TNA Impact 6/14/2007

Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 6/14/2007
From: Orlando, FL

Matches:
1.) Doug Basham, Damaja & Steiner Brothers defeated TNA Tag Team Champions Team 3D, BG James & Kip James
2.) Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle & AJ Styles defeated Sting, Tomko & Rhino
3.) Christian Cage defeated Abyss by disqualification in a KOTM qualifying match

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Backstage, Jim Cornette tells Kurt Angle to meet him in his office for a meeting in ten minutes. He says the same to Samoa Joe. Cornette opens another door to tell Styles the same thing. Christian Cage tells Cornette that he thinks his opponent is Shark Boy.

2.) This is BG James return from a concussion that he suffered thanks to Basham and Damaja attack from a month ago.

3.) Devon and Basham start the match with Basham working over Devon with strikes. Devon nails Basham with an elbow strike and Ray tags in to shoulder block Basham. Scott Steiner tags into the match, but BG tags into the match. Scott hammers away on BG and chokes BG over the middle rope. BG jabs Scott a few times and misses a right hand attempt. Scott and Rick double team BG with strikes. Rick powerslams BG to counter a leapfrog. Rick bites BG’s butt and Basham clotheslines BG from the apron. Scott connects with a belly to belly suplex for a two count. Basham axe handles BG and tags in Damaja to hit a double vertical suplex. Damaja chops BG, but is met with a drop toe hold into the corner by BG. Basham misses a splash hitting the ropes. Kip gets tagged in and cleans house with right hands. Kip splashes Damaja followed by the Fameasser, but Basham hits a leg lariat. Scott atomic drops BG and Rick is on the top rope to hit a bulldog on BG off Scott’s shoulders. Everyone starts brawling until Team 3D are left in the ring with the Steiner’s and they begin to brawl. Scott rams Devon onto the announcers table face first. Kip hits a tilt a whirl slam on Basham, but the referee is distracted. Christy Hemme sprays something into Kip’s face allowing Basham to get a rollup for the win. (*1/4. I’m wondering if they have plans for Basham & Damaja to a focal point of the tag division since it feels like there is some momentum with them as a team. I tend to like them and wouldn’t be opposed to them winning this feud against VKM.)

4.) Backstage, Jim Cornette is with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle in his office. Angle says all he said was he was going to cripple a couple of people. Cornette knows that Joe and Angle hate each other and brawl whenever they want. Cornette calls Styles a moron and says that Styles is an idiot for working with Cage. Cornette says there is a six man tag match. Sting, Tomko and Rhino are going to wrestle Joe, Angle and Styles. If one of them is pinned by the other men, they will take their spot in the KOTM. Cornette doesn’t want them to work together and instead tear each other apart. Cornette says that’s good for ratings.

5.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Chris Harris and Hector Guerrero. Harris says that LAX has been throwing shots at guys and Harris was one of them, but he survived. Harris shakes hands with Guerrero and says that he’s bringing Rhino with him. Guerrero speaks in Spanish and says if we want to find out what he said buy the PPV.

6.) Tomko doesn’t make his entrance for the six man tag match. Tomko is found laid out backstage.

7.) Angle and Joe toss Styles into the ring from the apron. Styles kicks off the match with Rhino. Rhino elbows Styles, but Styles floats over and is backdropped. Rhino clotheslines Styles, but Styles shoves Rhino away and tags in Joe. Joe and Rhino trade strikes with Rhino sending Joe into the corner to deliver a shoulder ram. Joe nails Rhino with pele kick. Angle is tagged into the match. Rhino clotheslines Angle followed by right hands in the corner. Angle sends Rhino into the corner and hits a release German suplex for a two count as the show goes to commercial.

Angle tries to tag out, but neither man accepts the tag. Sting hits a splash from behind and clotheslines Angle a few times. Sting dropkicks Angle, but Joe works over Sting with strikes in the corner. Joe stomps on Sting, but is shoved by Angle. Styles sends Rhino into the railing. Sting is met with a double back elbow by Joe and Angle. Christopher Daniels tags into the match on Sting and lays out Sting with Last Rites leading to Angle pinning Sting for the win. (*1/2. The concept of this match makes little sense to me. Why would Sting or Rhino ever want to tag out since they’d need to be in there to win the match. Then, why would anyone on the other side ever want to tag in because they could lose their spot? With all that said, I really thought Sting was going to find a way to get into KOTM. I’m surprised they are going through with a PPV match between Sting and Daniels.)

8.) Paparazzi Productions is next. Sonjay Dutt says that they are there for the X-Title for Jay Lethal. Dutt promises that Lethal will win the title. Lethal thinks he’s wrestling Ricky Steamboat, but Nash says it’s Sabin.

9.) Abyss is the surprise opponent for Christian Cage..

10.) Cage quickly attacks Abyss, but is tossed into the corner. Abyss pummels Cage with strikes in the corner and delivers a running back splash. Cage eye rakes Abyss and kicks Abyss, but is decked by a right hand. Abyss hammers away on Cage and sends Cage hard into the corner. Abyss press slams Cage over the top to the floor. Abyss follows to the floor and tosses Cage face first on the floor. Abyss sends Cage into the ring steps. Abyss sends Cage into the crowd and follows along. Abyss pummels Cage with several right hands and tosses Cage into the wall. We go to commercial.

Cage boots Abyss in the corner and dropkicks Abyss on the knee. During the break, Cage drop toe hold Abyss into the ring steps and hit a missile dropkick. Abyss catches Cage coming off the top and tries for a chokeslam, but Cage counters with a chokehold. Abyss falls backward and both men are down on the mat. Cage gets up in the corner and Abyss delivers a big splash in the corner. Abyss drops Cage gut first down to the mat. Cage elbows Abyss and heads to the top rope, but Abyss cuts Cage off. Cage tries for a sunset flip, and is backdropped to the mat. Abyss hits a middle rope splash for a near fall. Abyss goes for the Shock Treatment, but Cage counters looking for the Un-Prettier. Abyss counters that and plants Cage with a chokeslam for a two count. Cage low blows Abyss to stop his momentum.

Tomko makes his way into the ring and nails Abyss with a big boot. Tomko not selling any kind of injury. Cage hits a top rope frog splash, but Abyss kicks out at two. Tomko gets on the apron as Abyss hits the Black Hole Slam, but there’s no referee to count. Styles throws a chair to Cage and Abyss punches the chair into Cage’s face. Abyss press slams Styles over the top onto Tomko on the floor. Abyss has the chair, but the referee stops Abyss. Abyss decides to whack Cage over the head and does the same to the referee. Abyss has been disqualified. Cage qualifies for the KOTM match at the PPV. (*1/2. Alright. I think the reaction for Abyss returning was a little underwhelming. I’m really not sure if Abyss connects well as a face character. Cage qualifying is the right decision and the DQ finish doesn’t bother me since it avoids Cage losing and honestly Abyss getting a win over Cage would probably mean more on a bigger stage like a PPV. I’m glad Abyss is back, but I’m not hopeful that his babyface run will be successful.)

Abyss goes under the ring and grabs a bag. Security tries to get involved, but Abyss knocks everyone down. Terry Taylor and Pat Kenney come out and they are decked by Abyss. Abyss dumps the bag and it’s pieces of glass. Abyss grabs Cage for a chokeslam. Tomko decks Abyss from behind and Styles helps out with stomps, as well. Cage grabs a barbed wire bat. Cage tries to use it, but Abyss kicks Cage away. Abyss sends Styles to the floor and clotheslines Tomko to the floor. Abyss picks up the barbed wire bat as the heels backoff to end the show.

Final Thoughts:
For a go-home show leading into PPV, it’s a little bit of a let down. We don’t know the five guys in KOTM, and the teased a debut could be arriving at the show for the match. I think the lineup for the PPV is decent, but I’m not sure if I’d buy the event.

Thanks for reading.