Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 8/23/2007
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Frankie Kazarian & Gail Kim defeated Robert Roode & Traci Brooks
2.) Ron Killings defeated Eric Young
3.) TNA World Champion Kurt Angle defeated Steiner Brothers in a handicap match
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Earlier today, Jeremy Borash met with Kurt Angle in the parking lot. Borash questions Kurt putting Karen in a position to be in the ring for five minutes with the Steiner Brothers. Kurt grabs his belts and tells Karen to get out of the car. Karen doesn’t want to get out of the car. Kurt pulls Karen out of the car and Karen tells Kurt that he needs to fix this because she’s not a wrestler. Karen tells Kurt to carry the titles himself. Kurt says “I need a divorce” as the segment ends.
2.) Brooks decks Kim before the bell while Roode works over Kazarian with strikes. Kazarian arm drags Roode a few times. Kazarian forearms Roode in the corner. Roode runs into a boot in the corner and Roode delivers a spinebuster for a near fall. Roode mounts Kazarian with right hands on the mat. Roode plants Kazarian with a neckbreaker for a near fall. Roode works over Kazarian in the corner with stomps. Roode snapmares Kazarian and hits a rolling neck snap before taunting the fans. Roode sends Kazarian into the corner, but Kazarian leaps over Roode and yanks Roode down to the mat by his neck. Roode misses a clothesline and Kazarian delivers a forearm and dropkick. Kazarian backdrops Roode. Kazarian continues with right hands. Roode misses a clothesline and Kim tries for a hurricanrana, but Roode blocks it until Kazarian leg sweeps Roode for a two count. Kim tackles Brooks to the mat as Kazarian and Roode go over the top to the floor. Brooks kicks Kim, but Kim gets an inside cradle for the win. (*1/4. I’m not surprised by Kim pinning Brooks for the finish. Roode seems to be the kind of guy that should be protected a little bit. The action was pretty basic and forgettable.) After the match, Roode and Brooks argue. Roode gets in her face saying that he owns Brooks and would fire her. Kazarian gets in the ring and shoves Roode. Kazarian is standing up for Brooks. Kazarian and Roode trade strikes until Kazarian kicks Roode to the floor. Brooks has a shocked look and doesn’t know what to do. Kazarian grabs a microphone and says that Roode is a prick and he has no idea how to treat a real lady. Kazarian tells him to watch and learn. Kazarian kisses Brooks on the cheek, which Brooks seems to have liked.
3.) This is the 100th episode of Impact, which Tenay points out.
4.) Last Tuesday, Christian Cage was visited by AJ Styles and Tomko at his house. Cage is weak because of his lost to Abyss in a first blood match. Cage thinks that he won’t be able to wrestle again and Styles is emotional. Cage wonders what he’s going to say to his wife. Cage says she’s shoveling the driveway, but AJ notes they are in Florida. Cage wants AJ to take care of Samoa Joe. AJ leaves the room saying that payback is on the way. Tomko tells Cage that he’ll take care of it.
5.) A video package promoting James Storm is shown. Storm brags about beating up Rhino and not seeing him for a while. Storm knows that Rhino is drinking again and calls Rhino a liar. Storm is doing a Cowboy Pub Crawl where he’s going to find Rhino and kick his ass. Storm has been going around looking for Rhino asking if anyone has seen him. Storm knocks out a guy at a bar and is escorted out.
6.) Backstage, Kurt Angle is meeting with Jim Cornette. Cornette tells Matt Morgan to leave the room. Kurt shows Karen being distressed about the current situation. Kurt thinks that Cornette is out of his mind. Cornette isn’t buying this and Karen charges towards Cornette, but is stopped. Kurt doesn’t think a handicap match is fair against the Steiner Brothers. Cornette says there will be a lottery next week for Angle to get a tag partner for No Surrender. Karen goes after Cornette again after being called a flower.
7.) A vignette promoting Black Reign arriving in TNA, which is another personality of Dustin Rhodes. We see clips from Hard Justice where Black Reign bloodied Chris Harris and he’s determined to end Harris.
8.) Young hammers away on Killings in the corner, but flips to the apron and clotheslines Killings to the floor. Young takes Killings out with a suicide dive as the show goes to commercial. Killings avoids Young in the corner to deliver a heel kick. Killings keeps control with right hands in the corner. Killings clotheslines Young in the corner followed by a vertical suplex turned into a stunner. We see Dustin Rhodes watching in the crowd and not dressed as Black Reign. Tenay says that Rhodes has been rooting for Young in the match. Killings delivers a forearm smash to drop Young to the mat. Killings rolls in with a steel chair, but Young dropkicks the chair into Killings followed by right hands. Young has the chair, but the referee takes the chair away. Young elbows Killings and delivers a discus clothesline for a near fall. Young heads to the top rope, but Killings shoves the referee into the corner and whacks Young with a chair shot. Killings delivers a leg drop for the win. (*. I didn’t care for this one, at all. Was the referee deaf after being shoved to not hear the chair shot contact? I just think that at this point Killings isn’t connecting with me as a heel and his alliance with Adam Jones is not interesting.) After the match, Killings has a microphone and wants the fans to welcome his pal, Adam Jones. Jones makes his way out and has some spray paint can. Jones sprays PAC on Young’s back to give Young the autograph was seeking.
9.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Tomko and AJ Styles, who are looking for Samoa Joe. Borash doesn’t know where Joe is and they leave. Team 3D enter the scene and say that reality has smacked them in the face and the Steiner Brothers made them humble since Hard Justice. Brother Ray apologizes for the crap they’ve said to Scott Steiner. Ray apologizes for bullying Jeremy Borash recently. Ray says they are going to refocus themselves on the TNA Tag Team Championships. Brother Devon says they are truly sorry to end the segment.
10.) Backstage, Tomko and AJ Styles are about to enter Samoa Joe’s room. Joe pulls Tomko into the room and locks the door. AJ runs off when Joe opens the door. Joe has chased Styles to the ringside area. Joe pulls Styles out of the ring and into the guard railing. Joe jabs Styles a few times and delivers a clothesline. Tomko has recovered and comes down to the ring. Christian Cage comes in from behind and whacks Joe over the back with a chair. Tomko choke bombs Joe to the mat. Cage nails Joe with a con-chair-to to end the segment.
11.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Kurt and Karen Angle. Kurt laughs at Borash, but he’s laughing at Karen for her outfit. Karen is not happy about being in this position. Karen demands to know what Kurt will do to get her out of this. Karen doesn’t care about his gold medals. Kurt says he has some pressure and wants her to help with his belts. Karen warns Kurt he better figure this out. Kurt tells Borash to not get married.
12.) A vignette by Father James Mitchell telling Abyss that there are many more surprises to come for him. Mitchell is suggesting that Judas Mesias was under the ring a few weeks ago. He will be unleashed soon on TNA.
13.) Scott and Angle kickoff the main event with Scott backing Angle against the ropes, but backs off cleanly. Angle gets a side headlock on Scott, but runs into a shoulder block. Angle kicks Scott in the midsection and a strike over the back. Kurt taunts the fans before delivering an uppercut. Scott decks Angle with a clothesline and an elbow drop for a near fall so that Scott can do some pushups. The show goes to commercial.
Scott rams Angle into the corner followed by a chop. Rick bites Angle’s butt from the apron. Scott kicks a seated Angle before tagging in Rick. Rick hammers away on Angle against the ropes. Karen grabs Rick’s foot from the floor and Angle delivers a knee strike. Angle gains control with right hands to Rick on the mat.
Tenay reveals there will be a four way between AJ Styles, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe and Sting where the winner will become one-half of the TNA Tag Champions with Kurt. Kurt tosses Rick overhead with a suplex for a near fall. Kurt keeps Rick on the mat with a headlock. Rick powers to his feet, but is decked several times by Kurt. Rick tosses Angle with a belly to belly suplex. Scott gets tagged in and clotheslines Angle a few times. Scott tosses Angle with an overhead suplex. Scott chops Angle a few times in the corner. Scott hits a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Angle struggles to his feet and is on Scott’s shoulders, but Angle gets a rollup for a two count. Angle hits the Olympic Slam on Scott for a near fall. Angle clotheslines Scott over the top to the floor. Rick nails Kurt as Karen randomly ran into the ring. Rick powerslams Angle to counter a leapfrog. Rick leaps off the top to hit a bulldog. Team 3D enter the ring while Karen distracts the referee. Team 3D hit the 3D on Rick. Angle crawls over and pins Rick for the win. After the match, Brother Ray sends Scott into the ring post face first. They also hit a 3D on Scott Steiner. Brother Devon has gotten a table and slides it into the ring. Brother Ray powerbombs Rick off the middle rope through the table to leave the Steiner Brothers laid out to end the show. (*. The whole premise of this match was just bizarre to me. Why would the Steiner Brothers even want to beat up Karen? Why would Jim Cornette want to allow a woman to be beaten up, all because of a ruse? The action wasn’t very good and some moves seemed to be a struggle on the Steiner Brothers. Team 3D getting involved was not a surprise as nobody should have bought their bogus apology earlier.)
Final Thoughts:
For this being the 100th episode of Impact, I thought it was a lackluster episode. Next week’s main event seems to be a big one and would have been a better main event for this milestone episode. I will say that I’m interested in the Joe/Cage feud at this point.
Thanks for reading.