Impact Wrestling
July 25, 2013
Louisville, Kentucky
We get a recap to start of Destination X, including our new World Champion Chris Sabin and a preview of tonight’s Ultimate X match. We then head to Louisville where the Main Event Mafia are smiling and in the ring. Borash joins Tenay at the table. Sting says last week was the best night in TNA in history. He says the MEM wins the first battle. Kurt Angle has the mike and says the past year has been miserable but Aces & Eights will get it back ten fold. Angle says “Tonight is a celebration. Two goals were achieved and the MEM is on top.” Angle then introduces the NEW World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Sabin. We get a look back at the final moments of last week’s match when Sabin popped Bully Ray with the hammer. Sabin worked his ass off and I admit that, but with these other guys in the ring he looks just too small. Sabin says “My first order of business as World Champion is to challenge the winner of tonight’s Ultimate X match to a champion vs. champion match.” We are immediately interrupted by the former World Champion Bully Ray. He’s joined by an attorney that looks like Kevin Nash. The attorney says that due to the end of last week’s match, Sabin must give the title back to Bully Ray, or the attorney will “crush Impact Wrestling.” The attorney says TNA has until the end of the night to make a decision. Taz is not here tonight for Aces & Eights opinion of things.
We get a look at Greg Maraciulo, who’s in tonight’s Ultimate X Championship match.
Backstage GM Hulk Hogan is on the cell phone about what’s happened.
We get a look at Manik, who’s in tonight’s Ultimate X Championship match.
X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP; ULTIMATE X: Sonjay Dutt vs. Manik vs. Greg Maraciulo
Now if TNA knew what they were doing, this match should take up a good half hour of the show. Tenay says this is the 31st Ultimate X match in TNA history. Maraciulo is considerably bigger than the other two guys so he should work more of a power game to punish his opponents. For those who are unfamiliar with the match, the X-Division Title is hanging above the ring on two bungee cords connected to a erector set-type structure like a cross. You have to climb the structure and hang on the bungee cables and grab the title. So it’s like a ladder match, but without a ladder. Manik is all over the place, delivering a double drop kick to the apron. Maraciulo did his finisher from last week onto Manik, on the metal ramp. Both are hurt. Wow now Greg and Dutt are on top of the structure, above the title and cables. They are battling, and Greg is now hanging in between the girters. Meanwhile Manik is hanging upside down on the cables. Greg (I’m calling him that because I’m tired of typing Maraciulo) falls off the cables, and Mank grabs the title belt and is the new TNA X-Division Champion. That was a fun match.
Backstage Bully Ray is talking with Anderson, and he loves that for the first time Hogan has no idea what to do. Meanwhile, Bully Ray tells Mr. Vice President that the BFG Series is all about Mr, Anderson and get the job done tonight.
BFG SERIES MATCH: Hernandez vs. Mr. Anderson
The leaderboard comes up and Magnus still leads comfortably over Samoa Joe 49-26. The middle standings are still tight. The top four advance. The match is pretty standard, with Anderson doing the heel work and “Supermex” powering his way through it. Hernandez could have won a few times, but Anderson reversed a couple finishers and hits the Mike Check for the win. Anderson has 14 points.
We go back to earlier with Bully Ray and his attorney, then Dixie Carter can’t comment on anything.
Eric Young and Joseph Park are talking and Young shows him his BFG match with Jeff Hardy when blood turned Park pretty much into Abyss. Park denies it, but Young says he will help him with this problem.
Velvet Sky (Damn she’s hot) comes to the ring. She talks about Mickie James and losing the Knockouts Title and trusting her. She won’t trust many anymore. She sits ringside for our title match.
KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP: Mickie James © vs. Gail Kim
Can I mention again that Velvet Sky is hotter than any WWE Diva. Easily. Two good workers and WWE alumni working very stiff tonight, particularly Gail who’s hitting some nice drop kicks. Mickie takes control and works the legs while taunting Velvet Sky outside. Gail hits a big power bomb but puts her feet on the ropes. ODB notices and they start jawing. Borash says they are trying to “outcheat” each other. Gail smacks ODB in the face but Mickie sneaks in and hits a roll up for the victory. No real heat since they are both heels and neither worked with the crowd.
Gail and ODB keep jawing and out comes Brooke Hogan to remind Gail that ODB is also an active wrestler.
Backstage Hogan and Dixie are talking Bully Ray. They talk about Sabin and lawyers and such. Dixie wants to give the belt back to Bully Ray because there’s no choice. Hogan can’t believe Bully Ray has then over a barrel again.
BFG SERIES MATCH: Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe
Daniels has never beaten Joe in TNA history. Joe is second in the BFG points, 23 points behind MEM partner Magnus. Joe is mangling Daniels with strikes and grapples. Joe is in control until Mr, Anderson comes out to distract Joe and Daniels takes Joe out with a chop block. He hits a moonsault for the victory. Daniels now with 21 points.
Backstage Sting and Angle are talking and Sting says the MEM all have to be on the same page. Sting is optimistic but Angle is concerned that things aren’t going as quickly as they should and that indeed Bully Ray will be handed the TNA Title at the end of the night.
BFG SERIES MATCH: AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy
Last year’s BFG winner vs. a guy many feel will be this year’s BFG winner. They go back and forth early until AJ starts hitting hard drop kicks to Jeff’s face. They are moving at breakneck speed and snapping moves off on each other as Jeff makes a comeback. No long heat segments here as both guys go all out move after move after move. Eventually AJ cranks up the Calf Killer and out of nowhere Jeff submits. I’m stunned by that. AJ gets ten points and now has 22 points.
Hardy extends his hand to AJ and he just walks away. Tenay and JB spent most of the match talking about how AJ has changed. I think he’s better in this role.
Back from break and out comes Bully Ray, expected to get his World Title back or else. Incidentally these past two weeks in Louisville Aces & Eights came out the same entrance like everybody else. Bully has a mike and he says “I have been given a major injustice.” Bully is offended people like what Chris Sabin did to win the TNA World Title. Haha Bully Ray is heeling it up talking about the hammer like we’re supposed to forget how he did it to Jeff Hardy at Lock Down. Now if TNA was smart they’d use that footage. But they won’t. Bully calls Sabin out and here he comes with the World Title. Bully says to Sabin “Give the belt back.” Sabin calls him a crybaby and goes through the same “my knee surgeries” blah blah. Sabin’s not a World Champion. Bully bitches and moans about suing and out comes GM Hulk Hogan. Hogan says “I’ve been going back and forth about this with TNA attorneys.” Hogan has a counter-offer. He rips up the contract and tells Bully “I’m the law brother.” So Sabin’s title is secure, but Hogan talks about Bully’s return match. It will be on August 15 in Norfolk, Virginia. Hardcore Justice. No Aces & Eights. No Main Event Mafia. So the World Title will be inside a steel cage on August 15. I say Bully wins it back there.
SCOTT’S TAKE: The lawsuit crap really was unnecessary. If you think about it, Bully had a rematch. Why not just book it? The matches were solid, but TNA seems to have a lot on their plate. Creativity isn’t part of it.
