Written by: Bob Colling
National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 6/22/2006
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) NWA Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels defeated David Young & Elix Skipper to retain the titles
2.) Monty Brown defeated Chasyn Rance
3.) Senshi defeated NWA X-Division Champion Samoa Joe & Sonay Dutt to win the title
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) At Slammiversary was revealed as the new face of TNA. He wants great matches and guys who can provide ratings. Jeff Jarrett won the NWA World Championship and naturally the crowd tossed trash into the ring. Cornette took the championship and Jarrett freaked out.
2.) Jim Cornette is in the ring to start the show and he has the NWA World Championship. Cornette says that the company needs to be straightened out and he’s here due to management wanting him there. Cornette rips previous authority figures that weren’t effective. Cornette has been having closed door meetings and they will continue. Cornette threatens Borash to stop knocking on his door. Cornette turns his attention to LAX. Cornette notes they didn’t arrive to their meeting and suggests they don’t miss another meeting. Cornette knows he’s going to have a lot of announcements in the coming weeks. Cornette promises that someone is going to get fired next week. The fans want Zbyszko to be fired and they are chanting for Jarrett to be fired. Cornette is sick to his stomach over what happened at the PPV. So, as of right now, Jarrett is not the champion. In fact, there isn’t a champion. By next week, Cornette promises there will be a champion. He will also have an announcement regarding the July PPV, Victory Road. Cornette has known Jeff Jarrett for a long time. Cornette thinks that Jarrett’s grandmother would be ashamed of him if she wasn’t already dead. Cornette has done power struggles before and he comes out on top (when?).
3.) Jeff Jarrett makes his way down the aisle to confront Cornette over the championship. Jarrett tells Cornette to not bring his family into this. Jarrett promises to get the championship back if it’s the last thing he does.
4.) Daniels and Young kickoff the tag title match. Skipper decks Daniels from behind and Young knocks Styles off the apron. Young drops Daniels with a neckbreaker. Young tags in Skipper and they hit an over the shoulder slam/forearm strike combo for a two count. Skipper works over Daniels with knee strikes and a kick to the back. Skipper crotches Daniels on the top rope and walks the ropes, but Daniels shoves Skipper off to hit a leg sweep clothesline. Styles tags in and delivers several heel kicks. Styles kicks Skipper and the champs hit a leg sweep/clothesline combo. Simon Diamond attacks Daniels from behind as the referee is distracted. Sirelda slams Diamond allowing Daniels to slam Young and hits the BME. Styles hits the frog splash for the win. (*1/2. A decent match between the two teams. It was a little bizarre for Young and Skipper to get a title shot as they aren’t strong contenders. The action was fine enough and the involvement of Diamond was expected.) After the match, Gail Kim attacks Sirelda but gets tossed away quickly. Sirelda grabs Kim until AMW pulls Kim out of the ring.
5.) Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin and Eric Young are standing outside Jim Cornette’s office. Young wants to know if he’s losing his job. Young has that kind of luck and knows it’s going to happen again. Jeff Jarrett enters the scene saying he’s going to get his championship and he’s never liked Cornette.
6.) Borash is still outside the office with the guys from the last segment. Sabin and Lethal suggest that Young get back on medication. Young wants to know if he’s getting fired. Jarrett doesn’t care if Young has his job or not. Jarrett says that Cornette told him he’d have to wait a week to find out about the championship.
7.) After Monty Brown’s victory, Konnan invites Brown to join LAX. Konnan knows that Brown is a superstar and puts over his microphone skills. Konnan says that they have held Brown back. Konnan reminds Brown that he’s had one championship match and says it’s all by design. Konnan says that the company looks for ways to hold them back and make them look stupid. Brown seems to be thinking about joining LAX. Brown decides to stay alone. Ron Killings makes his way out and heads to the ringside area. Killings goes over to the LAX area. Konnan tells his men that Killings is family. Konnan reminds Killings that they are former tag champions and has love for Killings. Konnan says that Killings is nothing in the eyes of TNA. Killings says he’s something to the people. Konnan says that TNA doesn’t look at talent but rather race. Konnan wants Killings to join them and take what is theirs. Konnan hugs Killings but then holds onto Killings allowing Homicide and Hernandez to beat on Killings. They toss Killings over the railing back to the ringside area.
8.) Jeremy Borash says that Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal are in the office. Eric Young can’t believe they got ahead of him. Young is stressing about losing his job and needs advice. Sabin and Lethal leave the office. Sabin says that Kevin Nash is going to love this. They leave happy about that meeting. Young tells Borash to not tell anyone about their secret plan.
9.) Christian Cage is heading into Cornette’s office and tells Borash that he’s going to discuss the controversy from Slammiversary. He’s the true champion and wants the championship back.
10.) Backstage, we see the James Gang confronting Team 3D. They are trading momma jokes. BG says that when he gets on top of Bubba’s mom his ear pops because his mom is so fat. Bubba says that BG’s mom is so fat that her shadow weighs 45lbs. BG says that Bubba’s mom is so fat that she goes to KFC to lick other peoples fingers. Bubba tells BG that his mother is so fat that she wore a Malcolm X t-shirt and a helicopter tried to land on her back. Bubba wants to talk about BG’s father. Bubba says that BG’s family is nothing but losers. That crosses the line and they brawl backstage. Security was right there and did nothing. They brawl to the ringside area where BG sends Bubba into the ring post. Kip tosses D-Von into the guard railing. BG whacks D-Von over the back with a chair and Kip smashes a chair into Bubba’s face with another chair. Brother Runt slides into the ring and hits an Acid Drop on Kip. Runt stands tall on the middle rope to help his brothers. Bubba challenges the James Gang to a six man tag match at Victory Road. BG tells Kip that he has an idea. Tenay is suggesting that Bob Armstrong could be the man.
11.) Christian Cage can’t believe that he has to wait seven days. Sting enters the scene and has something to say to Cornette. Cage wonders what Sting is going to ask and Sting promises that Cage will be the first person to find out.
12.) Senshi goes after Dutt and works over Joe with chops against the ropes. Joe comes off hte ropes to knee strike Senshi. Dutt gets a few strikes in on Joe. Dutt somersaults over the top to take Senshi out with a dive on the floor. Eric Young is in the crowd with a sign “Don’t Fire Eric” and the crowd loves it. Joe sends Dutt into the railing and rams Senshi into the apron face first. Joe jabs Dutt several times in a chair. Joe gets a running start and boots Dutt into the railing head first. Joe hits Senshi with a chair and delivers chops against the railing. Joe charges, but Senshi decks Joe with a clothesline on the floor. Senshi rolls Joe into the ring and delivers a few more kicks to the chest as we go to commercial.
Senshi delivers a kick to the head and gets a two count on Joe. Senshi locks in a dragon sleeper, but Joe counters and kicks Senshi on the mat. Senshi runs the ropes to dropkick Joe on the knee. Joe avoids a kick, but a second kick from behind connects by Senshi. Dutt is on the top rope and hits a crossbody for a two count. Dutt drop toe holds Senshi followed by a rolling splash and a standing moonsault for a two count. Dutt kicks Joe in the corner followed by chops. Joe drives Dutt down to the mat to counter a leapfrog attempt. Senshi kicks Joe several times and runs the ropes only to be met with an atomic drop and a running boot. Joe hits a senton splash on Senshi. Dutt hits a slingshot hurricanrana from the apron into the ring to take Joe down. Joe blocks a suicide dive attempt by Dutt and puts a sleeper on. Dutt kicks Senshi and Senshi dropkicks Joe off the apron. Dutt hits a standing Slice Bread on Senshi for a two count.
Scott Steiner comes down to ringside and whacks Samoa Joe over the head with a steel chair! Senshi hits a handspring kick to knock Dutt out in the corner. Steiner is standing over Joe with the chair. Senshi goes to the top and hits the double stomp! Senshi covers Dutt and wins the title! (***1/2. Everyone in this match had time to shine. Clearly, Dutt was added to take the fall, but despite that Dutt was still made to look like a viable contender as Joe and Senshi allowed him some time to shine. Dutt is criminally underrated and is always a lot of fun in these matches. Getting the title off Joe should mean he’s going to be elevated up the card. I can get behind another Joe/Steiner showdown, too.)
13.) Sting tells Jeremy Borash that Jim Cornette being in TNA is going to workout since he got everything he wanted from the meeting.
Final Thoughts:
A very good episode of Impact this week as the main event delivered in every regard. LAX continues to get some good buildup. The only negative was all the segments centered around Cornette, even with him not being on camera. I understand it’s a new character, but I hope they don’t rely too much on the character to drive the TV.
Thanks for reading.