NWA-TNA Impact 5/4/2006

Written by: Bob Colling

National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action present Impact
Date: 5/4/2006
From: Orlando, FL

Backstage, Gail Kim and Jackie Gayda are arguing. AMW come over and demand that Kim get Gayda in-check.

Opening Contest: NWA-TNA World Tag Team Champions America’s Most Wanted vs. Christopher Daniels & AJ Styles for the tag titles: The champs attack from behind and get the early advantage on Styles in the ring. Daniels hits a double clothesline from off the top and sends the champs to the floor as we go to commercial. AJ hits a dropsault on Storm to maintain control on the champions. Daniels tags in and stomps away on Storm. Daniels delivers a Codebreaker but can’t get a three on the cover. Harris cheap shots Daniels to get control and tags in. Harris hits a delayed vertical suplex on Daniels. Storm enters and leaps over Harris to drop onto Daniels back.

Harris hits a side Russian leg sweep but AJ breaks up the cover to save Daniels. AMW continues to dominate Daniels for a few moments. Daniels is able to drop Harris with a right hand and Styles wants a tag. Styles tags in and cleans house on the champs. AJ gets a Torture Rack on Storm after avoiding a super kick and drives Storm down to the mat but Harris pulls the referee out! Daniels with a suicide dive on Harris! Gail Kim hits a hurricanrana after a super kick by Storm and that gets the three count for AMW. (***. A good match between these two teams. The non-clean finish allows these two teams to meet again on pay per view in two weeks. They kept a really good pace and leaves me wanting more from these four guys.)

A video promoting the return of Senshi, better known as Low-Ki, is aired. He is going to take over the X-Division.

Second Contest: Eric Young & Johnny Devine vs. Magno & Shocker in a World X Cup match: Young and Shocker start off the contest with Alex Shelley coming down to ringside. Devine and Magno actually start the action with Magno hip tossing Devine. Magno arm drags Devine early on and plays to the crowd. Young enters and works over Magno briefly before Devine hits a snap suplex. Magno dropkicks Devine into the ropes and Shocker misses a 619. Shocker barely hits a standing moonsault. Shocker hits a head scissors from the middle rope and a twisting elbow drop.

Young and Devine are dropkicked to the floor. Shocker and Magno hit springboard dives to the floor! Shocker gets in Shelley’s face to leave. Devine knocks Shelley off the apron and Shocker rolls Devine up for the win. (*1/4. I mean, there wasn’t a lot of substance here. The main point appears to be tension between Team Canada and Shelley now.)

Raven comes through the crowd to confront Larry Zbyszko, who runs away into the ring but runs backstage. Raven gives chase but doesn’t catch him.

Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner make their way down to the ring to find out who Sting’s partner at Sacrifice will be. Sting tells Jarrett he only gets one choice this week. Jarrett asks Sting who he thinks he is. He isn’t a game show host. Jeff is tired of the mind games. Jarrett suggests Sting brings his tag partner because he has the best on in Scott Steiner. Steiner wants Jarrett to take the deal. Jeff wants the fans to help him, but since he is a heel that won’t work well for him. Double J doesn’t accept the deal. Sting says his choice will come next week. The guy is void now but will show Jarrett anyway. Sting describes the person and the fans already know who it is. It’s Rick Steiner! Rick comes down to the ring and the heels bail to the floor.

We see Alex Shelley talking to Kevin Nash in a hotel. Nash is upset that no one from TNA has gotten in-touch with him. Nash has a chart of wrestlers making money and of course he outdraws everyone on the list, obviously. His spike in WWF switched over to WCW with the New World Order. Nash thinks the X-Division has some good guys but sees it as filler. Mike Tenay takes exception to that.

Main Event: NWA-TNA World Champion Christian Cage vs. Alex Shelley: Cage slaps Shelley and hammers away on him. Cage drops Shelley with a running clothesline out of the corner. Shelley is dropped gut first across the top rope and Cage hits a reverse DDT on the apron. Cage grabs an announcers chair and puts Shelley on it. Cage gets a camera and records himself kicking Shelley in the face as we go to commercial. Cage continues with a wheelbarrow gut buster for a two count. Alex gets control by driving Cage face first into the middle turnbuckle and delivering a dropkick.

Shelley takes Cage out with a suicide dive on the floor! Alex nails Cage with a spinning heel kick for a two count. Cage drops Alex across the top rope neck first. Christian gets a two count after a top rope cross body as well. A sit out spine buster by Cage nearly gets him a three count. Shelley battles back with a kick to the head. Cage comes off the middle rope with an uppercut for a two count. Cage plants Shelley with the Un-Prettier and wins the bout. (**. An entertaining extended squash match for Cage leading into the pay per view on the 14th. Shelley never had a chance but he had a few moments to display some offense. Nothing wrong with this one.)

Christian Cage says he is ten days away from getting his championship belt back. We see Abyss and James Mitchell under the bleachers saying that Cage should try and take the belt from Abyss next week.

Final Thoughts:
A good episode this week as everything has been advanced and we got a couple of good matches thrown in. A quick hour of viewing.

Thanks for reading.