how they just brushed past last week’s beat down and never mentioned it again. Lockdown is one of the bigger pay-per-views of the year and with the main event pretty much set in stone, they should be focusing on getting fans interested in it. Dinero should not be absent from any show at least until Lockdown whether it be via satellite, calling in on the phone, in a backstage promo or anything. At the very least, have Mike Tenay or Taz hype that we will hear from the Pope next week or something, I mean the guy will be challenging for the World Championship in a matter of weeks.
Just think, if TNA managed what little time they have each week more efficiently, we could have maybe gotten a word in from the Pope or had one of the matches last a bit longer. Take for example the X Division contenders match. If you think about it, this match should be between two deserving stars that are in line for a title match. Both should be near the top of the division, or else why would they even be considered ready for a title shot, right?
Both Kaz and Kendrick are great in the ring, but they didn’t get enough time to do anything. Three minutes for a contenders match doesn’t get me interested in seeing them fight for the championship. Hogan stated before that he was all about bringing back the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but with the exception of the Knockouts match, this week’s episode had no storytelling of any sort in the other matches.
As for continuity, all you need to look at is the follow up on the Dinero or Samoa Joe angles for examples of what they are doing wrong. Big angles that are not resolved by the end of a show should be a top priority to be addressed the following week. Does management not care that Samoa Joe was abducted? Does Samoa Joe have any friends that may want to find out what happened? If they cannot find the time to make a big issue out of angles such as this, how are the fans supposed to get in to it?
This is starting to turn into a rant, so I’ll end it here. Thanks again for leaving your thoughts and bringing up good points to create a discussion.