National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 5/10/2007
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Homicide defeated Scott Steiner & NWA-TNA Tag Team Champion Devon in a three way dance
2.) TNA X-Division Champion Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley defeated Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt
3.) AJ Styles, James Storm & Christopher Daniels defeated Samoa Joe, Rhino & Chris Harris
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Devon works over Steiner with right hands in the corner to start the match. Devon nails Homicide with a clothesline and mounts Homicide with a flurry of right hands. Devon continues with right hands in the corner. Steiner and Homicide work over Devon in the corner with stomps. Devon is taken over by a double suplex as we see Hector Guerrero watching in the crowd. Steiner clotheslines Devon followed by an elbow drop and does a few pushups to taunt the crowd. Homicide and Steiner chop Devon in the corner a few times. Homicide splashes Devon in the corner and taunts the crowd some more. Devon is double teamed for a few moments. Steiner hits an overhead belly to belly suplex leading to a near fall for Homicide. Devon is trapped in a tree of woe and is stomped on by Steiner and Homicide. Steiner shoves Brother Ray into the guard railing. Homicide decks Steiner from behind, but Steiner responds with a knee lift and sends Homicide into the ropes to hit a tilt a whirl slam. Steiner connects with a belly to belly suplex for a near fall on Homicide. Devon decks Steiner with a few right hands. Devon connects with a neckbreaker. Devon clotheslines Steiner over the top to the floor. Devon delivers a spinebuster to Homicide for a near fall. Steiner and Ray brawl on the floor. Devon sits Homicide on the top turnbuckle, but Hernandez gets in the ring and hits the Border Toss allowing Homicide to win the match. (*1/2. I was expecting a more boring three way, but it wasn’t all that bad. The finish is fine and gives LAX some momentum over the champs. It sure feels like the real feud is between Steiner and Team 3D. I can’t imagine LAX winning the titles back at the PPV.)
2.) Backstage, Scott Steiner is ranting at Jeremy Borash. Steiner wonders where was Christian Cage and Tomko at. Steiner recalls having the freaks by his side and notes that his brother Rick Steiner wouldn’t have ditched him. Christy Hemme chimes in and says that the third team will get it done. Borash thinks she should just be the bumper girl. VKM enter the scene with Kip referencing her breasts as bumpers. They laugh at who could be the team for Hemme.
3.) Christy Hemme makes her way down to the ring. As VKM come down to the ring, they are attacked from behind by Doug Basham and Damaja, former WWE Smackdown Tag Champions. Damaja hits a sit out powerbomb on Kip. Doug whacks Kip with a chair shot to the face. Damaja whacks BG over the head with a chair shot to leave VKM laying. Hemme is thrilled by this attack. Hemme gets a microphone and tells Kip that she had a surprise for him. Hemme introduces them as Basham and Damager, which I don’t think is correct. Lance Hoyt runs down to the ring to make the save, but the damage has been done.
4.) A video package showing the transformation of Jeff Jarrett is shown. It shows him regaining the title back in June to losing the title to Sting in October 2006. The interview following the Sting match is shown where Jarrett got emotional. Jarrett returned leading to Lockdown and competed in Lethal Lockdown. Jarrett is giving back.
5.) Backstage, Bob Backlund talks about being beaten up and how his book was stolen by Sabin and Shelley. Backlund wants his book back. Nash, Lethal, and Dutt enter the scene. Lethal is acting as Randy Savage completely. Lethal thinks he’s going to be TNA X-Division Champion. Dutt chimes in and figured that there was no time for him, which Borash admits is the case to end the segment.
6.) Lethal and Shelley kickoff the tag match. Shelley has a side headlock on Lethal followed by a shoulder block and chokes Lethal on the mat. Lethal jabs Shelley a few times. Lethal elbows Shelley and drops Shelley over the top rope throat first. Lethal hits a top rope axe handle for a two count. Shelley tags in Sabin and they bite Lethal’s hands. Lethal fights back, but is stopped by tandem moves leading to a near fall by Sabin. Sabin eye rakes Lethal on the mat, but doesn’t get a submission. Sabin dropkicks a seated Lethal for a two count. Lethal is elbowed and suplexed down. Sabin leg drops Lethal and they play to the crowd. Shelley jabs Lethal several times and stomps on the hands. Lethal boots Shelley, but Sabin blocks one. Lethal ends up kicking Shelley, but missed Sabin. Dutt hits a slingshot hurricanrana on Sabin. Dutt connects with a springboard elbow, head scissors and spinebuster on Shelley. Dutt hits a springboard moonsault for a two count on Shelley. Shelley stops Dutt with a cutter, but Lethal hits the Lethal Combination. Sabin clotheslines Lethal, but Dutt hits a Slice Bread. Lethal goes to the top, but Dutt waves Lethal off. Dutt is kicked by Sabin and Shelley. Shelley plants Dutt with a Kryptonite Krunch for the win. (**1/2. I enjoyed that match and I thought Dutt looked really good in there. Dutt is a lot of fun to watch with his aerial offense that looks crisp. These two teams in a longer format of a match would be a lot of fun.) After the match, Backlund comes out and rolls Shelley into the ring to deliver a slam. Sabin misses a clothesline and Backlund atomic drops Sabin to the floor.
7.) Jeremy Borash hosts an interview segment with Christian Cage, Sting and Kurt Angle. Christopher Daniels was talking to Sting, but Sting said “this isn’t the time.” They are at three different locations. Sting says that Angle would have taken the same thing Jarrett handed him. Christian is cracking jokes at both men saying that Angle is called a gym teacher by Sting. Sting tells Angle to not get involved in peoples business and he was robbed by Angle. Angle believes it should just be a singles match with Cage. Cage doesn’t think either man should be challenging him. Sting wants Angle to do something about how he got a title match. Angle promises to find Sting tonight and finish him off. Cage encourages Angle to do that.
8.) Joe and Storm kickoff the match with Joe kicking Storm a few times on the leg. Harris tags in and Storm bails to the floor. Styles gets wrist control on Harris briefly until Harris counters. Styles counters back into control and taunts the referee. Harris rips Styles chest hair and kicks Styles in the midsection. Harris holds Styles for a delayed vertical suplex and Joe hits a running senton splash. Joe stomps on Styles and delivers a few slaps in the corner. Rhino tags into the match and stomps on Styles in the corner. Rhino rams Styles into the corner ad delivers a few shoulder rams. Rhino continues with a chop in the corner. Rhino elbows Styles, but is shoved off the turnbuckle by Daniels. Daniels tags into the match as Storm pummels Rhino and sends Rhino into the railing as the show goes to commercial.
Daniels heel kicks Rhino coming off the ropes for a two count. Styles returns to the match and double teams Rhino. Styles and Daniels stomp on Rhino for a moment. Styles keeps a chin lock on Rhino, but doesn’t get a submission. Rhino clubs Styles over the back, but Daniels delivers a clothesline leg sweep leading to a near fall for Styles. Storm works over Rhino and Harris gets tagged in. Storm bails to the corner and Harris hits a full nelson slam on Daniels. Harris atomic drops Storm followed by a bulldog. Daniels clotheslines Harris. Everyone gets clotheslines! Harris clotheslines Storm to end the flurry. Joe powerslams Styles while Rhino plants Daniels with a spinebuster. Joe and Styles go to the floor. Harris gets a beer bottle via a bad throw by Jackie Moore. Storm gets a rollup and a handful of tights as the referee prevented Harris from using the bottle. Storm pins Harris to end the match. After the match, Harris stalks Storm in the crowd and Storm is attacked. Harris backdrops Storm over the railing to the floor. Harris plays to the crowd. (**. It’s an average main event that they had to rush through to allow all six men to get moments of shine. I was a bit surprised by the finish, but that should mean that Harris will get his revenge at the PPV in the Texas Death Match.)
9.) We see Kurt Angle brawling with Sting coming down the aisle towards the ring. Sting fires back with strikes and sends Angle into the ring. Angle stomps on Sting followed by right hands. Referees and security try to get involved while NWA World Champion Christian Cage watches on the stage to end the show
Final Thoughts:
There was some quality action on the show and the focus on the world title feud was moved along pretty well. I have always liked Damaja and Basham dating back to OVW, but I doubt they will do much of anything in TNA. Sacrifice looks to be a solid show on paper.
Thanks for reading.