Footage of the Slammiversary pay-per-view is aired, which includes RVD retaining the TNA World Championship against Sting and the TNA debut of Tommy Dreamer.
Eric Bischoff is in his office where he says the TNA championship committee met earlier in the day and due to personal issues with Scott Hall, the Band has been stripped of the TNA Tag Team Championship. Bischoff wishes him luck with his personal issues and states that they will be holding a tournament to crown new champions, which starts tonight.
Match 1: The Band vs. Ink Inc. (TNA Tag Team Championship Series)
Kevin Nash and Eric Young don’t look too impressed with having to compete in the tournament to regain the titles they were stripped of. The two attack Ink Inc. as they come into the ring and Young picks up a near fall on Jesse Neal before tagging in Nash. Nash and Young work over with quick tags and wear him down but Neal won’t give up.
Neal finally connects with a blow to Young and crawls to his corner to make the hot tag to his partner. Moore comes in and hits Young with a series of quick moves to pick up a near fall. Moore then connects with a super hurricanrana on Young from the top rope but Nash breaks up the pin fall. Neal then comes in and spears Nash as Moore then connects with the Mooregasm on Young to pick up the pin fall.
The tag team brackets are shown and Ink Inc. have advanced to the finals and will face the winners of Team 3D against Beer Money. The announce team then runs down what happened at the Slammiversary event and say that the TNA championship committee has made a new Top 10 Contenders list but couldn’t decide the order of the top three. A 3-way match between Mr. Anderson, Abyss and Jeff Hardy will happen tonight to determine the #1 contender.
Ric Flair’s music then hits as he comes out with his group. Flair says he has a major announcement to make that will rewrite the history books of professional wrestling as we head into a commercial break.
The docu-cam sneaks on Abyss and Chelsea who says she wants to be with him and not Desmond Wolfe and his abuse. Abyss says she knew the deal about 30 days and says that she won’t want to be around him after tonight.
We return to the ring and see Flair’s group in the ring. Flair says he is going to reform the Four Horsemen but they are going to instead be called Fortune and they will change the direction of TNA forever. Flair gives a little history of the Four Horsemen and why they were a superior group. Flair says the members of the Horsemen would eat the guys in the ring for lunch.
Flair then begins running down AJ Styles about losing to Jay Lethal and Lethal’s music interrupts. Lethal says it looks like the Horsemen were here, took a dump and left that group in the ring. Lethal says them saying they are the Horsemen is disrespecting the business. Flair becomes irate due to Lethal’s impersonation as he starts tossing shoes at Lethal.
Desmond Wolfe finally steps in and calls Lethal a cheap imitation of a legend. Desmond challenges Lethal to the match and Lethal accepts. Flair, though, has to be held back and tells Wolfe that he will be the first member of Fortune if he wins but if he loses he will be history forever.
Lacey Von Erich is seen getting a massage in the back to get ready for her match against Angelina Love later on tonight.
The docu-cam catches up with Mr. Anderson who is arriving to the Impact Zone. Anderson says he is ready for his 3-way match and the cameraman asks if we’ll see the real Mr. Anderson tonight. Anderson replies by saying it all depends on what we think the real Anderson is.
Match 2: Hernandez vs. Samoa Joe
The match starts and Joe takes Hernandez down and begins stomping a mudhole in him. The fans start a “Joe’s gonna kill you” chant but Hernandez takes Joe down with a flying shoulder block. Hernandez follows with a huge clothesline and hits a running shoulder block that sends Joe out to the floor. As the referee checks on Joe, Matt Morgan runs in and nails Hernandez with a low blow. Joe then comes back in and lands a t-bone suplex for the win as Morgan is hiding down by the ring apron.
As Joe is walking up the ramp, he catches the replay on the big screen and turns around to see Matt Morgan. Joe walks towards the ring as Hernandez recovers and the two have him surrounded but Morgan escapes and runs up the ramp. Mike Tenay announces that Hernandez will take on Morgan inside a steel cage at Victory Road.
AJ Styles walks into the locker room and gives Desmond Wolfe news about Chelsea not wanting to be with him any more. Styles says he better get his girl in line and also win the match or else Flair will keep him out of the group before walking away.
The docu-cam is with Jeff Hardy and he says he doesn’t fully trust Anderson as Anderson walks in. Anderson says may the best man win.
Douglas Williams is then in the ring and says that Slammiversary was a celebration of TNA, but it was also about mourning and says the X Division as it once was is dead. He says it will now be about the technical ground and pound that he is famous for. He says he will give the fans a lesson in it in his match tonight.
Match 3: Douglas Williams vs. Max Buck
The two trade off arm bars but Buck uses his speed and quickness to send Williams out to the floor. Williams comes back in, though, and takes Buck down with a Samoan drop. Williams then works Buck over with a headlock and an abdominal stretch before hitting a series of suplexes to pick up a near fall. Williams then goes for the tornado DDT but Buck gets out of the way and counters with a neckbreaker to almost pick up the pin fall. Williams then comes back and hits Buck with a headbutt in the midsection before hitting the tornado DDT for the pin fall.
Williams continues on the attack after winning the match and puts Buck in a choke hold until Brian Kendrick runs down to the ring and puts Williams in a cobra clutch. Williams taps out to the hold but Kendrick refuses to let go of the hold.
A video package highlighting the history between Sting and Jeff Jarrett is aired. The feud between the two picked up once again at Sacrifice where Sting brutally beat Jarrett down. It continued at Slammiversary with Jarrett getting involved in Sting’s match. Jarrett will call out Sting later on tonight.
A video package highlighting TNA’s action figure line with each of the wrestlers shown giving their thoughts on the figures.
Angelina Love is then in the ring and talks about how she now realizes that every time she steps into the ring, it could be her last time, so she is going to make the most of it. She says this week it will be her against Lacey Von Erich. Next week, it will be Velvet Sky. Finally, it will be Madison Rayne at Victory Road to reclaim her Knockouts Championship. She then tells Lacey to get down to the ring.
Match 4: Angelina Love vs. Lacey Von Erich
Angelina immediately takes Lacey down with a clothesline and slams her down to the mat. Lacey, though, comes back and takes Angelina down with a drop toe hold and takes her down once again by pulling her hair. Lacey begins laying into Angelina in the corner but Angelina counters and powerbombs Lacey down to the mat. Angelina goes out and grabs a chair and DDT’s Lacey onto it as the referee calls for the bell and disqualifies her.
The docu-cam is sneaking on Jay Lethal and Hulk Hogan who says Lethal’s impersonations are great but that’s not what he saw in him when he arrived in TNA. Hogan says Lethal is a great talent and he has raised his level and he is staying up there. Hogan says he now has a target on his back and his ride is going to get real interesting for him.
Christy is backstage with Jeff Hardy who says he would love to mix it up with RVD, but that all depends on what happens tonight. Mr. Anderson comes in and says there is a few people trying to stir the pot but at the end of the night, the two of them will be able to look each other in the eye and know that they did this as men. Anderson tells Hardy not to buy what people are saying.
Match 5: Team 3D vs. Beer Money (TNA Tag Team Championship Series)
Team 3D argues a bit on the entrance ramp about what happened at Slammiversary with Jesse Neal. The bell rings and Robert Roode and Brother Devon go back and forth with Devon getting the advantage and even hitting some double team moves after Brother Ray is tagged in. Ray is distracted by the fans chants calling him a douche bag and he misses with an elbow drop, which allows Roode to tag in Storm.
Storm quickly loses the advantage as Devon is tagged back in and Team 3D hits a few more double team moves. Ink Inc. joins the broadcast team as Roode makes a blind tag into the match and Beer Money regains the advantage. Beer Money tries to do their chant and Ray comes in and knocks them down.
The match breaks down and Team 3D then tries for the 3D but Ray notices Ink Inc at the announce table and heads up the ramp. Security tries to break the three up as Storm spits beer into Devon’s face and Roode rolls him up for the pin fall to win the match. Ray has a look of disbelief on his face and Beer Money will be taking on Ink Inc. next week on Impact.
The docu-cam catches Desmond Wolfe talking to Chelsea and says he is about ready to snap. He says he will talk to her later about what happened at Slammiversary but tonight she will have a chance to redeem herself.
Match 6: Desmond Wolfe vs. Jay Lethal
Wolfe tosses Lethal off the turnbuckle prior to the bell to get the match started. Wolfe rolls him back into the ring as we see Tommy Dreamer walking in the crowd. Wolfe begins yelling at Chelsea out on the floor as he follows her on the entrance ramp. Lethal goes out and grabs him and tosses him back into the ring and takes control of the match. Lethal then puts Wolfe away with his impressive neckbreaker to pick up the pin fall.
Lethal then celebrates in the crowd as Dreamer is seen clapping his hands. Wolfe, though, recovers and begins to beat Lethal down. Ric Flair comes out to the ring and gives Lethal a few chops as Wolfe holds him up. Flair then connects with a low blow as Hulk Hogan’s music hits. Hogan comes down to the ring as Flair and Wolfe leave. Hogan points at Flair a few times before raising Lethal’s arm in victory.
Hogan gets on the microphone and says TNA is on fire right now because of people like Jay Lethal. Hogan says he is a TNA executive and calls out Ric Flair as he wants to make a major announcement. Hogan says he is going to make a man’s dream come true as he is putting Flair against Lethal in a match at Victory Road.
Sting is seen walking down from the rafters without any face paint and his confrontation with Jeff Jarrett will be up next.
The announce team then announces the newest Top 10 Contenders rankings. Starting at 10 on down is Kurt Angle, Desmond Wolfe, D’Angelo Dinero, Jay Lethal, Samoa Joe, Sting and AJ Styles. Abyss, Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy are the remaining three, which will be decided later on tonight.
Jeff Jarrett is in the ring and he calls Sting to come on out. Jarrett reminds him that he was the one that called Sting to come to TNA and says that he wanted Sting not to work for him, but with him. Jarrett goes on to say that they have always treated each other with dignity when they crossed paths but that all ended last month. He says Sting tried to destroy him but he made a mistake by leaving him standing.
Jarrett says the two will have a rematch next week as Sting just stands there and smirks. Jarrett says he knows what it is all about and says that Sting is dead wrong about both of them. Jarrett says Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff have given TNA everything they’ve got and he will be fighting for Hogan and Bischoff next week as well as for the TNA fans before leaving the ring.
Match 7: Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
The match starts and both Anderson and Hardy set their sights on Abyss. They both take him down with a double suplex and Hardy goes for the cover by Anderson pulls him off. The two then stare at each other as Abyss recovers and tackles them both down to the mat. A shot of Tommy Dreamer in the crowd is shown as he is still looking on. Back to action, Hardy is able to take Abyss down with corkscrew flip from the top rope.
Abyss rolls out to the floor and Hardy kicks him to the guard railing. Anderson stands up behind Hardy and looks like he is going to attack him from behind be he slides out to the floor and goes after Abyss. Hardy then dives over the ropes and takes Abyss out and Anderson continues on the attack. The bell rings shortly after as all three have been counted out of the match.
Anderson argues with Earl Hebner and Abyss snaps and takes out both Anderson and Hardy. Abyss rolls them both into the ring only to toss Hardy back out to the floor. He then hits Anderson with the Shock Treatment before grabbing some weapons from under the ring. Abyss connects with a few kendo stick shots on Hardy before emptying a pile of broken glass onto the mat. Abyss nails Anderson a few times with the kendo stick before driving Anderson down into the glass with the Black Hole Slam.
After seeing a few replays of that, Abyss is seen dragging Hardy up the ramp by his hair. Abyss then chokeslams Hardy off the ramp and through a table down below. Hulk Hogan comes up the entrance ramp and asks Abyss what is wrong with him. Abyss points at Hogan as Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- Ink Inc. defeated the Band by pin fall to advance to the finals of the TNA Tag Team Championship Series.
- Samoa Joe defeated Hernandez by pin fall.
- Douglas Williams defeated Max Buck by pin fall.
- Lacey Von Erich defeated Angelina Love by disqualification.
- Beer Money defeated Team 3D by pin fall to advance to the finals of the TNA Tag Team Championship Series.
- Jay Lethal defeated Desmond Wolfe by pin fall.
- Mr. Anderson, Abyss and Jeff Hardy fought to a triple count out.
Starman’s Thoughts
Tonight’s show was a good transition between Slammiversary and the upcoming Victory Road pay-per-view. A lot happened during the show so I’m going to get right down to it.
Abyss made a heel turn tonight which he foreshadowed earlier on in the show via the docu-cam. TNA did a good job building a slight tension between Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson only to have Abyss, who seemed to be the third wheel in the match, turn instead. The main event wasn’t all that great, but that wasn’t its purpose.
I’m wondering what TNA will give us as a reason for turning Abyss heel but I don’t think it will matter because right now I am all for it. In my mind, Abyss should be an evil monster, not a sympathetic dimwit that has been following Hogan around for the past six months. Plus, I am really tired of hearing his theme music mashup with Hogan’s WCW theme.
All new rankings were revealed tonight although I didn’t like how they were just passed over like it was nothing new. I felt that TNA did a great job with revealing them last time and although I wouldn’t expect them to go all out every month, I would like to at least have them announced one-by-one by a member of the championship committee.
As for the list, Kazarian was knocked off and replaced by Kurt Angle, while Rob Terry was thankfully removed. Jay Lethal made his debut on the list, Samoa Joe was pushed up where he belongs and Sting dropped from the top spot all the way down to number five. This month’s rankings were a lot more like most fans would see it as opposed to last months.
TNA also did their fans a favor by stripping the Band of the TNA Tag Team Championship due to Scott Hall’s personal problems. Not that it bothers me, as I’d rather see any other tag team aside from the Band hold the gold, but I did find it odd that they were stripped seeing as they used the whole Freebirds rule of defending the titles. Oh well, at least we are getting a few decent tag team matches that can possibly highlight the division.
Ric Flair also made an announcement that was going to “change the history books” and say that he is bringing back the Four Horsemen but changing the name to Fortune. He then ran down all of the, I’m guessing, potential members for some odd reason. He then told Desmond Wolfe that if he beat Jay Lethal he’d be the first member of the group. Wolfe didn’t deliver on his side of the bargain but Flair worked together with him anyway. This has been a strange way to officially create a new faction. Not to mention that there really are five of them.
Finally, maybe it was just me but did Brian Kendrick look like Kurt Cobain tonight or has he always had that resemblance? Maybe it was just the shirt he was wearing or something.
Just three things:
- First: good God, so MANY babyfaces!
- Second: if that meant a heel turn from Abyss, THANK GOD!
- Third: so RVD is the WORLD champion and we don’t see him?