Written by: Bob Colling
National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 1/4/2007
From: Orlando, FL
A video package promoting what happened recently with Kurt Angle putting Samoa Joe’s girlfriend in an ankle lock demanding a rematch. Joe gave the rematch, but Angle still broke her ankle.
Backstage, Samoa Joe is yelling at Jim Cornette wanting Kurt Angle tonight. Cornette tells Joe he’s got to wait because Angle has a match tonight. Joe is pissed that Cornette wants him to leave the building. Joe is here to simply hurt Angle and he’s going to finish the issue tonight with Angle.
Opening Contest: Robert Roode vs. Rhino: Roode taunts Rhino and is met with a slap and right hand to start the contest. Rhino shoulder blocks Roode and blocks a hip toss with a clothesline. Rhino forearms Roode to the mat a few times causing Roode to bail to the floor. Rhino works over Roode with chops and strikes. Rhino rams Roode into the corner face first. Roode sends Rhino hard back first into the corner. Roode continues to work over Rhino with chops and strikes in the corner. Roode hits a rolling snap mare and jogs around the ring taunting the crowd. Rhino hammers away on Roode and hits a leaping clothesline. Rhino shoulder rams Roode in the corner. Rhino plants Roode with a spinebuster. Rhino waits in the corner, but Ms. Brooks comes out and distracts Rhino on the apron. Rhino grabs Brooks and avoids Roode leading to a rollup for the win. (*1/4. I’m not sure what the point of Roode seemingly hating his handpicked manager already achieves. I thought Roode was going to get a big push, but this isn’t elevating him at all.) After the match, AJ Styles attacks Rhino from behind on the aisle. Styles rolls Rhino into the ring and stomps away on Rhino. Rhino hits a belly to belly suplex. Rhino waits in the corner, but Roode comes back out and trips Rhino. Roode stomps on Rhino and Styles helps attack Rhino with stomps. Styles plants Rhino with the Styles Clash.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is outside Jim Cornett’es office, but Eric Young is with him. Young says that he’s got a friend that has a girl putting pressure on him to have sex, apparently. Young gets nervous when Ms. Brooks enters the scene and asks if Young got what she asked for. Brooks says if Young doesn’t get what she asked for by next week then he’s fired.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Samoa Joe. Joe says that four weeks Angle tried to get his attention and last week he did that. Joe calls Angle a coward because he can’t accept who is best. Joe says that he’ll leave the arena once his job is done.
Voodoo Kin Mafia make their way down to the ring for a promo. They are wearing sombreros. BG doesn’t trust Kip with the microphone. BG says it has been four weeks and they haven’t gotten a response from Vincent K. McMahon. BG knows you can’t solve a problem by simply ignoring it. Kip has a megaphone and wants to talk into the microphone. BG says at the end of their rainbow there’s a pot of a million dollars. BG says they just have to step up to the plate and prove to be the men they claim to be. BG says it is time for them to step their game up a notch. They are turning their attention to Shawn Michaels because he’s got a light schedule. BG is calling out Shawn Michaels on Wednesday. BG wants Michaels to try and collect the million dollars. BG will have the footage on Thursday to show what happened.
Paparazzi Productions is up next and they are playing musical chairs. Lethal gets eliminated first. Senshi remains seated the whole time, but stands up to confront Nash and is eliminated. Shelley is eliminated next. Nash screws over Sonjay Dutt allowing Austin Starr to win the contest. Starr leads with 18-points.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash sat down with Gail Kim earlier in the day. Gail says that it’s been a roller coaster with AMW and they thought the issues were behind them. Kim doesn’t have answers for what James Storm did to Chris Harris. James Storm enters the scene with a chair and a beer with him. Storm says that Kim is talking about him behind his back. Storm says that TNA doesn’t have a women’s division and only sees her around here. Storm drags Borash out of the scene and gets in Kim’s face saying that he brought Kim into the company. Storm says that Kim has seven days. Kim says she hasn’t talked to Harris. Storm says his patience is running thin with her. Storm tells Kim that Harris isn’t coming back.
Second Contest: Brother Runt vs. NWA Tag Team Champion Homicide in a street fight: Runt attacks Homicide during his entrance on the floor. Runt goes to the top rope leaping off with a crossbody to Homicide on the floor. Runt wraps a chair around Homicide’s neck and sends Homicide into the ring post. Runt uses a camera cord to choke Homicide followed by an elbow strike. Homicide backdrops Runt on the entrance ramp. Homicide grabs a ladder and drops it over Runt’s back. Homicide smashes Runt over the head with a chair shot. Homicide sets a ladder up in the corner and hammers away on Runt before rolling back into the ring. Runt hits an Acid Drop out of the corner and we see that Runt is bleeding from the side of his head. Hernandez hits the Border Toss onto the ladder as Konnan was on the apron, allowing Homicide to win the match. (*1/2. It’s a street fight and they did a distraction finish? There’s no rules so there’s no need fo that.) After the match, Team 3D run into the ring to make the save for Runt.
A video package promoting the feud between Jerry Lynn, Chris Sabin and NWA X-Division Champion Christopher Daniels is shown. The feud is all about respect between the three of them.
Last night, Father Mitchell has Abyss outside of his “home” and yells at Abyss. Abyss is screaming out of fear and is freaking out. Mitchell is going to break the bond between Abyss and Sting tonight. Mitchell knows the truth and says that Christian and Tomko know very little of the truth. Mitchell doesn’t want to have to come back here with Abyss. Mitchell says that Abyss has a decision to make and he’s going to make that tonight. Mitchell has held the secret for 18-months and doesn’t like looking like an idiot because of Abyss. Abyss grabs Mitchell by the throat and yells at him to end the segment.
Jim Cornette appears on the big screen after Christian Cage makes his entrance. Cornette announces that at Final Resolution Tomko will be barred from the triple threat match between Christian Cage, Abyss and Sting. Of course, they are not happy with that decision.
Samoa Joe attacks Kurt Angle from behind during his entrance and sends Angle into the ring steps. Joe beats on Angle with jabs against the railing. Angle knee lifts Joe to break free and chokes Joe with his ring jacket. Joe elbows free and sends Angle onto the announcers table. Christian Cage is enjoying this attack on Angle. Joe knee lifts Angle on the floor and sends Angle into the ring post shoulder first. Joe sends Angle over the railing into the crowd. The show goes to commercial with security trying to keep them apart in the crowd. When the show returns they are still brawling. Jim Cornette tells security to protect the fans and allow them to fight.
Joe and Angle continue to brawl backstage with Joe sending Angle outside the arena. Angle jabs Joe with a chair followed by a chair shot to the back. Angle gains control by choking Joe, but is kicked by Joe. Angle sends Joe into the wall face first and is met with a chair shot to the gut and back. Joe sends Angle into the wall to gain the advantage. Joe gouges Angle’s eyes. Joe sends Angle face first into a door. Angle puts the ankle lock on Joe, but Joe is able to kick Angle away. Joe slams Angle’s head into a steel door a few times. Angle hits Joe with a piece of plywood several times. Joe throws Angle outside the venue and uses a wet floor sign over Angle’s back. Joe sends Angle into a wooden pallet and a clothesline against the wall. Joe bites Angle’s forehead as they walk towards a production truck. Angle slams Joe’s face onto a table a few times followed by a few uppercuts. Don Harris comes over to try and break things up, but Joe slams Angle through the table as the show goes to commercial.
Kurt Angle is in the ring and Cornette is telling Angle to calm down. Samoa Joe has ran down to the ring again and Angle leaps off the apron to go after Joe. Joe locks in a chokehold, but lets go. Cornette announces that at Final Resolution they will be competing in an Iron Man match at the PPV and it will be a half hour! Christian Cage slides into the ring and attacks Angle from behind. Tomko forces the timekeeper to ring the bell.
Main Event: Christian Cage vs. Kurt Angle: Angle fights back with a German suplex, but Tomko gets in the ring and double teams Angle with help from Cage. The lights go out and Sting appears in the ring! Sting and Angle brawl with Cage and Tomko. Sting tosses Cage over the top to the floor. That ends the segment and show.
Final Thoughts:
Action wise, there wasn’t a lot going on here. However, they advanced storylines and added to the Angle/Joe feud well. Sure, it’s annoying that there wasn’t a main event between Cage and Angle, but the brawling segment was enjoyable and I think I’m excited for the Iron Man match. I just wish they didn’t do three matches on three straight PPVs for Joe and Angle. I would have waited longer before they even crossed paths. Anyway, it’s an average show with effective build for the PPV.
Thanks for reading.