Taya pinned Santana after hitting her with a Northern Lights suplex and a kick to the head in about 7 minutes.
Hugo speculates to Josh about TNA hosting the World Cup next year.
Victoria Trophy
The 4 losing teams from Night 1 are placed in a modified battle royale. One member of each team enters the ring, and when someone is eliminated by going over the top rope, his teammate enters the match, and the match continues until there are 2 participants at which point it becomes a singles match.
First entrants are Eli Drake for Team TNA, Blue Demon Jr for Team AAA Legends, Akebono for Team Japan-Odo/Zero-One, and Rockstar Spud for Team Rest of the World
Drake is eliminated after being knocked over in a superplex attempt. Tyrus throws EC3 into the ring. Rockstar Spud does some comedy sumo spots with Akebono, and then pulls a Mil Mascaras. Apolo replaces him. EC3 knocks Blue Demon Jr off the apron. Canek replaces. Canek eliminates Apolo, Mil Muertes enters as final member of Team Rest of the World.
Akebono gets eliminated and in a scary moment, has his leg stuck in the ropes and dangles. Doctors were tending to him, and Tanaka replaces him. EC3 calls Tyrus into the ring for extra muscle, and gets thrown out by Tyrus as Hugo wonders “Is this legal?” and Josh replies “No.” After a few more eliminations, the final 2 were Mil Muertes and Tyrus with Muertes pinning Tyrus after a Flatliner. Rockstar Spud celebrates in the ring as Mil and Apolo blow him off.
Men’s Semifinal 1: Team AAA vs Team Japan-NOAH
Crowd was pretty hot, Psycho Clown pins Taniguchi with a frog splash in 6 or 7 minutes.
Men’s Semifinal 2 – Team LU vs Team AAA International
Dario comes out with Team LU and spends the match standing behind the tournament judges staring and wondering “Why did I put Chavo on my team”. Dr Wagner gets a promo in, but at least this time the clock wasn’t running like on Night 1. Easily the first match worth trying to catch if you missed it. Last 2 minutes were incredibly intense and ended with Brian Cage pinning Dragon Azteca Jr in 9:58 after reversing a tilt-a-whirl DDT into a Drill Claw.
Women’s 1st place match- Team Japan vs Team Mexico
Aja Kong waffles all of the Apaches with a garbage can in the last 25 seconds as the ref is distracted. No pinfall attempts made. First match to meet overtime. Aja Kong vs Faby Apache is first OT and goes the limit. Yuki Miyazaki vs Mary Apache is second OT. Josh learns the etymology of Hurricanrana after Miyazaki busts one out on Apache. Close nearfalls with Apache powerbombs and superplexes. Miyzaki kickouts at 2.9 for both moves. Ref was Marty Elias of LU, which drew massive heat. Mary Apache pins Miyazaki after a Michinoku driver. Only the final OT really had some great heat and a good story. Marty might need to have pulled a Hebner if Team Japan won that, but it built heat for the AAA/LU final.
Men’s 3rd place match – Team Japan-NOAH vs Team AAA International
They’re skipping the 10 minute regulation and going straight to sudden death.
OT1 – Marifuji vs Dr. Wagner Jr – No Wagner promo. Submission holds traded, ends with Wagner locking Marifuji in a small package as time expired.
OT2 – Taniguchi vs Dragon Azteca Jr – Not too many pinfalls, it ends with an Azteca cannonball plancha with 14 seconds left.
OT3 – Ishimori vs Rey Mysterio Jr – Rey went for a 619 early but it was caught by Ishimori and reversed into a gutbuster. Eventually Ishimori ended in the ropes again, and ended up eating a 619 and the frog splash for a pin with about 55 seconds left on the clock.
Men’s 1st place match – Team AAA vs Team LU
AAA is attacked by LU as they enter. Great action, Chavo appears to be hurt. Pentagon Jr counters an End of the World by Mundo and hits a package piledriver, but runs out of time before he can get a pinfall.
OT1 – Chavo vs Texano
Story of this OT is that Chavo is working hurt. Not sure if the injury is legit, but he gets a bit of offense in and is cut off by Texano. Pattern repeats until Chavo tries a Frankensteiner, which is reversed into a top rope power bomb with 15 seconds to go. Texano can’t move after the landing and time expires.
OT2 – Cage vs Psycho Clown
In the final minute, Psycho Clown has a pinfall cover but Mundo distracts the ref by grabbing his leg and Cage kicks out. Cage goes for a power bomb, but Clown reverses into a Canadian Destroyer. Visual pinfall, but ref doesn’t get into the ring with less 10 seconds left and time expires.
OT3 – Mundo vs Pentagon Jr
With about a minute left, Pentagon cinches in the armbreaker, but Cage pulls the ref out. Chavo blasts Pentagon with a chair, Mundo hits the End of the World and gets the pinfall. Disappointing end and beers start flying.
Dario gets on the mic as Team LU retreats up the ramp. Dario is pelted with garbage and joins them. Now we know why Mexico hates Chavo. Team AAA cuts a babyface promo against LU’s antics.
Award ceremony starts
Johnny Mundo wins best flying move
Best match is awarded to LU vs AAA International.
Best female wrestler is Mary Apache
Best male wrestler is Pentagon Jr. Pentagon stares at Team LU and slowly backs down the ramp.
Last week on Impact, key matches for Slammiversary were made official. They announced the main event, which will be TNA World Champion Drew Galloway defending against Lashley in a match that can only end by submission or knockout. Also, Jeff Hardy defeated Rockstar Spud and Tyrus in a ladder match to ensure he’ll face Matt Hardy at Slammiversary. However, Ethan Carter III doesn’t get his Slammiversary match with The Miracle. EC3 failed on his Road to Redemption when The Miracle caused a disqualification in the EC3 vs. Matt Hardy match.
Tonight on Impact:
On tonight’s Impact, Galloway and Lashley will participate in “Pick Your Poison”, which means they get to choose each other’s opponents. Furthermore, after losing last week, one could presume that EC3 will attempt to find another way to get his match with The Miracle at Slammiversary.
Show Recap:
-We kick the night off backstage. TNA President Dixie Carter is talking to someone, but we don’t see their face. She recaps the chaos in the last several weeks. She’s desperate to regain control so she is allowing the mystery individual to run Impact tonight.
-In the arena, Mike Bennett and Maria enter the ring. Josh Matthews and The Pope welcome us to Impact and they wonder whom Dixie’s talking to. The Miracle wants to know who is in charge of Impact tonight and calls out the individual. Cue the catchiest music in wrestling and EC3 hits the ring. As EC3 makes his way to the ring Josh informs us that Dixie sent out a tweet just now that EC3 is in charge.
After failing on his Road to Redemption, EC3 simply made his match with The Miracle for Slammiversary. EC3 is giving The Miracle the night off from wrestling, but he’s going to be the custodian. Also, Maria is going to have a job evaluation and EC3 wil mediate the situation between Gail and Maria. EC3 sends The Miracle and Maria away.
Next, Bobby Lashley came out and said that since EC3 had stuck his nose in his business now Lashley is going to get in EC3’s business. EC3 let Lashley know that he had “regulated” his power to Drew Galloway in regards to Lashley. This of course brought out the TNA world champion.
It feels too easy that EC3 was simply put in charge for the night and he can make his match with The Miracle. Also, it seems way to easy for people to in TNA to give other people power.
-Back from commercial in the back. EC3 and The Miracle are in the washroom. The Miracle has to be the custodian and clean the toilets. EC3 had a funny line when he went into one of the stalls and pointed out that somebody had gone “number 4”. TNA is literally doing toilet humor.
King of the Mountain Champion Bram vs. “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley
TNA World Champion Drew announces KOTM Champ Bram as Lashley’s opponent. This is the first Pick Your Poison match of the night. This was a really good and very physical fight. Bram runs wild on Lashley and sends him to the outside. Lashley takes over on Bram and uses his headband to choke Bram. Lashley uses the chair for the DQ and used two spears after the match. He set up for a third but Drew ran out with a chair for the save. Drew then chased Lashley through the crowd.
Bram’s laying on his back motionless when Eli Drake comes out and cashes in his Feast or Fired KOTM title shot.
King of the Mountain Champion Bram vs. Eli Drake
Eli covers Bram who kicked out at two and a half. Eli tried to take back his briefcase, but Earl wouldn’t let him. Eli and Bram had a short match that ended with Eli scoring the pin and winning the match. Eli is the new KOTM champ.
-Earlier today, The BroMans were hanging out by the pool and recapping Raquel training them. Raquel shows up and lets them know if they want to win the gold they have to learn to focus. The music then became all adult film like and the screen became purple. She wore a bikini and told them to focus on her. Jesse got it but Robbie E. was confused. He wasn’t the only one.
-Back in the washrooms, The Miracle and EC3 are continuing the whole cleaning the toilets thing. Earl Hebner comes out of one of the stalls. Earl said The Miracle isn’t a star and called him a bad word. EC3 informed The Miracle that his next task is going to be as a referee.
-Next, we go to Matt Hardy’s home and property in North Carolina. Josh tells us that Matt is going to sign the contract for his match with Jeff at Slammiversary at his home and has invited Jeff.
-Backstage, Eli is celebrating his title win and is offering people champagne, but knocks it out of their hand each time.
-At Matt Hardy’s home, Matt walks out of the house and tells us he’s invited us and Brother Nero (Jeff Hardy) into his house for the contract signing. This was a cool little video and is very intriguing.
The BroMans (Robbie E. & Jesse Godderz w/ Raquel) vs. Rockstar Spud and Tyrus w/ guest referee Mike Bennett
Josh informs us that the winners of this match will receive a shot at the tag titles at Slammiversary. The story of this match was that The Miracle seemed uninterested and he let the heels cheat. The heels were about to put The BroMans away when Raquel distracted Tyrus by showing him some “stretches”. The BroMans mans took out Tyrus on the outside. Jesse got Spud in the Boston Crab and he tapped immediately but The Miracle didn’t call for the bell. He tried to give Spud a chance, but realized there was no point. The BroMans win the match and get a shot at the tag champions Decay at Slammiversary.
-In the back, Maria is on the phone with Bill Corgan when EC3 approaches. He lets her know that the job evaluation is next.
-Next we get shots of Jeff on his bike and on his way to see Matt at his house.
-In the ring, EC3 orders Allie and Sienna out of the ring. EC3 doesn’t think Maria is doing a very good job as the leader of the Knockouts. EC3 calls out Gail to see what she thinks. EC3 points out that because Maria put her hands on Gail it’s grounds for dismissal. Gail wants a match with Maria but she refuses because she is the leader of the Knockouts. EC3 informs her that she isn’t right now because she’s in a job evaluation. EC3 makes Gail vs. Maria official for Slammiversary. They go face to face and EC3 separates them. Everyone was really good here in particular EC3 who is having a pretty good night.
TNA Knockouts Champion Jade and Gail Kim vs. Sienna and Allie
EC3 made this match right before the commercial break. EC3 and Maria are seated at ringside. Allie was really funny here when she was screeching at EC3. Gail is in control of Allie who is still screeching. The faces use several double team moves on Sienna. Sienna uses several power moves to gain the advantage. Jade got the hot tag and ran wild on Sienna. Jade used the package piledriver on Allie to win the match.
-Back at Matt’s house, Jeff pulls up on his bike as Reby is leaving with Maxell strapped to her chest. She tells him she can’t talk to Matt and wants nothing to do with this. She leaves and Jeff enters the house.
In the house, Matt is playing the piano and Jeff enters. Jeff demands he signs the contract but Matt says they must end this where it began.
-In the ring, The Miracle was mad about the way EC3 has treated him and his wife. The Miracle says he’s not a janitor or referee, he’s a wrestler. EC3 says he lied and The Miracle in fact has a match tonight. EC3 says it’ll be a “miracle” if Bennett’s opponent showed up sober. This obviously brings out James Storm for a match with Bennett.
“The Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis vs. James Storm
Back from commercial and the match is in progress. The Miracle is wearing jeans and not his regular gear. Storm dominates the early moments but The Miracle soon takes over. Storm makes a comeback and hits almost all of his key moves. Storm sets for the Last Call when Maria hands him a beer. Storm teases spiting the beer in her face, but she slaps him which leads to The Miracle scoring the win.
Post match, EC3 confirms their match for Slammiversary. EC3 pointed out that Miracle likes to call himself God but if he’s God then EC3 is his devil. The segment ended with Storm giving The Miracle The Last call.
-In the ring, Al Snow introduced The Tribunal (Basille Baraca and Baron Dax). They cut a promo in French and English. The crowd chanted “boring” and “what” throughout the segment. Al said he beat Grado last week with a wrestling move not using weapons. They showed footage of Al using the Snow Plow to win the match. Grado and Mahabali Shera come out and tried to do comedy that bombed horribly. Grado showed the rest of the footage, which shows Al using weapons. They did some more bad comedy and Al insulted their mother. A brawl broke out with The Tribunal getting the better of the faces.
-We get a recap of the Ultimate X match from last week won by Trevor Lee.
-Next we get an interview with Braxton Sutter, formerly Pepper Parks, who discuss his journey to making it in TNA and his imminent debut.
-Back at Matt’s house, Matt takes Jeff to a room on his property. In the room is a ring, which presumably is the ring the Hardy’s used to train on.
-Drew Galloway is in the ring when Bobby Lashley comes out. Lashley announces Drew’s opponents who are TNA Tag team champs Decay. Josh and The Pope wonder who of Decay is Drew’s opponent.
TNA Champ Drew Galloway vs. Decay (Abyss, Crazy Steve & Rosemary)
Turns out Drew will be taking on all three memebers of Decay. Drew and Decay brawl around ringside to start the match. Rosemary jumps on Drew’s back which distracts him long enough for the heels to take over. Decay tried to double team Drew but he made a comeback and took them out. Drew set up for the claymore, but Rosemary got in his way. Drew teased the Future Shock DDT on Rosemary, but turned his attention to Steve. Abyss scored a near fall with a choke slam. Rosemary pulled out Janice from underneath the ring, which distracted the ref. Lashley snuck in and tried to spear Drew but he moved and Lashley speared Abyss instead. Drew hit the Future Shock DDT on Steve to win the match.
Post match, Drew flipped the bird at Lashley causing the two to have a stare down.
-Back at Matt’s house, they finally sign the contract on a circular table. Matt and Jeff face off in the ring at which point Reby enters with Maxell still strapped to her chest. She yells at Jeff and throws Maxell at him! It’s not actually Maxell it’s actually a doll. Matt hits Jeff with a glass bottle to the back of the head. Matt then gives Jeff the side effect of the apron through the circular table. The table didn’t break and they did this in slow motion. Jeff is left lying on the ground as we fade to black.
Next Time on Impact:
Next week’s Impact is the go-home show for the Slammiversary PPV.
Last week on Impact, Matt Hardy was revealed as the one behind the Willow mask, making him the master mind behind the attacks on his brother, Jeff Hardy. Meanwhile, Ethan Carter III defeated Tyrus in a Last Man Standing match and brings him one-step closer to getting his rematch with Mike Bennett. Last but not least, TNA World Champ, Drew Galloway and Bobby Lashley wrestled to a no contest in a Lumberjack match, which resulted in the entire roster brawling to end the show.
Tonight on Impact:
On tonight’s show, EC3 continues on his Road to Redemption as he goes one-on-one with the twisted and disturbed, Matt Hardy. Also, Trevor Lee will defend the X Division title in an Ultimate X Match. Furthermore, Grado returns and seeks revenge against Al Snow.
Show Recap:
–The night kicks off with Matt Hardy making his way to the ring as Josh Matthews and The Pope tells us that tonight’s show is “May Mayhem”.
-Matt addresses the Impact Zone. He is a changed man and speaks in a strange way. It’s a weird tone and he’s using very proper grammar. Matt has a mad scientist kind of vibe to him that matches his “Einstein” hairstyle. Matt calls his match with EC3 a warm up match. He promises to destroy Jeff at Slammiversary, whom he keeps calling “Brother Nero”. Rockstar Spud and Tyrus hit the ring. Spud seems rather bothered by the changed Matt Hardy. He implores Matt not to face Jeff. Matt challenges Spud and Tyrus to take on Jeff in a ladder match for the Slammiversary contract. If Spud and Tyrus wins he won’t face Jeff, but if they lose he will. However, if Spud and Tyrus are not successful they can no longer associate with Matt. The match is official.
Suddenly, we cut to the catchiest music in wrestling and EC3 makes his way to the ring for his match. Josh reminds us that if EC3 wins he gets his rematch with The Miracle at Slammiversary.
Ethan Carter III vs. Matt Hardy
Back from commercial, EC3 doesn’t know what to make of the changed Matt Hardy. Josh and The Pope talk about the transformation that Matt has gone through and is now a “Psychotic Lunatic”. Matt said the same earlier about himself so they’re pushing this as his new character.
They have a really good back and forth match. These two usually have good matches together. Josh reminds us that EC3 is on his Road to Redemption and he must win by pin fall or submission to get his rematch. EC3 gets the advantage and The Miracle comes down to ringside to get a better look. EC3 locks on the Cobra Clutch but The Miracle jumps EC3 for the disqualification, which means EC3 doesn’t get his rematch.
Post match, The Miracle beat down EC3 and laid him out with the Miracle in Progress. Miracle tells EC3 he failed on his Road To Redemption and that he won’t be getting his rematch. Pope and Josh speculate that The Miracle had no intention to face EC3 ever.
-A whole lot of hot is headed to the ring, as Maria Kanellis is on her way into the arena with her assistant Allie following behind like a little puppy.
-Back from commercial, the interviewer guy asks The Miracle about his actions. The Miracle says he created art but putting together the EC3 Road to Redemption. He compared himself to Prince and mentioned “Purple Rain”.
-In the ring, Allie demands the audience quiet down and listen to her. She introduces Maria. Allie looks at Maria in awe and agree with everything Maria says. The crowd started chanting for Velvet Sky who made her last appearance with TNA last week. Gail Kim interrupts and takes the mic. Gail is very upset about Maria forcing Velvet out of TNA last week. Maria lets us know that because she is the leader of the Knockouts, Maria and Gail can’t touch each other unless it’s in a match. Maria announces that Gail will face Sienna and if Gail loses she has to leave TNA. Sienna jumps Gail from behind and beats her down.
-Backstage, Grado and Mahabali Shera talk about Al Snow. Grado is going to bring weapons and pulls out a chicken leg from his tights. Shera eats the chicken and Grado pulls out a chain from his tights. #notweirdatall
-Backstage, Robbie E. calls Jesse Godderz on his cell phone. Robbie doesn’t realize that Jesse is standing on the other side of the fake wall. Robbie E. wants them to meet a “Guru” at the gym who will help them get the tag titles back. Jesse is ignoring Robbie E. and giving out high fives to random people walking by. This is an interesting way to build up a tag team.
-Still in the back, Gail is very upset about what happen just now. She is determined to defeat Sienna. She has no plans to leave TNA.
-We get a recap video of Al Snow and Grado’s lasting feud. Al asks if the fans want tables and chairs. They cheer, but he says his fists are the only weapons he needs. Al hides on the stage and attacks Grado as he comes out.
Street Fight: Al Snow vs. Grado
Al dominates Grado and beats him around the ringside before sending him in the ring. Al went into his tights and pulled out a white powder (insert dirty joke here.) Grado managed to blind Al with his own white powder. Shera ran out with a trashcan enabling Grado to use the lid on him. Shera brought out the chicken leg from earlier and Grado used it. Grado used the chain and had the match won when two “gentlemen” in “France” shirts run down and attacked Shera. They distracted Grado, which gave Al the chance to beat him. After the match Josh and The Pope wondered who these two gentlemen are. It was the debut of recently released NXT stars formally known as Marcus Louis and Sylvester Lefort, but the announcers did not name them on air.
-Backstage, TNA Champ Drew Galloway and Bobby Lashley have been ordered to the ring and both are on their way.
-Back from commercial, Reby tries to convince Matt to not face Jeff, even trying to use Maxell to get Matt to change his mind. Not surprisingly, not even the kinship between father and son stop Matt from destroying his own brother.
-Jeremy Borash was in the ring recapping last week when Lashley interrupted him. He intimidated J.B. to leave the ring. Lashley wants the TNA titled handed to him because he was screwed out of the title last week. Galloway comes out and wants to fight right now. Before they can fight, TNA President Dixie Carter comes out and announces that they will face in the main event at Slammiversary. Dixie wants a clear winner so the match can only end by knockout or tap out. Drew and Lashley end up brawling. Drew has the advantage until security comes out. Lashley gives the spear to both Drew and the referee. Lashley uses his headband to choke out Drew, and then poses to end the segment with a lot of carnage left in the ring.
Ultimate X Match: X Division Champion Trevor Lee vs. Andrew Everett vs. Eddie Edwards vs. DJ Z
Shane Helms is in both Lee and Everett’s corner. Josh wonders if Everett will help Lee or try to take the title for himself. Eddie hits a dive right off the bat to start the match. This was a really good match and each guy got the chance to shine. There was lots of climbing up the structure and across the cable before being cut off.
DJ Z climbed up and across the cable, but Lee pulled him down into a German suplex in a cool spot. Everett went up to get the belt, but Lee stopped him and freaked out that he was going for the belt. They teased fighting but Shane convinced them to work together. DJ Z prevented Lee from winning and took on both guys. Eddie pulled down the belt, but Lee stole the belt out of Eddie’s hand who was still hanging from the cables. Shane had the referee distracted at ringside so he didn’t see Eddie pull the belt down.
-In the back, Maria pumps Sienna up for her match with Gail. Sienna promises to eliminate Gail from TNA. Allie was repeating Maria, which clearly annoyed her.
-Backstage, it’s time for EC3 to cut his weekly awesome promo. He talked about how The Miracle rigged the game. EC3 compared himself to Bobby Fisher and said he won’t lose this game. He going to make a phone call he doesn’t want to make but he’s going to make it because he wants to face The Miracle.
-Next we get a recap of Sienna ending Velvet’s TNA career. We also get her emotional goodbye.
Sienna w/ “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” and Allie vs. Gail Kim w/ Gail’s Job on the Line
Josh calls Sienna Maria’s enforcer. Josh wonders if Sienna will end Gail’s career like she ended Velvet’s last week.
Gail runs wild on Sienna right from the start. She goes for several near falls and tries to put Sienna away early. She’s in control until Maria distracts her. Sienna takes over on Gail and dominates her. Gail climbs to the top, but Maria pulls her down and Gail takes a nasty fall to the outside. Sienna goes to put Gail away but then Gail rolled up Sienna for the win.
Post match, Maria beats down Gail with the help of Sienna. Maria went absolutely crazy on Gail and kept slapping her over and over.
-Backstage, Spud is worried about their upcoming match. Tyrus tells Spud not to worry about it. Reby shows up and tells them they need to fix this. She tells them they need to end Jeff Hardy. She tells them that Matt won’t even hold Maxell. They promise to handle it.
-Robbie E. and Jesse Godderz are at the gym looking for the “Guru” who will help them win the tag titles. For some reason, they both take their shirts off. The “Guru” ends up being a woman with purple hair called Raquel. The BroMans think it’s weird to be trained by a girl. Robbie couldn’t even look at her. To make a long story short, she’s a tough trainer and they had a good workout. This is the same Raquel that was appearing in segments with Lashley a few months back, but the angle was dropped without explanation. It appears she will now be the valet for the BroMans.
Ladder Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Tyrus & Rockstar Spud
Spud jumps Jeff on the outside to start the match. The heels double-team Jeff, but he makes his own comeback. Jeff slides a ladder in the ring and works over Spud. Tyrus pulled the ladder out of the ring. The heels regain control of the match. Tyrus lays out Jeff and attempts to climb the ladder but the second rung breaks under his weight. Apparently, Tyrus can’t climb the ladder because of his size.
Jeff takes out Tyrus with the Twist of Fate. Spud sneaks up the ladder. Jeff and Spud exchange shots at the top of the ladder until Jeff hits the Twist of Fate sending Spud face first into the ladder. They both fall off the ladder, but Jeff quickly climbs back up and pulls the contract down. That means Jeff vs. Matt is official for Slammiversary and Spud & Tyrus can’t associate with Matt anymore.
Post match, Matt and Jeff have a stare down to end the show.
Next Time on Impact:
Next week, Drew Galloway and Lashley will compete in “Pick Your Poison”, where they will each get to pick the others opponent for the night.
Last week on TNA Impact, Ethan Carter III began his road to redemption by defeating Rockstar Spud in a cage match. This was the first in a series of matches that EC3 must win in order to get a rematch with Mike Bennett. Meanwhile, Willow made his return last week and attacked Jeff Hardy. This was most perplexing because Willow is the alter ego of Jeff.
Tonight on Impact:
On tonight’s show, TNA World Champion Drew Galloway puts his title on the line against Bobby Lashley. Also, Jeff continues his mission to unmask Willow and reveal his true identity.
Show Recap:
–Earlier today, we see Drew Galloway entering the Impact Zone with the TNA title. Also earlier today, Bobby Lashley arrives at the Impact Zone. What a coincidence. Lashley and Drew spot each other backstage and get into a brawl.
-In the Impact Zone, Willow makes his way down to the ring. Josh Matthews and The Pope recap Willow’s attack last week.
Willow enters the ring and takes the microphone, his voice is distorted. He says he is Willow and hear him roar. No, but seriously, he makes an extremely demonic cackle. This brings Jeff to the ring causing the crowd to cheer in ovation. Jeff lets us know that there is only one Willow and he lives inside of him. Jeff speaks like Willow and does the cackling laugh. This leads to a match.
Jeff Hardy vs. Willow
This was a short match and was basically a squash. Jeff dominated Willow and won with the Twist of Fate. After the match, Jeff attempted to take the mask off of Willow when a second Willow attacked Jeff from behind. The two Willows beat down Jeff and pointed at the entrance. A third Willow walked out and Pope said it looked like Jeff. This Willow also spoke with the distorted voice and said he was going to be Jeff’s worst nightmare.
Back from commercial, the two Willows held Jeff as the third Willow addressed him. Willow unmasked to reveal…Maxell Hardy! Just kidding, its Matt Hardy, but he was messed up. This was a different Matt. He spoke with a weird tone and had a streak of blonde hair. It also appeared that his left eye is messed up and appears to be all white. Presumably, the Swanton bomb from the heavens a few weeks ago caused all of this. Matt told Jeff that he scarred him. Matt choked out Jeff in the middle of the ring to end the segment.
-In the back, a tall, beautiful, bubbly blonde approached Velvet Sky. She introduced herself as Allie, Maria’s assistant. She informed Velvet that she has a match with Sienna later. Velvet got in Allie’s face and she backed down. Just then, Allie got a call from Maria who had her assistant tell Velvet that if she lost to Sienna, Velvet will be fired. Allie is better known as Cherry Bomb from the Indies.
-We get a recap of Drew and Lashley brawling earlier in the day. Next, Jeremy Borash interviews TNA President Dixie Carter. She announces that tonight’s title match will be a lumberjack match.
Sienna vs. Velvet Sky w/Velvet’s job on the line
As Velvet makes her way to the ring, Josh reminds us that if Velvet loses she is fired. They’re pushing Sienna as a monster and she dominates the early part of the match. Velvet makes a short comeback and scores several near falls. However, it’s not enough and Sienna hits her finisher to pick up the win. Velvet is fired and is in fact done in TNA.
-Next we get a vignette of Mike Bennett and Maria hanging out by the pool. Maria looked ridiculously hot and The Miracle knows it. He tells Maria to get some sun and then they’ll go over to the Impact Zone to make a miracle happen.
-Back from commercial, Maria is apparently done getting some sun as she introduces The Miracle. He asked if the fans believe in miracles and the crowd chanted “No we don’t”. Miracle discussed EC3’s road to redemption and that if he doesn’t win he won’t get a rematch at Slammiversary. Miracle calls out a future hall of fame because he wants to beat one. He brings out Earl Hebner and challenges him to a match. He provokes Earl to shoving him in the face. Bennett calls out a second referee.
“The Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis vs. “The Referee” Earl Hebner
Mike knocks down Earl and covers him. The referee is hesitant to make the count. Earl kicked out at two and a half to a massive pop from the crowd. Bennett flipped out and got in the referee’s face. Earl gave a low blow to The Miracle. Maria distracted Earl and Miracle knocked him down. Bennett pinned Earl to win the match.
Post match, Miracle continued to attack Earl until EC3 ran out for the save. Miracle distracted EC3 and Tyrus jumped him from behind. Bennett announced that EC3 will face Tyrus in a Last Man Standing match. EC3’s road to redemption continues after the commercial.
Last Man Standing: Ethan Carter III vs. Tyrus
Back from commercial and the match is underway. Tyrus set up a chair in the corner but EC3 countered and sent him shoulder first into the chair. EC3 brings a table in the ring and uses the steel chair on Tyrus. Tyrus barley makes it to his feet at the count of nine. EC3 goes for the one percenter by Tyrus counters and sends EC3 through to steel chairs. EC3 makes it back to his feet before the count of 10. Tyrus set EC3 up on the table and went up for the Vader Bomb. EC3 got back to his feet and power bombed Tyrus through the table. However, Tyrus made back to his feet and continued to beat down EC3. EC3 gives Tyrus the Samoan Drop through a guardrail set up by Tyrus. EC3 placed the steel steps on top of Tyrus. Tyrus is unable to answer the count of 10 and EC3 wins the match.
Like last week, The Miracle came out after the match but unlike last week was not clapping.
– Next we get a video package of Bobby Lashley training in the gym.
– We get a recap of Willow/Matt’s attack on Jeff earlier. In the back, Jeff is irate over the attack. He challenges Matt to a match at Slammiversary.
Eddie Edwards and DJ Z vs. The Helms Dynasty (X Division Champion Trevor Lee & Andrew Everett w/ Gregory Shane Helms)
This is a fast paced match with lots of high impact moves. DJ Z chases Everett around ringside and runs right into a sick boot from Lee. The heels take over on Z and isolate him in their side of the ring. Eddie gets the hot tag and runs wild on the heels. Z tags himself in and hits an insane suicide dive threw the turnbuckles on an angle. Eddie hits a dive onto Lee and DJ Z connects with a DDT on Everett to win the match.
-We get a recap of Velvet losing in her last match in TNA to Sienna. In the back, Velvet cuts an emotional promo and fights back the tears. She says goodbye to TNA, her friends and the fans. As noted earlier, Velvet is in fact finished with TNA.
-Another video package this time on Drew Galloway training.
Facts of Life with Eli Drake w/King of the Mountain Champion Bram
It’s time for Facts of Life with Eli Drake. It’s also time for one of the most annoying gimmicks in wrestling. Every time Eli says, “dummy” he presses a button and a graphic pops up of Eli saying, “Dummy, yeah.” I blame Mr. Anderson for fact that his segment now exists. Eli does his own introduction using his “announcer” voice. Eli has his Feast or Fired KOTM title shot briefcase with him. Eli brings out KOTM champion Bram. Eli wants Bram to simply hand over the KOTM title but Bram refuses. Eli teases cashing in his title shot but instead he leaves. They brawl briefly until Eli escapes.
-In the back, EC3 cuts a very brief promo. He wants Mike Bennett and his rematch. EC3 only said about five to seven lines, but it was still far better then the previous segment.
-Still in the back, EC3 confronts The Miracle and Maria. EC3 demands his match with Bennett. The Miracle refuses and lets EC3 know he’s not done on his road to redemption. Next week, EC3 must defeat Matt Hardy and maybe if he’s victorious he’ll get his rematch with Bennett.
Lumberjack Match: TNA World Champion Drew Galloway vs. “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley
Members of the TNA roster surround the ring for the lumberjack match. They trade moves to start the match. Lashley sends Galloway to the floor on the heel side of the ring.
Back from commercial, Lashley is in control of the match and sends Drew back outside to the heel side of the ring. The heels tease beating Drew, but they send him back in the ring. Lashley dominated Drew, but Galloway got back to his feet and made a comeback. Galloway goes for the Future Shock DDT but Lashley got out of it. Drew used the Celtic Cross and set up for the Claymore kick when the heel lumberjacks pulled Drew out of the ring resulting in the end of the match.
Post match, all hell broke loose with all the entire roster brawling at ringside. DJ Z and Trevor Lee both hit dives onto the lumberjacks. In a sick spot, Eddie gave a super plex to Andrew Everett from the top rope to the outside on all the lumberjacks.
In the ring, a bunch of guys hit moves. Bram knocked out Lashley and Eli knocked out Bram. Jeff took out Eli and set up for the Swanton. Matt ran out and brawled with Jeff to the back. Bennett took out Eli. EC3 starred down Bennett who backed off. Lashley then speared EC3 and Galloway caught Lashley with the Claymore. Drew then hit a dive to the outside on everyone to end the show.
Next Time on Impact:
EC3’s road to redemption continues as he battles Matt Hardy. Also, Grado returns to go one-on-one with Al Snow. Plus, next week the Ultimate X match returns.
Last week on Impact, Bobby Lashley defeated Jeff Hardy and Mike Bennett in a triple threat match to become the number one contender for the TNA World title. Lashley and World Champion Drew Galloway had two pull apart brawls including one that took place at a gym.
Tonight on Impact:
On tonight’s Impact, the feud between Lashley and Galloway kicks into high gear as we enter Slammiversary season. Also, Jeff Hardy has some questions for Tag Champs Decay, whose interference last week cost Hardy the triple threat match. Last but certainly not least, The Miracle has something nefarious planned for Ethan Carter III. Muah ha ha ha!
Show Recap:
–Josh Matthews and The Pope stand ringside and welcome us to tonight’s Impact.
-Jeff Hardy makes his way down to the ring to a roaring reaction from the crowd. He says he does everything for his fans, also known as The Creatures. He brings up Decay and their interference in last week’s main event. Jeff mentions that he had no problem with Decay and even thought they were cool. Jeff is cut off by Decay’s music and the TNA tag champs make their way to the ring.
Abyss tells Jeff that it was just business and they actually like him. Rosemary lets Jeff know that they were paid to attack him. Abyss mentions that the individual who paid them off will make himself known when the time is right. A brawl breaks out with Decay getting the better of Jeff until James Storm hits the ring for the save. Storm and Hardy challenge Decay to a title match and Josh tells us that we’ll find out if they accept after the break.
TNA Tag Team Champions Decay (Crazy Steve & Abyss) w/Rosemary vs. Jeff Hardy and James Storm
Back from commercial and the match is underway. Decay briefly isolate Storm with double team moves including Abyss chokeslamming Steve onto a prone Storm. Storm made the hot tag to Jeff who ran wild on the champs. Jeff laid out Abyss with the Twist of Fate and then went to the top for the Swanton when the lights suddenly went out. When the lights came back on, Willow, Jeff’s alter ego, appeared on the stage and distracted Jeff. Decay spit mist in Jeff eyes and pinned him to retain the tag belts. Willow disappeared and Josh pointed out the obvious: that it wasn’t Jeff dressed up as Willow.
– Back from commercial, Jeff is in the back and screaming in pain. Jeff wonders who that was dressed up as Willow. Jeff says that he’s Willow but that wasn’t him out there. Jeff promises to reveal who is behind the Willow mask tonight.
– Next, we get a great video of Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis attending a Smashing Pumpkins concert. They went backstage to visit lead singer and TNA management Billy Corgan. They pitch some ideas to Billy.
– TNA World Champion Drew Galloway comes out to the ring. Drew cuts a passionate promo about defending the TNA title and making TNA great again. Drew calls out Lashley to the ring and the number one contender joins him in the ring. They argue back and forth until Drew finally challenges Lashley to fight right now. Instead, Lashley is going to take his title shot next week. Lashley walks away leaving Galloway in the ring.
– Eli Drake comes out with his Feast or Fired briefcase. He challenges Drew to a title match and luckily for Eli, Drew is looking for a fight tonight. They end up brawling and Josh informs us that the title match is official.
TNA World Champion Drew Galloway vs. Eli Drake
Drew doesn’t have his ribs taped up this week, but Josh points out that his ribs aren’t fully healed. Eli got in a good majority of offense and was in control for a good portion of the match. Eli tried to use the world title and Feast or Fired briefcase, but got caught by referee Brian Hebner. Drew caught Eli with the Claymore and Future Shock DDT for the win.
Post match, Lashley snuck up on Drew and caught him with a spear. Lashley posed with the belt.
– In the back, EC3 is on his way to the ring and is going to call out Mike Bennett. EC3 has been on fire lately with his promos.
– Backstage, Maria informs Knockouts Champion Jade and Gail Kim that they’ll have a match later with Sienna at ringside.
– The catchiest music in wrestling hits and EC3 makes his way to the ring. EC3 comes across like a really big star. The crowd loves him and chants his name. He promises to not talk over the chant. EC3 is a man with a vendetta and calls out The Miracle telling him to bring his wife. The Miracle and Maria make their way to the ring and look stunning.
EC3 said he’s glad that Bennett wore his sunglasses because it’s always sunny in “doucheville.” This was a funny line and gets a “doucheville” chant from the crowd. EC3 challenges Bennett to another match but Bennett refuses him. Bennett will give EC3 a match if he can beat the “demons” from EC3’s past. He accepts and The Miracle informs him that later tonight EC3 will compete in a cage match, but won’t tell him who his opponent is yet.
TNA Knockouts Champion Jade vs. Gail Kim
Sienna is ringside for this match. They have a really good back and forth match. Jade scored a close near fall with a German suplex. Gail took over on Jade and they brawled on the outside. Sienna distracted Gail and Jade hits a suicide dive on Gail. Jade sends Gail back in the ring at which point Sienna jumped Jade and knocked her out. Gail and Sienna brawled with Sienna getting the better of Gail.
– Next, we get a video of Al Snow at the Al Snow Wrestling Academy. Two of his students were competing while Snow cut a passionate promo. Al said that this is how wrestling use to be. He adds that he’s like Donald Trump: he’s not allowing anybody into the wrestling business. He’s going to eliminate Grado and Mahabali Shera.
Al Snow vs. Mahabali Shera
Al takes the mic and basically repeats the previous promo from the academy. He tells everyone that he is the Donald Trump of wrestling. Al is going to build a wall around wrestling and will decide who gets in. Al rips the fans as they chant “boring”. There has been a lot of talking on this episode of Impact. Shera comes out and Al quickly gets the advantage. Al uses an illegal object on Shera, but is able to hide it from the referee. Snow went into his tights and pulled out another illegal object, but Grado showed up and distracted Al, giving Shera the chance to pull out the surprise victory.
– In the back, Jeff is searching for Willow and finally finds him. They brawl around the backstage area as we cut to commercial.
– Back from commercial, Jeff is beating the life out of Willow when suddenly a second Willow attacks Jeff from behind. The strange new Willow takes out Jeff with the chair. The camera pulls back and it’s revealed that it was three Willows that attacked Jeff.
– Backstage, Snow cut an insane promo about his loss to Shera. Al points out that it took two guys to beat him. Al calls himself a real athlete and charges off.
– EC3 comes out for the cage match. Josh reminds us that this is the first match in EC3’s road to redemption. He must win this match to eventually get another match with Mike Bennett. Bennett introduces the first “demon” EC3 must over come is Rockstar Spud.
Steel Cage Match: Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud
Spud charges into the cage full of passion and fire. This is short lived as EC3 quickly takes over. EC3 bounces Spud all over the ring. Spud gets the advantage with a low blow. Spud uses his belt and viciously whips EC3 on the back. Spud kept trying to escape the cage, but EC3 prevented him each time. EC3 bounced Spud off the cage. Spud climbed to the top of the cage but EC3 caught him and gave him a press slam from the top. EC3 hit the One Percenter for the pin and the win.
Post match, Mike Bennett walked out onto the stage and applauded EC3’s victory to end the show.
Next Time on Impact:
TNA World Champion Drew Galloway will defend against “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley.
In last week’s main event, Mike Bennett performed a miracle when he pinned Ethan Carter III, his first loss by pinfall since debuting in TNA. Also, Drew Galloway defeated Tyrus to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Title. To top it all off, Reby revealed that her husband Matt Hardy had become cold and distant since suffering an injury at the hands of Jeff Hardy.
Last week’s Impact was also significant for being the final television appearance of Bobby Roode and Eric Young. Decay defeated Roode & James Storm for the TNA Tag Titles, while Bram defeated EY for the King of the Mountain title. Both Roode and EY had been with TNA for over ten years.
This Week on Impact:
On tonight’s Impact, Drew Galloway promised to call out Bobby Lashley for a face-to-face confrontation. In addition, Bram will defened his King of the Mountain title in a KOTM match.
Show Recap:
– Earlier today, Bobby Lashley pulls up in front of the gym Drew Galloway is at, looking for a fight. Inside the gym, Galloway is being interviewed when Lashley runs in and jumps him. They brawl in front of the treadmills and eventually to the back. Lashley throws Drew into an Octagon and says “Now you’re in my world.” They continued to brawl until they were pulled apart.
– In the Impact Zone, Josh reminds us that Drew had challenged Lashley for a fight tonight but apparently Lashley couldn’t wait.
– Josh and The Pope officially welcome us to Impact as Mike Bennett and Maria make their way to the ring. Bennett recaps his victory over EC3 last week. He points out that by being the first person to pin EC3 he did something Sting, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy couldn’t do. Bennett mentions that he holds a victory over Drew and wants World title match. Bennett calls himself God and this brings out Jeff Hardy. Bennett brings up Jeff hitting the Swanton Bomb on Matt and the crowd cheers. They argue and Bennett says he’s going to ask his “good friend” Dixie Carter to make a main event match for later. Jeff doesn’t need to ask Dixie and knocks Bennett out of the ring. Bennett calls for a referee and Bennett vs. Jeff is official.
Jeff Hardy vs. “Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ “The First Lady of Professorial Wrestling” Maria Kanellis
Back from commercial, Jeff is on the top and Maria is standing between him and a fallen Bennett. Maria slaps Jeff and he goes after her, which allows Bennett to hit the ace crusher. Hardy makes a fiery comeback and sets Mike on the top. He sets up for the twist of fate but Lashley sneaks in and spears Jeff. Bennett thanks Lashley and they celebrate. Suddenly, Lashley spears Bennett in half. Lashley demands Dixie Carter come out and give him a title match. Dixie comes out but won’t just give him a title shot.
Dixie makes a major match for tonight when she announces that Lashley will face Jeff and Mike in a number one contenders three-way match with Drew Galloway as referees in tonight’s main event.
– In the back, Rosemary cuts a promo that is scarier then a dead child in a cornfield in a horror movie. She asks Crazy Steve if he’s ready for his transformation. He nods yes and she spits the mist into his mouth. He screams in pain and twitches on the floor. She then tells Abyss to take off his mask and she spits the mist into his face. He also screams in pain but it switches to laughter. Rosemary holds Abyss and screams “Decay! Decay!”
– In the arena, The TNA Tag team champions Decay (Abyss & Crazy Steve) are lead to the ring by Rosemary. Both Steve and Abyss have towels hiding their faces. Rosemary reveals the new Crazy Steve and Abyss. The new Crazy Steve can now speak presumably because of the mist she spit into his mouth. Steve spoke before revealing the new Abyss. He has face paint instead of wearing a mask. Abyss said that he’s free and beautiful. Rosemary said they banished half of Beer Money.
James Storm comes out to Beer Money’s theme. Storm says that Decay might have something with Beer Money not being around but he’s still here. Storm is now on his own. Storm hits the ring and sends Decay to the outside. Storm challenges Abyss to a match.
James Storm vs. Abyss w/ Crazzy Steve and Rosemary
Abyss and Storm brawl around ringside to start the match. Rosemary and Steve distract Storm long enough for Abyss to get the advantage. Storm makes a wild comeback and hits a flurry of offence. Steve tried to spit green mist into Storm’s face but he ducked and took out Steve. Abyss then spit blue mist into Storm’s eyes and picks up the win with the Black Hole Slam.
– In the back, Jeff talks about the three way main event. The interviewer guy asks about Matt. Jeff says that the Swanton Bomb was from 32 Feet and the he broke Matt, the table and their relationship.
– In the ring, the leader of the Knockouts Division Maria is in the ring and demands Knockouts Champion Jade come out. Maria wants Jade to stand behind her and admit her mistake. Maria claims she handed Jade the title and wouldn’t be champ without her. Maria wants Jade to lie down and give her the title. Jade says she doesn’t lay down for anyone not a woman, man or bitch. Maria is offended and brings out the debuting Sienna to take fight Jade.
Sienna tosses Jade around the ring. The crowd is solidly behind Jade and chanted “Jade” and “Badass”. Sienna dominates Jade but she gets in a bit of offense. In a sick looking spot, Sienna picked up Jade in a German suplex/wheel barrow position and swings her head/shoulder first into the steal steps. Sienna finishes Jade off and leaves her lying in the ring.
– In the back, Bram discusses winning the KOTM title and sending Eric Young out of TNA.
– Coming up next, Jeremy Borash is going to have an exclusive interview with EC3.
– In the back, Sienna is asked about being Maria’s muscle. She says that Maria is the leader of the Division and will follow her.
– J.B. is scheduled to interview EC3 but he’s a no-show. Instead he gets Mike Bennett. He says EC3 is scared and that nobody in TNA can beat The Miracle.
King of the Mountain Champion Bram vs. Eli Drake vs. Jesse Godderz vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Andrew Everett w/Gregory Shane helms
Rules for the match, once a wrestler is pinned he goes in the penalty box for 5 minutes. Whoever scores the pin is eligible to climb a ladder and hang the belt up. It’s a typical KOTM match with lots of brawling, quick pin falls and ladder spots. Bram is the first to become eligible with a pin fall on Everett. Shane pushes Eddie off the top and helps Eli score the pin fall. Wouldn’t Shane want to help Everett get the pin?
Everett misses a beautiful looking moonsault, which allows Jesse to score the victory. Everett and Eddie fight to the back. Eli uses the KOTM title shot brief case to knock out Jesse. Bram connects with a drop kick knocking Eli off the ladder. Bram climbs the ladder and hooks up the belt and wins the match. Eli teases cashing in this KOTM Feast or Fired contract but doesn’t at the last second.
– In the back, Eli talked about the fear in his eyes being a reflection of the fear in Bram’s eyes. Bram shows up and chases Eli away. Bram goes looking for Eli.
– We get a recap of “The Swanton from The Heavens” that Jeff executed on Matt. Next we get an interview with Matt. It’s dimly lit and done some place backstage. He says the doctors have told him he can’t wrestle because the injury to his spine is so severe. He asks, “how can Jeff be so cruel?”
– Bennett and Maria come out for the main event, but they’re soon followed by EC3. EC3 congratulates Bennett for doing something he said he was going to do. EC3 accepts his loss like a man and won’t complain about it. EC3 hopes that Bennett wins the three-way and goes onto the win the world title so he can know the satisfaction of winning the title. EC3 vows that he’ll beat Bennett for the title. EC3 says if Bennett is God that must mean he’s the devil. Once again EC3 is the highlight of the night. His promo was fantastic here and is the kind of promo a babyface should cut after losing a major match.
As EC3 left, Lashley made his way to the ring. They had a very brief showdown. They’re teasing EC3 vs. Lashley for down the road, which would make sense to happen at Bound for Glory in the fall.
Jeff Hardy vs. “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley vs. “Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ Maria Kanellis (w/special ref Drew Galloway)
Referee Drew Galloway is wearing shorts. Match starts with Lashley and Bennett taking turns beating down Jeff. Drew can do nothing but watch as Bennett and Lashley double-team his friend. Hardy fights back and takes out both guys. Jeff sends Lashley and Bennett to the outside. Jeff leaps off the corner and lands on Lashley and Bennett on the floor.
Jeff hits the Twist of Fate on Bennett and hits the Swanton off the top. Lashley takes out Jeff before he can go for the pin. Lashley points at Drew as he holds up Bennett in a delayed standing vertical suplex. Lashley sets up for the spear on Bennett, but he moves and he spears Drew instead. Jeff pins Lashley, but Drew is on the outside in pain and unable to make the count. Instead Jeff goes after Bennett on the outside.
Jeff hits the Swanton onto Bennett who is on the steel steps on the outside. Decay runs down and attacks Jeff. Abyss gives Jeff the choke slam on the steel steps. Jeff lays on the steps and struggles to his feet. In an awesome spot, Lashley runs up the steps and spears Jeff into the ring post. Lashley gives Jeff another spear in the ring. Drew recovers and is forced to count the three. Lashley is the winner and new number one contender.
Post match, Drew checks on Jeff and helps him out of the ring. Lashley demands that Drew raise his hand, which he does reluctantly. They end up brawling to end the show just like they did to start the show.
Next Time on Impact:
The build for one of TNA’s flagship PPV’s Slammiversary will continue on next week’s Impact.
When former TNA Champions Eric Young and Bobby Roode left TNA in March, the assumption they would head to the land of WWE/NXT seemed pretty obvious. But as we know in today’s wrestling culture, anything is possible when it comes to what goes into that decision making process.
Roode made an on-screen debut during NXT TakeOver during Wrestlemania weekend and Thursday night at the latest set of NXT tapings, Young made his promotional debut by interrupting and confronting NXT Champion Samoa Joe during an interview segment. The two then had a non-title match as part of the first show they taped. If you want the result, click here.
The 36-year-old Young has been a pro since 1998 and is best known for his decade-plus run in TNA that saw him win every male title the company offered and even the Knockouts tag team titles at one point.
Here’s the results and notes from Sunday night’s TNA Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando, FL. This was for the show that look to be airing on 5/31 and 6/7 — the latter as the go-home show for the 6/12 Slammiversary PPV:
– Matt Hardy came out with a contract for a Full Metal Mayhem (essentially a TLC match) match against Jeff Hardy. Tyrus and Rockstar Spud tried to talk Matt out of signing the contract. Somehow, this led to a ladder match where Jeff wrestled Spud & Tyrus and if they won, Jeff wouldn’t get his match with Matt.
– Jeff Hardy beat Tyrus & Spud in the handicap ladder match so Jeff vs. Matt is on for the PPV.
– Trevor Lee won an Ultimate X match over DJ Zema Ion, Eddie Edwards and Andrew Everett
– Sienna beat Madison Rayne. The winner was to get a shot at the Knockouts title held by Jade on the PPV.
– Ethan Carter III beat Matt Hardy via DQ when Mike Bennett attacked Carter.
– Basile Baracca & Baron Dax (Sylvester Lefort & Marcus Louis in NXT) & Abyss & Crazzy Steve beat Grado & Mahabali Shera & Robbie E & Jessie Godderz
– Trevor Lee beat Eddie Edwards to retain the X title.
– Ethan Carter III & Gail Kim beat Mike Bennett & Allie. Allie is Laura Dennis, the former Cherry Bomb. It was advertised as Bennett & Maria but the gimmick is that Maria always gets out of it when it’s her time to wrestle.
– There was an angle where Matt Hardy claimed Jeff was injured and their match at the PPV was off.
– TNA Champion Drew Galloway beat Matt Hardy via DQ when Bobby Lashley attacked Galloway. A ton of Willows showed up, one of which was Jeff, so the idea is that it was poetic justice as Matt had pretended to be injured weeks back and showed up as a Willow to attack Jeff.
TNA Impact Wrestling ran a set of TV tapings Thursday Notes in Orlando, FL, for Pop TV that will begin airing on Tuesday, May 3rd:
Eddie Edwards beat Caleb Konley. This may have been a dark match.
James Storm cut a promo that he’s now a singles wrestler.
Jeff Hardy and Mike Bennett had a confrontation that led to a match that Hardy won by DQ when Bobby Lashley ran in and speared Hardy.
James Storm beat Abyss who was accompanied by the rest of Decay who had new looks. Abyss now has face paint.
Sienna (aka the debuting Allysin Kay, a 28-year-old vet of AIW, Shimmer, Shine, etc.) debuted and laid out Jade.
X-Division Champion Trevor Lee beat Mandrews
King of The Mountain Champion Bram retained the title in a match against Eli Drake, Jessie Godderz, Robbie E, and Andrew Everett. Drake attacked Bram post-match
Jeff Hardy wrestled Lashley. Drew Galloway was ref. Bennett interfered and they had a four-way brawl.
In a cage match, EC3 defeated Rockstar Spud. Bennett was out supporting Spud.
In just three sentences, the entire world of MMA may have changed.
UFC was planning its biggest set of shows in history, built around a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight, which was expected to be the biggest money event in company history.
