Source: Jeff Hamlin of iFight365.com
The Big News: TNA is holding a show in Las Vegas next week. Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett are set for a rematch in the near future. Jarrett and Mick Foley made some sort of agreement that will keep Foley in TNA. And lots of young wrestlers, which Jarrett supposedly created the company for, looked like total fools throughout the show, the first bad one in several weeks.
1. The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Sonjay Dutt and Sheik Abdul Bashir. After teasing a heel turn for the past two months, guns were total faces. Chris Sabin did a flip tope on both heels. Later, Alex Shelley did a tope on Bashir, followed by So Cal Val interfering on Shelley. Finish was Sabin doing a huracanrana on Dutt and Shelley doing the frog splash for the pin. **1/4
Kurt Angle came out after the pin and laid out the Guns and Dutt. I got Bashir got off because he’s the X Division champion. Angle claimed Jeff Jarrett was going to walk away from wrestling for good with a victory against him. Angle said he was going to pick apart every TNA wrestler until it was down to just Angle and Jarrett. This was straight out of 1998 WWF.
Kevin Nash pulled up at the Impact Zone and told Jeremy Borash that he had been waiting ten months to jump Samoa Joe because Joe had disrespected Scott Hall. So the time was finally right at Bound for Glory, and it Joe the world title. Nash said from now on, it was going to be Nash for Life. This was straight out of 1998 WCW.
Sting came out to a hero’s welcome. This despite Joe being victimized by a supposed new heel Nash. It was even weirder when Sting put over Joe, and the crowd booed. Then Sting ran down Joe for mocking him and his generation. Then he said A.J. Styles didn’t shake his hand after the match. Styles came out and was pretty much treated as a heel, as well. Styles did the standard promo about how guys like him have built the foundation while Sting coaches his son’s football team. Sting responded by saying Styles had told him his father didn’t raise him very well. He told Styles he better change his ways or else he was going to wind up like his father. Styles immediately slapped him, and Sting said he was going to let that go. Then Styles slapped him again and it turned into a pull apart.
Backstage, Angle beat up Curry Man and Shark Boy. Eric Young (as opposed to Super Eric, which I guess is dead) made the save and it turned into the second pull-apart in 30 seconds. Isn’t the point of the old vs. new feud to create business and create new stars? That’s already five wrestlers below the age of 35 who have been treated as total jobbers by a man long past his drawing peak.
Booker T did an interview backstage talking about his match against Hernandez. He alluded to the fact his home country is in Africa. He called Hernandez “Gonzalez.” Again the briefcase was mentioned, and Sharmell said he would unveil the contents next week for the live show in Las Vegas.
Booker T defeated Hernandez. Nowhere near as good as Hernandez’ past singles matches. Booker went through the motions. Hernandez made his comeback with some sloppy clotheslines. Hernandez did a slingshot shoulder block for a near fall. Hernandez went for the border toss, but Sharmell distracted Earl Hebner. Booker then kicked Hernandez low, hit him with the briefcase and got the pin with an ax kick. Homicide mouthed off to Booker, but looked like his little brother standing next to him. *1/2
Backstage, Kurt Angle beat up Jimmy Rave and Lance Rock, who was called Lance Hoyt by Don West.
Roxxi will face Raisha Saaed tonight. During her promo, Roxxi was swearing and had to be bleeped. Amazing how Roxxi was very convincing during her recent Rough Cut segments, but she came across so forced and unnatural here. Then again, that’s most wrestling interviews nowadays.
Christy Hemme went for help for Rock and Rave, but ran into the Beautiful People. Angelina Love and Velvet Sky started running down Hemme, who flipped them off. Love, Sky and Cute Kip jumped Hemme, left her in a stairwell and put the bag over her head. I guess it’s a face turn for the Rock n’ Rave Infection.
Kurt Angle, with his psychotic stare, then came out and attacked Dave Penzer. He put Penzer in the ankle lock, then started hitting Penzer with his show. Then security ran in for the third time this hour, but Angle laid out all seven of them. Jarrett finally came out. Yes, seven security guards got laid out, but no one touched Jarrett. He learned his lessons from HHH well. Jarrett told Angle to let it go and he wasn’t wrestling Angle again. Angle vowed to pay Jarrett’s little girls a visit at their house. Jarrett then went after Angle and it was yet another pull apart. Virtually no reaction from the crowd. We had already seen three pull aparts already, and this angle was supposed to be the crescendo of the hour. Instead, it was just another angle in an hour full of them.
Smashing Pumpkins did a video set to TNA Bound for Glory footage. Billy Corrigan was always a big wrestling fan, and actually got a concussion doing an ECW angle one night with Steve Corino.
Mick Foley, wearing a Cactus Jack episode (which, according to Mike Tenay, will be featured on a future episode of “30 Rock”) came out for his “farewell interview.” Foley has had to deliver an interview of this nature about a dozen times over the past eight years, so there’s only so many times it can come across as convincing. But he’s not one of the greatest talkers in history for nothing, and this was the highlight of the show. Foley said that for 24 years he had been a junkie—a roller coaster junkie. He loved roller coasters because they gave him a thrill, and he looked at the wrestling world as his own personal amusement park. But there was a time this summer when he stopped having fun. He wasn’t sure if he could have fun anymore in wrestling, so he came to TNA to see if he could. He said he’s enjoyed his time in TNA, but there’s only so many times he can be a special enforcer in a match and keep it new. So he was leaving. Black Machismo, Consequences Creed, Earl Hebner and A.J. Styles came out to hug Mick goodbye. Then Jeff Jarrett told Mick he couldn’t leave this way, and told him to meet in his office for ten minutes before he left.
Jim Cornette then “called in from Las Vegas” and said that Angle would face Matt Morgan tonight.
Roxxi defeated Raisha Saaed. Saaed’s offense consisted of main chokes. Roxxi made her comeback after Saaed missed a dropkick. Awesome Kong tried to interfere, but missed a spinning backfist. In the ring, Roxxi got the pin with a voodoo drop. *
Postmatch, Kong jumped Roxxi and laid her out with an implant buster.
Matt Morgan did an interview upset about what happened with Abyss at Bound for Glory when he was thrown through the flaming table.
Hemme vowed to get even with the Beautiful People next week. She vowed to be PMSing in Vegas. Well, she’s going to the right place for that.
Consequences Creed did a promo about his match with Kevin Nash. And then it ended.
Kevin Nash defeated Consequences Creed. Nash almost sweat hardway, but never left his feet. Nash debuted the cobra clutch and got the pin with a jackknife. DUD
Nash did a postmatch promo where he called him Unconscious Creed. He also buried Styles and Joe to thunderous cheers. He then ran down the crowd as being stupid, and still got cheered. He couldn’t hide his amusement. Nash said the reason he’s hated is because he’s a genius. Well, if he can get people to forget about 1998 WCW, then good for him. Finally, the crowd started to chant “you suck” when Nash proclaimed himself the greatest ever in the ring. Typical Nash cool heel routine that gets no one over but himself. But he’s getting paid and laughing all the way to the bank, which I guess is the point. Exactly how it helps the company is anyone’s guess.
Foley walked out of Jarrett’s office. They appeared to reach some sort of an agreement. Foley wouldn’t say what they agreed to, but continued his theme of working the Obama-McCain election into interviews by saying Jarrett was a “maverick.” I can’t believe Mick hasn’t been on the Colbert Report yet.
There was an interminable video package building up next week’s Las Vegas show. It was almost longer than any match on the show. Why can’t the company present a more athletic style? Oh yeah, they don’t have the TV time.
Team 3-d did a good promo about leaving Chris Park (not Abyss) in a pool of blood and fire. Next week in Vegas, they compete in a Royal Rumble type match where the fans choose who enters the ring.
Kurt Angle defeated Matt Morgan. Angle just took bumps bouncing off Morgan early. After a commercial, Morgan continued on offense with a crossbody block, then went for the Hellevator before Angle escaped. Morgan chased Angle around the ring, leading to Angle going to work on Morgan’s leg. Angle executed a series of chop blocks that Morgan barely sold. Morgan then caught a clothesline and a side slam for a two count. Morgan missed a charge, but escaped a Olympic slam attempt and caught the side kick for another two count. Angle then caught the ankle lock, but Morgan kicked out and hit a Hellevator, but Angle kicked out. Morgan went for another hellevator, but Angle escaped, got the Olympic slam and pinned him clean. Angle then started working over Morgan’s left leg before Abyss came out for the save. At first, Angle backed off. While Abyss checked on Morgan, Angle jumped Abyss. Angle tore off his shirt, where he was apparent that Abyss hasn’t been to the mental ward’s workout center. Angle went on to put the ankle lock on Abyss. **1/2
They cut to the parking lot where Jarrett and Foley were leaving. Borash tried to get them to talk about whatever agreement they had reached inside Jarrett’s office, but neither one would talk. Instead, they vowed to reveal it next week in Las Vegas.
SUMMARY: Well, they sure built up next week’s show well. But every week feels like the same thing from this company. The matches don’t have time to build, and everything feels like the same. It doesn’t help when Jarrett proclaims that he started TNA to give younger wrestlers a break, and in this show the performers treated like the biggest dupes were the young ones. Why is Matt Morgan jobbing so clean? Does the old vs. new feud still exist? If so, why doesn’t Sting ever hang out with Angle and Booker? How is any growth supposed to start with booking like this? Who is the drawing card, the same people who haven’t drawn for two years? If they are, why should we believe it will change now? The whole company just seems to be running in place.
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