Impact Wrestling
May 30, 2013
Tampa, Florida
We open our first show returning to 9pm with a recap from last week. We are three days away from Slammiversary, and backstage Bully Ray says the lone focus tonight is AJ Styles and then D-Lo gets a little sarcastic with Anderson and he attacks him backstage. We head into the ring where the two title holders in the club, World Champion Bully Ray and TV Champion Devon come in the ring. Bully is not pleased, but in 3 days it’s Slammiversary, where Joseph Park and Sting will meet their demise. He does put Sting over as a guy who earned his nickname “ICON” and he mentions guys like Hogan, Flair, Kurt Angle, and Jeff Hardy. Everyone loves Jeff Hardy, but Sting beat him too. We have a tag team match tonight with those two guys, so let’s get it started.
TAG TEAM MATCH: Bully Ray & Devon vs. Sting & Joseph Park
It’s been a while since any of the weekly shows has started with a match. Sure this one started with a promo, but we get into the match before the commercial break. We need more of these situations. The guys mention that later tonight Impact Wrestling will reveal the location for October’s Bound for Glory. This has been a good one so far, with the more experienced tag team bringing it to the rookie Joseph Park. Sting has Devon in the Scorpion Deathlock, and Park tries to do it to Bully Ray but the champ kicks him into Sting and breaks the other hold. I like how Taz calls him “Joey Park”. So Brooklyn. Out of nowhere Abyss’ music plays but Abyss never comes out. The distraction allows Sting to hit the Death Drop on Devon and get the 3 count. Park is confused but Sting will take the victory.
After the break, Kurt Angle is backstage talking about AJ Styles, who says yeah he’s not in Aces & 8’s but he still has unforgivable acts to account for. There’s still mutual respect, but some things just need to be taken care of.
TNA President Dixie Carter comes down the ramp. She has her own music? Haha that’s funny. She looks good for what, being in her late 40’s? She puts the company over and the 11th anniversary of Slammiversary. Sunday the next inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame will be announced, joining Sting. She’s interrupted by Brisco, Bischoff and DOC of Aces & 8’s. Bischoff says where’s the Aces & 8’s love? She doesn’t tell Bully Ray good luck. However Sunday will be more of a funeral than a celebration. They start to corner Dixie, but in the ring comes Magnus and Samoa Joe. Joe says he spent a month picking stitches and bandages off of his face. Joe challenges Bischoff to a fight.
MATCH: Samoa Joe vs. Garrett Bischoff
The match lasted about two minutes when Aces & 8’s was DQ’ed for roughing up Magnus, I think. Huh? Joe says he knew this would happen, so at Slammiversary it will be DOC, Bischoff and Brisco taking on Magnus, Samoa Joe and the returning Jeff Hardy.
We get a clip from last week when James Storm picked his partner, and now backstage he puts Gunner over as somebody who fought for his country and is ready to go into any war, and Sunday is one of those wars.
Backstage Hogan is with Brooke and he wants to know what’s going on with Bully Ray. Brooke says she can’t focus on anything with Bully Ray walking the halls, and when he said he still loves her it’s bothering her. Hogan says Sting will take care of this all.
EIGHT MAN TAG MATCH: Bad Influence & Roode/Aries vs. Chavo/Hernandez & Storm/Gunner
TNA’s tag title belts are huge. I will say, TNA at least makes their belts seem so regal. This match Sunday will likely be it for Roode/Aries as a team, as they will need to break up and head back into singles. I hope any of these teams other than Chavo/Hernandez wins Sunday, because this team needs to end also. Chavo is so out of place it’s comical. Hernandez is a beast and needs to be on his own. Chavo’s workrate is not what it was and his promos are horrendous. He’s not Eddie, never will be. The match really moves at a great pace with bodies flying everywhere, with the good guys getting the win as Gunner gets Aries to tap to the Torture Rack. My Pick? Of course the Cowboy and Gunner.
AJ Styles has arrived at the arena, meanwhile Bully Ray tells the club that all these problems with the club will be fixed Sunday, from Joseph Park to AJ Styles to Jeff Hardy. He says tonight war was officially declared against Aces & 8’s, and he wants victims, there better be victims, or else everyone in the club will go the way of D-Lo Brown.
They should never show the announcers on camera. Todd looks like a putz, and Tenay has that pervert look. We get a promo video for Bound for Glory, then the announcement that this year’s show will be in San Diego on October 20.
Out comes new Knockout Champion Mickie James, with a video from last week when she defeated the injured Velvet Sky to become the champion. She says it feels good to be champion. She came out to say thank you to all the fans for her crazy year, including the new album and now being Knockouts Champion. Almost two years since she’s been champ, and it’s a long time coming. However there are a small handful who question how she won the title. I feel the heel turn coming. She feels terrible, so she calls out her best friend and former champion Velvet Sky. They hug it out. It’s hot that Velvet’s in hot shorts and heels, with a taped up knee. Wow, selling an injury? TAKE THAT JOHN CENA! Mickie tells Velvet she would have waited until she was healthy, but Velvet is a warrior and a great former champion. Velvet says she’s happy for Mickie, but she does want her rematch. Mickie says anytime she wants, when she’s healthy. Velvet wants the match at Slammiversary. Gail Kim interrupts and says this lovefest must end, but she tells Mickie that if it wasn’t for her softening up Velvet’s knee Mickie would have never won the title. Gail says she’s frustrated and after taking Taryn out she’ll get the title match. Velvet says get in line. Gail grabs Velvet’s leg and wants to put it around the post but Taryn Terrell comes out to break it up. Mickie justs…stands there. Our mixed tag match is next.
MIXED TAG MATCH: Taryn Terrell & Chris Sabin vs. Gail Kim & Kenny King
I like the whole “Taryn Terrell’s crazy” gimmick, but it leads to sloppy spots in the ring. She’s jumping around so much that she misses punches and other simple moves. ODB is your referee. Complete with flask in her pocket. The action is good (since the Knockouts can actually wrestle) and Sabin pins Kenny King with a cradle suplex.
Sabin says after two years of injuries and rehab he’ll be a 5-time X-Division Champion, but Kenny King pearl harbors him and looks to take a piece, but Suicide comes in and takes King out. He and Sabin glare at each other while Suicide holds the title.
We have a video piece about Sting and his career about being World Champion. From his first world title at the 1990 Great American Bash, to beating Hogan at Starrcade 1997, to putting over Jarrett and Angle. This match is more about power, than the title.
The guys go over the card, and there’s a discrepancy. It’s supposed to be DOC on the team with Bischoff and Brisco, but they have Anderson on the screen. These are the things that still make TNA #2.
MATCH: Mr. Anderson vs. AJ Styles
AJ’s first Impact match in quite a while. Next Thursday Impact will be in Atlanta. AJ now has a huge tattoo on the left side of his upper body. Styles stayed in great shape while he was gone. I wonder if Anderson is being held back by being in Aces & 8’s. He was a former TNA Champion, and now he’s like 5th in the pecking order in the club, wrestling random matches? I guess with Roode and Aries on the non-club heel side there’s no room. However, why isn’t there an Aces & 8’s team in the tag title 4-way. This has been a great match on a night full of great matches. Back and forth action, there could be maybe two matches in the TV Top three this week. Maybe all three if I think the tag team opener deserves it. They’ve given these guys more time than a normal main event TV match. The match ends though when Kurt Angle came in to beat AJ down, giving Anderson the DQ win. The club comes in to beat both AJ and Angle down, but then TNA’s guys come down and its total chaos in the ring. It ends with Bully Ray and Sting alone in the ring and they go all out on each other. Sting hooks the Death Lock, but Devon breaks it up and they give Sting the 3D. The club surrounds the prone #1 contender. With that we’re out, see you Sunday in Boston.
SCOTT’S TAKE: This was easily Impact’s best taped show since going on the road. All the matches were solid and they really put the PPV over hard.
Scott’s TNA Top 5:
1) Bully Ray
2) Sting
3) Devon
4) Chavo/Hernandez
5) Kenny King
