My TNA Impact Wrestling, 25th April 2013 Recap

James Storm started things off by admitting that AJ Styles brought the fight to him in their bout last week, and then went on to call out Aces & 8s after they attacked him after the aforementioned match up. But instead Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) joined 'The Cowboy' and  suggested that the answer to the Aces problem was teaming up to reform Fortune to counter the numbers.

After some heated words Bad Influence then double teamed on Storm and left him lying in the ring for Aces & 8s to finish off. This cued Joseph Parks to race out to his aid, but the numbers soon caught up to him and eventually Bully Ray and Devon went old school as they 3D'd Parks through a table. Bully then took to the mic and claimed that his gang had taken out every "hero" in the company. He also added that Father in law Hogan had until the end of the show to answer his call. 

Taryn Terrell pinned Tara in a fair outing that was hindered by it's duration. While the wrestling was largely stellar from Tara, I could only take so much of watching her dominate Taryn before it became dull. The bout would've benefited by being about half the length it was. 

Rob Terry beat Jesse in an unremarkable affair. Was you expecting anything else from these two? I at least found Jesse quite amusing with his segments with Tara, but he can't really pull it off solo.

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) defeated Austin Aries and Bobby Roode to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles in a solid and enjoyable bout from the opening bell. All four men gave worthy displays here, as standard for both teams when they meet.

After Bad influence tried to convince Roode to join up to bring back Fortune prior to the match, Daniels attempted to help Roode but instead struck him by accident and inadvertently aided the champs in retaining the straps. Whoops.

Matt Morgan came to the ring and listed off all the mistakes Hogan had made involving Aces & 8s and then called out the man himself. So sure enough Hogan came out and faced Morgan, who stated that 'The Hulkster' had no heroes left to take down the gang and claimed that he should pick him to face Bully for the World Title at  Slammiversary.

But Hogan refused to give Morgan anything and said that he had to confront the World Champion on his own man to man, although he gave no reason as to why. It was an odd segment, that didn't really achieve anything at all and gave us no answers. 

Velvet Sky (c) bested Mickie James to retain the Knockouts Championship in a passable outing. Certainly not Jame's finest performance, but she worked well here with a limited Sky, who picked up a (story line) knee injury early on.

Mickie's characteristics were quite heelish I felt, as she had no hesitation in going for Sky's injury and smiled as she went for certain attacks, I almost thought she was going to turn after Sky picked up the one-two-three with a quick roll up pin, but she didn't.

Finally Bully and Hogan faced off the ring after the champ had listed off all the men him and his gang had taken out. Ray then told Hogan that he'd finally killed Hulkamania, to which Hogan retorted that it can never die. So in the ultimate sign of disrespect Bully spat in his Father in law's face, which caused Hulk to (slowly) attack the champ and send him packing. 

As various Aces members then surrounded the ring, Sting made his return after turning out the lights. Just as it looked as though the 'Stinger' was going to attack Hogan, he predictably teamed with him to take out and chase off Aces. It was cringe-worthy watching the two older men slowly and completely unconvincingly take the fight to the younger, bigger and stronger wrestlers. But of course Hogan must have his way. It was a poor end to an average show.

Overall it was a largely forgettable and unremarkable Impact, with only one stand out match worth checking out (that being the tag bout) and nothing to get me excited for future storylines. The return of Sting has happened so often that I just have no interest in it at all by this point, and as I've said before (with no disrespect) his retirement should've come a long while ago. A big step down from last week's effort, but at least we have Chris Sabin to look forward to next week.

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 21st March 2013 Recap

Hulk Hogan admitted that he'd never been as badly fooled as he had with Bully Ray joining Aces & 8s. He then called out his TNA "troops" Samoa Joe, Magnus, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, who suggested a four-way match between them all that night to determine who'll next face Bully for the World Title, which struck me as odd considering Jeff would surely have a rematch anyway? Hogan liked the idea and officially booked the match. 

Bobby Roode and Austin Aries (c) defeated Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles in a stellar contest. All four men contributed worthy efforts here, providing crisp action for the majority. The champs grabbed the win after Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) ran down and distracted the referee and knocked Chavo off the top rope. They then also took out Aries and Roode with their own straps, I'd certainly be all for a title match between these four.

It was announced that all X Division Title matches in the future will be held under Triple Threat rules. What exactly is the point of this? Surely it will only hinder the division and hold them back?

Kenny King (c) bested Zema Ion and Sonjay Dutt to retain the X Division Championship in an exciting Triple Threat bout. It started off a little sloppy but once it picked up there was some terrific sequences from all three wrestlers, especially from the severely underutilised Dutt.

Taryn Terrell admitted that putting her hands on Kim as an official was wrong and she was ready for the consequences. Gail Kim then joined her and claimed that no one messes with her and gets away with it, then asked the Knockouts VP Brooke Hogan to come on out and fire her.

Sure enough Brooke came out and terminated her, but then also signed her on as a member of the Knockouts roster. So Taryn took advantage of this and speared the formerly smug Kim. Bully Ray then confronted his wife Brooke and reminded her that they were still married by signalling to his ring.

Throughout the night we witnessed VT's of Bully explaining the rise of Aces from last year and why certain members such as Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco joined up. It was a nice touch I thought, if not all obvious already.

Matt Morgan pinned Joseph Parks in a mediocre outing. As Morgan dominated the start and toyed with Parks it was all quite drab, and as Joseph made a brief comeback the action was still pretty pedestrian and unremarkable for me. Morgan finally gained the one-two-three after applying a Carbon Footprint. 

Mike Tenay asked AJ Styles to explain his recent actions and respond to the rumours that he'd turned to alcohol and drug abuse recently. But Taz interrupted and offered AJ a spot in Aces from the bottom. James Storm then also joined in and claimed that while his old friend Styles may have changed, he's still the "same old cowboy." But AJ wasn't interested in talking as he failed to utter a single word and simply walked away. It was a fair segment, I'm quite liking the more serious AJ at the moment.

Jeff Hardy beat Magnus, Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle in a Four Way to earn a World Title shot. In the terrific main event the wrestling was kept to a constantly quick pace so you were always engaged, with a high standard of display from all four men involved. I was expecting an enjoyable one here and it did not disappoint.

Overall it was a solid show for the most part, with only the daft X Division announcement and average Morgan versus Parks encounter letting it down. Apart from that all the matches were stellar outings, especially the main event. My only other slight issue was the lack of any really decent promos, but I can excuse that for the high standard of wrestling they provided. Once again TNA has trumped WWE this week on television.

My TNA Lockdown 2013 Recap

Bully stands tall as the new champ. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Kenny King (c) defeated Christian York and Zema Ion to retain the X Division Championship in a Triple Threat match. And what a great choice for opener this was, with blistering action and plenty of excitement throughout. All three men looked on top form and provided more than worthy efforts, giving probably their best performances in the company to date.

For me this certainly toppled anything involving RVD and King, and proves that the division didn't need him but the younger, fresher talent to bring back the excitement which the division was built on.

Joseph Parks pinned Joey Ryan in a passable comedy match. There was nothing exceptional here but it wasn't bad, there were some fair moments of wrestling. Parks gained the one-two-three after sitting on Ryan as he went to roll him over for a pin attempt.

Velvet Sky (c) beat Gail Kim to retain the Knockouts Title in a largely pedestrian affair until the final couple of minutes. Kim looked stellar as normal, while Sky looked okay if unremarkable, so also the norm for her. For the finish Kim confusingly pushed and slapped referee Taryn Terrell for counting slow and then dared her to call for a disqualification. Why on earth would Kim call for a DQ when the title was on the line and she was the challenger? It made no sense. Eventually having enough Terrell then snapped and attacked Kim, allowing Sky to apply an In Yo' Face for the win. 

Rob Terry pinned Robbie E in a mediocre outing. The match contained  uninspiring wrestling that was occasionally sloppy at times, which wasn't a shock considering the two talents involved. You wouldn't miss much by skipping this one to be honest.

Austin Aries & Bobby Roode (c) bested Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez and Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles in a superb three way tag bout. The action was red hot here as all six men kept up a terrific pace throughout with solid wrestling and plenty of excitement. I was trying to pick out a standout performer or two but it was too hard, with every man giving a great effort. Definitely lifted the quality of the event after some lacklustre few match ups.

Wes Brisco beat Kurt Angle in a Steel Cage match. This was actually a lot more enjoyable than I'd anticipated. Kurt as standard for him was on top form, helping Wes to provide a fun first match inside a cage for the night. Brisco looked competent enough here, but clearly still has some work to do in the ring. As usual Angle provided a very memorable moment inside the steel structure in the form of a German Suplex from the side of the cage towards the end.

For the finish D'Lo Brown, the VP of Aces & 8s, cracked Angle from behind after he'd exited the cage (Kurt had accidentally KO'd the referee a few moments earlier) and threw him back him and helped drag Wes out as the ref recovered.

Team TNA (Sting, James Storm, Eric Young, Samoa Joe and Magnus) defeated Aces & 8s (Devon, Doc, Garett Bischoff, Mr Anderson and Knox) in the Lethal Lockdown match. The match got off to a bit of a slow start as each man entered the steel structure, which is understandable. After the last man Sting entered with two dustbins (if you haven't guessed yet, I'm British) full of weapons the bout started to get a bit more interesting.

Each unit took it in turns to dominate, with some nice bits of action here and there. But the biggest highlight of the match (and one I'll always remember) was when Samoa Joe pulled down five stacked men above him (including Garett at the top of the cage) down to the mat, it predictably got a standing ovation from the fans in Texas. Eric Young gained the winning pin after applying a diving elbow drop from the top of the cage, it was a nice finish.

Overall it was an enjoyable enough Lockdown match, but certainly not the best. The removal of the roof from the past (which contained weapons and would be lowered after all men had entered) was a bit disappointing for me, some of the most dramatic moments from previous LL matches happened at the top on the roof (normally involving AJ Styles). But I can't fault the efforts of most men involved, they provided a fun watch.

Bully Ray pinned Jeff Hardy (c) to obtain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a Steel Cage main event. The bout itself was a tremendous one too, with effective near falls and dramatic back and fourth wrestling, plus an ending I very much enjoyed, but I'll get to that in a bit...

Both men gave displays to be proud of and contributed a worthy main event to an otherwise up and down night in terms of quality. During the contest Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff came in, only to be soon chucked out by Hardy and Ray. Later on the rest of Aces also entered the cage, and this was when Devon passed over a hammer to Bully to strike down Hardy with and cover him for the World strap. Now my only gripe with the match itself was Wes and Garett entering it, what was the point? it just made them look weak. I can't fathom any reason or point to it.

Afterwards Brooke and Hulk Hogan (poorly) feigned shock at what they'd just witnessed, with Hulk's expression especially amusing. Bully then explained that he'd used Hulk, "screwed" Brooke and fooled all the fans, and announced himself as the President of Aces & 8s. He delivered the promo brilliantly, and reminded me why I loved him so much as a heel before, calling the Hulkster an "old bastard" and Brooke a "stupid bitch." The fans then began to rain down bottles and cups onto the gang in the cage, it was like a scene from pro wrestling in the nineties, it was a memorable end to the show. 

On the whole Lockdown was a mixed bag of a pay-per-view, with the majority of matches pretty pedestrian and unmemorable. My highlights were the tag team title bout and the main event, both terrific outings with great displays from all involved. The Lethal Lockdown match was also decent at parts, it's just a shame the rest of the card didn't live up to those three. Most importantly the event had a strong finale, leaving me wanting to see more from the solid heel that is Bully Ray and what's going to happen on Thursday night.  

My Impact Wrestling, 7th February 2013 Recap

Yeah, I'd be scared too. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Devon once again announced that Aces & 8s plan to make 2013 their year where they take over TNA, and then introduced the newly revealed members of the gang Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff. Garett gave no explanation as to why he joined, just claiming that the fans gave him no respect, and Brisco berated Hogan for ignoring his phone calls for "two years" and making him work his way up in the company after what his family had done for him in the past.

Neither were particularly good promos, and I'm starting to get a horrible feeling of deja vu with Aces now, thinking back to Immortal's time with the drab and drawn out segments in the ring giving speeches.

Rob Van Dam (c) bested Zema Ion and Kenny King in a Triple Threat to retain the X Division Title. The bout started off scrappy, with rushed sequences that looked fairly messy and clumsy. Fortunately the quality improved towards the end and the pace was kept consistently fast throughout.

Jesse complained about being banned by Brooke Hogan from his girlfriend Tara's match up later on, and then gave what he felt the British fans wanted and began to pose for pictures. But he was shortly interrupted by James Storm, who predictably challenged Jesse to a match right there and then to shut him up and give the fans what they really wanted.

James Storm pinned Jesse in a passable encounter. The action was never spectacular but it was solid enough for the most part, with Jesse looking competent enough and Storm decent as usual. It was wisely kept short and sweet.

Bobby Roode and Austin Aries defeated Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship in a highly enjoyable contest. The wrestling stayed to a consistently good standard throughout and all four men gave worthy efforts, providing a fun watch with pretty amusing moments of Aries and Roode's egos clashing. Towards the end Roode and AA accidentally clashed, leading to the 'It Factor' storming off, but this all turned out to be a clever (and believable) ruse as he would return a few moments later as the champs looked to retain their straps and help turn things around for the one-two-three.

Hulk Hogan informed Bully Ray that the main event versus Aces & 8s was his chance to prove that he was a "good guy" (he hasn't done that already?). Bully explained that after all they'd done to him and his wife, he was going to be anything but good that night.

Brooke Tessmacher beat Tara in a largely mediocre outing. Tara looked okay but far from one of her top displays I've seen, and Tessmacher unfortunately looked like she's taken a step back and gave an under average effort.

Rockstar Spud made his debut on Impact Wrestling after winning the TNA British Boot Camp contest, receiving a healthy response from the fellow British crowd. But briefly into his promo where he spoke about achieving a huge goal by getting into TNA, Robbie E, accompanied by Robbie T, joined him and claimed it was a travesty that he'd earned a contract. After finally having enough of the obnoxious E, Robbie T dropped down and allowed Spud to clock Robbie E in the face and send him packing. Afterwards T began dancing with Spud. I'm very hopeful for Rockstar in TNA from what I've seen so far.

Bully Ray and Sting defeated Devon and Doc in a Tables match. For the most part it was decent enough, nothing outstanding but fun, and the fans were certainly into it. I just failed to ever really get into it, and feel that if Sting had been replaced with a younger and more able wrestler (such as Samoa Joe) there would've been that bit more excitement it required. For the finish Bully 'Hulked Up' and put his ex-tag partner Devon through a table. Brooke Hogan and Hogan himself then joined them for the celebration.

Overall it was a fair to drab Impact, with the tag team title match and triple threat (once it got going) being the highlights. Unfortunately I never really got into the main event, although it wasn't terrible. The lack of Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, the two most entertaining things about TNA nowadays, was also disappointing, without them there were no decent promos. 

My Impact Wrestling, 27th December 2012 Recap

Kazarian and Daniels on great form as standard. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Bully Ray came to the ring and as part of the Open Fight Night rules asked Hulk Hogan to come out to talk, which he was obliged to as part of OFN. But instead daughter Brooke Hogan joined Bully and quietly informed him that her Dad was aware of their relationship. The fact that Ray feigned shock just seemed stupid, I mean they were both kissing out in the clear open in the parking lot on last weeks show when 'The Hulkster' spotted them. 

Austin Aries challenged Bobby Roode to a match in the main event to finally settle things after each man had screwed each other over in World Title situations over the past two weeks. He also claimed that as the top two wrestlers going it was suitable that they'd have the final televised TNA bout of the year.

An angry Samoa Joe called out a masked member of Aces & 8s that attacked him previously to a match up, and threatened to unmask him too. 

Samoa Joe defeated the Aces & 8s member via submission in a passable, if uninspiring contest. The action was okay but nothing special or particularly exciting. As Joe began to unmask his opponent, other gang members raced out so he decided to leave it for now and left.

Robbie E challenged Jesse to a 'Bro Off', which consisted of simply dancing awfully or posing to their entrance themes. Robbie E announced himself the winner after Jesse broke the rules by not saying "Bro"  and by using Tara and not "putting bros before hoes." But it wasn't over as Robbie T then also danced/posed to the music and walked off leaving a shocked Robbie E. It was a bad segment all round to be honest, it wasn't funny and the dancing wasn't remotely decent. I didn't personally find any amusement here at all, and I normally don't mind the duo of Tara and Jesse. 

Rob Van Dam ridiculously stated that his efforts had "elevated the X Division to a whole new level." Please tell me doesn't actually believe that, right? RVD hasn't done anything close to what Aries did for the division, he gives average efforts most weeks and still thinks of himself as one of the top talents in the company. He went on to then challenge Christian York to a match, much to the surprise of Kenny King.

Rob Van Dam defeated Christian York in a fair contest. While York pulls out a few exciting moves in his match ups, he does still have a tendency to be a bit clumsy here and there, and I wouldn't have believed that he's had sixteen-years experience in pro wrestling if Tenay hadn't mentioned it. Overall the bout was decent enough, nothing exceptional about it. 

Christopher Daniels as usual was on great form on the mic as he mocked the fans and named his rear the one that "makes the girls cheer." He also went on to introduce AJ Styles for one final match, but it was of course a hoax as Kazarian came out dressed as 'The Phenomenal One' and did an amusing impression of him as he claimed that Daniels was superior in every way. Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez then joined them and called the duo a pair of clowns and challenged them to a tag match.

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez bested Bad Influence (Daniels and Kazarian) in a solid tag bout. All four men gave good displays here and finally provided a very enjoyable match for the night. It's also nice to see the tag champs back on our screens, it's felt like a while since they've been there.

Gail Kim boasted about her memorable Knockouts Title reign (longest in company history) and also challenged Brooke Tessmacher to a match as a bit of retribution for ending said reign. I do miss Kim as champ I have to say, for me she's the top female wrestler in TNA.

Gail Kim defeated Brooke Tessmacher in an intense back and fourth outing. I wasn't expecting anything special here but it was a very pleasant surprise as both wrestlers provided a great Knockouts match up. Tessmacher looked good throughout and put on one of her top performances to date, Kim was also on her usual stellar form. Good stuff here and worth a watch, miles better than any Divas contest you'll get nowadays.

Austin Aries versus Bobby Roode ended in a No Contest. It was a fun main event for the most part, with Aries and Roode each applying their own underhanded, heel-tactics throughout. It's a shame there wasn't more wrestling though, considering the high standard of matches they've put on before. The match ended when referee Earl Hebner screamed at both to stop ignoring the rules, so the competitors decided to kick Earl and chuck him out of the ring. Jeff Hardy then appeared from behind and took both men out.

Overall it was a largely average Impact, with the first half of the show providing quite pedestrian entertainment. Fortunately the Daniels and Kazarian segment was as usual solid, and their following tag bout, Kim versus Tessmacher and most of the main event were also decent to very enjoyable match ups. 

My TNA Turning Point 2012 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Taz spoke about how proud he was of TNA's support for everyone suffering at the hands of Hurricane Sandy in New York and then introduced radio host 'Buckethead' (no idea who he is either) and Bully Ray. Buckethead urged all the fans to break a Guinness world record for the most simultaneous texts to donate for the  aforementioned cause. He actually did a good job getting the crowd going.

Samoa Joe (c) defeated Magnus to retain the TNA Television Title in a decent match up. Both men gave worthy efforts here, with Magnus giving one of his best (if not the best) displays to date as he went toe to toe with his opponent. There were just a few little moments here and there that spoilt the contest a bit for me, such as the referee not counting when Magnus grabbed the ropes during a submission, and also not disqualifying the challenger when he clearly threw a chair into Joe's head. There was no need for this. Otherwise it was enjoyable enough, but could've been better.

ODB and Eric Young beat Jesse and Tara in an average tag bout. For the most part it was a comedy match understandably, while the action itself was passable, but nothing special. This should lead on to ODB receiving a Knockouts Championship shot. 

Rob Van Dam (c) bested Joey Ryan to retain the X Division Championship in a fair outing. Ryan looked competent for the most part here, although he did mount up a few minor errors. Van Dam looked all right with his standard TNA performance. To be honest I was expecting Ryan to win here, not cleanly but possibly with aid from Matt Morgan at some point. The X Division strap should help enhance up and coming talent, not guys at RVD's level in my opinion. I expect Ryan will obtain it in the near future.  

Doc beat Joseph Parks in a fun at parts match up. While Parks is obviously meant to be constraint in his ring skills due to his attorney persona, he did a good job here anyway and has become one of the most endearing wrestlers in the company. They also planned the match out well and the sequencing made sense. There was a brief period where Parks also managed to tap into another side of himself (namely Abyss, which the goofy Taz accidentally called Parks during the bout) and Black Hole Smalled his foe. But it wasn't to be as Doc applied a Choke Slam later on for the one-two-three.

Afterwards Doc attempted to take out Parks, but Bully Ray came to his former rival's aid and lifted his arm.

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) defeated Christopher Daniels and Kazarian to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles in a solid contest. The first third was enjoyable but it was the rest of the match where the pace picked up and we got some great blistering and crisp wrestling. I was expecting a good title clash here but it exceeded my predictions, nice stuff.

James Storm bested AJ Styles and Bobby Roode in a terrific Triple Threat, and match of the night to earn a World Title match in the future. From start to finish all three men gave great efforts and clearly wanted to do everything they could to steal the show in this intense fight. The action came thick and fast and had its fair share of effective near falls too. Unfortunately for Styles as the man who was pinned he will not receive a World Championship opportunity until at least Bound for Glory next year. I still don't feel that this stipulation was necessary. 

Kurt Angle beat Devon in a match that ranged from decent to a bit drab. Unfortunately a few sloppy moments (which is very out of character for an Angle bout) and a bit of a dull start marred an otherwise fine match up. Don't worry if you miss it.

Jeff Hardy (c) defeated Austin Aries in a Ladder match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the whole this heated match up was enjoyable, with impressive stunts and worthy displays from both men. There were a few sloppy moments and clear mistakes, but I could forgive them as it was a fun watch anyway. 

Overall Turning Point was a decent enough PPV, although not up to the standard of TNA's recent efforts. I didn't get the sense that any storylines or feuds made any real progression, or gained more interest. Without any titles changing hands you also couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. But the Triple Threat, Tag Team Title and main event bouts were all worth a watch, and if an event has at least three solid match ups then I deem it a success. 

My Impact Wrestling, 20th September 2012 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Before the show had begun Shaquille O'Neil informed Hulk Hogan that he would be near the arena if he needed him and had his back regarding Aces & Eights. That was the only appearance he made.

As part of the Open Fight Night Kurt Angle and AJ Styles challenged Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez to a match to determine who deserves the next shot at the TNA Tag titles.  Angle and Styles predictably received a good reception.

Kurt Angle and AJ Styles versus Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez ended in a no contest as Christopher Daniels and Kazarian ran in and attacked Chavo and Styles. The match itself had been an entertaining one, with all four men providing good displays throughout with solid back and fourth action. 

Douglas Williams beat Gut Check challenger Evan Markopoulus in a pretty average bout. Williams as usual was on good technical form as he largely dominated Markopoulus. Unfortunately Evan didn't really look like anything special, but saying that I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more offense from the rookie to get a better idea of what he's capable of. I can't see him being kept on.

James Storm called out Roode for a straight up fight, stating that their feud had moved beyond personal and now he just wanted to see him hurt. Bobby Roode came out and announced that he wouldn't fight 'The Cowboy' as he was superior to Storm and that as long as he was around he wouldn't become World Champion again, and left. But unfortunately for Roode Hogan warned him backstage that if he refuses the match (as part of the Open Fight Night you must accept any challenge) then he'll be fired, so the 'It Factor' made his way out gingerly to face Storm. 

James Storm versus Bobby Roode ended in a no contest (two in one night? Is Russo back?) after the referee Brian Hebner realised that he couldn't control the two wrestlers. It wasn't so much a wrestling match as a brawl outside the ring for the majority of the fight, which was enjoyable enough and made sense considering their personal rivalry. The crowd seemed to also be up for it and were firmly lending their support to Storm. The battle continued through the fans and into the back.

Austin Aries explained to Jeff Hardy backstage that although Hardy was after his World title at Bound for Glory he was also after Hardy's admiration and respect that he gets from his fans, along with all his accomplished in his career so far and the only way to get that is by defeating him at BFG. Aries once again came off quit heelish here as he called Hardy's fans "mindless sheep." Not really appropriate for one of the top faces in TNA right now.

Tara claimed that the reason she turned on Tessmacher last week was because she was tired of being all pally pally with her and was reminded from her new, apparently top Hollywood star boyfriend that she is the top female wrestler in the World. She also accused the fans of just chanting for her for her looks. Tara went on to challenge announcer Christy Hemme to a match up. As Tara began getting physical with Hemme, Brooke Tessmacher raced to her aid and chased off her former mentor.

Hulk Hogan decided to make a deal with Aces & Eights that they let the kidnapped Joseph Parks go and he'll go into their clubhouse. The gang's leader appeared on screen and agreed to the deal, he also had a fellow member of the group destroy Park's laptop and crack the lawyer in the head with a hammer. The 'Hulkster' did not look amused.

After a video package for Jeff Hardy played, Aries thanked the producers for playing it right before he made his way out sarcastically, explaining that that kind of attention Hardy receives is exactly what he's after. He also claimed Hardy wasn't the hunter but "the hunted" and wanted to prove that whatever Jeff could do he could do better and called out Bully Ray for a match. Bully said that AA had a lot of nerve calling him out, but was eventually cut off as the World Champion came flying over the top rope at him to start the bout in an impressive fashion.

Bully Ray defeated Austin Aries in a decent enough main event. Bully dominated for the most part, with Aries making a brief comeback towards the end. It wasn't a particularly memorable contest but it was watchable, and both men put in fair efforts. After referee Earl Hebner was struck accidentally, Bully took full advantage and walloped AA with his signature chains to score the winning pin. Afterwards Bully wanted to finish the job and attack Aries with his own title belt, but was chased off as Hardy came to his aid. Could they maybe be setting up a Triple Threat for the World title at BFG?

Overall it felt like a mostly average show, nothing that special to speak of really. Which is disappointing considering the quality of most Impacts recently. 

My Impact Wrestling, 2nd August 2012 Recap

Before the bell had even rung for the first bout we had TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries and Kenny King taking the attack to their opponents Bobby Roode and X Division Champion Zema Ion. 

Kenny King and Austin Aries defeated Zema Ion and Bobby Roode in a fairly enjoyable tag match. The bout was well received from the fans in attendance, although most of it was just teasing the hot tag to Aries rather then providing particularly exciting action. Annoyingly they kept presenting random tweets from fans talking about Impact as the match up was taking place, just pointless. 

Sting called out James Storm and asked 'The Cowboy' to convince him and everyone else that he has no connection to the Aces & Eights group that's been taking out various wrestlers and officials. Storm stated that he didn't need anyone to fight his battles for him. Kurt Angle then joined them and presented some evidence that pointed towards Storm being affiliated with the gang and begged for them to come out during his match so he could exact some revenge. 

Bully Ray beat Robbie E in a brief contest in the Bound For Glory Series. It really did nothing at all for Robbie, although what was the point of him even being put into the BFG Series in the first place?

Madison Rayne defeated Mickie James, Tara and Gail Kim in a Fatal Four Way to become number one contender to the Knockouts title. The bout ranged from mediocre to flat out sloppy at moments, it wasn't very good at all. James and Kim managed to salvage it a bit but Tara and Rayne were not on form at all, which is unusual for Tara.

The only thing worse than the match was Brooke Tessmacher's guest commentary, she was awful. She just sounded so fake and proved that not only is she not good enough in the ring to be champion but she doesn't have the charisma or (any) acting skills either. I don't expect much at all from her title bout with Rayne.

Chavo Guerrero beat Kid Kash in an enjoyable match up. It wasn't anything particularly exciting but it was fun for the majority of it. A little disappointing that Chavo's very first feud in TNA is with Kash though, not a red hot start in the company.

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian asked Claire Lynch (the woman AJ Styles apparently impregnated in this awful storyline) to join them for her own baby shower in the ring. Amusingly one fan began chanting "You can't act" at Lynch, a truthful chant if I ever heard one. Daniels and Kaz proceeded to give Claire a few gifts for the baby, including a little AJ Styles attire which one of the commentators couldn't help but giggle at. Once again Lynch proved that she has no worth in pro wrestling and just shouted down the mic at AJ to "do the right thing!" I really, really cannot wait for her not to be needed anymore.

James Storm defeated Kurt Angle in a BFG Series bout. It was a solid main event, as expected with these two involved. They went move for move, counter for counter to provide some nice near falls and submission attempts. Afterwards Roode (Bobby and various other wrestlers had come to the ring in anticipation for Aces & Eights arrival) once again accused Storm of being behind the group and he, Bully Ray, Austin Aries and Storm all began brawling in the ring.

My Impact Wrestling, 26th July 2012 Recap

Sting started the show off by announcing that he was the substitute General Manager while Hogan was out injured and his first order of business was calling out Aces & Eights, the group that had attacked both himself and injured Hogan. But instead World Champion Austin Aries and Kurt Angle joined him to also exact revenge after beatings from Aces & Eights. Bobby Roode also came out and accused James Storm of being the man behind the new group. 'The Cowboy' didn't take too kindly to the accusation and began brawling with Roode in and outside the ring until they were separated.  

Madison Rayne and Gail Kim defeated Mickie James and Tara in an average tag bout. The action from James and Kim was solid enough, it's just the set up of the match felt a bit messy to me. Rayne grabbed the win as both her and James had each others shoulders down on the mat but Earl Hebner (who Rayne had snogged previously) made the call to go with Madison. Wonder why?

Douglas Williams beat Gut Check Contender Sam Shaw in an enjoyable enough match. Shaw seemed to get the fans behind him fairly quickly and looked quite decent, if a bit unpolished, in the ring. Unfortunately for Sam he was caught off guard during the match after former Gut Check Contender Joey Ryan once again came through the crowd and punched Al Snow before legging it. I'm quite liking the run ins from Ryan, not particularly original but fun.

Chavo Guerrero made his TNA debut to a warm reception and explained that he had joined the company to beat the "best" and have a Guerrero become a TNA champion for the first time. Kid Kash and Gunner then came out and mocked the Guerrero family, asking where they all were now. Chavo eventually had enough and began brawling with them both, with Hernandez also racing out to help out him.  

AJ Styles versus James Storm ended in a disqualification. It was an intense contest, with both experienced wrestlers putting in very solid efforts. The DQ came after Aces & Eights ran in and attacked Styles, the referee and security but ominously left out Storm. 

Sam Shaw was voted two to one in favour of obtaining a TNA contract by the Gut Check Judges (Bruce Pritchard, Taz and Al Snow). I didn't think he would myself. 

Zema Ion (c) beat Kenny King to retain the X Division title in an entertaining and fast paced bout. Both guys looked competent and charismatic in the ring as they exchanged moves. Roode aided Ion in his win after attacking King from behind (due to Aries being the one who chose King to get the title match under Sting's authority) as the ref was distracted, allowing Ion to easily finish him off and gain the one-two-three. 

Kurt Angle defeated Bully Ray in a Bound For Glory Series match up. It was a terrific main event as both great workers put on displays they can be very proud of. With plenty of nice near falls and counters it certainly kept you engaged. After the bell rang Aces & Eights once again began to take out everyone (bar Bully Ray who managed to sneak away) but this time Sting, Aries, Storm and Angle managed to mount a comeback and scare them away. Aries began to briefly question Storm before the show finished. 

Overall the show was entertaining enough with the in ring action, not outstanding but I can't complain about many of the matches being mediocre. Thankfully we also didn't have to endure any more of the awful AJ Styles and Clair Lynch storyline, smart move on the writers part.