My TNA Destination X, 18th July 2013 Recap

All hail Sabin. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

World Champion Bully Ray opened Destination X by claiming that the challenger to his title later in the show, Chris Sabin, had no shot against him. He also boasted that it was the perfect night to end Main Event Mafia and that he was the "most hated man in pro wrestling, and that's just the way I like it!" 

Bully went on to call out his wife Brooke Hogan, who told him to "move on" like she now had, but he couldn't accept that. So the champ's furious father-in-law Hulk Hogan stormed out and told Bully that "enough was enough" and walked away with his daughter. As Bully continued to yell at them Kurt Angle and the rest of the Main Event Mafia appeared on the big screen and warned Ray that they'll be bringing the fight to Aces & 8s very soon.

Austin Aries pinned Bobby Roode in an enthralling Bound for Glory Series encounter. As usual these two worked brilliantly together, putting together exciting sequences and effective near falls. I don't think I could ever get tired of watching them go at it (mind out of the gutter). Afterwards a furious Roode, who has failed to obtain a single point in the series so far, began chucking around various items at ringside. 

Sonjay Dutt bested Homicide and Petey Williams in an entertaining three-way contest. In traditional X Division-style the match was fast paced with innovative wrestling from the get go, and to be honest with this level of talent (and three of my personal favourites from the X Division's past) the quality of the match was never really in doubt. As a result of the win Dutt qualified for the three-way Ultimate X match to crown a new X Division Champion next week.

Manik beat Kenny King and Chavo Guerrero in a largely enjoyable three-way to qualify for the X Division Title match. Although it wasn't quite as exciting as the previous affair it was still a fun watch.

The Main Event Mafia (Sting, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Magnus and Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson) came to the ring and asked Aces & 8s to join them so they can settle things and finally rid the company of the gang that's been terrorising them since last year. But instead Mr. Anderson appeared on the big screen and goaded them into coming backstage to confront them.

So after the MEM began tangling with Aces backstage they were locked in a room so Bully Ray was able to crack Angle against a wall and then throw him into the back of a truck and send him on his way.

Greg Marasciulo outdid Rubix and Rockstar Spud in another stellar three-way to qualify for the X Division Title match. All three men provided worthy efforts, and although he still may have a bit of work to do in the ring, Rockstar Spud certainly showed character here. I'm glad to see Marasciulo (formerly Trent Barreta in WWE) appear in TNA. I always felt he was a solid talent and hope he's given more of a chance to show what he can do.

The charismatic Knockouts Champion Mickie James presented a VT of highlights from a gig of hers in Tennessee last week, renaming it "Mickie City." However she was soon interrupted by the number one contender to her strap Gail Kim, who called the champ "delusional" for believing that people were paying more attention to James' music than her Ladder match against Terrell last week. 

After a few more exchanges the two began attacking each other until they were separated by referees. As the two top female talents in the company I'm very much looking forward to their title clash. I'm also still really into James' new obnoxious heel persona, she's pulling it off well. 

Chris Sabin pinned Bully Ray (c) to obtain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in an eventful main event. The action was solid, with Bully logically targeting the formerly injured knee of the challenger and dominating for the majority, and the fans were very much into it.

While I did enjoy the outing, the outside interference between Aces and the Mafia did feel like overkill and spoil it a bit for me. Towards the end after the referee was KO'd by accident (which looked daft) the two factions faced off and brawled in the ring and ended up travelling down the ramp to the back. Meanwhile Bully had been handed a hammer, but Sabin managed to snatch it and crack the champ in the head as he went for a powerbomb and grabbed the momentous winning pinfall.  

Last year when Aries won it felt even more satisfying to me, maybe it was the build up and Aries' record-breaking X Division Title reign leading up to it, but I reckon it was due to his cleaner and more defining victory. Don't get me wrong I'm still excited by Sabin winning the strap as a big fan of his, and it certainly makes things interesting, but I just wish they'd had a simpler one on one match with the Mafia erasing Aces from the equation like they promised to last week.    

Overall it was a solid show, with not one bout failing to entertain and some enjoyable segments. My highlights were James' promo, Dutt versus Homicide versus Williams, the main event and Aries versus Roode. It didn't quite live up to last years Destination X but for an Impact broadcast it was a very satisfying and memorable show.  

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 23rd May 2013 Recap

Suicide wallops Williams in the exciting three-way. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan started things off by first promoting his restaurant in Florida (where the show was being taped) and then bringing out pal Sting, trying to convince him to cancel the stipulation with his bout with Bully Ray at Slammiversary where he'll never be able to challenge for the World Title again if he looses. But 'The Stinger' was adamant about it, believing that all he needed was one chance against the Aces President to defeat him.

Brooke Hogan then joined them and blamed herself for the rise of Aces & 8s after falling for and marrying Bully. She was about to resign as President of the Knockouts division when her hubby Bully Ray came out and claimed the blame for himself, not Sting and Hulk, but admitted that he was still in love with Brooke and that she should share the blame too. Basically blame was mentioned a lot in the segment.

Suicide bested Joey Ryan and Petey Williams in an exciting Triple Threat contest. Much like last week's X Division three-way (sounds like a dirty movie) the wrestling came fast and each participant gave a stellar showing. I wasn't (and am still not) entirely convinced by always having Triple Threats in the X Division, but we have received some very entertaining matches from it. 

Gut Check winners San Shaw and Alex Silva were scheduled to compete, but Wes Brisco, accompanied by Doc and Garett Bischoff, informed Shaw (I didn't remember him either) that him and his fellow Aces members had taken out Silva and then proceeded to attack him until Magnus marched down the ramp and chased them out of the ring. Magnus went on to claim that Wes didn't deserve his spot on the roster and berated him for attacking a young up and comer such as himself, then challenged him to a match right there and then.

Magnus won via disqualification versus Wes Brisco after fellow Aces & 8s members ran in and attacked him, but they were soon legging it as Samoa Joe raced out to his former tag partner's aid. So in the course of fifteen minutes the supposed hard and tough biker gang ran away from one man not once, but twice? Wow, they seem really deadly. To make things even more confusing Bully congratulated them afterwards, for what? The actual match itself had been a forgettable one, with pedestrian action for the most part.

Mr. Anderson pinned Kurt Angle in an enjoyable outing once it got going. After a drab start both men gave worthy efforts in their time allocated, which wasn't enough I felt. AJ Styles strolled out during the match up, distracting Angle and the referee, allowing Anderson to low blow his opponent and gain the one-two-three with a roll up.

Backstage a crazed Taryn Terrell attacked Gail Kim during an interview, only stopping once she'd be held back. During her interview Kim claimed that she should be challenging for the Knockouts Title not James. When was the last time she actually won a match?

As James Storm was about to announce his tag partner for Slammiversary, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries interrupted him, with 'The It Factor' stating that his four years in Beer Money with Storm were the worst of his career, and called his mystery partner a joke. Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) also came out and mocked the other three teams they were facing on June 2nd, calling them inferior to themselves. They also added that it didn't matter who Storm's partner was, they wouldn't be up to their standards.  

Shark Boy (I'd love to see someone's reaction to seeing and hearing him for the first time) made a welcome return and along with Robbie E stated his case to be Storm's tag partner. But it wasn't to be for either man as Gunner then came to the ring and took out Robbie and Shark Boy, with Storm then shaking his hand and confirming that he was his mystery tag partner. It was a decent segment.

Mickie James beat Velvet Sky (c) to obtain the Knockouts Title in an average and pretty sloppy encounter. You could visibly see James have to mouth instructions to Sky, the champion, during the bout, it was cringe worthy at times. If you didn't know any better it could've been a Gut Check contest, well maybe not that bad.

At least one positive came from this, the average Sky was relieved of the strap and James, one of the top female performers in the company has gained it. Towards the end Velvet (poorly) sold a knee injury out of nowhere, so a crazed looking James attacked the leg and applied a DDT for the victory and the strap. I think a heel turn is the way to go for Mickie right now, we've seen how well she can pull it off.

A proud Bully Ray introduced AJ Styles and even shared a beer with the tee totaller before asking Anderson to fit AJ with his own Aces & 8s waistcoat and finish up his initiation into the gang. But Angle then came out and claimed that Style's TNA legacy had gone right down the "crapper" after joining them, so Doc hit him from behind and sent him into the ring to be attacked by Aces, finally being cracked on the leg with a hammer by Styles.

As the gang members all celebrated, AJ then used the same hammer to strike a few Aces members before running off. It was a strange ending to the show, and I somehow doubt that the writers have a remotely logical explanation for it. AJ reenacting Sting's tactics with NWO years ago by infiltrating Aces & 8s and taking them down would've made much more sense, if been more predictable. 

Overall it was an average show for the majority, with the James Storm tag team partner reveal segment, Anderson versus Angle and the X Division three-way being my only real highlights. Other then those moments it was either average, confusing or just dull.  

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 16th May 2013 Recap

King comes in with a flying springboard leg drop on his way to retaining his strap. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Hulk Hogan started things off by first announcing that at Slammiversary it would be AJ Styles versus Kurt Angle, claiming that he no longer cared if AJ joined Aces and 8s. 'The Hulkster' went on to then call out Abyss to thank him for helping defeat Aces in last week's main event. But after failing to appear, his brother Joseph Parks instead came out and spoke about his amazement at Abyss finally returning.  

Devon, accompanied by D'Lo Brown, then joined them and demanded that Abyss appear so he could exact some revenge on him. An angry Parks had enough and challenged the Television Champion to a match right there and then. Devon claimed that he hadn't earned it so D'Lo instead took him up on the offer to prove himself for Aces. Hogan accepted and made the bout official. I still enjoy the Parks character, he makes a refreshing change from most.   

Bobby Roode won via disqualification versus Chavo Guerrero after James Storm came down and spat beer in his face. 'The Cowboy' then looked as though he was going to smash the bottle onto Roode, but decided to walk away instead. The contest itself had been a solid one, with smoothly executed sequences and wrestling from both men.

Kurt Angle came to the ring and said that he didn't want to wait until Slammiversary to get his hands on Styles and demanded that he face him there and then. Mr. Anderson instead came out and informed Angle that on next week's Impact AJ would officially be inducted into the Aces & 8s, so an upset Angle retorted by attacking and chasing off Anderson. 

AJ Styles himself then appeared and quickly took out Kurt with an enzuigiri kick. This all seems to be leading to a '97 Sting esque move into Aces for Styles where he'll bring them down from the inside, probably leading to a World Title match with Bully at Bound For Glory, which I wouldn't mind myself.  

Jay Bradley pinned Christian York in a pretty unremarkable encounter. Neither man was bad by any means, but they still look a little out of their depth on Impact at the moment.

Velvet Sky beat Gail Kim in a fair outing. Kim dominated for the most part, targeting the injured leg of Sky who was unfortunately a bit inconsistent in selling it. Sky managed the gain the one-two-three with a quick roll up pin, which caused a bitter Kim to once again attack her opponent by applying a figure four around the ringpost.  

Kenny King (c) bested Petey Williams and Chris Sabin to retain the X Division Title in a blistering three-way. This was old-school style X Division at its best, a consistently fast pace throughout with crisp and impressive maneuvers. Unfortunately the fans in attendance were a bit weak, but that's my only gripe from an otherwise entertaining contest.

Hernandez pinned Christopher Daniels in a decent enough bout. While never outstanding, it was still a fun and enjoyable match with solid performances. James Storm strolled down afterwards and stated that after his actions earlier Hogan had asked him to announce that at Slammiversary it will be Chavo and Hernandez versus Bad Influence (Daniels and Kazarian) versus Austin Aries and Roode versus himself and a partner of his choosing in a four-way for the tag title.

Joseph Parks beat D'Lo Brown in a largely pedestrian and forgettable affair. Sloppy moments from D'Lo also hindered a pretty average match up, looks like he's on his way out of his beloved gang too after this loss. 

World Champion Bully Ray came to the ring and called out Sting and Hogan, going on to brag about how he screwed them both over and proving while he's one of the (if not the) top heel in pro wrestling right now. Sting responded by claiming that he's going to have to damage him beyond repair at Slammiversary because if not that was what he was going to do to the Aces President first, also asking for their title clash to be under No Holds Barred rules.

Bully accepted the match proposal, but only if Sting would never be able to challenge for the World Championship again if he was victorious. Sting also accepted, despite Hogan trying to persuade him otherwise,  and the two began brawling as the show ended. I think a No Holds Barred match is the way to go, that added element should gain some much needed interest and excitement on the night. 

Overall it was a fair Impact, not much that was exceptional but nothing too bad. The highlight was the exciting X Division Triple Threat, I'm sure I would've said Roode versus Chavo and Hernandez versus Daniels too if they'd been allocated a bit more time. Slammiversary looks like a solid enough card for the most part at the moment, should be a decent event I reckon. 

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 18th April 2013 Recap

Styles looking more serious then ever. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff defeated Kurt Angle in a decent Handicap match. There were drab periods when Wes and Garett were in control, but once Kurt got going the action stepped up in quality and excitement. Kurt was pinned after Garett managed to crack him on the back with a chain handed to him by D'Lo Brown while the referee was distracted by Anderson at ringside.

Afterwards Wes and Garett double powerbombed Angle, with Anderson then speaking about how the company was deteriorating while Aces & 8s were on the rise, then wished AJ Styles luck for his match later on.  

Kenny King (c) bested Petey Williams and Zema Ion to retain the X Division Title in an entertaining Triple Threat contest. All three men looked stellar here, especially Williams who upped the overall standard of the bout with a great display.

Backstage Brooke Hogan spoke down to Mickie James and Brooke Tessmacher by claiming that she saw something "special" in them and  that was why she'd booked them in a number one contenders match for the Knockouts Championship. I mean, what has Brooke ever done in professional wrestling to give her the right to talk to female performers like that? How condescending, especially for someone of Mickie's talent and experience.

Before the Television Title match could begin, Aces & 8s members attacked Magnus, eventually double chokeslamming him onto the ramp. Devon was about to orchestrate more damage until Samoa Joe ran out to his ex-tag partner's aid.

Mickie James pinned Brooke Tessmacher in a good effort to earn a Knockouts Title shot in the near future. As usual James was on solid form, and Brooke also worked well here. My only slight gripe was the amount of disagreements each competitor had with the ref ODB, they're all faces so why would they need to add this to the bout?

Backstage Devon and Bully Ray attacked Joseph Parks with a chain after he once again brought up a rightful divorce between Brooke and Bully. In the end they left him in the shower with water pouring down on him, teasing him to cry. It was as if they were in school, not hardened gang members. 

Bad influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) came out and bragged about their new tees, being close to convincing AJ Styles to join the team and a fictional film based on them (amusingly claiming that Morgan Freeman was going to portray Dixie Carter) almost entering production.

As they were also announcing their claim to a tag team title shot Austin Aries and Bobby Roode then interrupted them and announced that they were next in line for a title shot. After some hilarious back and fourth mocking (it really is worth a watch) the actual tag champs Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez walked in and attacked Roode and Aries, sending both teams packing.

Devon (c) beat Samoa Joe to retain the TNA Television Title in a short and pretty unremarkable title clash. The wrestling was competent enough but it lacked any real excitement. Devon grabbed the winning pinfall after Anderson snuck in (Earl Hebner was distracted by Wes Brisco at ringside) and struck Joe with a chain.

AJ Styles defeated James Storm in a solid main event. Both performers gave worthy efforts and as standard for them provided a match worth checking out, with smooth back and fourth wrestling. Styles grabbed the submission win with a leg lock after Storm had picked up a knock earlier in the bout, it was a nice logical finish. 

Afterwards Bad Influence celebrated with Styles, only for him to then take out the tag team and walk away as Aces & 8s attacked the duo and Storm. Bully Ray then took to the mic and stated that he'd taken out all of TNA's heroes because of Hulk Hogan, and demanded that he face him in the ring next week. He really is the last remaining endearing thing about Aces & 8s.

Overall it was a solid show for the majority, with most matches being above average for televised bouts with stellar action. My highlights were James versus Tessmacher, the Bad Influence segment with Aries and Roode, the X Division Triple Threat and the main event. Other than that it was still a fair Impact, with only the Brooke Hogan and dull Aces & 8s segments letting it down.