Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 5/15/2008
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Jay Lethal, Kaz & Sonjay Dutt defeated Johnny Devine, Jimmy Rave & Lance Hoyt
2.) TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong defeated Gail Kim to retain the title
3.) TNA Tag Team Champions LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) defeated Motor City Machine Guns (Sabin & Shelley) in a non-title match
4.) The Beautiful People (Love & Sky) defeated ODB & Roxxi
5.) Christian Cage, Rhino & TNA World Champion Samoa Joe defeated Booker T & Team 3D
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Footage from Sacrifice is shown where Booker T turned heel after hitting Christian Cage and Rhino with a steel chair. Roxxi lost the Knockouts match and got her head shaved. LAX won the TNA Tag Team Champions by defeating Team 3D in the finals. Samoa Joe retained the TNA World Championship over Scott Steiner and Kaz. Kaz replaced Kurt Angle due to Angle suffering an injury.
2.) Backstage, TNA World Champion Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash are walking and they shake hands. Joe is headed towards the ring for a special announcement.
3.) TNA World Champion Samoa Joe makes his way down to the ring for the special announcement. The locker room has emptied and is standing on the ramps on both the heel and face sides. Joe says he’s out there to offer the boys a chance of a lifetime. Joe talks about King of the Mountain at Slammiversary where five guys via for the championship. Joe talked with Cornette and thinks that he should pick the eight guys to compete in the tournament to qualify for the match. Cornette picks four and Joe will pick four. Cornette’s four picks are Robert Roode, James Storm, Tomko and Matt Morgan. Joe notes those four guys have never had a chance at the TNA World Championship before. Joe is looking for the tough guys who kick ass and want to come for the title. Joe reveals he’ll pick his four guys next week. Joe says he’s doing scouting tonight. Joe warns them all they’d be sadly mistaken to think they can beat him.
Booker T’s music hits and Booker makes his way out to join the segment. Booker walked out on the heel side confirming his attitude change. Booker walks down to the ring and asks why the most decorated champion didn’t get an invite to the party that is taking place right now. Booker repeats that Cornette picked four guys who never had a title shot and didn’t pick him. Booker asks if Joe can see what is wrong with that picture. Booker wonders why he hasn’t had more than three words with Joe since he’s gotten there. Booker asks why Joe walks away from him and acts like a … but stops himself from saying the word. Booker tells Joe that there will be consequences and repercussions if he’s not picked next week by Joe. Joe doesn’t care about Booker’s consequences. Booker decks Joe, but Rhino and Cage enter the ring to make the save. Booker is held back by Team 3D. Booker challenges Joe to a six man tag match for the main event tonight.
4.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash interrupts Kurt Angle talking to Frank Trigg in the locker room. Trigg leaves the room to ask Angle some questions. Borash asks how Kurt’s neck is doing. Angle reveals that he’s out for a bit. Borash asks what is going on with the Angle Alliance. Angle says that AJ Styles will have to deal with Tomko for making a mistake and is surprised to hear that Styles isn’t there. Angle tells Borash that he has a speech prepared for Karen Angle. Kurt knows that Joe isn’t going to pick him for the King of the Mountain match. Kurt has prepared a speech for Karen to head home with him to prepare for his continued TNA career.
5.) A video package of the Knockouts essentially putting down the divas for competing in lingerie matches while they actually compete in the ring is shown.
6.) Backstage, Kaz, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal and So Cal Cal are interviewed. Kaz is getting an X-Division Championship match with Petey Williams at Slammiversary. Kaz talks about winning the Terror Dome match and getting the chance to compete for the TNA World Championship in one night. Lethal doesn’t appear to be focused and Dutt asks what is wrong with Lethal. Lethal says he has a lot of things on his mind. Lethal has stuff on his mind that is bigger than the match. Lethal walks off to do more thinking.
7.) Hoyt and Dutt kickoff the tag match with Hoyt kicking Dutt in the midsection. Rave tags into the match and clotheslines Dutt in the corner. Hoyt hip tosses Dutt and Rave delivers a sliding knee strike before tagging in Devine. Devine uppercuts Dutt into the corner and chops Dutt. Dutt kicks Devine in the corner and tags in Lethal. Lethal nails Devine with a springboard dropkick. Lethal gets distracted by Hemme and Devine drives Lethal down with a lifting Codebreaker for a near fall. Devine takes Lethal over with a snap suplex and knocks Dutt off the apron. Hoyt tags in and is jabbed by Lethal. Hoyt catches Lethal on a crossbody and hits a fallaway slam for a two count. Dutt tags into the match and avoids a big boot. Dutt spikes Hoyt with a tornado DDT for a near fall. Lethal sends Rave into the ropes and Dutt kicks Rave with help from Lethal. Kaz dropkicks Hoyt to pickup the win. (*1/2. The finish is completely unexpected because it was literally a basic dropkick. I can’t imagine that was by design. I feel like something happened that caused the match to end abruptly.) After the match, Lethal invites So Cal Val into the ring. Lethal goes into his bag and gets a ring to propose to Val. Sonjay Dutt is visibly upset with this development. Lethal asks Val to marry him at Slammiversary and Val accepts. Val and Lethal share a kiss as Dutt remains in shock.
8.) We get a video package looking at the history of Abyss in TNA Wrestling.
9.) Abyss is sitting in a solitary room and says he’s got a camera in there because of good behavior, but thinks he’s fooled them. Abyss has called the room home for the past several months and he’s been treated like a lab rat. Abyss committed himself because he’s an addict to pain. Abyss says it doesn’t matter how much blood was shed it wasn’t enough. There was never enough torture. Abyss says the doctor believe he’s almost cured and he can go home soon.
10.) Backstage, Kevin Nash is interviewed by Lauren. Nash arrived to Sacrifice with Scott Steiner and notes that he and Joe think differently, but they are tighter now and have a bigger bond. Lauren asks Samoa Joe whose he’s going to pick for the tournament. Joe says that’s for next week, and talks about Booker T. Joe says that he respects Booker for his career, but doesn’t mean he has to like him. Joe sees a jealous former champion who wishes he could back what he once had. Joe promises that Booker is going to know him real well.
11.) Kong backs Kim into a corner, but misses a spinning back fist attempt. Kim forearms Kong several times in the corner, but Kong shoves Kim away again. Kim avoids Kong in the corner and goes to the top rope trying for a hurricanrana, but Kong doesn’t go over. Kong knee lifts Kim and tries for a powerbomb, but Kim counters. Kim gets a rollup on Kong for a two count. Kim dropkicks a kneeling Kong, but is tripped by Saed on the floor. ODB makes her way down to ringside to join the segment. Kong knee strikes Kim in the corner several times. Kong backs Kim into a corner, but here comes several other women including Salinas and Velvet Sky. Christy Hemme walks down to ringside as Kim kicks Kong a few times. Traci Brooks walks down to ringside, as well. Kong tosses Kim across the ring as the ladies on the floor cause a commotion and distracts the referee as the show goes to commercial.
Kong grabs Kim by her throat and drops Kim to the mat. Kong misses a splash attempt in the corner, but grabs Kim on the mat. Kim tries fora. triangle choke, but Kong lifts Kim up and over the ropes, but Kim keeps the hold locked in for a moment. Kim climbs to the top rope and strikes Kong. Kim runs the ropes and is met with a body strike by Kong. Kong casually steps on Kim. Kong puts a camel clutch on Kim, but doesn’t get a submission. Kim fights free with strikes and forearms Kong into the corner followed by kicks. Kong decks Kim with a clothesline. Kong tries for a powerbomb, but Kim countered. Kong spikes Kim with the Implant Buster, but Kim kicks out at two! Kong leaps off the middle rope missing another splash attempt. Kim clotheslines Kong, but Kong only staggers. Kim delivers a Codebreaker and chops Kong in the corner. Kong misses a splash in the corner and Kim spears Kong for a two count! Kong drops Kim with a spinning back fist for another near fall.
Kong tosses Kim into the corner, but Kim kicks Kong and hits a middle rope blockbuster for a near fall. Kim climbs to the top rope again and hits a senton splash! Kim tries for the cover, but Kong kicks out at two! ODB pulls Saed off the apron and that leads to another brawl at ringside. Kim almost pins Kong with a rollup. Kim dropkicks a kneeling Kong and heads to the top rope. Kim is shoved off by Angelina Love! Kim is holding her right knee in agony. Kong takes advantage and hits the Awesome Bomb to win the match to retain the title. (***1/2. How great is Gail Kim? She’s a fantastic babyface. Her fire and offense comes across really well and I found myself invested in the match. These two started a bit slow this time, but they finished hot and the match was quite good. Kim did a great job selling the knee injury, and I’d assume is going to feud with Angelina Love now.)
12.) As The Angles Turn is a video package highlighting the recent developments between Kurt Angle, Karen Angle and AJ Styles is highlighted. I can appreciate leaning into the soap opera aspect of the story.
13.) Kurt Angle makes his way out to cut a promo. Angle has a bunch of balloons and says that Karen didn’t kick him out of the house. Instead, she left him. Kurt needs the fans full support in order to do this correctly. Kurt wrote his wife an apology letter and asks for the fans to have some more compassion. Kurt doesn’t want Karen to listen to the people. Kurt knows that Karen is watching at her mothers house and knows how miserable her life must be without him. Kurt is giving Karen the chance to come back to him where she belongs. Kurt says that Karen needs to get her priorities straight and understand that the TNA World Championship first, his gold medals, the kids and then her. Well, she’d be third since she takes care of the kids. Kurt says if she understands that then everything will be okay. Kurt wore his best suit and even bought the stupid balloons. Kurt wrote the apology speech and is willing to be the bigger person and forgive Karen for her mistakes and failures as a wife. Kurt believes it takes a real man of his stature to do this and hopes that she appreciates it. Kurt asks for Karen to show up next week and they leave the Impact Zone together. Karen can help nurse him back to health from his neck injury. Kurt says he loves her and wants her to tell the kids he said hi since it has been awhile.
14.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with the TNA Tag Team Champions LAX. Homicide says nobody had faith in them, but look at them now as they are the champions. Homicide knows that nobody had trust in them, but they had a little bit of spice in Hector Guerrero to lead them back to the gold. Hector questions what Borash is looking at in regards to Salinas. Hector says that they have started the Revolution.
15.) Shelley and Homicide kickoff the tag match trading hammerlocks and mat wrestling holds. Homicide gains control with a chin lock, but Shelley counters quickly with a hammerlock. They begin to trade uppercuts and forearms. Homicide tosses Shelley overhead with a belly to belly suplex. Homicide hits a snap suplex and holds onto Shelley. Hernandez enters to deliver a backbreaker for a two count. Homicide returns to the match and headbutts Shelley in the ribs. Shelley kicks Homicide into the ropes and Shelley kicks Homicide. Sabin springboard dropkicks Homicide and dropkicks Hernandez off the apron. Sabin tags in and axe handles Homicide from the top. Sabin snapmares Homicide and delivers a quick leg drop for a two count. Shelley returns to the match and snapmares Homicide followed by a knee drop for a near fall. Sabin leaps over Shelley to splash onto Homicide’s arm. Sabin chokes Homicide in the corner. Sabin splashes Homicide in the corner and tries for a springboard, but Homicide hits a t-bone suplex. Hernandez hits a slingshot double clothesline and backdrops Sabin. Hernandez tosses Shelley overhead with a suplex. Hernandez continues by tossing Sabin across the ring. Hernandez is stopped by a step up kick by Sabin. Sabin and Shelley double team Hernandez, but Hernandez hits a double suplex. Homicide kicks Shelley to the floor. Homicide leaps off the ropes to hit a cutter on Sabin, who was on Hernandez’s shoulders to pickup the win. (**1/2. A solid match and it looks like LAX is connecting well as a face tag team. LAX being the top team for TNA in a babyface role doesn’t seem to have been the likely direction, but they’ve been doing a good job regardless. Hernandez continues to impress.)
16.) Backstage, Booker T is interviewed and Borash says that Booker isn’t the same guy anymore. Team 3D enter the scene and Brother Ray shoves Borash out of the scene. Booker says it’s not what is wrong with Booker T, but rather what is wrong with everyone else. Booker is the most decorated champion in wrestling history. Booker is tired of being disrespected and it started with Christian Cage and Rhino at Sacrifice. Booker says he’s going to prove why he’s still on top of the throne. Devon chimes in and says Samoa Joe, Cage and Rhino need to understand their role. Devon says they can thank them for being in the ring with royalty.
17.) A video package focusing on Eric Young is shown. Young is on a mission to find Elvis. Young got picked up by someone wearing a mask driving a car. Young is determined to get to Memphis and we get a to be continued..
18.) Mike Tenay had a sit down interview with Sting and wanted Sting to talk about the early days of his career. Sting talks about running his own health club when Rick Bassman found him to recruit him into the wrestling business. Sting remembers meeting Jim Hellwig and sending resumes all over the place. They got an answer from one promoter in Jerry Jarrett out of Memphis. Jarrett picked Sting and Hellwig to join Memphis. Sting admits it was a tense year and a half with Hellwig. They were the Bladerunners and when they parted ways it wasn’t very friendly. We get another to be continued…
19.) Backstage, a newly bald Roxxi is seen walking to the ring, but only from behind.
20.) Backstage, Lauren interviews Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. Lauren is upset that they’ve been making fun of Roxxi. Sky insults Lauren and says they are the hottest act in the company being spotlighted on TV again. Love says that Roxxi is disgusting and ugly. Angelina thinks that Roxxi needs a paper bag. Love insults Lauren and calls her a bimbo. Sky warns Lauren that the next time Lauren gets out of line they will remove her makeup with their fingers. Sky tells the cameraman that they can shoot all he wants, but can never touch the Beautiful People.
21.) Roxxi and ODB go right after Love and Sky to brawl to kickoff the match. Sky and ODB are in the ring to start the match. ODB knee lifts Sky and delivers a fallaway slam. ODB kips up and tags in Roxxi. Roxxi tosses Sky overhead for a two count. Love gets tagged in, but Roxxi flips Love into the ring and delivers several forearm strikes. Love kicks Roxxi away and avoids a dropkick attempt. Love pummels Roxxi on the mat with several right hands. Love comes off the ropes to dropkick a seated Roxxi for a two count. Sky tags into the match and they hit a double elbow drop for a near fall on Roxxi. Sky chokes Roxxi on the mat. Sky splashes Roxxi in the corner and locks in an octopus stretch. Roxxi is double teamed in the corner as ODB distracts the referee. Sky ducks a clothesline and kicks Roxxi. Sky avoids a kick to the head, but Roxxi kicks Sky away. ODB leaps off the top to clothesline Sky. ODB dropkicks Love and does the same to Sky. ODB scoop slams Love and slams Sky onto Love. ODB drives Sky to the mat with a running powerslam, but Love breaks the cover. Roxxi is sent into the middle turnbuckle by Love. ODB has Sky, but Love pump kicks ODB and that allows Love to pin ODB for the win. (*. I kind of thought that Roxxi would be in line for a push since she shaved her head. She didn’t take the pin loss, so I guess she’s protected there. Love and Sky seem to be being destined to be a major act for TNA.)
22.) Backstage, Christian Cage and Rhino are interviewed. Cage asks if people thought Booker was truly a nice guy. Cage says he’s known Booker for many years and they’ve wrestled all over the country. Cage has never and will never respect Booker. Cage notes that Booker turned his nose down to him, which led to everyone doing that too. Cage considers Booker a piece of shit. Rhino chimes in and says he’s got history with Team 3D. Rhino talks about building a company based on extreme. Rhino promises to beat them to a bloody pulp and bring them down memory lane one more time.
23.) Devon and Joe start the match with Devon working over Joe in the corner from behind. Ray gets a few shots in from the apron, too. Devon sends Joe into the corner, but is met with an elbow strike. Joe leaps off the middle rope to leg lariat Devon for a two count. Rhino and Cage enter the ring to brawl with Booker and Ray. Cage leaps off the top to hit Ray with a crossbody on the floor. Joe brawls with Devon on the ramp while Cage brawls with Ray. Joe sends Devon into the ring post shoulder first. Ray sends Cage into the railing and then confronts Hecto Guerrero. Ray shoves Hector as the show goes to commercial.
Devon works over Rhino with right hands on the mat. Rhino fires back with chops, but Devon stops Rhino with a choke over the middle rope. Ray pummels Rhino from the apron, but the referee catches him. Devon delivers a leg drop for a two count. Ray axe handles Rhino in the ribs and keeps control with a neckbreaker. Ray crawls over for the cover, but Rhino kicks out at two. Ray keeps a front face lock on Rhino. Rhino fights free with right hands, but Ray plants Rhino with a slam for a two count as Joe makes the save. Booker enters and strikes Rhino in the midsection followed by a heel kick. Booker tries for a cover, but Rhino kicks out at two. Devon enters the match and strikes Rhino several times. Ray tags into the match and elbow strikes Rhino. Rhino plants Ray with a spinebuster and both men are down.
Devon and Joe get the hot tags with Joe cleaning house on Team 3D. Ray splashes Devon in the corner and Joe nails Devon with a kick in the corner. Joe wants a piece of Booker T. Booker enters the ring and trades strikes with Joe. Joe ducks a heel kick and connects with a leg lariat. Joe tosses Devon with a t-bone suplex for a near fall. Ray forearms Joe and kicks Cage into the corner. All six men are brawling until Rhino is sent to the floor. Cage dropkicks Ray from the top rope. Devon decks Cage to the floor. Joe hits a snap powerslam and pins Devon for the win. (*1/2. I’m glad there was a clean finish, but there wasn’t much here for entertainment. Team 3D doesn’t connect with me as a main event act and it looks as if they’re going to be inserted into that position for TV main events, at least.)
24.) Team 3D run over to the Spanish announce table and proceed to attack Hector Guerrero. Hector is pummeled while Booker holds off the faces with a steel chair. Joe, Rhino and Cage make their way over eventually to make the save. However, Hector has been laid out and is bloodied to end the show.
Final Thoughts:
A solid episode overall this week for Impact coming out of Sacrifice. Kim/Kong delivered another quality TV bout. Kurt Angle continues to thrive in this heel persona. Booker turning heel doesn’t bother me as there’s no way he’d get a shot at Joe otherwise. I’m interested to see who Joe picks to potentially compete in the KOTM match next week.
Thanks for reading.