Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 5/1/2008
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley fought Shark Boy & Curry Man to a no contest
2.) LAX defeated Eric Young & Kaz in a Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament Match
3.) Gail Kim & ODB defeated Angelina Love & Velvet Sky
4.) AJ Styles & Eric Young defeated Jimmy Rave & Lance Hoyt in a Deuces Wild Tag Tournament Match
5.) Cheerleader Melissa defeated Daizee Haze
6.) TNA World Champion Samoa Joe & Kurt Angle defeated Scott Steiner & TNA X-Division Champion Petey Williams
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Sabin and Curry kickoff the tag match with Sabin hitting a shoulder block, but gets tripped and Curry walks on Sabin’s back. They trade arm drags until Sabin kicks Curry and delivers a dropkick before playing to the crowd. Shelley tags in and delivers an axe handle from the top rope. Shelley squeezes Curry’s head to keep control of the match. Sabin tags into the match and delivers an axe handle from the top rope. Curry is taken over with a double snap suplex and a couple of quick leg drops. Shark Boy leaps off the top, but is stopped and atomic dropped into Curry. Guns double team Shark Boy and play to the crowd until Curry jabs Sabin. Sabin kicks Curry, but Boy hits a Thez Press followed by right hands on the mat. Boy stomps Sabin in the corner several times. Sabin sits Boy on the top turnbuckle, but Boy hits a hurricanrana off the middle rope. Curry returns to the match and knee strikes Sabin over the middle rope. Curry knocks Shelley off the apron, but Sabin slams Curry off the top rope to the mat. Shelley tags into the match and hits a leaping kick off the top rope. Shelley cleans house and hits a flatliner/DDT combo. Shelley clotheslines Boy over the top to the floor. Curry is also sent to the floor and the Guns hit stereo suicide dives to the floor!
Scott Steiner’s music hits and Steiner comes down to the ring alongside Petey Williams. Williams storms the ring and Steiner enters to double clothesline the Guns and tosses Curry overhead with a suplex. Petey spikes Shark Boy with the Canadian Destroyer. The match has been thrown out and is considered a no contest. (**1/2. It was an enjoyable match with the crowd responding a lot more than I was expecting them to. As soon as the match seemed to be getting to another level they decide to cut it off with an unnecessary run-in by Steiner and Williams. I understand wanting to promote the PPV main event, but why ruin a fun match in the process?)
2.) Scott Steiner grabs a microphone to cut a promo. Steiner brags about leaving Kurt Angle laying in the ring and showed what happens when he gets disrespected. Steiner is pissed that Angle weaseled his way into the three way at Sacrifice, but he’s actually not mad about it. Steiner is going to take the gold medal and make Angle his bitch. Kurt Angle makes his way out to the ring to confront Steiner. Angle uppercuts Steiner and tosses Williams over the ropes with a suplex. Steiner tries for a suplex, but Angle counters with an ankle lock. Petey decks Angle from behind with a lead pipe. Steiner puts the Steiner Recliner on Angle. TNA World Champion Samoa Joe runs into the ring and makes the save cleaning house with clotheslines.
3.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with AJ Styles who is stressing out about finding a partner. Styles says it’s not his fault that Tomko got hurt in Japan. Styles asks Borash how Kurt found out about Karen, but Jim Cornette leaves his office. Cornette is going to reveal the eight singles wrestlers joining the tag tournament. Styles tries to get an extension on his tag match. Cornette tells Styles he has a little bit over an hour to find a partner, and if he doesn’t then he’s disqualified from the tournament.
4.) Mike Tenay is in the ring and introduces the Beautiful People, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky for an interview. Tenay talks about the announcement by Cornette where they will have the first ever Knockout Makeover battle royal. The final two women will compete in a ladder match and the winner gets a title shot against Awesome Kong, but the other woman will have their head shaved bald. Angelina Love asks Tenay if they look worried about being bald. They don’t sweat anyone or anything because their makeup would run and that’s not beautiful. Angelina wants someone who truly needs the makeover to win it and they show pictures of Gail Kim and ODB bald. Love asks why anyone would want to mess around with their looks. Velvet Sky chimes in and says the fans can look, but none of them can ever touch them.
ODB & Gail Kim make their way down to the ring to confront the Beautiful People. ODB says she can put her paws all over Angelina’s fake boobs all she wants. ODB and Kim shove them down and that leads to a brawl between the four women. Love and Sky bail to the floor. ODB grabs a microphone and calls them hookers. ODB challenges them to a tag match tonight. ODB promises one of them will be in their favorite position.. flat on their back.
5.) Backstage, AJ Styles is looking for a partner and walks by Kurt Angle. Kurt asks if Styles has talked to Karen lately and AJ says no. Kurt suggests they keep it that way. AJ enters Booker’s locker room and asks him to be his partner. Booker asks who Styles is and thinks AJ is someone’s little brother. Styles explains to Booker who he is in TNA and that he’s beaten the best in TNA. Booker doesn’t like when people barge into his room looking for autographs. Booker asks Styles to leave him alone as he’s on the phone.
6.) Backstage, Lauren interviews Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash. Joe says it’s just another day at the office. Joe saw this coming because they see everything coming. Joe is counting down the days until Sacrifice. Joe loves to destroy people and he loves being the champ. Nash chimes in that they also love the money.
7.) Hernandez and Young kickoff the tag match. Hernandez sends Young to the corner, but Young gets to the apron. Hernandez ends up hitting a shoulder block and Kaz tags into the match. Homicide also tags into the match and gets a headlock on Kaz. Kaz breaks free and manages to arm drag Homicide followed by a dropkick and scoop slam. Kaz hits a springboard leg drop for a two count. Kaz forearms Homicide followed by an atomic drop and dropkick. Kaz runs the ropes, but Hernandez hits a slingshot shoulder block from the apron. Homicide hits a bridging suplex, but the referee was distracted on the cover. Homicide plants Kaz with a swinging neckbreaker. Homicide senton splashes Kaz over Hernandez’s knees. Hernandez keeps control with a bearhug in the middle of the ring. Kaz forearms Hernandez several times, but runs into a boot. Hernandez has Kaz over the shoulder and locks in a bearhug, but Kaz breaks free. Hernandez catches Kaz on a springboard to hit a sit down powerbomb, but Young stops the cover. Homicide returns to the match and works over Kaz with strikes. Homicide tosses Kaz overhead with a suplex. LAX double team Kaz in the corner and Hernandez runs over Kaz. Homicide goes to the top as Kaz is on Hernandez’s shoulders. Kaz avoids a cutter and decks both LAX members to the mat. Young gets the hot tag and cleans house on LAX. Homicide is sent into Hernandez in the corner and gets a two count on Homicide with a bridging suplex. Hernandez and Kaz go over the top to the floor. Homicide manages to get a rollup and pins Young to advance in the tournament. (**. The finish felt a little flat, but the action was decent for what it was.) After the match, both teams show respect for each other.
8.) Homicide gets on the microphone and tells Hector Guerrero to get into the ring and they have something to say to him. Hector heads to the ring as the show goes to commercial. Homicide says they study his brother Eddie Guerrero, which quickly makes Hector emotional. Homicide tells Hector they have a lot of respect for all the Guerrero’s. Hector has gone from aggressive to a confused look towards LAX. Homicide asks Hector to be in their corner at Sacrifice. Homicide wants Hector to guide them to the tag titles at Sacrifice. Hector accepts the offer.
9.) Backstage, Traci Brooks is begging Jim Cornette about something, but Cornette tells Traci he will think about it. Matt Morgan enters the office and hopes that Cornette will include him in the tournament. Cornette doesn’t owe Morgan anything. Cornette is going to let everyone know who is involved later on. Kip James attacks Morgan from behind and they brawl until security gets in between the wrestlers.
10.) Backstage, AJ Styles knocks on Kevin Nash’s locker room door and Nash is talking to Christy Heme on the couch. Hemme tells Styles they are going to rock him tonight. Nash says “that just killed it.” Styles asks Nash about being his partner tonight and it’s big money. Nash tells Styles the big money is the heavyweight championship. Nash walks off.
11.) Love and ODB kickoff the tag match. Love shoves ODB away, but ODB responds with a shove of her own. ODB takes Love down to the mat and rams Love face first onto the canvas. Sky tags into the match and Kim enters, as well. Sky spears Kim to the mat and keeps control. Sky sends Kim into the corner, but Kim delivers a forearm and a clothesline. Kim dropkicks Sky and delivers a scoop slam. Kim knocks Love on the apron. ODB tries to get involved and the referee is distracted allowing Love to crotch Kim on the top rope. Sky chops Kim and tosses Kim to the mat as the show goes to commercial.
Love knee lifts Kim and drives Kim’s head down to the mat several times. Love punches ODB and that allows Love and Sky to double team Kim in the corner behind the referee’s back. Kim avoids Love in the corner for a two count. Love nails Kim with a pump kick for a two count. Kim avoids Love and they collide on stereo clothesline attempts. ODB tags in and clotheslines Sky several times. Love is caught on a crossbody and ODB hits a fallaway slam. Sky decks ODB from behind, but runs into a boot. ODB leaps off the middle rope to hit a Thez Press for a two count. Kim sends Love to the floor. ODB counters Sky’s neckbreaker attempt and hits a running powerslam for the win. (*1/2. It’s just a match that happened. I didn’t care much for it.) After the match, Angelina Love attacks ODB and tries for a slam on Kim, but ODB makes the save. Love is double teamed, but escapes to the floor. Roxxi comes down to the ring and attacks Love from behind before sending Love into the ring. Love is tripled teamed and Roxxi hits the Voodoo Drop on Love.
12.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with James Storm, Robert Roode and Jacqueline. Storm apologizes for last week, but Roode says it’s water under the bridge. Roode is reading on the stocks and bonds. Storm says he’s one drink away from making the room go round. AJ Styles enters the room and says he needs a partner. Storm isn’t going to be Styles partner after Styles tried to give him cough syrup. Styles shoves Storm, but Roode gets involved and says that there’s two of them and one of AJ, so be careful. Roode tells Styles they will not be his partner because they are part of the eight singles wrestlers involved in the tournament. AJ wonders what he’s going to do when someone off camera walks up and apparently accepts being AJ’s partner.
13.) Super Eric is revealed as being AJ Styles partner for the tournament.
14.) Rave and Styles kickoff the tag match with Styles gaining control with a side headlock. Styles backdrops Rave followed by a scoop slam and a knee drop for a two count. Eric tags into the match, but Rave escapes to tag in Hoyt. Hoyt doesn’t budge on a shoulder block attempt. Hoyt misses a clothesline and Eric delivers a forearm smash before tagging in Styles. Styles and Eric hip toss Hoyt to the mat leading to a near fall for Styles. Hoyt sends Styles into the corner and delivers a few right hands. Rave tags into the match and kicks Styles before running the ropes and runs into a dropkick. Hemme gets on the apron to distract Styles with her legs. Styles kicks Rave and tries for a slam, but Rave avoids it. Hemme trips Styles running the ropes and Rave delivers a leg sweep clothesline. Hoyt tags into the match, but Styles delivers strikes and tries for a crossbody, but Hoyt catches Styles to hit a swinging slam driving Styles to the mat chest first for a two count. Rave returns to the match and elbows Styles followed by a double elbow drop with Hoyt for a two count. Rave controls Styles on the mat with a chin lock. Styles nails Rave with the Pele kick. Eric gets the hot tag and cleans house with strikes. Eric crotches Rave onto the top turnbuckle and has Hoyt on his shoulders. Rave ends up on Eric’s shoulders too, but Rave breaks free. Styles splashes both men in the corner and Eric nails Rave with a discus clothesline for a two count. Rave tries for a crossface, but Styles gets involved to send Hoyt to the floor with a head scissors and Eric almost pinned Rave. Styles kicks Rave allowing for Eric to hit the Death Valley Driver for the win. (**. Two of the silliest characters on TNA television working as a team is going to lead to the crowd to be more invested in the action than anticipated. The action was fine for what it was. I don’t expect Styles and Eric to win this at all, but it’s fine for keeping Styles busy on TV while his partner is injured. I wonder if this could piss off Kazarian, though.)
15.) Backstage, Sting is interviewed about being back in TNA for a few weeks. Sting asks what is in the water here in TNA. Sting thinks this place is a looney bin. Sting doesn’t know who he can trust or who he can’t. Sting says it’s time to find out what Jim Cornette has up his sleeve. Borash was trying to figure out if Sting was talking about Booker T, but Sting wouldn’t comment directly.
16.) Terror Dome is introduced as the newest match concept in TNA. It will be unveiled at Sacrifice on May 11th.
17.) Melissa tosses Haze to the mat to start the contest. Haze gains control with a headlock on the mat for a few moments. Melissa shoulder blocks Haze and comes off the ropes, but Haze arm drags Melissa. Haze head scissors Melissa to the mat and plays to the crowd. Melissa tosses Haze into the corner and then across the ring. Melissa hits a snap suplex for a two count. Haze avoids a back suplex and chops Melissa a few times before being decked to the canvas. Haze misses a kick attempt, but elbows Melissa a few times. Melissa spikes Haze with her version of a Cop Killa for the win. (*1/2. The crowd didn’t seem to care too much for this until the finish. It is a bit odd to have two new characters compete this late into the show. Of course, Melissa is actually playing Awesome Kong’s manager currently, and I’m not sure how much of the audience is aware of that. Haze has had a decent career on the indies up to this point, too.)
18.) Backstage, Scott Steiner & Petey Williams are interviewed. Steiner says that the statement all men are created equal is proved false when you look at a guy like Steiner and a guy like Samoa Joe. Steiner proceeds to do the infamous Steiner math promo here. Steiner says the numbers don’t lie and it spells disaster for Samoa Joe at Sacrifice. Steiner is confident that he’s going to be the TNA World Champion at Sacrifice.
19.) Samoa Joe and Petey Williams kickoff the main event tag match. Joe jabs Williams several times in the corner. Williams kicks Joe away and tries for a springboard crossbody, but Joe sidesteps it. Joe kicks Williams on the mat followed by a knee drop. Joe tags in Angle to continue the match. Angle drops Williams with an uppercut and a short arm clothesline for a two count. Williams drop toe holds Angle over the middle rope and delivers a dropkick to the back for a two count. Steiner tags into the match and kicks Angle in the ribs followed by an overhand strike to the back. Steiner chops Angle in the corner to keep control. Steiner continues with chops in the corner. Angle ducks a clothesline and tosses Steiner overhead with a suplex. Joe tags into the match and headbutts Steiner over the back. Steiner eye rakes Joe and rams Joe into the corner to maintain control followed by a chop. Joe clotheslines Steiner in the corner and Williams tagged himself in as Joe kicks Steiner in the corner. Williams missile dropkicks Joe and keeps the advantage with strikes as the show goes to commercial.
Steiner decks Joe with a clothesline and delivers an elbow drop before doing a few pushups to taunt Joe. Williams tags into the match and stomps Joe on the mat. Williams comes off the ropes, but Joe stops Williams with an atomic drop. Williams nails Joe with a spinning heel kick for a two count and tags in Steiner. Steiner keeps a chin lock on Joe, but doesn’t get a submission. Joe elbows Steiner to break free and comes off the ropes, but Steiner hits an overhead belly to belly suplex for a two count. Steiner chops Joe in the corner, but Joe hits an STO out of the corner. Williams drops Joe to the mat from the apron. Williams tags into the match and leaps off the top, but is met with a boot. Joe crawls to the corner and flips off Angle. Joe decides to clean house on Williams and drives Williams to the mat gut first. Joe nails Steiner with a kick. Williams stops Joe with a jawbreaker, but Joe hits a snap powerslam for a two count as Steiner made the save. Angle clotheslines Steiner over the top to the floor. Joe puts a choke on Williams, but Angle decks Joe and tries for the Angle Slam. Joe breaks free and kicks his own partner to the floor. Joe spikes Williams with the Muscle Buster to win the match. (**1/2. A fine main event, and I liked the approach of Angle trying to attack his own partner. It wasn’t a surprising moment, but it adds to the story that nobody gets along. Williams taking the pin was the expected move.) After the match, Angle tosses Joe with a German suplex and puts the ankle lock on for a moment. Scott Steiner chases Angle off and decks Joe with the lead pipe. Steiner stands tall posing with the TNA World Championship.
20.) Backstage, Jeremey Borash meets up with Jim Cornette to get the scoop. Cornette tells Borash he’s about to shock the world.
21.) In the ring, Cornette cuts a promo with the TNA Tag Team Championships placed on a table. Cornette explains the tag tournament situation and announces the eight wrestlers who will be in the tournament and their partners determined at Sacrifice. The eight wrestlers added to the tournament are Matt Morgan, Kip James, BG James, James Storm, Booker T, Robert Roode, and Sting. Cornette continues on, and then jokes that he lost count. Cornette reveals that TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong is the final person entered the tournament leaving all the wrestlers confused and perhaps even worried.
Final Thoughts:
An average show this week, but I must say, I look forward to the end of this tag tournament. A lot of the focus for the show has been on tag team wrestling and it’s not been the most exciting TV as a result. It sure seems as if they were expecting the crowd be excited for Kong’s involvement and they were not. If this was TNA’s attempt to potentially make Kong into their version of Chyna, they need to rethink that move.
Thanks for reading.