My TNA Impact Wrestling, 2nd May 2013 Recap

Chris Sabin makes his much welcome return. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan kicked things off by calling out Sting and apologising for his behaviour towards 'The Stinger' when he pushed him away, so Sting accepted. As Hogan was about to then name the number one contender to Bully Ray's World title at Slammiversary, Matt Morgan joined the icons  and reprimanded 'The Hulkster' for picking his friend Sting. But Hogan had other ideas and instead booked Morgan versus Sting in the main event to determine the number one contender. I just tend to drift away whenever Hogan grabs a mic by this point.

Chris Sabin bested Sonjay Dutt and Zema Ion in a stellar Triple Threat contest to qualify for an X Division Title match. While all three men gave fine displays here, Dutt was the standout performer for me, with a series of crisply executed maneuvers throughout. Sabin started off a little slow, and oddly looked fairly weak at the start (which is strange for a returning wrestler) but once he got going he didn't miss a beat.

My only gripe with the bout was the unfortunate return of the annoying 'X Division Cam' that's connected to the referee's hat. It moves so fast that it almost gives me a headache and makes me feel a little sick. It's really unnecessary and the sooner it goes the better.  

Rob Terry beat Joey Ryan, Robbie E and Jesse in a Handicap match. As expected it was pretty average for the majority with pedestrian action. But to be fair Terry gave a better effort than normal, although that's still not saying much for the limited Welshman. I would normally mention how damaging this is to the three opposing wrestlers, but to be honest I don't exactly envisage a main event future for any of Terry's foes here.  

Bobby Roode and Austin Aries came out and spoke about how Bad Influence (Christoper Daniels and Kazarian) screwed them out of the tag titles last week, and also claimed that they weren't in the same league talent-wise considering that they've never been World Champions like themselves. Daniels and Kazarian then stormed out and told their future opponents (on next week's Impact) that when it comes to tag team wrestling they don't come close to them.

Finally the tag champs themselves, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez strolled out and informed the two teams that next week their number on contender match will be refereed by James Storm, who also came out and shared some beers with them. It makes a nice change from WWE seeing time and effort put into the tag title scene consistently and not just short periods of time when they can be asked to, and the annoying thing is WWE have no reason not to do the same. 

Kurt Angle defeated D'Lo Brown in an I Quit match that ranged from drab to decent. The first half was pretty dull, with nothing particularly remarkable happening, but fortunately the second half picked up in quality and interest as the two upped their efforts in the ring. Angle managed to force D'lo to scream "I Quit!" after applying the Ankle Lock. Anderson and Doc, who'd been watching from ringside, walked away from their fellow Aces member afterwards.

Angle then called out AJ Styles to confront him about his recent behaviour, and gave him the ultimatum of either joining him and Sting in representing TNA against Aces & 8s, or joining the opposition. Styles has until next week to decide, hopefully we'll finally get an answer then, this has been getting a bit tedious for a little while now.

Taryn Terrell and Mickie James bested Tara and Gail Kim in a fair tag bout. As usual James and Kim were the stand out wrestlers here, giving solid displays. Unfortunately there were fairly average periods here that let it down a bit such as Terrell's hot tag offence, she still has some way to go but she's looking competent enough.

After Taryn rolled up Tara for the one-two-three all four women started to brawl in and around the ring, ending in Kim applying a nice Figure Four on Taryn around the ring post from the outside until she was ordered away by ref ODB and other officials.

Sting beat Matt Morgan after 'The Blueprint' passed out from the Scorpion Deathlock, therefore meaning 'The Stinger' will face Bully at Slammiversary for the strap. It was a pretty average main event, with passable (but forgettable) wrestling, the highlight being a vicious-looking Carbon Footprint from Morgan. Watching an out of shape Sting make his trademark heroic comebacks against the far younger, bigger and more powerful Morgan just looked too hokey and only marred the contest even more.

Afterwards Bully Ray then arrived on the scene with Devon and Anderson and exchanged a few words with his future opponent before the show ended. I can't say this World Championship encounter has me  hyped at all, there were other options available to face Bully, Angle for instance, who would've been a more exciting option. 

Overall it was a passable enough show, but unfortunately most of it that lacked excitement or interest. The highlights for me were the X Division Triple Threat (which really saved the show to be honest) the second half of D'Lo versus Angle and the Aries, Roode, Bad Influence, etc, segment. The rest didn't feel like anything special or essential to watch, and the main event was largely average, which was hardly a shocker. 

My TNA Genesis 2012 Recap

Austin Aries (c) retained his X Division Title in the Fatal Four Way Elimination Match against Zema Ion, Kid Kash and Jesse Sorensen. It was a fast paced and entertaining enough opener to the pay-per-view, just let down a bit by the ending sequence. As you expect from the talent involved the action was pretty much non stop throughout, with a healthy dose of near falls and your typically entertaining X Division maneuvers. Austin Aries won after Sorensen (who was on top rope) had been distracted by an sore Zema Ion who had refused to leave after being eliminated by Jesse. This allowed Aries to apply his patented Brainbuster to Sorensen from the middle rope for a nice finisher to the match.
I personally felt it was a big mistake having Ion remain hidden at ringside from when he was eliminated, it just made it obvious to everyone (well if you're a wrestling fan you should've realised) that Ion was going to interfere and cost Sorensen the match. They should've had Ion go to the back after he'd been pinned, then had a lengthier period of Aries and Sorensen going at it with each of them pulling out their signature moves for near falls. Then when it looked like Jesse was going to the top rope for the win, Zema could've raced out to distract him as more of a surprise.      
Devon defeated D'Angelo Dinero in an average but occasionally heated bout. During the match up 'The Pope' called in Devon's two sons Terrence and Terrell and asked them to look at their beaten down father on the ground. They both clearly looked uncomfortable at the sight of this (even though they'd previously attacked their Dad with a steel chair with no quarrels strangely) so Dinero threw one of them out (I forget, they're twins remember?) and slapped the other. This gave Devon time to recover enough to make his heroic comeback and avenge his sons by defeating 'The Pope' one-two-three. Afterwards Devon also made up with his twins sons.
To quote The Miz, really? Really? I just feel like this storyline was ended far too soon. Dinero could've had Terrence and Terrell as his backup for a long while before they eventually turned on each other. All the build up to them turning on their own Father, only to have them then suddenly turn back once again this quickly. Cheers, Russo.  
Well that makes two finishes that were pretty weak in my view, let's see how the rest panned out then...
Gunner defeated Rob Van Dam in a passable but ultimately forgettable (usual for these two nowadays) bout. The match was back and fourth until Ric Flair (who'd accompanied Gunner) distracted the referee towards the end, allowing Gunner to DDT Van Dam onto some flooring he'd exposed on the outside and roll him back into the ring for the pinfall victory. It's quite a big win for Gunner, maybe TNA have big future plans for him? Not sure why, Gunner isn't bad, I just don't see anything particularly spectacular about the wrestler to be honest. But hopefully he'll prove me wrong. Afterwards RVD had to be stretchered out.
Okay, this ending I could get behind a bit more then the previous two if they really sell this RVD injury for a realistic length of time. It'll certainly make the fans take Gunner more seriously to take out a big name like Van Dam and only enhance his character.
Gail Kim (c) won via disqualification against Mickie James to retain her Knockouts Championship in a solid enough bout that just felt a little sloppy at places and an ending that gave it a bit of a tainted feel. Before the match began Velvet Sky had suggested to Sting backstage to add what she called a 'Velvet Touch' by having Madison Rayne locked inside of a cage for the duration of the title match to halt any interfering she may have planned, which 'The Stinger' agreed to. But towards the end Rayne threw down some knuckle dusters for Kim to use which the referee spotted. When he left to discard them Madison threw down another pair for the champ, but James thwarted the attempt and kicked her in the gut. Then, for a completely stupid and baffling finish (welcome to todays TNA folks!) James decided to use the knuckle dusters herself on Gail Kim right infront of the ref. Once again, really?
Abyss defeated Bully Ray in a surprisingly awesome Monsters Ball Match. The action and hardcore spots were constant but unlike many TNA hardcore match ups where they're just spot after spot for the sake of it, the action here was well planned out and not too over the top. The crowd in attendance certainly voiced their appreciation for it also. Abyss pinned Ray after Black Hole Slamming him onto a barbed wire table, although that wasn't as bad as Abyss being sandwiched between two barbed wire tables and then having Bully Ray come crashing down on top of him earlier on.
Matt Morgan and Crimson (c) defended their TNA Tag Team Titles against Samoa Joe and Magnus. The match up was mediocre for the most part, although there were moments of solid sequences in there. The most entertaining part for me was when the crowd began to chant  "We want Morgan!" with other fans then responding back with"No we don't!" Very funny. During the match we were also shown backstage footage of Bully Ray attacking Abyss.      
Kurt Angle defeated James Storm in the match of the night. From start to finish the bout was enthralling and technically superb. Certainly their best match together too in my opinion. The finish came after Angle low blowed Storm after using the referee to protect him from a Last Call Superkick, and applying his own superkick for the pin.
Tenay in his trademark move sent us backstage where someone queried a bloodied Bully Ray to Abyss' whereabouts. Ray answered with "I don't know. Where's he at?"
Jeff Hardy won via DQ against Bobby Roode (c) in a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This was very almost match of the night, the structure and pace were brilliantly executed. Both men put in a very good effort and worked hard to provide a worthy main event. For the finish Roode purposely low blowed referee Hebner to avoid loosing his World Title.
The crowd, which had been thoroughly into the bout, chanted "We want Sting!" after the finish. I don't blame them, it did feel like a bit of a let down after such a solid match. I can excuse one or two finishes of this fashion on a TNA pay-per-view card (it's come to be expected from that muppet Russo) but for the majority of the matches to end on screwy finishes is just inexcusable really. It's a shame, but I'd add that the last two matches are still worth checking out along with the Monsters Ball. 

My iMPACT Wrestling, November 17th 2011 Recap

Roode opened things up by claiming that he was the leader and star of Fortune during his time with the group and how he had now surpassed them all. Storm made an appearance also and was about to join Roode in the ring until security halted him and Bobby explained how it wasn't him that had jumped Storm backstage the previous week. James Storm vouched that he would "find the son of a bitch that jumped me from behind!" As security dragged him away AJ Styles began to beat down on Roode in the ring until once again the security intervened. AJ grabbed a mic and claimed that he would really get retribution from Roode by taking away his World title. Sting in his new position of authority granted Styles a World title rematch at Final Resolution in a thirty-minute Iron Man match against Roode while Storm recuperated from his attack, although he seemed all right earlier?

As Bobby Roode was leaving he threatened TNA owner Dixie Carter until AJ came to her rescue, so Bobby pushed AJ to the ground along with Carter. I was hoping we wouldn't have to endure any more of the awful acting from Carter anymore but it looks like she's getting involved again. Roode continued the attack on Styles as he was on the ground until he was forced away by various staff and wrestlers. For me Roode is definitely proving himself as the deserving top heel of the company and World champion right now. On the mic and in the ring he can deliver.

Backstage Samoa Joe confirmed Roode's claim that it wasn't him that attacked Storm last week and when asked if it was him by the cowboy he said it if had been he would"never have got back up," which instigated a brief brawl between the two.

Robbie E (c) defeated Devon to retain his newly-won Television title in a forgettable match. It was only short although Devon's offence was decent enough, the finish came when Devon's two sons came to check on D'Angelo Dinero after being attacked by Rob Terry. Distracted by this Robbie managed to apply a school boy roll up on Devon for the one-two-three. 

Jesse Sorensen and Brian Kendrick defeated Austin Aries and Kid Kash in a decent enough tag team bout. It wasn't bad but to me it's like they need some new life injected into the X Division. Aries is the perfect choice for champion right now, he's charismatic and he delivers in the ring but that's not enough without the exciting competition for him to face. Kash got pinned by Sorensen after Aries left him.

Next was the Knockouts gauntlet challenge to determine the new number one contender to Gail Kim. First up Velvet Sky pinned Rosita in about four seconds after planting her with the In Yo' Face. She then also pinned Brooke Tessmacher quickly after a one-handed bulldog. Angelina Love then pinned Velvet in a bit of a more competitive period of the bout after pulling up her tights during the pin. Mickie James pinned Love after she hit her with a kick in a decent period of the gauntlet. James next pinned Sarita in a flawed but entertaining part of the match, I wouldn't mind seeing these two have a proper one on one match up at some point. Mickie next pinned Tara in the most entertaining period of the bout filled with some nice submissions by Tara, although she lost to James who just went through two other Knockouts it was still made to look competitive between them. James also pinned the rather dull Winter with one of her signature kicks once again in an okay piece of action. James then eliminated the returning ODB, who's reception was quite luke-warm to be honest. Afterwards ODB attacked James and left her for the final entrant of the gauntlet, Madison Rayne. But James surprised her with a quick roll up pin for the victory. I for one am definitely looking forward to Mickie facing off against Gail Kim for the title.

Karen Jarrett confronted Jeff Hardy in the ring, claiming how he wasn't a "real man," like her husband. Jeff grabbed her and screamed that she would never get to him because"we are the creatures of the night!" Jeff Jarrett attempted to hit him form behind with his title belt but Hardy caught him and began the offence until both Jarretts left the ring. 

Matt Morgan and Crimson defeated Mexican America (c) to win the TNA Tag Team titles. The match was pretty average with some brief exciting spells now and then. To be honest I'm not sure how well Crimson and Morgan will do as a team, I just have a feeling that people will get bored of them pretty quickly but let's hope they prove me wrong eh?

Garrett Bischoff defeated Gunner in a brief and unexceptional bout. Both men looked okay but didn't look like they were giving it their all to me in the ring. Garrett got the pin after hitting Gunner with a DDT, which I thought seemed a little pathetic for Gunner since Garrett didn't really get any other offence in during the bout. I don't mind Garrett so far but if he's going to be taken more seriously then they need to bring him across as a potential new big name wrestler, even simple stuff like giving him real wrestling attire and a decent finisher.

James Storm announced that until he finds out who attacked him form behind he's going to hold everyone in the locker room responsible and then called out fellow Fortune member AJ Styles. Storm claimed that he had the most to gain after getting two World title opportunities from his attack. Things started to get heated between them until Kazarian arrived on the scene and convinced AJ to leave. After they both left and Storm was walking back down the ramp Kurt Angle attacked him form behind. He also Angle Slammed him in the ring and revealed that it was him that had attacked him backstage.