National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 3/29/2007
From: Orlando, FL
Paparazzi Productions starts the show with Sting talking to James Mitchell at a restaurant. They are talking about what Abyss’ mother did by shooting his father in the back. Abyss wiped her prints off and put his hands on the gun. Abyss did a prison term of six years for a crime he never committed. Mitchell says that she will end up serving time for a crime she actually did. Mitchell walks off asking Sting to pickup the check.
Opening Contest: Alex Shelley vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Austin Starr vs. Petey Williams vs. Shark Boy vs. Sonjay Dutt in an Escape The Cage match: They all go after each other to start the match. Dutt head scissors Shelley a couple of times followed by a springboard moonsault for a two count. Shelley stops Dutt with a wheelbarrow suplex. Dutt hits a facebuster on Shelley and Williams takes Shelley over with a side Russian leg sweep after a dropkick by Boy. Lynn hip tosses everyone in the match. Lynn clotheslines Starr, but is nailed by a heel kick from Shelley. Shelley plants Boy with a back suplex. Shelley sits Boy on the top rope, but Boy hits the DSD on Shelley for the first elimination.
Dutt dropkicks Boy and hits a standing moonsault. Lynn forearms Dutt a few times, but runs into a boot. Dutt tries for a hurricanrana, but Lynn rams Dutt back first into the cage. Lynn spikes Dutt with the cradle piledriver for the second elimination.
Starr puts Lynn on the top rope and delivers a few back rakes. Boy boots Starr in the corner and tries for the DSD, but Starr eye rakes Boy and plants Boy with the brainbuster for the third elimination.
Starr is sent into the cage by Williams and Lynn. Starr is punched by both men several times. Starr eye rakes both men and Williams hits the Destroyer on Starr for the fourth elimination.
Lynn misses a clothesline, but rams Williams face first into the cage. Lynn begins to climb the cage trying to escape. Williams recovers in time to stop Lynn on the top rope. They are both on the top of the cage trading right hands. Williams rams Lynn onto the top of the cage and they are both on the outside of the ring. Lynn rams Williams into the cage a few times and manges to drop to the floor to escape the cage and wins the match. After the match, Christopher Daniels shows up out of nowhere and hits Lynn over the back with a baseball bat. (**1/2. An enjoyable escape match with everyone getting proper amount of shine. I was shocked that Shark Boy pinned Shelley in the match. That was something I was not expecting, at all.)
Backstage, Tomko has arrived after three weeks in Japan. Christian Cage runs over trying to talk to Tomko and sucks up to him. Cage answers a phone call and Tomko walks off. Cage hands up and realizes that Tomko left.
NWA World Champion Christian Cage, Scott Steiner and AJ Styles make their way down to the ring for a promo. Cage is out here to make it official for their third member at Lethal Lockdown. Cage announces it as being Scott Steiner. Steiner tells Cage to not forget the title shot that he deserves. Cage reveals their fourth member as being Abyss, who is with Father James Mitchell. Mike Tenay notes this is blackmail by Mitchell. Cage says their team is complete. Styles asks Cage where their fifth member is at. Cage was gonna surprise Styles, but Cage introduces the final member as being… Tomko. It takes Cage introducing Tomko twice before Tomko made his way out to the ring. Tomko doesn’t look thrilled. Tomko claims that Cage has lied to him about all the promises. Tomko will not play second fiddle to anyone. Tomko wants his title shot because he’s earned it. Tomko wants his title shot before he joins a team. Tomko wants that shot tonight. Cage asks where his team spirit is at. Cage will not be giving any title shots until they win at Lethal Lockdown.
Kurt Angle’s music hits and that brings out Angle, Samoa Joe, and Rhino. Angle tells Tomko that Cage was never going to give Tomko a title shot. Angle thinks that Tomko wants a piece of Cage. Angle promises that Tomko would kick Cage’s ass by joining them. Tomko tells Cage to shut up and shoves the champion. Cornette comes out to interrupt the segment. Cornette is tired of hearing from these guys. Cornette is going to settle this tonight with wrestling. Cornette says one member of Team Cage will wrestle Team Angle tonight. The winner of the match gets Tomko on their team. Tomko is happy about that announcement. Cornette promises Tomko a title match that was promised to him. Tomko shoves Cage and accepts the offer.
A video package promoting the electrified steel cage match between LAX and Team 3D taking place at Lockdown is shown.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Team Angle for an interview. Borash asks who will be wrestling and Angle says it will be him because he doesn’t want to let his team down. Angle promises to backup his words. Angle has had a few setbacks, but he’ll get back on track. Angle is confident to get Tomko as the fifth partner, but Borash notes that Tomko would only be the fourth. Angle says his other partner is better left unsaid.
Second Contest: James Storm vs. Eric Young: Storm tries to attack before the bell, but Young avoids and hip tosses Storm followed by a dropkick. Jacqueline grabs Young by the boot to cause a distraction. Storm rakes Young’s eyes over the top rope. Storm kicks Young in the midsection and taunts the crowd. Storm delivers a running kick on the apron from the floor for a two count. Young nails Storm with a discus clothesline. Young flips over in the corner and shoulder rams Storm from the apron managng to hit a belly to belly suplex for a two count. Storm misses a superkick and Young hits a back suplex. Young heads to the top rope and is shoved off by Jacqueline allowing Storm to hit a superkick for the win. After the match, Chris Harris tries to get at Storm, but security is quickly there to stop him. Storm spits at Harris and that allows Harris to break free. Harris brawls with Storm in the crowd as Storm runs away. (1/2*. I’m fine with what they did here as it was mostly just a match to allow Harris to attack again. The match was secondary to more advancements for two feuds.)
Robert Roode comes out with Traci and says that Young is a disgrace to the sport and Robert Roode Inc. Roode slaps Young and Young goes after Roode wanting to hit him. Roode taunts Young to him him and suggests his friend will hit him. Petey Williams slides into the ring and slaps Roode. Williams tries for the Canadian Destroyer, but Roode bails to the floor.
Backstage, Team Cage are talking about who will wrestle tonight. Cage says that Tomko might not even be part of the team. Tomko won’t be anything without him. Cage wants a volunteer to wrestle Kurt Angle, but neither Steiner or Styles want to step-up. James Mitchell is there and he offers up Abyss. Mitchell says that if Abyss doesn’t do it then he’ll call the police and send Abyss’ mother to prison for the crime that Abyss went to jail for. Abyss is left rocking in a chair.
Christy Hemme isn’t done with VKM. Kip James doesn’t think there’s a place in wrestling for women. Hemme says there’s no drop of her dignity that Kip could take from her. Kip says Hemme is pissing him off. Kip says that Hemme will get hurt if she wants to act like a wrestler. Kip tells her to stop. This was done with a split screen.
Main Event: Kurt Angle vs. Abyss: Angle backs Abyss into a corner, but cleanly backs off. Angle leg sweeps Abyss to the mat and keeps leg control on the mat for a moment. Angle stomps on the left knee of Abyss and chop blocks Abyss to the mat. Abyss stops Angle with a clothesline. Angle takes Abyss down with an ankle lock, but Abyss reaches the ropes quickly. Christian Cage wastes no time coming down to ringside as the show goes to commercial.
Abyss hits a vertical suplex to drop Angle to the mat for a two count. Abyss keeps control with a neck vice. Angle hammers away on Abyss, but Abyss responds with strikes, too. Angle tosses Abyss with a German suplex. Angle pulls down his singlet and looks for the Angle Slam. Abyss counters and shoves Angle into the ropes chest first. Abyss tries for the Shock Treatment, but Angle slides out and puts the ankle lock on Abyss! Angle drags Abyss towards the middle of the ring. Abyss can’t kick free from the hold. Abyss rolls forward and Angle knocks the referee to the floor. Abyss plants Angle with the Black Hole Slam. A second referee slides in and Abyss only manages a two count. Abyss signals for a chokeslam, but Angle counters with a rollup and pins Abyss! (*1/2. I really wish that Abyss would win one of these big TV matches. It’s getting a little tiresome to see him continually fail against main event babyfaces.)
Tomko gets in the ring and raises Angle’s arm. Tomko nails Angle with the clipboard and pummels Angle with right hands. Cage enters the ring and gets Tomko to sign his contract. Tomko has signed to be part of Team Cage. Rhino slides into the ring and goes after Team Cage. AJ Styles enters the ring and attacks Rhino. Samoa Joe runs into the ring and goes after Team Cage, as well. Scott Steiner arrives and attacks Joe in the corner. Steiner tosses Joe with an overhead suplex. Team Cage stands tall to end the show.
Final Thoughts:
It would have been far better to have Abyss pin Angle in the main event instead of Tomko swerving Team Angle just for the swerve. It was a breeze of an episode to get through and thus I’ll give it a mild thumbs up since I do feel that the cage match at the start really helped the entertainment on the show overall this week.
Thanks for reading.