TNA Impact 1/26/2012

Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 1/26/2012
From: Orlando, FL

Tonight, Alex Shelley returns to action against Zema Ion. A new number one contender for the TNA Knockouts Championship is crowned and a tag team tables match is the main event!

The show starts off with Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy brawling backstage. Hardy is working on Ray with a broomstick. Ray is able to get a brief upper hand before missing an elbow drop. Bobby Roode appears in the parking lot and helps Ray beat up Hardy. Ray drops a wooden crate onto Hardy a few times. They decide to toss Hardy into the trunk of a truck when James Storm shows up and helps Hardy by fighting off both Roode and Ray. Storm is beaten up as well by Ray and Roode. Sting comes over and hits both Ray and Roode with a baseball bat before chasing them away. That was a different way to start the show, which I don’t mind.

Opening Contest: #1 Contenders Match
Velvet Sky vs. Tara vs. Mickie James
The winner of this match will meet Gail Kim at Against All Odds. Tara avoids a clothesline from James, who instead clotheslines Sky. Sky breaks up the pin by dropkicking James. Sky sends James to the floor but Tara rams her back first into the corner. James kicks Tara in the midsection and gets a two count on a roll up. This match really sucks already. Their timing is all off and they seem really slow to me. James hit a top rope Thez Press onto Sky but isn’t able to earn the win later on in contest. Sky prevents Sky from hitting a DDT on Tara by delivering a face buster. Tara slams Sky onto James and pins James to win the match.

Your Winner: Tara via pin fall
Match Rating: 1/2*

Sting, James Storm and Jeff Hardy make their way down to the ring. Sting calls out Bobby Roode and Bully Ray to come down to the ring. They appear through the crowd and we see a continuation of what happened earlier in the night. Sting gains order in the ring and tells them to calm down. Sting is going to let them all fight tonight on Impact. Tonight, there will be a tag team match! James Storm wants the match to be a tables match after a brief brawl. Sting asks the fans and he grants the match.

Backstage, Alex Shelley says once he beats Zema Ion tonight his eyes are on Austin Aries at Against All Odds.

Backstage, Eric Young is talking to an Impact worker but he thinks he is a musician. Angelina Love and Winter come over and begin to flirt with Young. Love suggests they do something other than fighting. Love tries to low blow Young but he was wearing a cup and she hurts her knee. ODB heads over and reminds him they have a tag match tonight.

Second Contest: Zema Ion vs. Alex Shelley
Shelley rolls Ion up early on but isn’t able to keep his shoulders down long enough. Shelley chops Ion after being shoved and kicks Ion in the back. Ion is begging Shelley to not him in the face while in the corner. Ion hits a twisting cross body from the middle rope for a two count. Shelley counters a head scissors by driving Ion face first into the mat and clotheslines Ion to the floor. Shelley misses a baseball slide and is dropped with a neck breaker by Ion back in the ring. Ion dropkicks Shelley to the floor but Shelley returns to knee lift and clothesline Ion before delivering a kick to the side of his head. Ion is sent face first into the middle turnbuckle but Shelley misses a double stomp off the top. Ion plants Shelley with a DDT before going up top where he misses the 450 splash. Shelley hits the Slice Bread and wins the match.

Your Winner: Alex Shelley via pin fall
Match Rating: ***

Backstage, AJ Styles is talking about how the business has changed Daniels and Kazarian but not himself. He says we are going to get to the bottom of what is going with Kazarian tonight!

Backstage, Tara says she is going to win the TNA Knockouts Championship and says she will do anything to win it just as Gail Kim will do whatever it takes to keep it.

Apparently, Eric Bischoff went to Garrett Bischoff’s training station. After a commercial break we go to that video. Eric doesn’t believe that anyone wants to train his son. Eric doesn’t allow the cameraman to see who the trainer is! It’s probably just Hogan.

Third Contest: Winter & Angelina Love vs. Eric Young & ODB
I don’t care about this one, sorry folks. This gets a long story short treatment. I think that’s the first one of the 2012 year. ODB and Young deliver stereo airplane spins and ODB pins Love. This segment went nearly ten minutes. That was just not necessary.

Your Winners: Eric Young & ODB via pin fall

Backstage, Bully Ray is asking Bobby Roode when did James Storm grow a set of balls. Roode has now idea. They don’t understand why he would challenge Bully Ray to a tables match. Ray says that Roode isn’t the champion for long, but doesn’t elaborate on that. They can’t decide on who leaves the room but they leave at the same time. I’m thinking Bully is going to turn face soon.

A video promoting the issues between the teams of Morgan & Crimson and the team of Magnus & Samoa Joe.

Fourth Contest: TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe
Joe kicks Morgan in the thigh before jabbing Morgan in the corner several times. Morgan fights back with right hands in the corner along with a chop to his chest. Morgan jumps on Joe’s back as he was backed up on the ropes. Morgan leg drops Joe across the apron as well. Joe gets a choke on Morgan in the corner but is rammed back first into the corner. Morgan elbows Joe a few times in the corner. Morgan clotheslines Joe for a two count only on the cover attempt. Joe leaps off the middle rope to hit a leg lariat. Joe kicks Morgan in he corner but isn’t able to put Morgan away. Morgan clotheslines Joe in the corner two times and drives Joe down with a side slam for a two count. Joe fights back with a senton splash but Morgan kicks out before three. Morgan hits a discus clothesline and that’s good enough for the win.

After the match, Magnus sends Crimson into the ring steps. Joe chop blocks Morgan’s leg and Magnus hits a middle rope elbow drop to leave the champions laid out.

Your Winner: Matt Morgan via pin fall
Match Rating: **1/2

Backstage, James Storm says they are going to beat Roode and Ray in their own game tonight. Jeff Hardy says they are going to finish off the show with a boom!

AJ Styles makes his way out to the ring to cut a promo. Styles talks about Kazarian costing him his match against Gunner and says he could care less about Kazarian. He wants to know why Christopher Daniels was telling Kazarian what to do, and wants to know why Kazarian was allowing it. That brings out Daniels and Kazarian. Kazarian tries to speak but Daniels ask for the microphone, which he gets. Daniels says that Styles usually complains on the microphone. He says that AJ complains as soon as there is an issue. Daniels says that Styles throws tantrums and they aren’t going to play that game. He says that Kazarian doesn’t owe Styles anything. Styles decides to fight Daniels but stops on the apron. Instead, Styles turns his back and will allow Kazarian to take his head off. Daniels wants him to do it. Kazarian gets to the apron but turns around. Daniels wants him to do it. Styles kicks Daniels to the floor! Styles doesn’t care what Kazarian is doing with Daniels. He wants Kazarian to shake his hand and they will move past their issues. Kazarian gets on the apron and enters the ring but Daniels gets on the microphone and tells Kazarian that he knows exactly why he isn’t going to do it. He demands Kazarian to leave the ring and he does. Daniels says he is going to propose a match for Against All Odds that will see AJ Styles wrestle Kazarian.

Main Event: Tables Match
Jeff Hardy & James Storm vs. TNA World Champion Bobby Roode & Bully Ray
All four men brawl on the floor with Storm going after Roode and Hardy working on Ray. Ray hammers way on Hardy and Roode turns the tables on Storm by ramming him into a table face first. Hardy counters a suplex attempt on the floor and punches Ray. He was nearly sent through a table. Storm spits beer into Roode’s eyes on the ramp way. Roode hits a snap suplex on the ramp on Storm. Ray slams Hardy on the floor as well. Ray is working on Storm with a chain but misses a shot. Storm fights back on both men and Hardy hits Roode with a clothesline to help his partner as we go to commercial.

Ray whacks Hardy over the back with a chair. Storm spits beer into Ray’s face and sends him into the guard railing face first. Hardy catapults Roode face first into the ring post. Hardy sets a table up in the ring. Ray pulls the table out of the way to save his partner from being slammed through it. Ray clotheslines Storm and Hardy. Storm saves Hardy from being backdropped through a table by moving the table. Hardy clotheslines Roode but Ray enters the ring and clotheslines Hardy. Ray misses a big boot attempt and his foot goes through the table. Storm nails Ray with the Code Breaker. Roode drives Storm down with a spine buster.

Roode brings another table into the ring while Ray yanks on Hardy’s hair on the floor and punches his head against the ring post. Roode attempts a superplex on Storm with Hardy on the table, but Hardy moves and Storm fights Roode off. Hardy hits the Twist of Fate on Roode! Roode is placed on the table and Storm gains footing on the top rope. Storm leaps off and elbow drops Roode through the table to win the match!

Your Winners: James Storm & Jeff Hardy
Match Rating: **1/4

After the match, Bully Ray attacks Storm’s left ankle with several chair shots and hits Hardy with the chair as well. Ray continues to beat down the winners of the match. Ray sets another table up and puts Hardy on the table. Ray wants to hit a power bomb off the middle rope. Roode gives Hardy to Ray who power bombs Hardy off the middle rope through a table! Roode gets his championship and holds it in the air to close the program.

Final Thoughts:
I thought the show this week was okay. The match between Shelley/Ion, Morgan/Joe and the Main Event were all fine matches, in my opinion. The program started off slow but it picked up and held my interest. I’m still not sure what they are trying to do with the whole Styles/Daniels/Kazarian situation and really hope there is an angle there. If they drop it without any kind of finish to it I wouldn’t be surprised. Whatever Daniels is holding over Kazarian, it better be shocking. I’ll give this weeks episode a mild thumbs up. It seems like TNA has been putting on some fine television so far in 2012.

Thanks for reading.