My TNA Impact Wrestling, 30th May 2013 Recap

No one wants to see that coming at them, poor Roode. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Backstage we witnessed Mr. Anderson attack D'Lo Brown from behind as his Aces & 8s superiors were about to make their way out. Clearly the gang have had enough of D'Lo's mistakes. In the ring World Champion Bully Ray, accompanied by Devon, admitted that his Slammiversary opponent Sting had beaten some of the all-time greats in between the ropes, but this Sunday he couldn't wait to beat 'The Icon' and stop him from ever holding the World Title again. It was solid mic work as standard from the champ.

Sting and Joseph Parks bested Team 3D (Bully Ray & Devon) in a fair tag bout. The start was a bit hectic as all four men brawled outside the ring, it was an entertaining start to the match up. The action in the ring was fine, although there were a few slightly sloppy moments. Sting managed to apply the Scorpion Death Drop on Devon for the one-two-three after Abyss's music hit and distracted Team 3D, 'The Monster' failed to appear though.

TNA President Dixie Carter came out and once again informed us that this Sunday the next inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame will be announced. Aces members Wes Brisco, Doc and Garett Bischoff then joined her, with Garett asking her why she was biased against his gang. Samoa Joe and Magnus then raced out and chased the trio off. An intense Joe also went on to state his frustration at the gang for injuring him for a month and challenged Garett to a match, saying he wanted to see how he tests against a man not a woman.

Samoa Joe versus Garett Bischoff ended in a no contest after Garett helped out his two comrades in beating down Magnus on the outside. Joe then took a dive and knocked over the three foes. Once back in the ring he informed them that at Slammiversary it'll be them three against him, Magnus and the returning Jeff Hardy. The fans were predictably excited by the news, it'll be nice to have Hardy back. 

Gunner, James Storm, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez beat Austin Aries, Bobby Roode and Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) in a stellar eight-man tag outing. Storm failed to participate, due to his leg issues I presume, but every man involved gave worthy displays.

As usual the chemistry between Bad Influence and Roode and Aries was amusing, each tagging themselves in and helping out with their dirty tactics. Gunner gained the win with a torture rack on Aries. It's been a long while since TNA's tag division looked this strong (and WWE's with The Shield and Team Hell No's series), it's refreshing to see. 

The new Knockouts Champion Mickie James came out and expressed how great it felt to hold the strap again after two years, and thanked her fan base. But she then turned her attention to the minority who questioned her win over Sky last week (when she aimed for the former champ's injured leg) and brought out Velvet Sky to address it.

James condescendingly congratulated Sky on her former run as champ and welcomed her rematch whenever she'd recovered. After Velvet asked for her title rematch at Slammiversary, James claimed that due to there already being one Knockouts match there was no room for it, when did this rule come in? Gail Kim then stormed out and once again stated her case for a championship match, even though she's lost most of her bouts over the last few months. In truth it was poor mic work on Kim's behalf. As Gail went to then attack Sky's leg, with James just looking on, Taryn Terrell ran out to her aid and chased her off.  

Chris Sabin and Taryn Terrell toppled Kenny King and Gail Kim in a decent enough mixed tag contest. There were some enjoyable periods between Kim and Terrell, but they were definitely the weaker part of the match compared to King and Sabin's interactions. Afterwards King then smacked Sabin from behind, so Suicide also came out attacked the X Division Champion, with him and Sabin finally having a face off after the masked wrestler picked up King's strap.  

AJ Styles won via disqualification versus Mr. Anderson when Kurt Angle decided to gain some retribution and began exchanging blows with 'The Phenomenal One'. Aces & 8s then marched out and began taking out Angle and Styles, so this cued other members of the TNA roster to join them and start a brawl in and around the ring, ending with Bully and Devon applying a 3D to Sting. It all felt very familiar, but the 3D was a nice touch, would've been even better through a table but that's just me being picky.

The encounter itself between Styles and Anderson was enjoyable at places, but felt like it dragged a bit. If the allocated time had been shortened it would've probably been a more entertaining bout, with each man making the most with their time rather than having to slow it down.

Overall it was a fair, if pretty unmemorable Impact. With the exception of the eight-man tag outing, which was my highlight of the show, there were no exceptional contests, and besides Bully and Jame's mic work there were no remarkable promos either. All that aside, looking at the Slammiversary card it should be a solid show for the most part I reckon. 

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, 9th May 2013 Recap

Sting, accompanied by Kurt Angle, started things off by claiming that he didn't want to wait until Slammiversary to get his hands on Bully Ray so he'd asked for the six-man main event that night pitting him and Angle against three Aces & 8s members. Angle then took to the mic and demanded an answer from AJ Styles on whether he was on their side or not.

Sure enough AJ joined them but he refused to say a word after 'The Stinger' tried to convince him to join them in the main event. A hasty Angle had enough though and screamed at Styles, demanding to know who's side he's on. So AJ had enough and left, but Kurt gave chase and as the two began exchanging punches on the ramp Bully Ray, Devon and Anderson took out Sting. Everything was coming up Aces.  

Mickie James and Velvet Sky bested Tara and Gail Kim in a largely decent tag bout. I feel like a broken record typing this but James and Kim were (as usual) the top performers here, each giving stellar displays. Sky looked quite average as she finished off Tara with the In Yo' Face for the one-two-three. 

Afterwards a frustrated Kim then clotheslined Tara and applied a Figure Four from the outside around the ringpost just like she did to Terrell last week. I wouldn't mind seeing Tara and Jesse turn face actually, could be quite entertaining.  

Aces & 8s made their way to the ring, where Bully reprimanded D'Lo for loosing to Angle in an I Quit match last week, and demanded he hand over his Aces jacket. D'Lo refused and asked for another chance, so a few other members snatched the jacket off of him, with Bully ordering him to sit near the announce desk and watch the following match. Ray's mic work was solid, as standard for him.  

Magnus pinned Doc in a match of two halves. The start was pretty drab and pedestrian, but fortunately the contest picked up and both men gave worthy enough displays as they upped the pace and interest. The finish did look daft however as D'Lo was somehow blinded by an earlier Irish Whip by Magnus into steel steps (how does that work?) and then accidentally pulled Doc's legs near the ropes which allowed Magnus to grab a quick roll up pin for the victory. 

Afterwards as punishment Bully then demoted D'Lo to the gang's lackey and barked at him to leave.

Austin Aries and Bobby Roode versus Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) in a Tag Team number one contenders match ended in a No Contest after special referee James Storm had enough of Aries and Daniels and Last Call Superkicked them both. It was an exciting match for the majority, with crisp wrestling as excepted with this level of talent. The ending was a little strange but a three way between these two teams and the champs does make sense for Slammiversary.

Backstage we witnessed a few Aces members beat down Magnus. The Brit managed to make a brief comeback but it wasn't enough as the gang managed to get him down and ram a trolley of some kind into his head (which happened where we couldn't see it).

X Division Champion Kenny King came out and after bigging himself up,  called out Chris Sabin to tell his story of his recovery from his injury. Sabin explained to King that at this point he had nothing left to lose and would do everything to win back the X Division strap. After the champ feigned some more admiration for his future opponent, he then claimed that even if he hadn't had the two operations on his ACL then Sabin still wouldn't be as talented as him, so Chris retorted with a swift punch to send King packing. It was a nice segment, with King especially oozing confidence on the mic.

Backstage we saw a beaten down Storm on the ground, with Aries, Roode, Daniels and Kazarian all nearby and screaming at each other and officials.

Abyss, Sting and Kurt Angle beat Bully Ray, Devon and Mr. Anderson in a fair main event. Once the bout got going it was enjoyable enough, with nice work from Devon, Bully and Angle. During the match we were shown footage from backstage where various Aces members had been taken out by a mystery assailant which turned out to be Abyss, who Hulk Hogan had called earlier on in the show to help out. 

Abyss made his way down at the end where he clumsily and slowly beat down Bully and also chokeslammed Anderson through a table before Black Hole Slamming and pinning Devon for the win. Compared to Lesnar's awesome attack on 3MB a few weeks back on Raw this looked sloppy. I can't say that he's a welcome return for me, I personally prefer his Joseph Parks alter ego.

Overall it was a decent enough Impact, with not one bad or unwatchable match on the card. My highlights were the tag team bout and Bully and Kenny King's very nice mic work. Unfortunately I still can't say I'm hyped for the Bully and Sting title match at all right now, but at least we should still be grateful for Ray making Aces & 8s interesting at all.

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 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, June 7th 2012 Recap

We were shown footage from after last weeks Impact went off the air with an enraged Dixie Carter storming into the Technical Room (I have no idea what it's actually called) and having a go at the director who let the phone message between her and AJ Styles play on air. It was something a bit different and intriguing, plus Dixie's performance was surprisingly okay here, compared to her usual standard.

Unfortunately her acting performance then dropped again as she was confronted by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in the ring. Things eventually became physical as Daniels pushed Carter to hitting him, so he pushed her into the corner. This caused AJ Styles to race out to her aid, chasing them both off. Dixie's husband Surge then came out and threw a very fake and awful looking punch at AJ, who went down way too dramatically for it and then popped back up a second later anyway. It looked really bad. 

Crimson defeated Austin Aries in an enjoyable contest saved by Aries with his always impressive and solid performance in the ring. As a traditional heel Crimson mainly laid back and let Aries have most of the offense until Samoa Joe ran in and tripped AA on the ropes, allowing 'The Undefeated One' to grab the one-two-three. Joe's interference was due to a few exchanged words before the match between him and the X Division Champion and Aries accidentally tipping water on him last week. They should have a very, very good match at Slammiversary.  

Afterwards Crimson bragged about his undefeated streak, amusingly stating that it is "way longer than that Goldberg guy." He also issued an open challenge for this Sunday. He actually looked quite good on the mic here I thought, definitely improving.

Hulk Hogan announced that whoever wins at Slammiversary between Sting and Roode will defend the World title on next weeks Impact Wrestling. Champion Bobby Roode then interrupted Hogan and demanded more respect and better treatment. He also added that 'The Hulkster' was jealous because he's a better World Champion than he ever was, and asked him to leave 'his' ring. Sting then came out and began brawling with Roode.

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Mickie James, Velvet Sky and Tara in a Fatal Four Way to become the number one contender to the TNA Knockouts title. It was a passable match, but unfortunately for almost everything decent from James and Tara there was something fairly sloppy from Sky and Tessmacher.

I was a bit confused by the choice of victor too, I would've had Tara won myself to face Kim at Slammiversary. Tessmacher has only recently lost to Kim over the title so it's still fresh in the fans minds, plus her bouts with the champion were some of the less impressive that Kim's had during this title reign.  

Bully Ray and Joseph Parks joined in the ring for the contract signing of their match on Sunday, Ray revealed that he in fact had a new contract drawn up where he can't he help accountable for any severe injuries that Parks may pick up. Joseph refused to sign it, which caused Bully to spit in his face. Parks soon changed his mind and signed, saying it was for his brother. Abyss then appeared on the big screen and warned both men that he'll be at Slammiversary. 

Devon (c) defeated Robbie E to defend the Television title in an average and forgettable match up. Man I'm tired of seeing these two face each other.

Hogan came out to the ring again, presumably all the clips of him backstage through the show and having time in the ring earlier didn't satisfy his ego. He called out Mr. Anderson (or rather Anderson interrupted him, and actually had some nice banter with Hogan) Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam and informed them that they'll be in a Triple Threat at Slammiversary to determine the number one contender to the World title. 

Sting, Kurt Angle and AJ Styles defeated Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in a solid main event. Sting is just so much better suited to these kind of matches where he can just burst out with his signature moves in short periods and get the crowd going. AJ didn't appear for the start of the match due to him leaving the arena earlier after what transpired at the start of the show, but came back towards the end. We also got to see some nice double teaming between Daniels and Kaz here, their match with Angle and Styles should be brilliant on Sunday, should be.

My Impact Wrestling, 31st May 2012 Recap

Sting defeated Bobby Roode in a surprisingly decent Lumberjack match. To be honest I wasn't really expecting much from this bout but both men put in a good effort and the crowd were certainly well behind 'The Stinger', creating a great atmosphere. Afterwards Hogan called Sting Impact's "number one" guy, wrongly ahead of the younger and clearly more talented (now that is) certain other wrestlers on the roster, and announced that Sting will be facing Roode for the World title at Slammiversary. I was hoping for the return of the King of the Mountain match myself. 

Bully Ray called out Joseph Parks and presented footage from last week where he attacked him with his trademark chain. After mocking Parks and his family, Joseph decided to enter the ring with Bully. After refusing to fight, Bully informed Parks that he was the one responsible for taking out his brother Abyss which caused Parks to grab Ray. A shocked 'Calfzilla' suddenly threatened to sue if Parks hurt him so he let Ray leave. On his way out Parks challenged Bully to a fight, so he agreed, but to fight at Slammiversary instead.    

Austin Aries (c) defeated Chris Sabin to retain the X Division Championship. It was a brilliant contest between the two big talents, trading counter for counter with some traditionally exciting X Division moves at a fast pace. Worth checking out if you watch anything from the show. Judging by Sabin's reaction at the end I reckon there may be a heel turn in the near future for him possibly.

We were shown earlier footage of Taz, Bruce Pritchard and Al Snow as the Gut Check judges discussing the possibility and promise of last weeks contender the charismatic Joey Ryan. I personally don't mind these segments, there's a refreshing air of reality compared to most of TNA with them. Although I still hate the over the top reality show music that plays in the background.    

Dixie Carter said that at Slammiversary they will have their first inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame announced, something which I feel is far, far too premature. Their own Hall of Fame and they've only been running for just under ten years? She then also introduced the new head of the Knockouts Division Brooke Hogan. A choice which has been met with much bemusement and distain by most fans, including myself admittedly.

Brooke went on to state how passionate and excited she was about this new opportunity in TNA. Hopefully I'm proven wrong and she does a good job, but after witnessing what happened the last time someone with authority had their child come in (Garet, I'm looking at you) I'm not so optimistic.  

Jeff Hardy versus Devon (c) for the TNA Television title ended in a disqualification after Robbie E and Robbie T both ran in and attacked the competitors. It had been a quite drab match up until the end, and I wasn't too fussed when it was over. 

We were then shown a VT of James Storm on his ranch with his daughter, discussing the events of Lockdown and what his next step might be. Storm asked for the filming to stop after his daughter asked if he'll be going back to wrestling.  

In the ring the three Gut Check judges voted two to one to not offer Joey Ryan a contract. It eventually came down to Taz's final vote, who said "No" and then got into an argument with the charismatic Ryan. The fact that Silva was offered a contract and Ryan wasn't is ridiculous. Ryan oozes character and proved himself in the ring, looking like he belonged and getting a big reaction from the fans in the arena and online. While Alex Silva was decent in the ring, he lacked any character and looked nervous and out of his depth in TNA. Hopefully his heated argument with Taz is going to lead to a return.

AJ Styles defeated Christopher Daniels in a brilliant main event. As expected both men put on a great display of exciting and crisp action. Although I feel Daniels versus Styles has been done to death almost, they still can't fail to produce in the ring each time. 

Afterwards Daniels and Kazarian began attacking Styles until Kurt Angle raced in to his aid. But this was short lived as Kaz and 'The Fallen Angel' also took out Angle. Daniels then presented a recording of a phone conversation between Dixie Carter and AJ where it sounded as though they were meeting up in secret. Carter then came racing out and in her only decent acting performance I can remember furiously demanded that the recording be stopped. In a nice touch you could still hear her shouting as the show was going off the air and the Spike logo showed. it was a nice end to the show I thought.