Written by: Bob Colling
National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 11/9/2006
From: Orlando, FL
Opening Contest: NWA X-Division Champion AJ Styles vs. Ron Killings vs. Robert Roode in the Fight For The Right tournament: Roode is punched by Styles and Killings to start the match. Styles dropkicks Roode coming off the ropes and Killings clotheslines Roode over the top to the floor. Styles goes for a dive and kicks Roode away on the apron. Killings hits a somersault dive over the top onto Roode. Styles moonsaults onto Killings leading to a near fall. Styles drives Killings down with a backbreaker. Killings ducks a clothesline to heel kick Styles. Killings hits a wheelbarrow facebuster for a two count. Killings forearms Styles after Roode dropped down. Roode sends Killings to the floor and tackles Styles with a knee clip. Roode focuses his offense on the left knee. Roode knocks Killings off the apron, but Styles fires back with strikes. Roode locks in a half Boston Crab, but Killings hits a missile dropkick on Roode. Styles kicks Killings and ducks a clothesline from Roode. Styles drops Roode with the pele kick. Styles heads to the top rope, but Ms. Brooks gets involved. Christopher Daniels and Lance Hoyt grab her and Hoyt puts her in the front row where a planted fan dumped his drink on her. Roode hits a superplex on Styles and grabs Brooks out of the crowd. Styles avoids a scissors kick by Killings and wins the match with a rollup. (*1/2. Considering Roode is being presented in a new heel role, I guess you want to avoid having him be pinned here. I’d honestly just put Roode over and try to elevate him up the card. Styles winning should lead to a fun match with Abyss.)
Backstage, Robert Roode is yelling at Ms. Brooks for messing up. Roode needs crowd control and an image consultant. Roode needs the people to love him so that people will spend their money on him. He demands Brooks go interview people to make them love him.
Shane Douglas is in the ring for a promo. Douglas has a problem with someone right now. Douglas calls out Bubba Dudley. Douglas whispered something into Bubba’s ear and was disrespected in front of millions of people. Bubba says that Shane is catching him off guard and has never disrespected him before. Bubba didn’t like what Douglas had to say to him. Bubba wants to know why Douglas has a grudge against him. Douglas slaps Bubba and the Naturals slide into the ring and attack Bubba. They go to the floor and grab a table while Douglas beats on Bubba. Douglas chokes Bubba with a chain as the table is setup in the corner. They send Bubba through the table in the corner. We see that Brother Devon had been attacked backstage by the Naturals to allow the attack on Bubba.
Earlier in the day, Konnan confronted AMW during a signing. LAX appeared over a wall and attacked AMW from behind. They rammed a guard railing into Harris’ arm and Hernandez Border Tossed James Storm into the wall.
Second Contest: Austin Starr vs. Petey Williams vs. Johnny Devine: Starr tries to pin Devine early on, but settles for a dropkick to a seated Williams. Devine knee drops Starr a few times. Starr hits a springboard back elbow to knock Devine down. Starr dumps Williams to the apron and Williams hits a slingshot Codebreaker from the apron into the ring. Devine takes Williams over with a snap suplex. Starr side slams Devine, but is chopped by Devine and Williams. Starr is met with a double backdrop. Williams takes Devine down with a side Russian leg sweep. Williams goes for the Destroyer, but Starr clotheslines Williams. Devine sends Williams into Starr and slams Williams. Devine leaps off the top to hit a moonsault for a two count. Devine nearly pins Starr with a backslide. Starr kicks Devine and spikes him with a brainbuster. Starr heads to the top rope, but Alex Shelley distracts Starr with the camera. Williams sends Shelley into Starr on the top rope. Williams hits the Destroyer on Devine to win the match. (**. I wasn’t expecting Williams to win here, but I like that there was a distraction to allow Starr to lose the match and did so without taking the pin. The action was fine for what it was.)
NWA Tag Team Champions LAX and Konnan make their way down to the ring. They have a dummy dressed up as Uncle Sam. Konnan cuts a promo saying that AMW found out earlier today why you don’t attack LAX from behind. LAX invites Williams to join them because they are sure that Williams has been discriminated against. Konnan says that next week they are going to burn the American flag on Primetime Impact. Konnan believes the American flag stands for lies and racism. He’s going to urinate on it and burn it next week.
Mike Tenay hosts an interview between Christian Cage and Rhino, but it’s a split screen with both men in different locations. Cage laughs at Tenay suggesting that Rhino has the advantage because he has the key. Cage should slap Tenay for saying that. Cage says he’s faster, more agility and is better in every way. Cage thinks they should ask Rhino’s ex-wife, too. Cage has the ring smarts to defeat Rhino. Rhino asks what the bolt cutters will do when they are up Cage’s ass. Rhino is going to kick Cage’s kneecaps in. Rhino says it is time for him to get payback and revenge. Rhino is going to make Cage beg for his life. Cage wishes they were in the same room to get it going on right now. Rhino doesn’t need a ear piece and knows exactly where Cage is at. Rhino is going to kick his ass right now. Cage doubts it, but looks concerned to end the segment,.
A video package promoting the Angle vs. Joe match at Genesis is aired.
Main Event: NWA X-Division Champion AJ Styles vs. Abyss in the Fight For The Right finals: Abyss tosses Styles away to avoid a takedown in the opening seconds of the match. Abyss elbows Styles and tosses AJ across the ring. Abyss misses a splash in the corner and Styles delivers a few shoulder rams in the corner. Styles hits a hurricanrana and tries for a suplex, but Abyss counters. Styles head scissors Abyss and delivers a clothesline in the corner. Abyss stops Styles with a big boot. Abyss grabs a steel chair from the floor. Abyss decks Styles with a right hand to counter a discus attempt. Abyss has wedged the chair in the corner. Styles counters a powerbomb, but Abyss catapults Styles into the chair head first. Abyss splashes Styles in the corner. Jerry Lynn is watching the match with Dutt, Lethal and Sabin. Sabin is seen yawning during the match. Styles fires back with right hands, but a knee lift stops him. Styles dropkicks Abyss coming off the ropes and mounts Abyss with right hands. Styles avoids hitting the referee in the corner, but Abyss splashes Styles and the referee in the corner. Christian Cage comes in and whacks both Abyss and Styles with a steel chair. Cage slowly leaves the ring and says that is a pile of garbage in the ring and he’s the true number one contender. The referee begins to make a count on both men. The referee calls for the bell as both men failed to get up. The referees have a meeting and after a commercial the match is restarted.
Styles avoids Abyss in the corner and hits a springboard forearm smash for a two count. Styles dropkicks a kneeling Abyss for a near fall. Abyss stops Styles coming off the ropes and tries for a chokeslam, but Styles counters with a rollup for a two count. Styles back elbows Abyss in the corner, but Abyss stops Styles on the middle rope hitting the Shock Treatment. Father James Mitchell comes down to ringside with a bag of tacks, but Christopher Daniels stops Mitchell. The referee is distracted by this. Styles drops Abyss with the pele kick. Styles goes for the Styles Clash, but Chris Sabin slides into the ring and kicks Styles allowing Abyss to hit the Black Hole Slam for the win. Abyss challenges Sting at Genesis for the NWA World Championship. (**1/4. The interference made sense considering Cage is bitter he’s not in the match and Sabin is disgruntled with Styles not respecting him. So, I don’t really mind it. I’m not sure if I’m interested in Abyss challenging Sting for the championship. That just seems like a weak first opponent. I’d be far more interested in Sting vs. Cage because there’s a built in story there already.)
NWA World Champion Sting is seen watching from the rafters to end the program.
Final Thoughts:
An average week of TV for TNA, but next weeks debut in Primetime is a loaded card and I’m really looking forward to seeing how that plays out. I’m hopeful that something betweens Abyss and Sting takes to really add something to their title match at Genesis.
Thanks for reading.