My Impact Wrestling, 25th October 2012 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan gave Jeff Hardy a speech in his office claiming that he'd "raised the bar" after obtaining the World Title at Bound for Glory, didn't he say the same thing to Aries when he won the title at Destination X? It certainly would've been more relevant then. We then heard an inner monologue from Hardy on each of the four possible men he could face for his championship next, it was a little different but I didn't mind it.

Rob Van Dam (c) defeated Zema Ion to retain the X Division Title. It was a fair match up. Ion looked decent and RVD as usual seemed to pull out his standard moves, which was fine. Nothing that special but watchable.

Afterwards Matt Morgan, accompanied by Joey Ryan, took out the champ with a clumsy Carbon Footprint. Morgan then warned Hogan that after wishing for a monster from him, he might just get it. Ryan meanwhile held the X Division strap in Van Dam's face, so I presume he's now next in line for a shot. I'm liking the more serious Morgan just taking out people, although once he steps back into the ring it'll be the same old bland wrestler I imagine. 

Kazarian complained about the unfair treatment him and Christopher Daniels had received from the GM Hogan, claiming that they'd lost the tag team titles "illegally" at BFG. Daniels then accused Dixie Carter of catering to the new title holders Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez to gain a larger latino audience, saying that they were typical looking Mexicans with their tattoos and poncho. He also amusingly suggested calling them "dos steriotypicos." It was a great promo from both members of one of the most solid overall tag teams going today.

Chavo and Hernandez then interrupted a petition Daniels and Kaz attempted to get going to gain them a rematch for the championship. Chavo stated that he and Hernandez would welcome a rematch anytime, anyplace, and they then chased the former title holders out of the ring and signed the petition themselves.

After Mr. Anderson was eliminated from a chance at the World Title by Hogan, Austin Aries was there waiting to berate the 'Asshole'. This of course led to a brief fight between the two, with AA eventually challenging Anderson to a match that night. Embarrassingly we then clearly heard the director shouting "Cut" at the end of the segment. Not particularly professional looking, eh?

We were then shown footage of Devon announcing to his fellow Aces & 8s members that they had to take out a random victim that night during the show. So they randomly picked by throwing a dart at a wall with photos of the roster, but we didn't see who their choice was.

Samoa Joe (c) beat Robbie T to retain the TNA Television Championship in a passable, if pretty average contest. The limited Robbie T did his usual move set, while Joe worked well with what he had, eventually locking on the Coquina Clutch after a few attempts to force Terry to tap. In an Undertaker-like fashion Joe rose up after being taken to the mat by Robbie to latch on the submission hold for a nice finish.

Austin Aries defeated Mr. Anderson in a worthy effort by both men. I wasn't expecting an awful lot here but it was quite enjoyable really, not the greatest match but fun enough to watch. The only thing that marred it was the strange ending. Aries would knock Anderson out with an illegal object, only to have Anderson then fall on top of him for a near count, then apply a submission hold when he was already clearly out. It just came across as a bit unnecessary. 

Tara (c) bested Brooke Tessmacher to retain the Knockouts Title in a passable bout.  The action was standard for the most part, but at least there was some heat to the match. Tara grabbed the win after her boyfriend Jesse caused Tessmacher to tumble from the ring and threw her back in to have a Widows Peak applied. Afterwards Brooke Hogan announced that at Open Fight Night next week ODB would be challenging Jesse. His reaction was pretty funny actually.

Bully Ray demanded that Devon come out and explain the real reason that he's joined up with Aces & 8s. So Devon came out and revealed that he joined the gang because they had his back after Hogan and Dixie Carter released him and never contacted him or made any effort to get him back like they had claimed to. He also warned Bully that Aces & 8s plan to get retribution against all of those in the company that have wronged them. 

Bully went on to reveal that after their retirement match last year, backstage Devon asked him why he was so worried "we're rich anyway" and that was why he'd turned on him. After Devon then backed out of a fight right there and then, Bully announced that next week he'd be taking him on in a fight, and also added that Devon has "no balls." The segment was okay, I was maybe expecting a bit more from their first encounter after Bound for Glory.

Hogan announced Kurt Angle as his pick over James Storm to face Hardy in the main event for the title. 'The Hulkster' also said to Storm that he didn't pick him because he had something else big planned for him. So why was he in the running at all if he had other plans for 'The Cowboy'? Where's the logic there?

Jeff Hardy (c) defeated Kurt Angle to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a tremendous main event match. Were you expecting anything less from it? Both men put in great efforts and didn't put a foot wrong. Solid stuff that's worth checking out. Afterwards Aries struck Hardy from behind with his title belt and announced that he would be invoking his rematch clause at Turning Point for the World Championship.  

We then went backstage to see Aces & 8s members attacking and taking out Angle. 

Overall it was a decent enough Impact, my only let down was the quality of most of the matches compared to recent weeks. Fortunately Aries versus Anderson, the entertaining promos from Kaz and Daniels and the brilliant main event helped save the broadcast. Also disappointed in the Bully Ray and Devon encounter, not that it was bad by any means but I was personally expecting more from it myself. 

My Impact Wrestling, 4th October 2012 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Mr. Anderson defeated Gunner in a rather pedestrian match up. Both men put on passable performances, but nothing special. Afterwards Kid Kash (who'd come out with Gunner) attempted to take out Anderson, but instead received a Mic Check. Sting backstage was shown keeping a close eye on the bout as he was looking for recruits for his team facing Aces & Eights at Bound for Glory. 

Tara and Gail Kim bested Brooke Tessmacher and ODB in a fair tag bout. The action in the first half was superior to the second, with solid enough interaction between ODB and her two opponents. Unfortunately Tessmacher looked pretty average, not awful by any means, but average. For the finish Tara shoved her partner Kim into the Knockouts Champion and applied the Widows Peak for the one-two-three.   

Al Snow called out former Gut Check contestant Joey Ryan and apologised to him for putting his hands on him and action unprofessionally. The obnoxious Ryan called Snow "pathetic" and claimed that that night was all about him. Snow then presented a contract that had been agreed on for Ryan to join TNA, which he signed. Snow then happily revealed that the contract was actually only for one night at BFG, and it was for a match against him. Ryan was not pleased.

Samoa Joe (c) beat Rob Van Dam to retain the TNA Television title in an enjoyable outing. Both men put in good displays as they battled back and fourth, and RVD gave an effort above his usual standard in TNA. It was revealed later on that Joe will take on Magnus at BFG for his championship.

Backstage Bully Ray challenged Jeff Hardy to a match to prove his worth to Sting to gain a spot on his team. An insulted Austin Aries (who was also standing there) asked why Bully didn't challenge him instead. So to settle things Hardy set up a Triple Threat between them, which Bully agreed to. The slight hints to an Aries heel turn are making things interesting in his feud with Hardy.

Chavo Guerrero defeated Kurt Angle in a decent match up. Although it maybe wasn't as high a standard as I was hoping, it was still enjoyable for the most part and a worthy performance from both men. Chavo grabbed the winning quick roll up pin after Hernandez at ringside distracted Angle. Afterwards AJ Styles also jumped into the ring as all four men argued over the dubious match ending, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian then appeared and seemed to relish the bickering between their four future tag team opponents.

Zema Ion (c) bested Douglas Williams to retain the X Division Championship. The match itself was entertaining while it lasted, it's just a shame it wasn't allocated a little more time to benefit from. Williams as usual was on solid technical form and helped elevate Ion beyond his usual standard performance, not to take away from Ion who I still think could be a very promising talent. For the finish Ion managed to thrust Williams into the ringpost, causing him to damage his arm which the champ jumped on as he forced his opponent to tap to a nicely applied armbar.  

James Storm came out and stated that he intends to prove at BFG against Roode that "I am the better man" and reminded us (even though it'd already been mentioned a ton of times and had a video package) that MMA fighter King Mo will be the special enforcer in their match up as no ordinary official can handle them. Bobby Roode shortly joined 'The Cowboy' and warned that he shouldn't worry about King Mo, but worry about their encounter. He went on to also claim that they won't be having a match at BFG, but a fight that has been building since their days as Beer Money Inc.

He then added that King Mo doesn't concern him, which naturally cued the Bellator fighter's entrance. As the two men faced off Mo eventually had enough and pushed down 'The It Factor' and then joined Storm in the ring for a beer. 

Bully Ray defeated Jeff Hardy and Austin Aries to win a fair Triple Threat match. The bout itself was quite disappointing for me, I was expecting a worthy main event with great action but it just ranged from run of the mill to decent. Maybe my expectations were too high, if it'd been the main event of BFG it would've been far superior I'm sure.

In a messy ending Bully was clearly waiting for Hardy to run in and accidentally strike Aries, but AA turned too soon or Hardy was late (not too sure) and he had to run around and throw Jeff into the World Champion himself, then Bubba Bomb Hardy for the victory.

Hulk Hogan announced that he and Sting had decided to pick Mr. Anderson to team with 'The Stinger' at BFG to face Aces & Eights. But unfortunately for them we were then shown live footage of Aces & Eights taking out Anderson. So Bully Ray once again urged both men to pick him, and after some convincing from Sting Hogan shook Bully's hand on it. I'm betting on Bully turning on Sting at BFG and being revealed as a member of Aces & Eights all along.

Overall it was a okay show, certainly not the best of recent broadcasts but not bad. Most matches were decent enough and the Bound for Glory bouts are being set up nicely. It's also fair enough that they had a title match here but I just wish they'd been setting Ion up for a bigger X Division title match for their biggest event of the year, the title really needs more attention right now. 

My Impact Wrestling, 27th September 2012 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan kicked things off by announcing a Television title match to determine a champion for the vacant belt, and also explained his disappointment at the former Television Champion Devon's departure from the company and hoped to have him back soon. He also booked Storm versus Roode at Bound for Glory in a Street Fight to finally settle their feud, with MMA Fighter King Mo (yeah, I had to look him up too). Finally he also reminded us of his trip to Aces & Eights clubhouse later on in the show, which cued Sting to come out and confirm that he would be backing 'The Hulkster' up when he visits.

Christopher Daniels defeated Chavo Guerrero and Kurt Angle in a decent enough Triple Threat. Surprisingly there were a few sloppy moments here and there which spoilt the bout a bit, which is something very out of character for these three wrestlers. I was personally expecting more here considering the talent involved, but it was certainly watchable. 

Tara beat ODB in an average Knockouts bout. The match was quite pedestrian from the start and never really engaged me at all. Tara grabbed the one-two-three after pretending that she'd injured her knee (which no one was buying for a second as she was booed in the ring) and catching her opponent out with a roll up pin. As a part of this win Tara became the number one contender to the Knockouts title at BFG.

Samoa Joe defeated Mr. Anderson to win the vacant TNA Television Championship. The match itself ranged from fair to quite drab, the efforts from both men were okay but nothing outstanding and certainly nowhere near the best we've seen from either of them. It just felt very underwhelming considering it was a title match.

Backstage Sting and Hogan were sprayed in the faces with an unknown substance by a mysterious woman and then chucked into the back of a van by members of Aces & Eights. The plot thickens.

As part of the Gut Check challenge, eighteen-year old Evan Markopolous was voted two no's to one yes which means he doesn't receive a TNA contract. I thought he looked okay last week, and the crowd seemed behind him but I agree with the decision not to take him on right now.

Sting and Hogan agreed on a deal with the Aces & Eights leader in their clubhouse that at Bound for Glory they will each pick two men to face each other in a tag match, with the stipulations that if Aces & Eights win then they have free reign of TNA and if Hogan's team is victorious then Aces & Eights will leave forever. Well I certainly can't see the gang leaving just yet so they're going to win, and we should get the first reveal of some of their identities in Phoenix too I reckon. 

Jeff Hardy and Austin Aries defeated Bobby Roode and Bully Ray in an enjoyable main event tag contest, and best match of the night. The pace was kept to a nice speed and all four men gave solid displays. The crowd were also eating it up, which is hardly surprising considering the quality of the bout before them. After Hardy tagged himself in and grabbed the win with a Swanton, Aries confronted him about it. This feud needs a bit more hostility to get it going a bit.  

Overall it felt like a sub standard Impact compared to recent broadcasts for me. The standard of action in the ring wasn't as consistent, although fortunately the main event saved it a bit. The storylines progressed okay, but I was never as interested as I have been recently in any of the Aces & Eights segments. Not a bad show but nothing special.  

My Impact Wrestling, 23rd August 2012 Recap

The majority of the TNA locker room came out to the ring, with Sting leading them. 'The Stinger' revealed that he'd asked security to let Aces & Eights right on through so he and the rest of the roster could exact their revenge on the gang. He also called out James Storm after it was revealed last week that he had no affiliation with the group, 'The Cowboy' said that he understood all the suspicions previously aimed at him.

Two members of Aces & Eights then came out to the ring with their hands in the air, but Kurt Angle and Storm didn't care as they beat them down. Sting asked one of them where the rest were, but the beaten doen member just told him that they were all in for a "very painful night." 

TNA Knockouts Champion Brooke Tessmacher thanked Brooke Hogan for righting the wrong from Hardcore Justice where referee Earl Henber's biased officiating caused her to loose the Knockouts title. She then went on challenge her mentor Tara as part of the Open Fight Night to see if she could beat her. Just like last week we also had Taryn Terrell referee the contest.

Tara defeated Brooke Tessmacher in a largely average bout. Fortunately Tara's efforts managed to save the quality of the match a bit, but Brooke made a few sloppy errors early on that as champ she really shouldn't be.

Robbie E defeated Rob Van Dam and AJ Styles in a Bound For Glory Series Triple Threat. It was an enjoyable enough contest, with fair displays from all involved. Although I don't quite understand the point of Robbie winning considering he hasn't got a chance of winning the series now.

Jeff Hardy beat Rob Terry in a passable match up. After interfering in a few of his matches Hardy finally found redemption against Robbie E's bouncer. It wasn't anything that memorable but better than I expected.

AJ Styles came out to find out if the unborn child of Claire Lynch was his or not. But first he apologised for the whole situation to his family and "to my fans who had to put up with this crap," It sounds like he was actually apologising for this whole awful storyline here, which wouldn't surprise me. Kazarian and Christopher Daniels then joined AJ and blamed absentee fathers and reckless men like him for the fall of their countries youth. Daniels also revealed that Claire Lynch wasn't in attendance because due to all the apparent stress caused by Styles she was in a hospital suffering from a placental disruption.

An attorney of Claire's then also joined everyone and read a statement form her client which explained how she, along with Daniels and Kazarian had attempted to blackmail Styles and that she was never in fact pregnant at all. A relieved, but understandably angry AJ then chased off both men that had been conspiring against him. I think I'm as relieved as Styles that this storyline is now finally over!  

Backstage Sting and the returning Hulk Hogan took out another member of Aces & Eights as a few other members of the gang scarpered. The fact that two men that age (and remembering that Hogan has recently had another operation) could take out much younger and stronger guys like that was ridiculous. It's ruining the image of the group. For some reason Hulk was also making some weird snarling noise as he spoke, it just sounded foolish.  

Gunner defeated Gut Check contestant Chris Louie in a terrible contest. Oh boy what to say here...oh yeah, Louie. Was. Awful. He looked slow, sloppy, inexperienced, it was like it was his first ever match in a ring. Just embarrassing. In all the VT's building up to him he was saying how hungry he was for the opportunity and how he needed money for his family, well he didn't show that here. But if TNA were to bring him in (which they won't) then at least he'd make talent like Anderson and Crimson look absolutely amazing. Expect to see it on a Botchamania very soon.

Mr. Anderson beat Bully Ray in a decent BFG Series bout. I wasn't expecting much here but both men put in good efforts and provided an exciting end with effective near falls. During the match up we witnessed more of the roster taking out a few members of Aces & Eights.

Sting once again came to the ring with a group of wrestlers and called out Aces & Eights, who duly joined them. As chaos ensued most of the fight went to the back, which eventually left Aries outnumbered as some of the gang members struck his arm against guard railing in the ring. Bully Ray rushed to his aid and chased them off. As the show finished we saw Aces & Eights leaving on their motorbikes.  

My Impact Wrestling, 12th July 2012 Recap

Bully Ray defeated Joseph Parks in an average No Disqualification match, which included thumbtacks, garbage cans, steel chairs and such. It's always going to be hard to put on a decent bout when Joseph Parks (a Lawyer in the storyline who's only ever had one fight in his life) is understandably meant to be purposely bad in the ring. But the match wasn't awful for what it was, just nothing special. Afterwards Parks looked down at his bloody hands and then Black Hole Slammed Bully, much to his own shock. 

Rob Van Dam defeated Samoa Joe in a Bound For Glory Series bout. It was a pretty fair match up, mainly thanks to the efforts of Joe (RVD wasn't terrible by any means, just wasn't exactly on his best form).

Kazarian, accompanied by Christopher Daniels, congratulated AJ Styles on a hard fought victory at Destination X in his superb Last Man Standing match with Daniels. But he also warned him that the situation with Claire Lynch wasn't over, and they brought out Claire herself. As Daniels questioned Claire they were soon interrupted by AJ Styles, who told Claire that she didn't have to explain anything to them. But claire did, as she revealed that AJ was the father of her unborn baby. This whole storyline is about as bad as Claire Lynche's acting skills, I really cannot be asked with it anymore. The sooner it ends the better.

Zema Ion defeated Dakota Darsow in a decent contest. Afterwards the new X Division Champion Ion locked in a submission hold on Darsow's arm, and reminded Jesse Sorensen of how dangerous he was. Hopefully there'll be a few wrestlers who appeared at Destination X signed to TNA contracts.  

The new TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries said what a great week he'd had and what a great moment it was him winning the World title not just for himself or the company, but for the professional wrestling business. He also went on to talk about all the congratulations he received and how TNA is the top wrestling company going today, before former champ Bobby Roode came out. The distraught Roode could barely talk, but managed to call Aries' win a "fluke." AA simply smiled, held up his title belt and said "New. World. Champ."

Brooke Tessmacher (c) defeated Gail Kim to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship. It was a passable title bout, with Kim on her usual solid form. Unfortunately, while she's showed signs of improvement Tessmacher still doesn't look totally convincing to me in between the ropes just yet, definitely not enough to be Knockouts Champion anyway.   

Kurt Angle defeated Mr. Anderson in a BFG Series contest. It was an enjoyable enough match for the most part, although nothing on Angle's intense bout with Samoa Joe last Sunday.   Anderson looked his usual standard self in the ring, nothing spectacular but worked fairly hard.

Backstage Roode demanded that Hulk Hogan give him his rematch against Aries as soon as possible. So Hogan convinced him to call out AA in a match for next weeks Open Fight Night Impact in a non-title bout to prove he's the better man before his World title rematch at Hardcore Justice.

Sting came to the ring and called out Hogan to join him, but Hogan never showed. It was then revealed that Hogan had been taken out in his office by the same men that had attacked Sting last month. As 'The Stinger' went to check on Hogan he was also taken out by the masked attackers. Just who are they, eh? And just how can we thank them for taking out the older, past it wrestlers? Thank you heroes!

My Impact Wrestling, 28th June 2012 Recap

Rob Van Dam defeated Mr. Anderson in a mostly average Bound For Glory Series match up. The bout started off quite unremarkable, with both wrestlers just going for pinfall attempts and rather dull moves. Towards the end it got a bit better as the maneuvers became a bit more interesting, with RVD eventually grabbing the pinfall win with a quick roll up.  

Austin Aries came out and revealed that at Destination X where he will relinquish his title for the chance at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, there will be a tournament to determine a new X Division Champion. World Champ Bobby Roode then shortly interrupted AA and told him that what he held was the "real World Championship" because he's made it that way. After bragging some more Roode also added that the only reason Aries was receiving a title opportunity was because of Hogan, and demanded that AA leave his ring. Aries retorted by asking the World Champion to make him, but Roode simply smirked and backed away. It was a decent enough promo between the two, and it should be a solid title match next week.  

Sonjay Dutt defeated Rubix in a brilliantly entertaining bout to qualify for the X Division Title Tournament. From start to finish it was a blistering contest, and a great throwback to the older X Division matches (not to take anything away from the current talented roster).  

Samoa Joe defeated Bully Ray in an enjoyable contest. It wasn't anything out of this world but it was a fair match that I can't complain about. Samoa Joe latched on a Coquina Clutch for the ten points in the BFG Series after Joseph Parks distracted Bully on the ropes and slapped him. Parks admitted on a mic after that he'd been bullied his entire life and was sick of it, so he decided to settle things once and for all and challenged Ray to a match in two weeks time.

In between matches throughout the night we had to endure segments of an interview with Dixie Carter and Claire regarding this lame storyline of her being a former addict. Dixie should never be allowed in front of a camera, she just cannot act.

Rashad Cameron defeated Mason Andrews in a fair match up to qualify for the X Division Title Tournament. It wasn't quite as good as the Dutt vs Rubix bout but it had it's entertaining moments.

Two of the three Gut Check judges (Taz and Bruce Pritchard) voted in favour of Taeler Hendrix to be offered a TNA contract. She gave a heartfelt and believable promo during the segment and showed how capable she was in the ring last week, I like her and hope she does well. During the judges decisions, rejected Gut Check challenger Joey Ryan came through the crowd and shouted abuse at Taz. I'm really enjoying this storyline with Ryan, it's entertaining and he has a ton of charisma.   

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian defeated AJ Styles and Kurt Angle (c) to win the TNA Tag Team Championship in an entertaining main event. Although it wasn't as exciting as the last time both teams fought over the title it was still a very solid match, which is hardly surprising considering the talent involved.

Kaz looked to turn on his partner Daniels throughout the bout after claiming to not know the whole truth about the blackmailing of AJ and Carter, but he chose his real side as he struck Styles in the back with a chair, helping 'The Fallen Angel' grab the one-two-three and embracing in a celebratory hug. Daniels then revealed afterwards that the father of Claire's unborn child is AJ Styles. When are they going to end this storyline already?

My Impact Wrestling, 22nd June 2012 Recap

Hulk Hogan claimed that he will find out who the three attackers of Sting were last week and make things right for him. Hogan then babbled on a bit about the change coming in the company and called out Austin Aries for his decision on whether or not he'll take the World title match but have to give up the X Division Championship or turn it down. Or as Hogan put it "go for greatness, or go for broke," what a spit on the X Division title that was.

Austin Aries joined 'The Hulkster' and rightfully told him that the strap he held was worth too much to just give up and it deserved better treatment than that. So he gave the GM an "option C" which was that he would give up the title belt, but in the future any wrestler that held the X Division title would also be able to give it up for a World title shot. Hogan agreed to his terms and shook on it. An irate Bobby Roode then joined them both and warned AA that he will definitively beat him at Destination X in their World title match. Aries had already had enough of Roode and they began to then brawl on the ramp until security and such separated them both.

Mr. Anderson came out for his signature entrance and informed both men that it doesn't matter who'll win between them because he's going to win the Bound For Glory Series and defeat them. He also called out Christopher Daniels to face as part of the Open Fight Night (where any wrestler can challenge any other wrestler and they must accept).

Mr. Anderson defeated Christopher Daniels in a fair BFG Series match up. It was kept to a sensible length of time too, keeping the crowds interest and not going too long. 

We were shown a backstage segment with Brooke Hogan discussing who should be the next number one contender to the Knockouts title with ODB, Madison Rayne, Mickie James and Velvet Sky. It's hard to take anything at all Brooke says about pro wrestling seriously. She eliminated Rayne from the equation first.   

Robbie E issued a challenge to anyone else from the BFG Series to a one on one match. Unfortunately for him Kurt Angle stepped up.

Kurt Angle defeated Robbie E in a brief squash match via submission, whoch earns him extra points in the BFG Series.

Magnus defeated AJ Styles in an enjoyable bout after calling him out, which also earned him seven points. I quite like the fact that all these matches are really meaning something. It wasn't that long but it was solid while it lasted, Magnus has come a long way since his debut in TNA.

Gut Check Contestant Taeler Hendrix lost to veteran Tara in a passable contest. Hendrix looked a little nervous here and there but on the whole I liked her, and she showed me more than the likes of Tessmacher, Sky and Rayne already. I'd like to see her stay on.

Samoa Joe challenged James Storm after 'The Cowboy' beat him to win the Battle Royal last week. it was some nice mic work by Joe.

James Storm defeated Samoa Joe in a decent, if quite disappointing BFG Series match. It wasn't bad, just considering the talent involved I expected more. 

In another backstage segment with the three Knockouts and Brooke Hogan, ODB was eliminated from title contention after some discussion. It was based on the flimsy excuse that she's been busy with her wedding and honeymoon, which have now passed. Huh? 

D'Angelo Dinero defeated Bully Ray to earn himself seven points in an average contest. Abyss appeared through the crowd during it, chasing Bully into the ring and straight into Dinero who applied his finisher for the one-two-three.

Brooke Hogan gave some cheesy rubbish about how proud she was of Mickie James and Velvet Sky and announced James as the one getting the title opportunity. At least they picked the better wrestler here.

Brooke Tessmacher (c) defeated Mickie James to retain the Knockouts Championship in a pretty drab bout for the most part. It wasn't bad, just not particularly memorable or remarkable, a bit like the current Knockouts Champ herself. The crowd weren't really sure who to root for either, although there were a few boos for Tessmacher when she was on the offense. James also had a heelish manner about her here much like last week, expect her to turn on Tessmacher soon I reckon.

Jeff Hardy defeated Rob Van Dam in a fun BFG Series match up. The action in the first half just felt like RVD's usual TNA routine of phoning it in a bit but the second half stepped up in quality and had an exciting finish. 

Dixie Carter came out with AJ Styles and attempted to explain their situation, but struggled and was convinced by Styles to just leave. As they were about to go, a mystery woman came down and announced herself as Claire Lynch. She revealed that she was a close friend of Dixie and AJ's and that they'd been helping her recover from her addiction issues, not having an affair. Her acting was awful and this is such an anticlimactic conclusion to this storyline. I just hope that this will all be over soon, I don't think I could handle anymore of Claire and Dixie's attempts at acting any longer. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian then came down to the ring but were both taken out by Styles. 

My Impact Wrestling, 14th June 2012 Recap

Austin Aries (c) defeated Zema Ion and Chris Sabin in a Triple Threat Ultimate X match to retain the X Division Championship. It was a highly entertaining bout, with the highlights being the superb exchanges between Aries and Sabin. The action rarely let up and all three men put in a worthy effort. 

Afterwards Aries grabbed a mic and spoke about his bold claims when he arrived in TNA about how great he was, and went on to state how the X Division title wasn't enough anymore and wanted to move to greater heights in the company. Hulk Hogan then joined him and boldly called AA the greatest thing he'd ever seen in the ring, that's a big statement. He then offered Aries the World title match at Destination X that he wanted, but on the ridiculous condition that he had to for some reason give up the X Division strap since he didn't want a champion in both divisions. 'The Hulkster' gave him a week to think it over. Why couldn't Aries just give up the title after he maybe won the World Championship? It all sounded stupid to me.

Devon (c) defeated Hernandez to retain the TNA Television title in an average contest. Devon looked okay here to be fair. So much for a big return for Hernandez, eh? 

James Storm won the Bound for Glory Series Battle Royal to earn himself 20 points. For a battle royal, which I don't usually get into until the final four are left, it was a solid and quite fun a match up. Although I'm still puzzled as to why Robbie E has been included in the BFG Series? We all know he's not going to win so it seems pointless. Samoa Joe and James Storm received the biggest ovations for their entrances into the bout, and were the final two to battle it out at the end where Storm Super Kicked Joe off the apron to win. D'Angelo Dinero also made his return in the match.

James Storm explained after that he didn't realise how much his wrestling career meant to his young daughter, and that he'd returned to become the World Champion by winning the BFG Series. It was a typically solid promo from Storm, who in turn received a strong reaction from the fans.  

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Madison Rayne in largely mediocre bout with a few fair moments. 

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Mr. Anderson to retain the TNA World Heavyweight title in a decent enough main event. I wasn't expecting a classic but it was a passable World title bout, with both men having their fair share of the offense. Roode won after forcing Anderson to tap to the Crossface. It looked good having the champion win a match cleanly like this too, he should look this dominant more often.  

Sting came out and claimed that Slammiversary where he was inducted into TNA's Hall of Fame was one of the greatest nights of his career. He also thanked the Jarretts but was then cut off as three masked men came out and attacked him. It makes me laugh how furious commentators get when this kind of thing happens but they don't do anything to help the person out. 

My TNA Slammiversary 2012 Recap

Hulk Hogan came out and thanked the fans for their support for TNA and also claimed that the next ten years for the company will be even better, well we'll see about that. He also announced the first match for the night, Samoa Joe versus Austin Aries.

Austin Aries (c) defeated Samoa Joe to defend the X Division Championship in a superb opener for the show. Both men went back and fourth in a thrilling contest, you knew this was going to be something worth watching but they both exceeded my own personal expectations here. The moves were crisp and the sequences were put together very nicely, plus the electric crowd certainly helped too. Smart choice to open the pay-per-view.

Hernandez defeated Kid Kash in a fair match up. It was a surprise but not unwelcome addition to the card. Hernandez managed to get the crowd on his side as the bout went on with his as always impressive aerial moves for a man his size. Kash put in a decent effort too.

Devon and Garet Bischoff defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in an average tag team bout. It wasn't awful, just nothing particularly special or memorable about the match. Garet, as usual, looked a bit out of his depth. Devon unsurprisingly had the crowds firm support throughout.  

Mr. Anderson defeated Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy in a blistering Triple Threat match to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight title. The action came fast and thick in this highly entertaining contest. All three men deserve credit here for their great efforts, definitely one worth checking out. Once again the crowd were also brilliant throughout this match.  

James Storm defeated Crimson in a short but passable match. 'The Cowboy' answered the previously unbeaten Crimson's call for an open challenge, managing to have most of the crowd rise to their feet as he set up his match-winning Last Call Superkick for the one-two-three. It was more of a squash match really with Crimson having very little offense, but it's just good to have the on form Storm back.

Dixie Carter came out and thanked all the fans and everyone else who's helped in the rise of TNA. She also asked out the Impact Wrestling roster to thank them too. Sting was then announced as the very first inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame. Now as I said before I personally feel that it's too early for TNA to have a Hall of Fame, but this was a very feel good moment as the VT dedicated to 'The Icon' played and Sting gave a short speech. 

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Gail Kim (c) to win the TNA Knockouts Championship. It was a surprisingly decent title bout and probably the best match that I've seen Tessmacher involved in. It was well planned out for the both of them. Unfortunately there were a few  sloppy moments here and there but on the whole I enjoyed it.   

Joseph Parks defeated Bully Ray in a mediocre No Disqualification match up. It wasn't bad for what it was I guess, namely the supposedly nervous and inexperienced Parks having the first ever fight in his life. During the match Joseph obviously crept under the ring and changed into the Abyss gear to Choke Slam Bully through a table, then went back under and changed back to Joseph to gain the winning pin. I hope they don't keep this up for long, it's just silly and a bit of an insult to the fans intelligence really.      

Hogan introduced surprise guest Christian out. Christian, or rather Christian Cage here,  and asked the fans to give themselves a round of applause for their support. He than also introduced the number one moment in TNA history (there'd been a count down of the top ten best moments in the companies' history throughout Impact Wrestling episodes and Slammiversary) which was Sting's return to pro wrestling years ago in TNA. I thought it'd be them going prime time on Spike. 

Kurt Angle and AJ Styles defeated Kazarian and Christopher Daniels (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship in the absolutely superb match of the night. This is without a doubt the best tag team match I've seen so far this year and probably the best TNA match so far too. The bout was captivating at the start but absolutely thrilling in the final third. With the crowd reactions and flawless action you couldn't help get sucked into this, like with any special wrestling match.

If you're someone that doesn't normally watch TNA then I urge you, please do yourself a favour and at least watch this match up. Trust me, you'll be grateful. And if you do then let me know what you thought.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Sting to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. It was a fairly decent main event, definitely not up to par with the previous match and Aries vs Joe bout from earlier. As much as I realise Sting means to many fans, his main eventing days should have been long gone by now. He can still clearly entertain but he's best suited to short bursts in matches now. Roode retained after smashing a beer bottle over sting's head. And of course the referee completely ignored all the broken glass and other bottles left in the ring right next to Roode. It looked ridiculous was a poor ending to the main event an otherwise good PPV. Afterwards Sting threw over the ref and Scorpion Death Dropped Roode from the stage. 

Roode retaining once again felt anticlimactic considering all the build up for Sting during the night, and makes me wonder who they actually have in mind to finally topple the champion? Aries at Bound For Glory perhaps? He did hint at wanting to hit that main event scene earlier in an interview. We'll see.  

Overall Slammiversary was a solid pay-per-view, with some memorable matches to take away. Unfortunately the ending just felt wrong and spoilt it a little, just a little though. 

My Impact Wrestling, May 17th 2012 Recap

World Champion Bobby Roode came to the ring and spoke about how he's "overcome the odds" as far as his title defences have gone, and also gave RVD credit for his performance against him at Sacrifice in the Ladder match. He went on to remind us that in a weeks time he will have had the longest reigning TNA World Heavyweight title reign ever, eclipsing AJ Style's run. He then called out GM Hulk Hogan and began listing off demands that he wanted for his celebration on next weeks Impact Wrestling.

'The Hulkster' complimented Roode on giving the company some direction and order since becoming champ since now everyone is gunning for him, but then ripped up Roode's printed off list of demands. He reminded him that he hadn't broken the record yet, and would be defending the title on next weeks Open Fight Night Impact. He also asked the large majority of the locker room who wanted a piece of Roode to come out and announced the qualifying matches between them to determine who will face the World Champion next week for the title. 

Bully Ray defeated Rob Van Dam in the first World title qualifying match. It was a passable bout, if a little short. Although with RVD's supposedly injured leg the length of the match actually made sense, never thought I'd type that about TNA. 

AJ Styles won the World title qualifying Battle Royal. It was a decent enough match. For the most part it was the usual affair for a battle royal, but fortunately picked up in quality when Styles and Aries went head to head towards the end. A match between them two is a must for the near future I reckon. AJ's win was understandably well received. 

Afterwards AJ grabbed a mic and addressed the photos shown last week of him and Dixie Carter looking intimate, claiming that "things aren't always as they seem." Christopher Daniels and Kazarian then joined him and stated that they'd been left in Style's wake for the last ten years due to his relationship with Carter and that revealing the photos wasn't meant to hurt anyone but just expose the truth. Daniels then revealed yet more evidence to the accusations when he and Kaz presented a video of Styles and Carter arriving at a hotel room together arm in arm on an iPad, which actually makes it seem more effective to me. I mean, if you were presenting footage like this of the president of the company then would you really get to present it on the big screen? Doubtful.  

Backstage Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle began brawling after discussing their memorable history together, until they were separated by various wrestlers who just happened to be nearby. Boy, thinking back to their original superb feud Joe really was on fire back in those days wasn't he?

Jeff Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson in a good effort by both men. They managed to outdo their match last Sunday, which was okay. While their feud hasn't really got much substance behind it, their matches are certainly watchable and have exceeded my expectations.   

Gail Kim (c) defeated Brooke Tessmacher and Velvet Sky to retain the TNA Knockouts Title in a fair to dull Triple Threat match. To be honest the bout could've done without the average Sky involved considering what little she really brought to the match, I would've much rather have seen the superior Tara or Mickie James in there. Hopefully Kim will get some new competition for Slammiversary. 

Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe in a solid and intense main event to earn the final qualifying spot for the World title match next week. As expected from two wrestlers of this high standard they put on a very enjoyable contest, going back and fourth with crisp action and making it look easy. I'm glad this was also made the main event, it had and deserved to be.  

Afterwards all four men who qualified for their chance at Roode's title cornered the World Champion, who'd been on commentary. 

My TNA Sacrifice 2012 Recap

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian defeated Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship. It was a good opener to the show and a solid effort from all four men. Although this match wasn't maybe as exciting as I was predicting it was still entertaining from start to finish and worth checking out. I was expecting Joe and Magnus to retain myself, I feel a really long title reign would've been the right step for them but they could very well win the titles back soon and their run was a decent one even if they don't. 

Gail Kim (c) defeated Brooke Tessmacher to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship in a passable contest. Brooke actually looked slightly better here then I was expecting. Kim managed to score the win after pinning Tessmacher with her legs up on the ropes.

Devon (c) defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in an average Triple Threat match to retain the TNA Television title. It was quite a missable match for the most part to be honest, much like most of Devon's Television title reign. the only thing worth noting is that after some arguing during the bout and making up after, it looks as though Robbie T will be turning on Robbie E or vice versa fairly soon. 

Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy in a fair match up. Both men looked solid enough in the ring, although it wasn't going to live up to Hardy's great matches with Angle recently on pay-per-view it was still decent. This was probably one of the better efforts I've seen from Anderson in TNA too. 

Crimson came to the ring and bragged about defeating Matt Morgan by count out on last weeks Impact, he also once again brought a referee into the ring to count to ten, even though he had issued an open challenge and no one had stepped forward yet. Then Eric Young's music hit and he accepted the match up with the undefeated Crimson, which seemed like a popular choice with the fans.

Crimson defeated Eric Young in a mediocre bout. It had a mix of EY's comedy and his wife ODB getting involved in the match, where she was pushed down in the ring by an irritated Crimson. This of course provoked Young to make a (short lived) comeback, only to then be spinebustered by Crimson for the one-two-three.

Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray in a highly enjoyable encounter. Early on AA took a nuts bump as he was big booted from the top rope onto the railing on the outside, you could certainly see the effects of it on his back afterwards. As the face, a role which I believe Aries has taken on brilliantly, he made his heroic comeback and managed to even Brainbuster Bully for a great near fall after Joseph Parks (who'd been in attendance in the crowd for Sacrifice) distracted Ray. As it then looked as though Bully, who I also give a lot of credit for in this match for his role as the aggressive heel, was about to win with a bomb Aries also managed kick out of the nice near fall. Finally AA forced 'Calfzilla' to tap after applying a .

For me the match exceeded my expectations, and these are both two of my favourite things about the company right now. Giving Aries the win was also a smart move I felt, it's already clear how talented he is in the ring and on the mic, but he's also embraced this new persona better then I was expecting and I hope they keep this momentum of his going. As for Ray, I don't think the loss will damage him too much, a feud with Abyss will follow next I reckon.  

Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles in a superb wrestling match, would you expect any less from these two? In the best match of the night and quite possibly the best PPV match TNA have put on this year these two men went back and fourth with smooth and crisp action, with effective near falls a plenty. I honestly struggle to find any issue with this bout, just do yourself a favour and check it out. Angle forced AJ to tap to the ankle lock after Daniels and Kaz distracted him at ringside. 

Afterwards Daniels and Kazarian continued the attack on Styles until Angle beat them off and out of the ring. So I guess he's face again.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Rob Van Dam in a Ladder match to retain the World Heavyweight title. For a main event ladder match I found it a bit underwhelming to be honest, like most RVD bouts in TNA. Don't get me wrong it was decent at parts, with some hard bumps taken on the steel ladders, it just didn't feel like a main event for a World Championship to me personally. Here's hoping at the much hyped Slammiversary we get a better title bout.

My Impact Wrestling, May 3rd 2012 Recap

Ric Flair ordered Hogan out, stating that he was far from pleased about the treatment Eric Bischoff had received last week. Hulk Hogan sure enough came out and told Flair that as General Manager he plans to "step the game up" in Impact Wrestling, it'd be nice to see that some time soon then. He went on to ask 'The Nature Boy' to be a judge on the Gut Check Challenge, after some more exchanged words which included Flair accusing Hogan of not asking him to be a judge but telling him, he agreed to do it.

Brooke Tessmacher and Velvet Sky defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne. It was a fairly average tag team bout, not particularly memorable. Tessmacher used Kim's own finisher Eat Defeat on her for the third straight pinfall victory over the Knockouts Champion.

The always confident (or cocky) Rob Van Dam bragged on the mic about his skills and accomplishments in wrestling and added that he's sure he'll defeated Roode for the World title. RVD came across as more of a heel here than a face, he didn't seem remotely humble at all. Bobby Roode sure enough joined him and also bragged, but instead about his title reign and informed Van Dam that he'll be facing Jeff Hardy (they each got to pick each others opponents for the night) while RVD told the champ that he'll be facing Mr. Anderson. 

Devon (c) won via disqualification versus Rob Terry to retain the Television title in a dull match up, did you expect much different? Terry was DQ'd after Robbie E smacked the champion with Terry's board with 'the list' on. 

We were shown backstage footage of the Gut Check judges Flair, Al Snow and Bruce Prichard discussing the potential of young wrestler Alex Silva. I personally quite enjoyed the segment, it was something a bit different and came across quite real.

Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy in a solid and entertaining, if unfortunately a bit too short (for my liking anyway) contest. For the finish Roode snuck down (how no one spotted him I don't know, but hey, who needs logic in TNA right?) and struck Hardy in the back with his title belt, allowing RVD to kick him in the head and grab the one-two-three.

Bully Ray grabbed Jeremy Borash from backstage and dragged him to the ring, asking him about his part in the Eric Bischoff sendoff last week (where he helped put him into a portable toilet which turned it over). He went on to threaten JB, calling him a "little bitch" and such until Austin Aries interrupted. Aries turned the tables on Ray and reminded him that for years he was the far chubbier 'Blubber Ray'. Bully once again berated AA for his size and spat at him until the X Division champ finally snapped and began beating on him until security pulled him away.  

AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Magnus defeated Kazarian, Christopher Daniels and Kurt Angle in an exhilarating and fast paced tag team match. The action really didn't let up here with a variety of styles from submission to high flying, definitely worth checking out. AJ got the pin on Kazarian for the win after applying a Styles Clash.

After the bout Christopher Daniels gave Styles an ultimatum, either he come out next week and admit the truth about this secret evidence Daniels and Kaz have on him, or they tell everyone anyway. Just end this storyline already, it's already been far too drawn out.

Alex Silva was given the chance to sell himself on the mic in front of the three Gut Check judges after receiving a "No" from Flair and "Yes" from Prichard, why didn't they do this before they'd both voted? Silva gave a drab and cliche-reality show speech about how he'd worked so hard to get where he was and mentioned his deceased father, it didn't go down well with the fans or the judges as Flair asked him to start again. Silva then gave a far better promo where he showed some emotion and confidence, apparently convincing Flair to change his vote to a "Yes," thereby giving Silva a contract with TNA. Alex seemed genuinely emotional after the result, and I believe it.

Bobby Roode defeated Mr. Anderson in a No Disqualification match which was quite average and uninspiring. Hardy ran in during the bout to Anderson's aid but was accidentally Mic Checked by him who mistook him for the World Champion. Roode began striking both men with a steel chair after the bell until RVD also came out and chased him off. But as he was checking on Hardy, Roode raced back to the ring and also beat him down with the chair.    

My Impact Wrestling, April 26th 2012 Recap

Backstage on the first ever Impact Wrestling Open Fight Night Hulk Hogan decided to pick Samoa Joe and Magnus to defend their Tag Team titles against an as yet unknown team of his choice. 

Before his title defence Devon explained once again that the TNA Television title will now be defended every week on Impact Wrestling. He then went on to choose former tag team partner (you may remember them, quite famous) Bully Ray. Bully refused to step into the ring with the champ, claiming that as a team he'd already made him a star and he wasn't going to give him that privilege once again by taking him on. But as he was leaving Devon chased him down and beat him back into the ring.

Devon (c) defeated Bully Ray in a fair contest to retain his Television title. It wasn't anything outstanding but it was solid enough, surprised Devon got a clean win over Bully though, considering his position in the company.

Backstage Christopher Daniels and Kazarian attempted to brag with Kurt Angle about his victory over AJ Styles last week, but he wasn't having any of it and warned both of them that he didn't need any help in his future matches (Kaz and Daniels distracted Styles in the bout last week, helping Angle score the roll up pin for the victory). 

Jeremy Borash took advantage of the Open Fight Night and decided to call out Eric Bischoff, who he called the "biggest prick to come along in the company" for many years. Eric obliged to Borash's demands and joined him. JB then went on a quite entertaining rant about Eric, with Bischoff congratulating him on showing some guts. But he had a trick up his sleeve and had Bully Ray low blow JB for him, then had a referee come down to count his pinfall win. 

Anarquia of Mexican America challenged anyone from the back, claiming no one could beat them. So Kurt Angle answered his call, but instead Anarquia then put Hernandez forward to face the Gold Medalist, only this was a ruse for Anarquia to get the upper hand with an attack form behind.

Kurt Angle defeated Anarquia in a brief squash match when he forced him to tap to the ankle lock. 

Al Snow introduced young talent Alex Silva, who was participating in the first ever Gut Check challenge, where he faces a TNA talent and is judged on whether or not he deserves a contract with the company.

Robbie E defeated Alex Silva in an average bout. Silva looked decent at times but also a bit sloppy and out of his depth at others. 

Tessmacher put out a challenge to Gail Kim after pinning her on Impact recently, claiming that she was more than just looks and wanted to prove herself in between the ropes.

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Gail Kim in a fair to mediocre non-title contest. Tessmacher showed signs of improvement in the ring, unfortunately I'm still not totally convinced by her yet.  

Hulk Hogan announced that Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson would be receiving the Tag Team title shot over Kazarian and Daniels. A choice which made no sense whatsoever. Why would you choose a pairing that were arguing only last week over the cohesive unit of Kaz and 'The Fallen Angel', and a heel cohesive unit at that to face the popular pairing of Joe and Magnus?   

Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) defeated Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy to retain the TNA Tag Team title. The main event itself was an enjoyable contest, with all four men looking solid in the ring and putting on a good display. The result made logical sense too. Afterwards the understandably angered Kazarian and Daniels took out the champions from behind, to most likely set up what should be a very good title match at Sacrifice.

Ric Flair introduced Eric Bischoff out to the ring for the celebration of his career along with Bully Ray, Gunner, Kazarian and Daniels. Flair went on to drivel (doesn't sound like him, eh?) about how much Bischoff has meant and done for the company, which isn't anything at all in terms of actually improving it as a product. They also handed over a Rolex watch as a parting gift.

Garet Bischoff then interrupted the proceedings, claiming that he, along with Jeremy Borash, Austin Aries, the Motorcity Machine Guns and RVD, also got Eric a parting gift. But unfortunately for him it was an induction into the shed of shame. After grabbing hold of his dad, Garet proceeded to put him into the shed (which was actually a portable  toilet) and turned it on its side, covering Eric in excrement.   

My Impact Wrestling, April 19th 2012 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, finally sporting a new and much more up to date shorter hair cut, bragged about how proud he was at still remaining the World Champion. He went on to list off all the men he'd defeated during his reign until Mr. Anderson interrupted him and challenged him to a fight. Jeff Hardy was next out, who began arguing with Anderson regarding who deserves a title shot more. To settle things Hulk Hogan booked a match between the two to determine the number one contender for Sacrifice. Roode was more charismatic than normal here I thought, and Anderson as usual was solid on the mic, shame he can't be as consistent in the ring. 

Bully Ray and Crimson defeated Austin Aries and Matt Morgan in a mostly average and forgettable tag match. The quality and interest managed to pick up a bit when Aries made the hot tag but apart from that it was mainly the limited Morgan being worked on by the other team.

Garett Bischoff, accompanied by his Lethal Lockdown teammates, congratulated himself and his team for their victory last Sunday. Ric Flair soon interrupted them all and called Garett a "disrespectful disgrace" and also nonsensically claimed that the talent in the ring wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eric Bischoff, this is only true for Garett who isn't exactly much of a talent right now. 'The Nature Boy' went on to announce a party he will be holding in Eric Bischoff's honour next week on Impact.   

Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles in a match that was kept far too short for my liking, I mean whenever you have these two in the ring together you want it to last. Angle scored a quick roll up pin for the victory after AJ had been distracted by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian at ringside who handed him an envelope with his supposed secret we've been hearing about for far too long now. Can't they just hurry up and end this storyline soon?

Backstage Hogan decided to add Rob Van Dam into the number one contenders match later on before coming out to the ring.

Surrounded by all the current champions in TNA, Hogan announced that once a month at a special Impact Wrestling called 'Open Fight Night' a talent from outside of TNA's roster would be brought in to wrestle and then judged on whether or not they deserve a contract with the company. He also added that on that night if someone is challenged to a match then they'll have to accept, including any champion. Roode and Gail Kim disputed this, while Devon was more then happy with it. Hogan also informed Devon that every week on Impact the TNA Television title will be on the line, no matter what. It sounds like it could be an interesting concept, but we'll see, this is TNA after all...

Tessmacher, Tara, Velvet Sky and Mickie James defeated Gail Kim, Rayne, Sarita and Rosita in an average Knockouts tag bout. Tessmacher got the pin on Kim which means she's most likely next in line for a title shot, at least it'll be someone new to face Kim.

Devon (c) defeated Gunner to retain his TNA Television title in a fair contest, although like most of the other matches on the show it wasn't essential viewing. 

James Storm apologised to all his friends and family for failing to defeat Roode at Lockdown, and stated that it was his ego that got in the way of him getting the job done against the champion and that it was his all his own fault that he lost. An emotional Storm went on to thank all the fans for their support but claimed that maybe Roode was right and maybe his luck had run out before dropping the mic and leaving.

One of the most consistent promo deliverers in the business today duly delivered here once again with this speech. It sounds like he's going to be taking some time off for now though, maybe until Slammiversary in June. 

Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson to become number one contender to the World title. The match itself was solid enough, although rather then any flowing sequences it was mostly signature move after signature move. RVD quickly pinned Hardy for the win.  

My Impact Wrestling, March 29th 2012 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, surrounded by a team of police officers, entered the ring and informed all the fans that had demanded he be fired from TNA that they could all "kiss my World Championship ass." He went on to claim that Impact would be nothing without him, really? He also bragged that he'd won the "war" with Sting after he'd stepped down as Impact Wrestling GM last week. 

Concerning his opponent at Lockdown, James Storm, Roode claimed that the police surrounding him were for Storm's own protection from himself. Sure enough James Storm then joined the champ and questioned his masculinity after Roode had laid his hands on TNA president Dixie Carter. Storm's rant was short lived though as Bully Ray then struck him from behind, but as any good babyface does 'The Cowboy' made a comeback and scared off Roode and Bully. Storm also challenged both men to a Handicap match, which they accepted.   

Velvet Sky defeated Madison Rayne in a surprisingly decent effort by both women. Although the match wasn't far above average for the Knockouts Division it was still fairly entertaining at moments. Afterwards Sky challenged the Knockouts Champion Gail Kim to a rematch she never received after loosing the title.       

We were then shown footage form earlier in the day of Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan discussing their past in the company and whether or not Hogan should take over as General Manager of the show. In conclusion Hogan promised Carter that he'd think about it. It was a boring segment and went on for longer then was really necessary. 

X Division Champion Austin Aries came out and in a sudden face turn confronted Bully Ray on the mic regarding his attack on him and three other X Division wrestlers last week. He then offered James Storm a offer to be his tag team partner that night so he could exact some revenge on Ray. Although it was still a signature solid promo from Aries, some of the crowd were still unsure how to take him since he was still coming off as a bit obnoxious. Saying that, I think a face turn could be the way forward for the champ in the company.

Matt Morgan versus Crimson ended in a double count out. The actual bout had been a surprisingly fair contest between the two, with the crowd really eating it up. I was expecting a real bore here, but to be fair both men seemed really up for this as they went back and fourth. After the bell rang they continued brawling, which eventually led backstage, although we never got to see what happened next, which was odd.  

Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy in an entertaining match up. Both men went back and fourth with their signature maneuvers at a quick pace. Hardy especially got the crowd going here. For the finish Anderson got the pin on Hardy after Kurt Angle had low blowed the 'Charismatic Enigma' and he applied a Mic Check.    

Eric Bischoff claimed on the mic how amazing a man he was, and how many of his own targets he'd accomplished during his career in pro wrestling. One of those targets being Sting being removed as GM and also the removal of his son Garett from the wrestling business. And with that he called out Garett to the ring and offered him the chance to walk away or to face Gunner one on one at Lockdown. Garett snatched the mic and accepted the challenge, conforming that he wasn't going anywhere, unfortunately for the fans.  

James Storm and Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray and Bobby Roode in a super main event tag team match. The action throughout was well executed, with Aries being the start performer of the bout for me and really winning over the fans with his skill in the ring. Aries also made a red hot tag to Storm who avoided an attempt by Roode to spit beer in his face and Last Call Superkicked Bully for the one-two-three. Now this is how a main event is done. Solid match form start to finish, and you know it's a success when all the talent involved are elevated.  

Dixie Carter called out Hogan to find out whether or not he'll accept the GM position, but Hogan told her that "I have already closed the book on this part of my life." With that Sting, along with members of the TNA roster, came out to convince Hogan to take the position. 'The Stinger' succeeded and Hulk took it, like there was ever any doubt?