TNA Impact 9/6/2007

Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 9/6/2007
From: Orlando, FL

Matches:
1.) Tomko defeated Frankie Kazarian
2.) Samoa Joe defeated Raven
3.) Abyss & Jay Lethal defeated TNA Tag Team Champions Kurt Angle & Sting

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) In the parking lot, Lauren Thompson (new interviewer replacing Leticia Cline), meets with Team Pacman asking what they think the consequences will be for what they did to Sting. Pacman says there’s one more big dog that is looking for their autograph and he’s going to get it.

2.) Tomko avoids a wild kick attempt by Kazarian. Tomko chops Kazarian, but is met with a few kicks to the side. Kazarian forearms Tomko several times in the corner. Kazarian kicks the ropes on Tomko’s arm. Kazarian keeps control with an arm bar, but doesn’t get a submission. Robert Roode and Ms. Brooks have come down to ringside. Tomko decks Kazarian with a clothesline. Tomko tosses Kazarian into the corner, but Kazarian fights back with strikes only to be cutoff by Tomko. Tomko goes for a press slam, but Kazarian kicks Tomko. Tomko plants Kazarian with a powerslam for a two count. Tomko clotheslines Kazarian in the corner. Kazarian avoids Tomko in the corner and is pulled off the apron by Roode. Roode misses a punch hitting the post. Kazarian missile dropkicks Tomko leading to a near fall. Tomko forearms Kazarian into the ropes and misses a right hand. Kazarian baseball slides Roode on the floor. Tomko stops Kazarian on the top rope. Kazarian hits a tornado DDT for a near fall. Kazarian hammers away on Tomko, but is met with a big boot. Tomko hits a chokebomb for the win. (**. A solid opening match between these two. I tend to enjoy Tomko and getting a clean win here is only going to do good for him. Kazarian has been doing some jobs lately, which makes me wonder if he’s just going to be a guy who makes the other bigger wrestlers look good. Kazarian has the ability to breakout and become a bigger player for TNA if given the chance, similar to Lethal.) After the match,. Roode gets in Brooks face and kicks Kazarian to the floor. Tomko shoves Roode to the mat and he’s pissed. Brooks seems to have liked that treatment of Roode to end the segment.

3.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with the TNA Tag Team Champions Kurt Angle & Sting along with Karen Angle. Sting says that he earned the tag titles and he’ll get revenge on Team Pacman. Sting knows that he can’t trust Kurt and wants Kurt to wonder if he’ll have his back tonight. Sting says they can raise the bar for each other or achieve nothing. Karen tells Sting to not talk to her husband like that. Sting tells Kurt to keep the wife backstage. Kurt stops Karen from slapping Sting and tells Karen that she’s staying backstage.

4.) A vignette with Black Reign is shown focusing on his rat Misty, which he credits for his split personality. Reign says that darkness will fall again and Chris Harris is in for it at No Surrender.

5.) Backstage, Chris Harris says that Dustin Rhodes is a guy he can be friends with. However, at Hard Justice that wasn’t Rhodes and it was someone he didn’t know. Harris promises he’s not taking his eyes off of Reign. Harris is going to show how sick and twisted he can be. Harris is coming for Reign’s blood.

6.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash interviews Jay Lethal. Lethal is teaming with Abyss tonight and wrestles Kurt Angle at the PPV. Lethal thinks he has Angle’s number. Abyss has joined the segment, too. Abyss says it starts tonight and ends at No Surrender. Abyss says Angle’s blood and his gold at No Surrender.

7.) Backstage, Samoa Joe is walking to the ring and we see Team Pacman pondering if Joe could be their next victim. Pacman rubs his chin and says “maybe.”

8.) James Storm and Jackie Moore have been looking for Rhino and they come across an AA meeting. Jackie says you can’t bring a beer to the meeting. We see footage of the AA meeting. Storm mocked the people in the meeting and drinks beer in front of them. Storm asks if they have seen Rhino. Storm leaves some beer for the people at the meeting to see if it really works and walks off.

9.) Raven knee lifts Joe and sends Joe to the floor. Joe chops Raven and sends him into the guard railing a few times. Joe gets a running start and kicks Raven’s face into the railing. Joe forearms Raven in the corner followed by a running knee strike. Joe boot scrapes Raven in the corner. Raven scares Joe with his kendo stick. AJ Styles whacks Joe from behind with a kendo stick as the show goes to commercial.

Joe delivers an atomic drop and a senton splash for a two count. Joe sits Raven on the top rope, but Raven eye rakes free. Raven leaps off the middle rope to knee strike Joe. Styles is on the apron, but Raven rubs his snot rag into Styles on accident. Joe locks in the choke hold and wins the match. (1/2*. I think it’s safe to say that Raven probably shouldn’t be competing in the ring at the moment. He’s slow and just not moving around very well.) After the match, Joe brings Styles into the ring and delivers a few strikes. Tomko runs out and Joe beats on Tomko in the corner with jabs. Christian Cage whacks Joe over the back with a steel chair. Tomko has handcuffs and cuffs Joe to the middle rope. Cage jabs Joe with the chair and whacks Joe over the back. Samoan dancers from Joe’s entrance try to help and they get beaten up. Cage nails one of them with the con-chair-to. There’s nothing Joe can do and he’s livid.

10.) A vignette promoting Father James Mitchell wrestler Judas Mesais is shown. We actually see more of Mesais and he looks to be a muscular man with a similar body type to Abyss.

11.) Rhino is on the phone and says that if James Storm wants to find him then he’ll be at No Surrender in the ring.

12.) Lethal and Sting kickoff the main event with Sting getting a headlock. Sting shoulder blocks Lethal. Lethal hip tosses Sting followed by a dropkick to a seated Sting. Lethal points to Abyss and Abyss tags into the match. Abyss wants Angle and not Sting in the ring. Angle goes behind Abyss, but can’t hit a German suplex. Abyss counters with a wrist lock. Abyss takes Angle down to the mat and wrenches on the arm. Angle fights back with right hands and elbows Abyss in the corner. Abyss press slams Angle to the mat. Abyss pummels Angle with forearms and a big boot after missing a splash in the corner. Karen Angle comes down to ringside as the show goes to commercial.

Lethal axe handles Angle on the midsection. During the break, Kurt carried Karen to the backstage area. Angle tosses Lethal with an overhead suplex. Sting scoop slams Lethal and hits a middle rope splash for a near fall. Sting hits a vertical suplex for a near fall. Angle tags back in and kicks Lethal in the midsection. Angle uppercuts Lethal and taunts the crowd. Angle drives Lethal down with a backbreaker for a near fall. Angle keeps Lethal on the mat with a headlock. Angle puts a body scissors on Lethal as well, but doesn’t get a submission. Lethal elbows free and hits a head scissors. Angle tosses Lethal with a German suplex for a two count. Sting tags into the match and stomps on Lethal. They collide on stereo shoulder blocks. Abyss waits on the apron. Angle tags into the match and Abyss clotheslines Angle and Sting a few times. Abyss hits the Shock Treatment on Angle and big boots Sting. Lethal jumps off Abyss shoulders to elbow drop Angle leading to a near fall for Abyss.

Abyss looks for a double chokeslam, but lets go of Sting and plants Angle with a chokeslam for a two count. Lethal elbows Sting a few times. Sting runs into a back elbow in the corner and Lethal head scissors Sting over the top to the floor. Abyss has Angle over his shoulder, but Angle wiggles free to hit an Olympic Slam for a near fall! Angle lowers his straps and locks in the ankle lock, but Abyss kicks free. Angle runs off the ropes and Abyss hits the Black Hole Slam to pin Angle cleanly in the middle of the ring. (***. I love the finish. Abyss getting a clean victory over Angle leading into their PPV match was much, much needed. I needed to see Abyss get a huge victory over the champion to get momentum as a viable contender to the championship. Do I think Abyss could win? No. But, this win doesn’t make the main event one-sided and gives some doubt that Abyss could pull it out.)

13.) After the match, Abyss grabs a bag. However, Father James Mitchell comes out and is laughing at Abyss. Abyss walks after Mitchell. Team Pacman has arrived. Killings attacks Sting on the apron. Pacman spray paints Angle in the middle of the ring. Sting checks on Angle. Pacman stares down Sting while Killings is dancing to end the show.

Final Thoughts:
A solid show this week for Impact. I think there was some good advancement to promote No Surrender. Angle wrestling three times is interesting, but I don’t know if I find that to be a draw for me. The Team Pacman stuff is one thing that may drive me away from spending money on the PPV. Joe/Cage, Angle/Abyss, and Storm/Rhino are feuds/matches that are an interest to me.

Thanks for reading.