D-Dogg
07-16-2006, 05:49 PM
Credit to Wrestlezone.com
- We start with Rhino in center ring. He said Vince McMahon came knocking on his door asking for him to come back. He said he told Vince to kiss his ass. Rhino said McMahon wanted to start up ECW again. "How can you start up ECW when you don't have their last ever TV Champion and their last World Heavyweight Champion on the roster?" he asked. Well, because Rhino was the default champion at the time. Rhino said he had a title in a bag from when he unified the titles. He said McMahon sent lawyers after him asking for the title back. Rhino told McMahon to come to the Impact zone and take the belt from him. "Rhino, Rhino" the fans chanted. He told the fans to calm down. "I stand before you as the War Machine and I'm going to do something," he said. "I'm going to do something that I should have done five long years ago." He left the ring with the bag with the "belt" inside. The camera focused on the announce table where a red Batphone was sitting next to Tenay and West. Weird. Rhino walked out of the back and said he's tired of people trying to re-create the past. "ECW is dead and the only thing that is left is a proper burial," he said. Rhino dropped the bag in the trash. He said he's tired of Vince McMahon making money off his blood, sweat, and tears. $1.0 million says to the victor goes to the spoils. Rhino issued an open challenge to anyone from a four, six, or eight-sided ring to face him in the Impact zone. "Gore, gore, gore!" he screamed. Amazing heat in the ring for his promo. Great delivery from Rhino.
Tenay and West officially introduced the show as Abyss walked to the ring with James Mitchell. In a pre-taped promo, James Mitchell said Abyss is joining forces with James Gang to battle Team 3D. Didn't really explain much.
ABYSS (w/James Mitchell) vs. NORMAN SMILEY
Last week, it was Brown and this week, it's Abyss. Smiley did the dance after ducking a clothesline then walked into a big boot. Abyss hit the Black Hole Slam off the ropes for the Impact 2004 squash match win.
WINNER: Abyss in 1:00.
[Commercial Break]
Afterwards, James Gang walked out. B.G. said they came to the ring to find out if Abyss would accept their proposal to team together. "DX Rejects," the fans chanted. B.G. wanted to make sure Abyss would stand side by side with their team against Team 3D. Mitchell shook hands with a Cheshire cat grin. B.G. wanted to make sure Abyss could be controlled. Abyss accepted the partnership agreement, albeit not in traditional terms. B.G. said Team 3D was on the highway to hell.
In a pre-taped interview, Sting addressed the #1 Contender match at the PPV. He said he's not running from an opportunity to win the title. He said he would like to lock horns with Samoa Joe down the road. He said he's going to get the title off Jarrett after Victory. Sting guaranteed...that it would be Showtime.
[Commercial Break]
In a pre-taped video, Shane Douglas said he didn't expect the re-birth of the Naturals to be so difficult. He said he broke down the Naturals and rebuilt them. Douglas said they would face Diamonds in the Rough at the PPV.
Tenay and West discussed the Victory Road PPV card. They went to A.J. and Daniels in a pre-taped promo.
Daniels talked about competing with AMW. He said there was always some sort of interference that prevented them from winning the titles. He said they went to Zbyszko to seek a fair match, but nothing positive resulted. Daniels said they brought in Zyrleda (sp?) to take out Gail Kim and help them win the belt. Styles said it was now AMW's last chance to win the titles at the PPV.
SENSHI vs. JERRELLE CLARK -- non-title match
Clark took Senshi down with a drop kick early on. Senshi came back with a gutbuster across the knee leading to a nearfall. Clark dominated with forearm blows before Senshi came back with a kick to the gut and back. Senshi scored with a back kick then made a cover for a nearfall. He landed a stiff chop to the chest then Clark caught him in the corner and slammed him into the turnbuckle. Senshi nailed a kick in retaliation. He hit a drop kick then went up top for the Warrior's Way double foot smash to the chest. He made the cover for the win.
WINNER: Senshi in 3:00.
Way too much offense for Clark. Senshi isn't going to develop into the type of X Division champion to follow Styles, Daniels, or Joe being placed in matches like this. It's a lose-lose situation because he's expected to win these matches, whereby a win isn't impressive, but he should be dominating lesser opponents. The goal should be to develop the character outside of the ring then have him wrestle competitive matches against quality opponents.
In a pre-taped video promo, Scott Steiner called Christian a dumb Canadian. He said a Canadian cannot match up against an American. Steiner said it wouldn't be Showtime for Sting and Samoa Joe's winning streak would be over. Addressing Jarrett, he said friends will be friends, but when he's in the ring, there are no friends. Entertaining promo with a point. Steiner has earned his position as one of the top acts on the show.
[Commercial Break]
In a pre-taped promo, Christian Cage said Jim Cornette came to TNA to do the right thing, but nothing he has done has benefited him. He said the #1 Contender match is part of a process for him to regain the NWA Title. He said when they locked eyes at the last PPV while standing on top of the ladder, he could sense that Sting knew Christian was the better man. Good, straightforward promo from Christian, creating tension between the two wrestlers for the PPV. We often talk about TNA characters remaining stagnant and not evolving over time. It's nice to see Christian's character evolving.
In our next Eye Spy installment, Alex Shelley talked about Paparazzi Productions. He said Johnny Devine is his new production assistant. Shelley said they're going to have a non-title tag match against Styles and Daniels. Devine said he's waited so long to punch Daniels in the face.
[Commercial Break]
A.J. STYLES & CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. ALEX SHELLEY & JOHNNY DEVINE -- non-title match
Tenay said they're now called the Paparazzi's. Shelley thumbed Styles in the eye to prevent Styles's dropsault combination. Tenay said he received a note from Jim Cornette's office that Monty Brown and Rhino will face off at the PPV. Devine caught Daniels in the Pappa corner, which allowed Shelley to take control. They focused on Konnan and Moody Jack sitting at the Spanish announce table calling the action with civility. Tenay said it was nice to see them so humbled by Cornette. Boy, I hope this leads to LAX snapping out of this "being corporate friendly" development and snapping on some people. That would make for great TV. Styles took the hot tag at 3:00 and came off the top with a flying fist smash on Shelley. Styles hit a reverse Clash then rolled over Devine for a reverse pin resulting in a nearfall. Shelley broke up the Clash then tried to use his camera. However, Zyrleda hit the ringside area and pulled the camera away. Styles and Daniels tossed Shelley to the outside, leaving Devine alone in the ring. Styles hit the Clash on Devine for the win.
Afterwards, Gail Kim and AMW hit the ring and jumped the tag champs. Gail and Zyrelda brawled outside of the ring. AMW hand cuffed Styles and Daniels to the ropes. Instead of focusing on this post-match development, they cut away to more video promos.
WINNERS: Styles & Daniels in 5:00.
Chyna had charisma and presence when she started out with DX. Zyrleda doesn't.
In a pre-taped video exchange, Zbyszko and Raven discussed their hair vs. hair match. Zbyszko said he hates the generation that followed his generation because they were crybabies. He said he would never lose his dignity.
Back at the Impact zone, Slick Johnson was passing out bald pictures of Zbyszko to the fans. Zbyszko ran out and tried to put a stop to the indignation.
In a pre-taped segment, Samoa Joe talked about the Victory Road match. He addressed Sting, Christian, and Steiner. He said Christian can bitch about his problems, but he's better because he can get the job done. Joe said he came to TNA to be a champion. Too much going on commercial to commercial.
[Commercial Break]
In a pre-taped promo, Jeff Jarrett cut a promo about winning the NWA Title at Slammiversary. He said he had nothing to do with Earl Hebner and Larry Zbyszko helping him win the belt. Of course, the video replayed footage of Jarrett telling Zbyszko and Hebner to get out of the Impact zone after the match. He said he didn't need to wash his hands of anything because he had nothing to wash his hands of. Jarrett also said he would take a lie detector test to prove his innocence. Jarrett played a good heel there. He addressed Christian, Sting, Steiner, and Joe. Line of the night from Jarrett saying Samoa Joe hasn't been in big money matches like he has been. I certainly hope he's not referring to anything in the last five years.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Team Canada about their Do or Die match tonight. D'Amore told Borash to shut up. He gave a pep talk to everyone except for Eric Young. He told Young, who was despondent, to get his head in the game. Bobby Roode told D'Amore not to worry about it. He said they would stick it to Cornette.
TEAM CANADA (PETEY WILLIAMS & BOBBY ROODE & ERIC YOUNG & A-1 w/Scott D'Amore) vs. RHINO & JAY LETHAL & TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON)
Tenay said Cornette is a man of second chances and he decided to raise the stakes by giving Canada a chance to remain a team, but also give the person who scores the pin a chance to challenge for a title of his choosing. Team 3D double teamed Roode early on. Petey took a tag and Ray accepted right hands before hanging him upside down in the corner to work on the stomach. Lethal took a tag and hit a top rope double sledgehammer to the arm. Petey responded with a neck breaker.
[Commercial Break]
Roode pounded Lethal's back with forearms before Lethal came back with a kick to the head. Roode did a face-first flop. Rhino took a hot tag from Lethal. He rammed A-1 in the gut with a shoulderblock. Lethal came off the top with a cross body block. Eric Young broke up the pin attempt. Petey went for a Canadian Destroyer on Devon, but Devon slipped out and Team 3D hit the 3D in swift motion. Nice spot. The action broke down with Lethal scoring several close nearfalls. D'Amore entered the ring with the hockey stick and used it on Lethal. Young held Roode in the corner because he didn't want D'Amore to help Canada cheat to win. Brother Rant ran into the ring and hit the Acid Drop on D'Amore. He hit a top rope splash onto Roode and Petey on the outside. In the ring, Rhino Gored A-1. Lethal came off the top with a diving head butt as the fans cheered on. Lethal made the cover for the win.
Afterwards, Rhino celebrated the victory with Lethal, who benefited from additional exposure in the main event. Tenay said Lethal has a tough decision to make regarding the title he wants to challenge for. Petey and Roode had shocked looks on their faces on the outside. In a hilarious show-closing moment, Young grabbed Don West's leg and wailed in deep sorrow and anguish.
WINNERS: Lethal & Rhino & Team 3D in 10:00.
Exciting TV match. The key for these Impact main events is to keep the action going, keep fans tuned in to see what's going to happen, and kick the drama into high gear. I felt they accomplished that. Now, whether enough fans care enough about Team Canada being split apart will be evident in the quarter hour TV ratings. But, they did their best to deliver a solid TV main event. Let's hope Lethal actually gets his title shot and TNA treats it like a big deal, unlike in 2005 when Abyss and Brown won too many unclaimed #1 Contender matches to count.
They closed with a fast-paced music video highlighting the feuds at the PPV. A good move considering the main event wasn't selling a specific match at the PPV, but it was more of a blow off match for Team Canada, which you can debate whether it should have been in the main event when the selling point of the PPV is Joe-Steiner-Sting-Christian.
- We start with Rhino in center ring. He said Vince McMahon came knocking on his door asking for him to come back. He said he told Vince to kiss his ass. Rhino said McMahon wanted to start up ECW again. "How can you start up ECW when you don't have their last ever TV Champion and their last World Heavyweight Champion on the roster?" he asked. Well, because Rhino was the default champion at the time. Rhino said he had a title in a bag from when he unified the titles. He said McMahon sent lawyers after him asking for the title back. Rhino told McMahon to come to the Impact zone and take the belt from him. "Rhino, Rhino" the fans chanted. He told the fans to calm down. "I stand before you as the War Machine and I'm going to do something," he said. "I'm going to do something that I should have done five long years ago." He left the ring with the bag with the "belt" inside. The camera focused on the announce table where a red Batphone was sitting next to Tenay and West. Weird. Rhino walked out of the back and said he's tired of people trying to re-create the past. "ECW is dead and the only thing that is left is a proper burial," he said. Rhino dropped the bag in the trash. He said he's tired of Vince McMahon making money off his blood, sweat, and tears. $1.0 million says to the victor goes to the spoils. Rhino issued an open challenge to anyone from a four, six, or eight-sided ring to face him in the Impact zone. "Gore, gore, gore!" he screamed. Amazing heat in the ring for his promo. Great delivery from Rhino.
Tenay and West officially introduced the show as Abyss walked to the ring with James Mitchell. In a pre-taped promo, James Mitchell said Abyss is joining forces with James Gang to battle Team 3D. Didn't really explain much.
ABYSS (w/James Mitchell) vs. NORMAN SMILEY
Last week, it was Brown and this week, it's Abyss. Smiley did the dance after ducking a clothesline then walked into a big boot. Abyss hit the Black Hole Slam off the ropes for the Impact 2004 squash match win.
WINNER: Abyss in 1:00.
[Commercial Break]
Afterwards, James Gang walked out. B.G. said they came to the ring to find out if Abyss would accept their proposal to team together. "DX Rejects," the fans chanted. B.G. wanted to make sure Abyss would stand side by side with their team against Team 3D. Mitchell shook hands with a Cheshire cat grin. B.G. wanted to make sure Abyss could be controlled. Abyss accepted the partnership agreement, albeit not in traditional terms. B.G. said Team 3D was on the highway to hell.
In a pre-taped interview, Sting addressed the #1 Contender match at the PPV. He said he's not running from an opportunity to win the title. He said he would like to lock horns with Samoa Joe down the road. He said he's going to get the title off Jarrett after Victory. Sting guaranteed...that it would be Showtime.
[Commercial Break]
In a pre-taped video, Shane Douglas said he didn't expect the re-birth of the Naturals to be so difficult. He said he broke down the Naturals and rebuilt them. Douglas said they would face Diamonds in the Rough at the PPV.
Tenay and West discussed the Victory Road PPV card. They went to A.J. and Daniels in a pre-taped promo.
Daniels talked about competing with AMW. He said there was always some sort of interference that prevented them from winning the titles. He said they went to Zbyszko to seek a fair match, but nothing positive resulted. Daniels said they brought in Zyrleda (sp?) to take out Gail Kim and help them win the belt. Styles said it was now AMW's last chance to win the titles at the PPV.
SENSHI vs. JERRELLE CLARK -- non-title match
Clark took Senshi down with a drop kick early on. Senshi came back with a gutbuster across the knee leading to a nearfall. Clark dominated with forearm blows before Senshi came back with a kick to the gut and back. Senshi scored with a back kick then made a cover for a nearfall. He landed a stiff chop to the chest then Clark caught him in the corner and slammed him into the turnbuckle. Senshi nailed a kick in retaliation. He hit a drop kick then went up top for the Warrior's Way double foot smash to the chest. He made the cover for the win.
WINNER: Senshi in 3:00.
Way too much offense for Clark. Senshi isn't going to develop into the type of X Division champion to follow Styles, Daniels, or Joe being placed in matches like this. It's a lose-lose situation because he's expected to win these matches, whereby a win isn't impressive, but he should be dominating lesser opponents. The goal should be to develop the character outside of the ring then have him wrestle competitive matches against quality opponents.
In a pre-taped video promo, Scott Steiner called Christian a dumb Canadian. He said a Canadian cannot match up against an American. Steiner said it wouldn't be Showtime for Sting and Samoa Joe's winning streak would be over. Addressing Jarrett, he said friends will be friends, but when he's in the ring, there are no friends. Entertaining promo with a point. Steiner has earned his position as one of the top acts on the show.
[Commercial Break]
In a pre-taped promo, Christian Cage said Jim Cornette came to TNA to do the right thing, but nothing he has done has benefited him. He said the #1 Contender match is part of a process for him to regain the NWA Title. He said when they locked eyes at the last PPV while standing on top of the ladder, he could sense that Sting knew Christian was the better man. Good, straightforward promo from Christian, creating tension between the two wrestlers for the PPV. We often talk about TNA characters remaining stagnant and not evolving over time. It's nice to see Christian's character evolving.
In our next Eye Spy installment, Alex Shelley talked about Paparazzi Productions. He said Johnny Devine is his new production assistant. Shelley said they're going to have a non-title tag match against Styles and Daniels. Devine said he's waited so long to punch Daniels in the face.
[Commercial Break]
A.J. STYLES & CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. ALEX SHELLEY & JOHNNY DEVINE -- non-title match
Tenay said they're now called the Paparazzi's. Shelley thumbed Styles in the eye to prevent Styles's dropsault combination. Tenay said he received a note from Jim Cornette's office that Monty Brown and Rhino will face off at the PPV. Devine caught Daniels in the Pappa corner, which allowed Shelley to take control. They focused on Konnan and Moody Jack sitting at the Spanish announce table calling the action with civility. Tenay said it was nice to see them so humbled by Cornette. Boy, I hope this leads to LAX snapping out of this "being corporate friendly" development and snapping on some people. That would make for great TV. Styles took the hot tag at 3:00 and came off the top with a flying fist smash on Shelley. Styles hit a reverse Clash then rolled over Devine for a reverse pin resulting in a nearfall. Shelley broke up the Clash then tried to use his camera. However, Zyrleda hit the ringside area and pulled the camera away. Styles and Daniels tossed Shelley to the outside, leaving Devine alone in the ring. Styles hit the Clash on Devine for the win.
Afterwards, Gail Kim and AMW hit the ring and jumped the tag champs. Gail and Zyrelda brawled outside of the ring. AMW hand cuffed Styles and Daniels to the ropes. Instead of focusing on this post-match development, they cut away to more video promos.
WINNERS: Styles & Daniels in 5:00.
Chyna had charisma and presence when she started out with DX. Zyrleda doesn't.
In a pre-taped video exchange, Zbyszko and Raven discussed their hair vs. hair match. Zbyszko said he hates the generation that followed his generation because they were crybabies. He said he would never lose his dignity.
Back at the Impact zone, Slick Johnson was passing out bald pictures of Zbyszko to the fans. Zbyszko ran out and tried to put a stop to the indignation.
In a pre-taped segment, Samoa Joe talked about the Victory Road match. He addressed Sting, Christian, and Steiner. He said Christian can bitch about his problems, but he's better because he can get the job done. Joe said he came to TNA to be a champion. Too much going on commercial to commercial.
[Commercial Break]
In a pre-taped promo, Jeff Jarrett cut a promo about winning the NWA Title at Slammiversary. He said he had nothing to do with Earl Hebner and Larry Zbyszko helping him win the belt. Of course, the video replayed footage of Jarrett telling Zbyszko and Hebner to get out of the Impact zone after the match. He said he didn't need to wash his hands of anything because he had nothing to wash his hands of. Jarrett also said he would take a lie detector test to prove his innocence. Jarrett played a good heel there. He addressed Christian, Sting, Steiner, and Joe. Line of the night from Jarrett saying Samoa Joe hasn't been in big money matches like he has been. I certainly hope he's not referring to anything in the last five years.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Team Canada about their Do or Die match tonight. D'Amore told Borash to shut up. He gave a pep talk to everyone except for Eric Young. He told Young, who was despondent, to get his head in the game. Bobby Roode told D'Amore not to worry about it. He said they would stick it to Cornette.
TEAM CANADA (PETEY WILLIAMS & BOBBY ROODE & ERIC YOUNG & A-1 w/Scott D'Amore) vs. RHINO & JAY LETHAL & TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON)
Tenay said Cornette is a man of second chances and he decided to raise the stakes by giving Canada a chance to remain a team, but also give the person who scores the pin a chance to challenge for a title of his choosing. Team 3D double teamed Roode early on. Petey took a tag and Ray accepted right hands before hanging him upside down in the corner to work on the stomach. Lethal took a tag and hit a top rope double sledgehammer to the arm. Petey responded with a neck breaker.
[Commercial Break]
Roode pounded Lethal's back with forearms before Lethal came back with a kick to the head. Roode did a face-first flop. Rhino took a hot tag from Lethal. He rammed A-1 in the gut with a shoulderblock. Lethal came off the top with a cross body block. Eric Young broke up the pin attempt. Petey went for a Canadian Destroyer on Devon, but Devon slipped out and Team 3D hit the 3D in swift motion. Nice spot. The action broke down with Lethal scoring several close nearfalls. D'Amore entered the ring with the hockey stick and used it on Lethal. Young held Roode in the corner because he didn't want D'Amore to help Canada cheat to win. Brother Rant ran into the ring and hit the Acid Drop on D'Amore. He hit a top rope splash onto Roode and Petey on the outside. In the ring, Rhino Gored A-1. Lethal came off the top with a diving head butt as the fans cheered on. Lethal made the cover for the win.
Afterwards, Rhino celebrated the victory with Lethal, who benefited from additional exposure in the main event. Tenay said Lethal has a tough decision to make regarding the title he wants to challenge for. Petey and Roode had shocked looks on their faces on the outside. In a hilarious show-closing moment, Young grabbed Don West's leg and wailed in deep sorrow and anguish.
WINNERS: Lethal & Rhino & Team 3D in 10:00.
Exciting TV match. The key for these Impact main events is to keep the action going, keep fans tuned in to see what's going to happen, and kick the drama into high gear. I felt they accomplished that. Now, whether enough fans care enough about Team Canada being split apart will be evident in the quarter hour TV ratings. But, they did their best to deliver a solid TV main event. Let's hope Lethal actually gets his title shot and TNA treats it like a big deal, unlike in 2005 when Abyss and Brown won too many unclaimed #1 Contender matches to count.
They closed with a fast-paced music video highlighting the feuds at the PPV. A good move considering the main event wasn't selling a specific match at the PPV, but it was more of a blow off match for Team Canada, which you can debate whether it should have been in the main event when the selling point of the PPV is Joe-Steiner-Sting-Christian.