Source: TNAstars.com
Opening Segment
We start with a recap of last week’s events and the Morgan/Anderson friendship.
Immortals music plays in iMPACT Zone for the official weigh in for the Morgan-Anderson match at Genesis. Flair tells the fans that there’s a stranger among them, and it’s the man the women call “The Freak.” Flair says he doesn’t know what that means, but it’s Rob Terry. Flair states that Rob Terry has the opportunity to prove to Immortal that he can be a bodyguard. Eric Bischoff says that this is not going to be a typical weigh in, but there are still questions about Ken Anderson’s condition so there are going to be doctors on hand to make sure they’re both healthy. Matt Morgan‘s music hits and interrupts Bischoff, who asks if he could have waited until he was introduced. Morgan tells Flair says to wipe the smile off his face and pay attention to Bischoff. Morgan says this is obviously a sham and yells at Bischoff for making Anderson wrestle even though he continues to suffer from brain trauma. Bischoff says he has two doctors here to prove that they’re both in good enough condition to compete, so Morgan suggests he play doctor by taking both of their temperatures. Suddenly, Mick Foley’s music hits and he comes out to the ring, saying this is his first time in the Impact Zone since October 7th and he got his hand raised against Ric Flair, but the week after that he was home on his couch suffering from yet another concussion. Foley has had to admit that he’s not the man he used to be because of all the concussions, and that the important thing is how much recovery time here has been since each concussion. Foley says Anderson is his own worst enemy and will continue to wrestle despite the risk to himself, and Foley says the match is off. Flair tells Foley that is pathetic because he’s the reason kids are jumping off roofs and throwing themselves on thumbtacks, and the entire business suffered for what he did to the business and they all took the heat because of Foley changing the business. Foley says he knows he was part of the problem, but he wants the chance to be part of the solution. He and Morgan know what happens when they die, a guy comes into the room with a saw and opens up their heads because they’ve both donated their brains to science. They’ve been part of the problem but they plan to be part of the solution as well, and don’t want to see Anderson’s career end because of another concussion. Bischoff says he sees what’s happening: now that he can’t wrestle and nobody is buying his books or going to his stand-up act, it’s a professional wrestling version of eating your dead because he’s trying to live off of the bodies that were left laying because of what he started, and the match is not cancelled. ((Jarrett’s Jab – This went a little long for my taste. Also, why couldn’t we have gotten Foley to begin with instead of having to listen to Morgan?))
-Commercial Break-
We head back to the locker room where Jeff Hardy stops by for a conversation with Matt Morgan, and he says they’ve tore it up and done everything they can, and it’s about professional wrestling. Anderson admits that he’s an asshole and Foley made his name with a barbed wire baseball bat, so who are they to tell him what to do? He asks Morgan to think about what he said during the tag match later tonight, and may the best team win.
Double J Double M A Challenge
Jarrett gets a mic and says it’s been weeks since he first issued the Double J MMA Challenge, where if anyone could make him tap out, they would get $100,000 of Jarrett’s own money. Jarrett’s going to tell us one thing: he’s very disappointed in everyone in the Impact Zone because it’s painfully obvious that nobody can make him submit, so tonight he’s going to open it up to the professionals, and there’s one guy in the back who really impressed him last week, and that’s Amazing Red. He wants to give Red another chance and give him the opportunity of a lifetime to get his hands on Double J’s money.
Amazing Red comes out with a big smile on his face, but gets stopped at ringside to be inspected by the doctor. He shines a light in Red’s eyes as he tries to enter the ring, and Jarrett takes advantage by nailing Red as soon as he gets in the ring and rams several knees to his head, then takes him down and drills him in the back of the head with rabbit punches before hooking in the ankle lock. Red holds out, but is eventually forced to tap.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett
Jarrett helps Red up and congratulates him on having such a strong showing. Jarrett asks if he’s got any family and Red says he has a brother. Jarrett said to bring him next week.
We go backstage to Madison Rayne and Tara, and Tara’s worried about the giant elbow brace making her look fat because she has a party to go to with Generation Me. She invites Madison, but Madison respectfully declines.
-Commercial Break-
Rob Van Dam is also backstage, and in a matter of minutes he’ll finally be done going through Bischoff’s obstacle course and will be across the ring from Jeff Hardy, and he can’t wait.
#1 Contender’s Match for the X Division Title: Max Buck vs Jeremy Buck vs Robbie E vs Kazarian
The winner of this match gets a shot at the X-Division Title at Genesis, and Mike Tenay and Taz are joined at the broadcast booth by the new champion, Jay Lethal. Max and Kazarian start the match, but Kazarian immediately tags in Jeremy and they circle each other, but instead stop and pose for the crowd. Robbie E really gets into the spirit and fist pumps at the crowd, but Jeremy tags him from behind and tosses him in the ring, and GenMe hits a double fistdrop for a two count. Max goes into the ropes and Cookie grabs his ankle, allowing Robbie to nail him from behind and put the boots to him. Robbie with a big necksnap, but only gets two. Robbie goes to tag Kazarian in and Kazarian jumps off the apron, so Max rolls Robbie up for two and then rams him to the GenMe corner. Max ducks a clothesline and tags Jeremy, who comes off the top with a sunset flip. Robbie rolls through and tries to tag Kazarian, but Kazarian again dodges the tag and GenMe hit a double team facebuster on Robbie. Kazarian breaks up the pin on Robbie. GenMe goes for More Bang For Your Buck but Robbie again escapes and tags Kazarian, who promptly tosses Robbie out of the ring, clotheslines Max and hits the backdrop piledriver for the win.
Winner: Kazarian
Kazarian points at Lethal and tells him he’s coming for the X-Division Title.
Sarita walks into Velvet Sky’s locker room with a strap behind her back, and Velvet asks if she can help her with something, and Sarita calmly closes the door behind her. ((Jarrett’s Jab – A lesson to the kiddies: Never open a door when someone has their hand behind their back.))
-Commercial Break-
Sarita is beating Velvet with the strap. She yells at Velvet that she can’t get in her ring without Angelina and expect to fight her. It pisses Velvet off, so she fights back and rams Sarita into a wall, and then they take turns beating each other up in pretty rough fashion and rams each another into walls, the desk, and the fight ends with Sarita choking Velvet out and telling her that she swears she’s going to kill her. Angelina finally comes to the rescue and Sarita heads for the hills.
We head to Eric Bischoff’s office and Bischoff says the pressure is on all of them tonight because Dixie Carter’s team has them in checkmate and they all know that the belts give them the power. If things don’t go their way, they need all the belts and Hulk Hogan, who is sitting at home, needs them to get the titles. It’s in their grasp and every one of them can do it because there’s nobody in this room who can’t live up to the standard that Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan have set, and that Jeff Hardy has now set. Bischoff knows that every one of them will do whatever they need to do to do it for each other because they’re a team.
-Commercial Break-
Brian Kendrick is backstage talking to one of the caterers and saying that he thinks he has an extra chromosome and that everything he’s told is a lie. The lady gives him a cookie.
Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament Finals: Madison Rayne & Tara vs Angelina Love & Velvet Sky
Angelina comes out by herself since Velvet just caught a beating from Sarita, and Madison and Tara look pretty confident about their chances. Angelina gets a quick rollup for a two count and Tara tries to come in from behind but Madison spins her around and hits a forearm that Angelina that Angelina has to pause time for her to connect with. Angelina gets a front powerslam for two, then a running neckbreaker for two, and then gets a rear chinlock. Madison backs her into the corner and yanks the hair and chokes Angelina before getting another 2 count. Madison rams Angelina to her corner again and chokes her out with her boot, then tags Tara in and they both choke Angelina with the boot. Tara stomps Angelina’s head and then tosses her across the ring with one arm. Madison tags back in and immediately yanks Angelina’s hair again and does the modified bronco buster into the mat on Angelina, but that only gets two. Angelina starts a comeback but Tara nails Angelina in the head with the brace on her elbow, and all of a sudden Winter comes out of the back, gets up on the apron, and Angelina tags her in. Winter goes right after Madison and takes her down, then kicks Tara low, which Tara sells for some reason, and then hits a spinning slam thing and pins Madison.
Winners, and NEW Knockouts Tag Team Champions: Angelina Love & Winter
Angelina looks surprised, but this Winter is extremely happy because she’s a champion with her new best friend.
The Pope is backstage, talking on his cell phone and telling whoever’s on the other end that he wants to make sure that things go down the way they need to go down, and Orlando Jordan and Eric Young walk over and donate some money to Pope’s Congregation. Orlando is wearing a very revealing Santa costume and Young is wearing a ridiclious giant cartoon reindeer costume. Pope thanks them and tells them to keep up the good work, then goes back to his call, makes a vauge reference to Orlando and Young, and says they just got a donation and to make the deal happen. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Is it just me, or does it seem like the Pope’s only for the Pope?))
Ironman Match for the TV Title: Douglas Williams vs AJ Styles
They exchange hammerlocks to start the match and AJ tries to escape by picking Williams’ ankle, but Williams escapes himself and takes AJ down with a side headlock. AJ tries to roll Williams to his back but Williams manages to keep his shoulders off the mat so AJ tries to roll through and kip up, but Williams catches him on the way up and drops right back into the side headlock. AJ reverses to a headscissors but Williams posts his knee on AJ’s ankles and slips out and catches a front facelock on AJ, then transitions that back into the hammerlock and bridges on his head, putting more pressure onto the arm. AJ back to the corner and gets a cheap back elbow on Williams, but Williams comes back with a running knee and then a second, but AJ hits a low blow.
-Commercial Break-
AJ has Williams in a rear chinlock and we learn that AJ hit the Styles Clash to go up 1-0 during the commercial break. Doug reverses an Irish whip to a shoulderblock and a hard European uppercut and AJ bails to the floor to try and run the clock down. Doug goes after him and AJ nails him coming out and rams him into the stairs, then goes back in the ring as the referee lays the count on Williams and the clock continues to run out. Williams makes it back in and AJ keeps putting the boots to him, then gets the indy snapmare/kick to the back combo and covers for two. AJ with the Big Fancy Knee for two and then gets a neck vice as Tenay informs us that we have four minutes left. Williams fights out of the hold and whips AJ to the ropes, AJ rolls over Doug’s back but Doug gets a backdrop and AJ immediately rolls back out to the floor and makes Williams chase him. He heads back in and Williams tries a sunset flip back into the ring and gets two, then a backslide for two, then a crucifix for a very close two. Williams continues the assault with European uppercuts but AJ leapfrogs Williams on a whip into the corner and nails him, then charges Williams and gets backdropped to the apron. AJ tries a springboard move into the ring but Williams catches him and delivers a Gargoyle Suplex with two minutes left on the Tenay clock. Williams begins the comeback rally after laying around for nearly a minute and we now have less than 60 seconds as he takes a run at AJ and gets tossed to the floor, but he lands on his feet and immediately comes back in. Williams hits the Chaos Theory to get a win and tie the match at 1-1 with 20 seconds left. Doug crawls over and tries another cover on AJ, but AJ’s foot is under the rope so no count as time runs out. Referee Earl Hebner checks with both men, AJ says he wants five more minutes and Williams smiles at him and says he only needs one. Earl has Jeremy Borash announce a five minute overtime.
-Commercial Break-
We’re back and the overtime period has just started. Williams hits a tornado DDT that only gets him a two count, then sets AJ on the top rope and goes for a superplex, but AJ fights him off and hits that springboard forearm he was looking for before and gets a two count from it. AJ goes for the Styles Clash but Williams picks him up and hits an Alabama Slam for two. Williams goes for a vertical suplex but AJ blocks and hits the Pelle Kick and again only gets two. We have one minute left again as AJ goes up top and Williams nails him and goes up top, they fight it out on the top rope and Williams hits a back suplex off the top rope just as the clock expires again and we’re still tied at 1-1.
1-1 Draw
We see some replays of the highlights of the match and then come back to AJ grabbing a mic and telling him that the people want a winner and challenges him to one more time at Genesis. Williams says he’s sorry, he got his rematch and failed to beat him, so sorry but the answer is no. AJ asks him what kind of fighting champion he is, and says he’s no man and no better that that stinkin’ country of his. Williams says he’s right, he is a fighting champion so he’s got his rematch at Genesis, only thing is that AJ gets the TV Title if he wins, but what does he get if he beat AJ? He suggests that if AJ loses, he has to walk away from Fortune. AJ says no way, and to come up with something else. Eric Bischoff comes out and interrupts, and tells AJ that he WILL face Williams at Genesis and if he doesn’t win the TV Title, there won’t be a spot for him in Fortune, Immortal, or anywhere else. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Ok, so the stipulation from a few weeks sticks. I really hope either way AJ can find a way to benefit from it))
We go backstage as Robert Roode is firing up the troops and says this is their chance to regain their title, and then Jeff Hardy tells Rob Van Dam that if he wants him, he can come and get him.
-Commercial Break-
We go to Mike Tenay and Taz, and we’re live via satellite with Ken Anderson, who is sitting home in front of his Christmas tree in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tenay asks him his medical status for Genesis, and Anderson said he’s 100% cleared for action. Taz asks Anderson what kind of treatment he’s gone through and Anderson says he’s gone through extensive tests with multiple doctors and he’s fine. Taz says he looked a little less than 100% in the tag match last week, and Anderson says he doesn’t know that he needs to answer to Taz about his health. Taz asks if he’s had vision problems or suffered dizziness or anything, and Anderson assures them he’s fine. When Tenay asks Anderson if he’ll be bringing paperwork verifying his condition with him to Genesis, Anderson has finally had enough and takes off the microphone and walks out of his living room. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Basically he’s lying and he’s not cleared since he won’t show paperwork for those at home who want to bash this.))
We go backstage and RVD and the Motor City Machine Guns are all getting ready for their match, but Matt Morgan is distracted by the Anderson interview. The rest of the team tells Morgan that they need to concentrate on right now, and they all head out to the ring for the main event.
World Tag Team Title Match: Team Machine Guns (Matt Morgan, RVD & Motor City Machine Guns) vs Team Beer Money (Jeff Hardy, Abyss & Beer Money)
-Commercial Break (right before the bell rings)-
James Storm is beating up Rob Van Dam, but Van Dam hits a pair of spinkicks to turn the tide. He high kicks Storm in the face and tags in Matt Morgan, who goes for a slam but Storm slips out the back and gets a Codebreaker. Storm tags Roode in and they whips Morgan into the ropes, but Morgan bursts through their double clothesline attempt and hits a high crossbody on both men. Morgan sends Roode to the corner for the rapid fire elbows. Roode tries coming off the second rope but Morgan catches him and hits a fallaway slam. Chris Sabin tags in and he and Shelley hit a series of fast-paced moves on Roode and Sabin covers for two. Shelley tags in and goes for Sliced Bread #2, but Storm trips him up from the outside and hits a neckbreaker. Storm hits a big right hand on Shelley and then tags in Abyss who destroys Shelley with some heavy blows. Abyss drives Shelley into the corner and repeatedly bashes him in the head with right hands and hits a running splash in the corner. Jeff Hardy tags in and gets an inverted atomic drop and the double groin legdrop on Shelley, then spits at Van Dam and when RVD tries to come in, Hardy drags Shelley to the corner and the Immortal teams stomps Shelley down 4-on-1. Hardy tags back out to Abyss and Shelley tries to dive for the tag, but Abyss grabs his ankle and drags him back. Shelley tries firing back with several rights and lefts, but Abyss shuts him down with one big forearm and tags in Roode, who hits a snapmare and a kneedrop for two. Roode tags in Storm and they hit a double suplex and do the Beer Money Chant. Storm stomps on Shelley’s hand right after the chant. Storm picks Shelley up for the Eye Of The Storm, but Shelley slips out and hits an enziguiri and both men are down. Shelley slowly crawls over but Hardy tags himself in and pulls Shelley back to the middle of the ring and gets a rear chinlock that comes dangerously close to a choke as Impact goes off the air.
-REACTION OVERRUN-
Shelley is fighting out of Hardy’s chinlock and tags in RVD, and Jeff Hardy literally runs across the ring and tags Robert Roode and dives out of the ring. RVD clears out Beer Money and Abyss by himself and hits Rolling Thunder on Roode for a very close two. Storm nails RVD and whips him into the ropes, but Sabin gets a blind tag and hits a springboard clothesline on Roode and then everybody comes in and hits a big move on someone else until it’s down to RVD and Hardy. RVD goes after Hardy again but Roode comes out of nowhere and hits a spinebuster on RVD and tosses him to the floor. Hardy tries to nail RVD but Shelley dives onto Hardy and then comes back in the ring for a sequence with Robert Roode but Sabin hits a diving tornado DDT off the top rope and covers Roode for the win.
Winners: Rob Van Dam, Matt Morgan & Motor City Machine Guns
Morgan and the Guns celebrate in the ring as RVD chases Hardy to the back. Really good match to close up the show.
