Written by: Bob Colling
National Wrestling Alliance/Total-Nonstop Action presents Impact
Date: 7/6/2006
From: Orlando, FL
Jeremy Borash is outside Sting’s locker room to hype up the main event. Christian Cage walks up and thinks that Borash has a man crush on him. Cage wants to make sure that Sting knows they are partners tonight but opponents at Victory Road.
A highlight video of Jim Cornette’s speech from last week is shown where he fired Earl Hebner and ended up giving the championship back to Jarrett. He made a four way match at Victory Road for a number one contenders match.
Opening Contest: Homicide vs. Sonjay Dutt: Homicide goes right after Dutt with a boot to the midsection. Dutt arm drags Homicide and hits a rolling senton and a standing moonsault for a two count. Homicide dumps Dutt to the apron and delivers a right hand to knock Dutt to the floor. Homicide hits a somersault suicide dive, but on Hernandez. Dutt takes both men out with a somersault dive over the top rope to the floor. Hernandez yanks Dutt down on the apron to prevent a springboard attempt. Homicide nails Dutt with a running uppercut for a near fall. Homicide takes Dutt down to the mat and locks in a submission along with help from Konnan, but doesn’t get a submission. Homicide sits Dutt on the top rope hitting a superplex. Homicide holds on and hits a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Homicide heads to the top rope and misses a frog splash. Dutt avoids Homicide in the corner and hits a missile dropkick. Dutt is fired up and elbows Homicide in the corner. Dutt continues with a clothesline and a spinebuster. Dutt hits a springboard moonsault for a near fall. Homicide plants Dutt with an ace cutter for a near fall. Homicide goes for the Cop Killa, but Dutt counters and hits a Slice Bread. Konnan distracts the referee allowing Hernandez to overhead toss Dutt. Homicide goes for the cover and wins the match. After the match, Slick Johnson tells the referee what happened and the referee reverses the decision. Hernandez puts Dutt on a chair, but Ron Killings comes out and makes the save decking LAX with right hands. (**3/4. They had some really fun action and it was non-stop for the most part. The finish was dumb and probably didn’t need to happen for Dutt. I would have had Homicide get the clean win and go for the attack after and then have Killings come out for the save. It would give the group more heat.)
Larry Zbyszko argues with Slick Johnson where Johnson tells Zbyszko he will look great bald. Johnson is going to show Zbyszko how good he’ll look bald.
Jim Cornette gives Team Canada an opportunity to stick together and he’ll do that next week on Impact. Eric Young is afraid that he’ll get fired.
Mike Tenay says there will be an eight man tag match where Team Canada will wrestle Team 3D, Jay Lethal and Rhino. If Team Canada wins, then they can stay together. Whomever gets the win can get a title shot against anyone. Eric Young comes out and says he’s going to lose his job. Tenay says that Young isn’t getting fired. Young turns to Don and says he never wins. Slick Johnson is out here again. Johnson has pictures of Zbyszko being bald. Johnson wonders why they are going to fire Young. Johnson says if Young does something for him then he’ll help Young. They proceed to pass out pictures of Zbyszko being bald. Team Canada come out and they yell at Young for being a goof.
A video of Shane Douglas coaching the Naturals is shown.
Rhino cut a promo saying that TNA is the company to be with since he rejected WWE’s offer. Rhino isn’t doing this for the money, but rather to make a difference. Rhino says he’s the future of TNA.
Second Contest: Monty Brown vs. Kenny King: Monty works over King with a few strikes after a knee lift. King counters Brown in the corner and delivers several right hands and stomps in the corner. Brown sends King into the corner back first and hits a fallaway slam. Brown finishes King off with the Pounce to win the match.
Monty Brown says that hunting season is officially open. Brown calls out Samoa Joe for patting his record with lesser competition. Brown is coming for Rhino, Christian Cage, Scott Steiner and Jeff Jarrett. Brown hasn’t forgotten about Sting either. Brown says they will all fall to the Pounce!
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Jeff Jarrett and Scot Steiner. Jarrett says that Sting preached to the world for months that if Jarrett won the championship it would be the worst thing to happen. Well, that came true. Jarrett says that one of them has to go and thinks that Sting is good as gone from Impact starting tonight. Jarrett assures that Steiner will take care of Christina Cage. Scott Steiner calls Samoa Joe a fat bastard. Borash notes that if Steiner won against Joe than he’d wrestle Jarrett for the gold, which catches Steiner off guard.
A video from the Paparazzi Production is shown where Kevin Nash has a bodybag. Nash says they will pull something out that fans haven’t seen for two weeks. Shelley and Devine applaud Nash and the segment will continue in the arena, apparently. In fact, they come down to the ring with a shopping cart and a bodybag. They have someone in the bodybag. This is the “It’s In The Bag” segment they have been promoting. Nash says it is Osama Bin Laden in there. They open the bodybag and Chris Sabin is in the bodybag tied up. Sabin is beaten up by Shelley and Devine. Jay Lethal runs into the ring and makes the save with kicks.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Samoa Joe. Joe recalls Borash talking about a situation where Scott Steiner would win, but that’s never going to happen. Joe says that Sting needs to realize that he’s the man. Joe tells Christian Cage that all the whining in the world will not save him. Joe hasn’t gone a night without thinking about revenge on Scott Steiner. This is about humiliating Scott Steiner and he’s going to make Steiner’s children cry because he can’t hold his kids anymore. Joe promises to choke him out.
Main Event: NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett & Scott Steiner vs. Christian Cage & Sting: All four men begin to brawl around ringside with Cage working on Jarrett and Sting focusing on Steiner. Sting wears Steiner’s headgear and decks Steiner with a right hand. Sting elbows Steiner to the mat to start the match legally. Sting boots Steiner in the ring a few times followed by a standing dropkick and clothesline. Cage is tagged in and kicks Steiner in the midsection. Cage goes for the cover, but Steiner kicks out at two. Steiner works over Cage with several strikes before tagging in Jarrett. Jarrett runs into an elbow in the corner and Cage hits a springboard sunset flip for a two count. Cage powerbombs Jarrett for a near fall. Cage pummels Jarrett in the corner with right hands. Jarrett tosses Cage over the ring post to the floor as we go to commercial.
Jarrett jabs Cage in the ribs with a steel chair. Jarrett rolls Cage into the ring and chokes Cage over the middle rope. Jarrett splashes onto Cage followed by a right hand to send Cage to the mat. Steiner enters the match and works over Cage with strikes. Steiner clotheslines Cage and delivers an elbow drop. Steiner does his trademark pushups to insult Cage. Steiner hits a belly to belly suplex and tags in Jarrett. Jarrett locks in a sleeper hold, but Cage counters. Jarrett drops Cage with a back suplex. Steiner gets tagged in and prevents Cage from tagging in Sting. Steiner hammers away on Cage with several forearm strikes. Cage drops both men with a reverse DDT. Sting gets the hot tag and cleans house with strikes. Sting avoids a clothesline by Jarrett. Sting hits the Stinger Splash on Jarrett. Sting splashes both men in the corner. Sting locks in the Scorpion Death Lock on Jarrett. Sting atomic drops Steiner and clotheslines Steiner to the floor. Jarrett low blows Sting and hits the Stroke, but Cage pulls the referee out. Cage sends Steiner into the ring post face first. Jarrett trades strikes with Cage. Sting plants Jarrett with the Scorpion Death Drop. Cage hits the frog splash and Sting pins Jarrett to win the match. After the match, Steiner decks Cage and Sting with the championship. Steiner puts the Steiner Recliner on Cage. Jarrett stomps on Sting until Samoa Joe comes out and attacks Steiner. Joe sends Steiner into the guard railing while Sting brawls with Jeff Jarrett in the crowd. Steiner sends Joe into the tunnel. Joe and Steiner are brawling backstage. Cage has the NWA World Championship in the ring and has a smirk. Sting puts the Scorpion Death Lock on Jarrett in the crowd to end the show. (**1/4. An average main event as they didn’t break away from the formula for the most part. I was glad there was a clean finish and they used a heat segment to close the program to hype up the necessary feuds.)
Final Thoughts:
Each segment served a purpose and they provided promotion for the PPV coming up next Sunday. An enjoyable overall episode this time around.
Thanks for reading.