Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 4/9/2009
From: Orlando, FL
Main Event Mafia make their way out to kickoff the program with Kurt Angle leading the team. TNA World Champion Sting wants Jeff Jarrett to answer his questions and wants the whole world to hear it and calls out Jarret. Jarrett wastes no time coming out to join the segment with microphone in hand. Jarrett has business to take care of in his office. Sting is upset about being booked in a match with Samoa Joe last week and wants to know if Foley or Jarrett are running the company. Jarrett tells Sting the last thing he needs is Sting to get in his face. Sting wants Jarrett to announce that Foley is running the company, but Jarrett assures Sting that Jarrett is still running the company. Sting thinks Foley needs a warmup before Lockdown. Sting wants Jarrett to book Foley in a match tonight. Jarrett wonders what gives Sting the right to question his authority. Sting says he’s been doing this for 23-years and he’s still standing. Sting is going to use his stroke for the first time and demands Jarrett book Foley in a match tonight. Scott Steiner chimes in and tells Sting to cool off and tries to talk to Jarrett about Foley booking matches that make no sense. Steiner thinks Jarrett is losing control. Steiner thinks Jarrett needs to think about the direction this is going. Steiner cares about Jarrett and they need to talk about this.
Motor City Machine Guns make their way out to join the segment. Shelley notes they were playing Resident Evil V and Street Fighter IV. Shelley doesn’t think it was fair for Sting to wrestle Samoa Joe. Shelley thinks Foley is the boss and that’s what happens. Shelley says they are a tag team for hire tonight. Shelley talks about Thanksgiving Eve 2008 where Shelley had to wear a turkey suit and was DDTd by Foley, which he hasn’t forgotten about. Shelley issues a challenge to Foley for a handicap match. Jarrett books the match.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with Mick Foley in Jarrett’s office. Foley doesn’t know what to say. Foley says that’s the way he likes it and thinks Jarrett is back in the game. Foley is looking forward to the handicap match tonight and puts over the Guns. Foley says he’s going to tweak the match a little bit and walks off.
Backstage, Mick Foley is with Jeff Jarrett and wants to tweak the match a little bit. Jarrett doesn’t care what Foley wants and just wants him to do it. Foley walks off talking about sizzling the steak. Borash asks if Jarrett is truly thinking about what Scott Steiner said. Scott Steiner arrives and kicks Borash out for them to talk.
MATCH #1: TNA X-DIVISION CHAMPION SUICIDE VS. ABDUL BASHIR
FINISH: Bashir pins Suicide following the WMD onto the championship. After the match, the lights go out and Suicide disappears.
Bob’s Take: Suicide had the early advantage with a dropkick, and it sounds like the crowd is chanting ‘Fallen Angel’ suggesting that Suicide is Christopher Daniels. No Limit helps out Bashir by attacking Suicide on the floor. Bashir almost wins following a reverse piledriver. Kiyoshi kicks Suicide leading to the finish as the referee was distracted. Bashir winning here isn’t a big deal as he can be seen as a threat to the title. The action wasn’t all that noteworthy and it was dependent on the interference for the most part.
Match Rating: *
Backstage, Rhino is with Jesse Neal, who is a Navy Seal. Neal was a special guest at Destination X. Rhino talks about talking to Neal and hearing his story. Rhino is giving Neal the opportunity to share the story. Neal talks about his story working in the Navy Seals. Neal recalls one day being attacked by terrorists, and he got injured, but he didn’t care and wanted to help. Neal recalls losing his best friend and brother in the attack. Neal admits a part of him died that day, too. Rhino tells Neal that it would be his honor to train him to become a pro wrestler. Neal accepts the offer.
Backstage, the Beautiful People have attacked Raisha Saed and cut her hair off.
TNA Roughcut focusing on Team 3D and their training school is shown.
Earlier today, Mike Tenay interviewed TNA World Champion Sting. Tenay admits he never saw the chair shot coming from Foley to Sting. Sting also never saw the two chair shots coming his way. Sting says Foley isn’t a dummy for starting at the top with the TNA World Champion. Sting doesn’t think he can get into Foley’s mind. Sting is reminded of 1994 when Foley lost his ear in a match against Vader. Sting thinks Foley not minding losing his ear tells you what kind of opponent he has at Lockdown. Sting admits it could be his last match at Lockdown.
Earlier today, Lauren confronts Abyss about what happened with Dr. Stevie. Lauren is telling Abyss that Dr. Stevie is abusing him. Abyss downplays it, but Lauren is pissed and threatens to report him to board of health. Lauren says she’s going to the next session to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Mick Foley makes his way out to the ring to cut a promo. Foley talks about the idea of tweaking the match with the Machine Guns tonight. Foley has a notebook and it’s the beginning of his next book. Foley talks about his son Hughie and reveals a birthday card. Hughie has the same haircut as Alex Shelley because he likes him. Foley is annoyed by his kids wanting to look like Shelley. Foley reveals the handicap match is a first blood match now. Foley wants Sting as the special enforcer for the match and Jeff Jarrett can be at ringside, too. Foley is going to make it so that no child will want to look like Alex Shelley ever again.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash interviews Booker T regarding Sharmell being abducted by Samoa Joe. Booker T is a bit somber because this is serious. Booker says last week had nothing to do with entertainment. Booker can’t get one word out of Sharmell. Booker wants to leave it to Joe’s imagination regarding what will happen tonight. Angle chimes in and says tonight has nothing to do with beating Joe for the man advantage. Angle is coming down to be in Booker’s corner and he’s not leaving Booker’s side. Angle wants Joe to bring his violence to him and it ends tonight.
Backstage, AJ Styles meets up with Samoa Joe. Styles tells Joe that he’s going to the ring with Joe, but Joe tells Styles that his nation of violence is for one person.
MATCH #2: SAMOA JOE VS. BOOKER T
FINISH: Joe pins Booker following a snap powerslam. After the match, Samoa Joe does not appear to be thrilled with Styles.
Bob’s Take: Joe started off going right after Booker with strikes in the corner. Angle tripped Joe allowing Booker to get some strikes in. AJ Styles runs down to attack Angle at ringside completely disregarding Joe’s statement. I am stunned by this and how quickly Booker lost and he lost cleanly. I have no idea what TNA is turning into, guys.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Footage of ODB’s date with a fan (Cody Deaner) is shown at Universal Studios. The fan is basically a wrestling version of Joe Dirt. ODB gives Deaner a kiss on the cheek.
Some more TNA Roughcut focusing on Team 3D and their legacy.
Backstage, Lauren interviews Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley. Shelley thinks that the myth of Foley has snowballed over the years. Shelley is confident that they will win tonight that they are going to put their IWGP Tag Team Championships on the line. Sabin chimes in saying they know they can beat Foley whether it was first blood or not. Sabin promises they are going to make a name for themselves tonight.
MATCH #3: TNA TAG TEAM CHAMPION JAMES STORM VS. SCOTT STEINER
NOTE: Team 3D are on commentary for the match.
FINISH: Kevin Nash hits Storm on the knee with a pipe to cause a disqualification. After the match, Team 3D run into the ring to make the save.
Bob’s Take: Steiner has control of the match early on with strikes and a slam. It’s a fairly basic start to the bout. Storm battled back with a swinging neckbreaker, but Steiner responded with an overhead suplex and a flatliner. Storm battled back with a backstabber, but Steiner refused to stay down. The finish is incredibly lame and this was essentially used to continue the trend of Beer Money and Team 3D looking out for each other leading into Lockdown.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Backstage, Jeremy Borash plugs the TNA Mobile app about a wrestler coming to TNA, but he can’t talk about it right now. Borash proceeds to interview the Beautiful People. Angelina Love calls Borash a loser and says she’s done favors for the skanks they have attacked before. Love wants the TNA Knockouts Championship and she’ll get it at any cost. Love says Saed isn’t going to make it to the match because of their attack. Love wants it to be only Kong standing in the ring tonight and Kong is going to get her own makeover.
MATCH #4: TNA KNOCKOUTS CHAMPION AWESOME KONG VS. MADISON RAYNE & VELVET SKY — HANDICAP MATCH
FINISH: Kong counters a pin attempt by Sky with a cover for the win. After the match, the Beautiful People attack Kong, but Taylor Wilde slides into the ring to make the save for Kong to avoid a haircut.
Bob’s Take: Sky and Rayne double team Kong and drive her down to the mat for the early advantage, which I didn’t expect to see work. Rayne delivered a dangerous looking missile dropkick, but Kong responded with a double clothesline. Rayne tried to push Sky on top, but Kong easily countered for the win. Hardly a match at all and just more hype for the Lockdown match.
Match Rating: NR
Backstage, Jeremy Borash chats with Jeff Jarrett and wants some information about what Scott Steiner said. Jarrett says that next week he will reveal his fourth member and they will wrestle Kevin Nash next week.
MAIN EVENT: MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (SHELLEY & SABIN) VS. MICK FOLEY — HANDICAP MATCH — FIRST BLOOD MATCH
FINISH: Sting hits Foley with a chair shot as Foley tried to use barbed wire on Shelley. The chair shot causes Foley to bleed and the match is awarded to the Guns. After the match, Foley and Sting brawl for a bit as the show comes to an end.
Bob’s Take: Foley and Shelley started the match with Foley having the early advantage. Sabin snuck a tag and missile dropkicked Foley on the floor from the apron. Guns also hit a double suicide dive on Foley into the railing. Guns continue to work over Foley with a flatliner/dropkick combo. Sabin mocks Sting and that causes Sting to hit the Scorpion Death Drop on the floor. Foley hit a DDT on Shelley and tossed Shelley to the floor with Mr. Socko. There was blood on the sock, but Foley stops the match from ending. Foley grabbed a microphone and said that was not what he promised. Foley wants to make Shelley suffer. Sting getting involved is not surprising, but the finish is a bit dull. I wish the Guns had been the source of the blood and not Sting getting involved. The segment seems to have fallen flat.
Match Rating: *
Final Thoughts:
I really don’t like what TNA has been doing in recent weeks or maybe even months now. IT’s a heavy focus on dialogue and the wrestling is not there, at all. For having two hours and the entire time to be focusing on Sting, Foley, Jarrett and Angle seems to be a bit counterproductive. How can you build people up when the TV is focused on the same four guys? I miss the days of TNA focusing on in-ring wrestling and thriving in that way. I was not entertained by the show and I’m honestly not invested in the Lockdown show at all.
Thanks for reading.