TNA Impact 7/12/2007

Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 7/12/2007
From: Orlando, FL

Matches:
1.) Abyss defeated Lance Hoyt
2.) Frankie Kazarian defeated Havok & Martyr in a triple threat match
3.) TNA World Champion Kurt Angle, TNA X-Division Champion Samoa Joe, & TNA Tag Team Champions Team 3D defeated AJ Styles, Christian Cage, Robert Roode & Tomko

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Hoyt hammers away on Abyss in the corner to start the contest. Abyss big boots Hoyt coming off the ropes followed by a clothesline over the top to the floor. Abyss sends Hoyt into the guard railing. Abyss rolls Hoyt into the ring and grabs a steel chair. Hoyt decks Abyss to prevent the chair being used. Abyss splashes Hoyt in the corner. Abyss delivers a running backside splash into Hoyt in the corner. Abyss climbs the ropes and misses a big splash off the middle rope. Hoyt comes off the ropes to kick Abyss on the back of the head. Hoyt mounts Abyss with several right hands. Hoyt misses a top rope moonsault. Abyss signals for a chokeslam, but Hoyt elbows free. Abyss clotheslines Hoyt a few times. Abyss looks for a chokeslam and plants Hoyt to the mat for a near fall. Abyss crawls towards the chair, but Christy Hemme tries to take it away. Hoyt big boots the chair into Abyss’ face. Hoyt jumps off the top and Abyss smashes Hoyt with the chair while the referee was distracted. Abyss has a cover, but Hoyt kicks out at two. Hoyt forearms Abyss in the corner, and runs into the Black Hole Slam to give Abyss a clean victory. (*1/2. It’s a fine opening segment/match, but I really don’t like using the new unit of Hoyt and Hemme in essentially an extended squash match. There’s probably other guys to use in this spot other than Hoyt.) After the match, Abyss gets his bag of broken glass and dumps the glass in the ring. VKM brawl with Hoyt and Basham in the ring as Hemme is left in the ring. AJ Styles and Tomko slide into the ring and attack Abyss in the corner. The lights go out and Sting appears in the ring with a bat. Sting hits both Tomko and Styles with the bat. Styles and Tomko bail to the floor. Sting & Abyss will be wrestling Styles and Tomko at Victory Road.

2.) Sting grabs a microphone saying that something bad will happen to Tomko and Styles in three days. Abyss is handed the microphone and looks at the fans looking for support. Abyss speaks and says “Tomko.. Styles… three days.. click.. doomsday!” (This is basically Kane’s storyline from like 1999.)

3.) Tonight, it is the Team of Champions as Angle, Joe and Team 3D will all team together to take on Christian Coalition and a surprise partner.

4.) There will be a 10-man X-Division Gauntlet Ultimate X match at Victory Road. That’s a new match announced and they rundown the other matches for the PPV.

5.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Christian’s Coalition. Christian wasn’t told about the match tonight and demands to know this in the future. Styles notes that Tomko hasn’t been a champion and Styles notes that he’s held more titles than Christian. Christian says that Styles still hasn’t noticed the magic he can pull. Robert Roode enters the scene and is named as the partner for their team. Roode is tired of Cornette screwing him over and tonight is his time. “If it don’t make dollars, it don’t make cents.” Styles is a little jealous that Cage called Roode “kid”.

6.) Kazarian is double teamed by Havok and Martyr to start the match with a double hip toss. Havok delivers a knee lift and Martyr connects with a swinging neckbreaker. Kazarian fights back on the floor with strikes, but is stopped by a knee to the ribs and is rammed into the apron back first. Havok drives Kazarian into the corner gut first followed by a running double knee. Havok delivers a vertical suplex as Martyr comes off the top to assist leading to a near fall. Kazarian fires back with right hands and a dropkick to Martyr. Kazarian kicks Havok to the floor and avoids a superkick by Martyr connecting with a leg sweep and pins Martyr for the win. (1/2*. Kaz is now in the gauntlet match at the PPV. This was a boring match, though.) After the match, Raven breaks a kendo stick over Kazarian’s back. Kazarian is beaten down by all three men and Raven whacks Kazarian several times over the back. Kazarian is rolled into the ring and Havok hits a front slam after a superkick by Martyr. Raven blows his nose into a rag and rubs it Kazarian’s face. Havok and Martyr continue with kendo stick shots to leave Kazarian laying.

7.) A video package promoting the Ultimate X match at Victory Road is shown.

8.) Earlier in the week, Don West interviewed James Storm at a bar. Storm laughs at the thought of Rhino having addiction in his life. Storm notes that his father died when he was 12 and says it was just a rib that went too far. Don tells Storm that addiction is a disease and can’t drink around someone with alcoholism. Storm says that Rhino needs to go to AA, because that’s for quitters and he’s a winner. Don West gets frustrated with Storm not caring. Storm says his drink will be on Rhino at Victory Road.

9.) A video package promoting Chris Harris is shown. Harris says that being a singles wrestler was always his goal. Harris recalls his singles run in 2004 and really enjoyed that time. That run gave him confidence. Harris has the heart to be elite in TNA. Harris considers Victory Road against Christian Cage to be make it or break it. Harris knows that people will know that he’s arrived.

10.) Father James Mitchell video package saying that his son is on his way. There are a few shots of the wrestler, but not a clear shot of the face. Judas Mesias is coming.

11.) Paparazzi Productions is up next. Sabin & Shelley debate Lynn & Backlund. Nash is the moderator. Lynn thinks that Shelley and Sabin should be watching the shows. Lynn says that he didn’t teach them all that he knows. Sabin and Shelley taunt Lynn leading to them both getting the crossface chicken wing locked in. Kevin Nash doesn’t do anything about it.

12.) Roode and Devon kickoff the match with Roode working over Devon with strikes. Devon hip tosses Roode followed by a dropkick. Devon arm drags Roode and delivers a splash in the corner leading to a near fall. Roode elbows Devon and tags in Cage. Devon tosses Cage into the ring and delivers a right hand. Devon shoulder blocks Cage for a near fall. Ray enters the match and Cage is driven down with a flapjack for a near fall. Ray hooks Cage for a vertical suplex and drives Cage down to the mat after a delay. Joe enters the match and jabs Cage, but Cage comes off the ropes and is met with an atomic drop. Joe connects with a running boot and a senton splash, which Cage wasn’t expecting. Joe chops, kicks and knee drops Cage for a near fall. Cage shoulder rams Joe and tags in Tomko. Tomko forearms Joe a few times as they trade strikes. Joe runs into a big boot, but gets up and kicks Tomko on the side of the head. Joe chops Roode a few times. Joe drops Roode to the mat face first and tags in Devon. Devon works over Roode with strikes as Joe confronts Ray on the apron. Roode kicks Devon and runs into a spinebuster as the show goes to commercial.

Roode misses a clothesline, but elbows Devon to the mat for a near fall. Ray is yelling at Angle on the apron as Cage stomps on Devon to maintain control of the contest. Tomko returns to the match and delivers a powerslam for a near fall on Devon. Tomko sits Devon on the top rope and decks Ray on the apron. Devon plants Tomko with a tornado DDT and both men are down. Kurt Angle doesn’t seem overly interested in the match. Joe tags in and cleans house with strikes. Styles stops Joe with a jawbreaker, but Joe responds with a snap powerslam. Joe powerbombs Styles and switches to an STF, but is stomped by the heels. Team 3D enter the ring and everyone is brawling except for Angle, who has remained on the floor. Joe delivers a double clothesline to Cage and Tomko. Team 3D hit a back suplex/neckbreaker combo on Roode. Cage tries for the Un-Prettier, but Ray has Cage on his shoulders allowing Devon to hit a clothesline off the top. Roode is nailed by the 3D. Tomko takes 3D out with a boot and clothesline Joe hits a Death Valley Driver on Tomko. Styles Pele kicks Joe, but Joe delivers a clothesline. Joe kicks Cage on the top rope. Joe catapults Styles into Cage in the corner to knock Cage to the floor. Joe hits the Muscle Buster after Angle chop blocked Joe after a tag and pins Styles to win the match for the team. (**. An average match, but I liked the finish. Angle doing literally nothing and then screws over Joe to get the pin for his team because he’s obsessed with the glory. The obvious decision for the PPV is for Angle to win and to hold even more gold.)

Final Thoughts:
I thought it was a solid show this week, maybe a little underwhelming since it’s the go-home show for the PPV. The Storm/Rhino feud has heat and a fine story attached to it. I find myself interested in that. I hope Harris gets a huge win over Cage at the PPV otherwise I’m not sure what we’re doing there. The main event is what I’m least interested in this month for TNA.

Thanks for reading.