Written by: Bob Colling
Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 8/16/2006
From: Orlando, FL
Impact starts off with LAX brawling with Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles around ringside. Daniels has been busted wide open. Konnan has a microphone and asks Daniels how it feels to taste his own blood. Daniels is gushing blood. Hernandez catches Styles and delivers a press slam on the aisle way. Homicide is squeezing blood out of Daniels forehead, which is disgusting. The show was going to start with Jeff Jarrett’s celebration but the ring is being demolished by this brawl. Daniels kicks a chair into Hernandez face. Daniels hammers away on Hernandez until Homicide chokes Daniels with something. Styles chokes out Hernandez. Konnan smashes a bottle over Styles head. Styles and Daniels are bloodied big time. Rhino runs into the ring and makes the save attacking LAX. Monty Brown slides into the ring and attacks Rhino. Brother Runt enters the ring to attack Brown. Naturally, here comes Abyss to go after Runt. Samoa Joe enters the ring and goes after Rhino as NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett walks down and demands everyone gets out of the ring for his party. Jarrett has the confetti go off to get people out of the ring. The lights go out and it’s Sting clearing the ring with a baseball bat. Sting jabs Abyss several times and clotheslines Abyss to the floor. Jarrett looks concerned on the aisle way.
Sting grabs a microphone to cut a promo. Sting says that Jarrett didn’t beat him for the championship but rather Christian Cage did. Sting talks about Bound For Glory and wants a rematch at the PPV. Sting will do anything for the rematch at Bound For Glory on October 22nd. Sting wants an answer tonight and Jarrett is left wondering what’s in it for him.
We see footage from Hard Justice where there was a fire due to the pyro during the Eric Young/Johnny Devine match. Young won the match and the building was escorted out.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is trying to get a word with Jeff Jarrett. Eric Young comes out of the room and says that Jarrett will have an answer for everyone tonight. Young wonders if Jarrett told him to leave the room or the company. Young wonders if Jarrett can fire him.
Opening Contest: Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin & Sonjay Dutt vs. Alex Shelley, Johnny Devine & Petey Williams: The ring has a giant wet spot in the middle of the ring thanks to the opening brawl. Lethal hip tosses and a dropkicks a seated Devine. Shelley enters and spin kicks Lethal. Sabin enters, and tosses Dutt into Shelley and Williams to hit a dropkick. Lethal, Dutt and Shelley hit dives to the floor to take their opponents out. What the hell, Earl Hebner enters the ring and chokes Slick Johnson because he blames Johnson for him being fired. We go to commercial and we come back to Lethal trying to powerbomb Williams off the apron, but fails. Williams leg drops Lethal over the apron. Lethal tries to fight back with chops and stops Williams with a backbreaker. Shelley and Dutt are tagged in and Dutt head scissors Shelley. Dutt avoids Shelley in the corner and hit a springboard clothesline. Dutt stops Shelley with a spinebuster for a near fall. All six men are in the ring at this point. Devine and Williams are sent into each other. Lethal and Sabin begin to row the boat in the middle of the ring. Dutt almost pins Shelley in the middle of the move. Shelley nails Dutt with a kick to the head. Sabin and Devine tag into the match. Williams forearms Sabin and Shelley delivers a double knee strike. Dutt splashes Devine in the corner and Sabin nails Devine with a running boot. Sabin hits a leg drop off the top and pins Devine for the win. (**1/2. This was mostly an extended showcase for Lethal, Sabin and Dutt. The match didn’t have the best energy, but it was enjoyable for the most part.)
Footage from Hard Justice is shown where Christian Cage turned on Sting by hitting Sting with the guitar and cost Sting the NWA World Champion. Backstage, Rhino asked Cage what that was all about. Cage told Rhino that he did that for Rhino and for everyone. Cage ran off telling Rhino to trust him.
Christian Cage had a pre-tape promo air. Cage says his decision was a game-time decision to turn on Sting. Cage notes that he hit Jarrett with a chair but Sting couldn’t win the match. Cage wondered if he needed to wear the face paint and fight the match for him. Cage says he’s nobody’s lackey. Cage recalls being the biggest addition to the company and brought a primetime TV deal. Cage doesn’t think that Sting is all that good. Cage says that Sting isn’t his brother and believes that Rhino is his brother. Cage thinks that Rhino will understand his decision and he’ll be there next week. Cage wonders that perhaps Sting screwed him over. Cage asks how many former champions sit there undefeated having never been pinned and yet still don’t have a rematch?
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with bloodied Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles. Daniels says that Konnan just needed to ask for another shot at the titles. Daniels says they will put the titles on the line again and won’t stop until they are all dead. Konnan responds from the announcers table. Konnan wants a Border Brawl, which essentially a street fight. Konnan promises that LAX will got 5150 next time they meet Daniels and Styles.
A vignette promoting Bobby Roode is shown. Roode is the hottest free agent and he’s interviewing Simon Diamond, James Mitchell and Shane Douglas. Roode tells them they need to do a lot better than what they are offering. Roode is going to expand his search.
Second Contest: BG James vs. Chase Stevens vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Harris: Kazarian and Stevens start the match. Kazarian shoulder blocks Stevens, but Stevens comes back with a forearm shot. Stevens backdrops Kazarian out of the corner. Kazarian shoulder rams Stevens and hits a slingshot DDT from the apron for a two count. James goes after Harris and decks Kazarian. James plants Stevens with a pump handle slam, but Kazarian breaks the cover. Harris plants Kazarian with a spinebuster. BG jabs Harris several times and delivers a forearm strike. James Storm is at ringside with the beer bottle. Storm gets in the ring and almost hits James, but misses. Harris takes the bottle away. Stevens has handcuffs waiting for Harris to turnaround. Stevens nails Harris from behind and Stevens gets the pin. Thus, the Naturals will get a title shot. (1/2*. The main focus here is to continue the issues between James Storm and Chris Harris.) After the match, Storm and Harris are shoving each other. Storm flips off Harris and walks off.
Main Event: Ron Killings vs. Samoa Joe: Killings hammers away on Joe with right hands. Joe battles back with quick strikes. Killings takes Joe down to the mat and continues to deliver punches. Joe nails Killings with a kick to the side of his head. Killings sends Joe to the floor with a pump kick. Killings takes Joe out with a somersault dive to the floor as we go to commercial. Joe rolls Killings into the ring, but Killings fights back with strikes in the corner. Joe slams a charging Killings out of the corner. Joe kicks Killings a few times and delivers a knee drop. Joe jabs Killings several times in the corner to maintain control of the contest. Joe nails Killings with a running boot in the corner. Joe keeps a chin lock on Killings for a moment. Killings elbows free and punches Joe before hitting a flying forearm smash. Killings clotheslines Joe a few times. Joe stops Killings with a snap powerslam and switches to a cross arm bar. Killings avoids the move and reaches the ropes. Joe jabs Killings in the corner several times. Killings ducks a clothesline and heel kicks Joe. Killings comes off the ropes missing a scissors kick. Killings drives Joe down to the mat with a front suplex. Killings tries for the cover, but Joe kicks out at two. Killings heads to the top rope, but Joe crotches Killings with a kick. Joe goes for the Muscle Buster and hits it! Joe covers and wins the match cleanly. (**. At least they gave Killings a competitive showing against Joe. I’m thinking there’s a showdown between Cage and Joe regarding their undefeated streaks at some point.)
Backstage, NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett cuts a promo saying that there was no way he was going to accept Sting’s offer. Jarrett has everything to lose and nothing to gain. However, if there is going to be a match at Bound For Glory then it’s going to be Jarrett’s title against Sting’s career. Jarrett wants a contract made for next week.
Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed the episode coming out of Hard Justice. The opening segment was nicely done. Christian Cage turning heel sets up a likely feud with Sting, which is interesting. Plus, we’ve setup the BFG main event already in mid-August. That’s going to allow a lot of angle advancement for the show in October. TNA is on a roll right now.
Thanks for reading.