Source: TNAStars.com
Opening Segment
After the usual video package open (this week focusing on James Storm and his return at Slammiversary). Inside the Impact Wrestling Zone where the Ultimate X is set up and Austin Aries’ two challengers, Chris Sabin and Zema Ion, are in the ring.
Ultimate X Match for the X Division Title: Austin Aries (c) vs Chris Sabin vs Zima Ion
Ion tries to run up the corner as soon as the bell rings, but Aries and Sabin look on unimpressed before trying use his legs as a human wishbone before going at it with each other. Aries hits an STO and a pendulum elbow on Sabin, he tries to go up top but Ion grabs him and hits a back suplex into a facebuster. Ion tries to get to the belt, but Sabin stops him and hits a tornado DDT that sends Ion to the outside. Sabin tries to climb, but Aries catches up to him and they fight on the top rope until Sabin knocks Aries off. Sabin starts climbing across the ropes, but Aries gets his leg and drags him down into the ring. Aries gets Sabin in a fireman’s carry and runs him back and forth from corner to corner, and then does an airplane spin. Ion tries to ambush Aries, but is summarily countered and dumped to the floor. Aries backdrops Sabin over the top rope and onto Ion, then he comes through the ropes with a heat seeking missile that takes out both men. Aries almost makes it to the belt, but Ion drags him down and they go at it in the middle of the ring. Aries gets away and goes to the hanging rope, Ion tries to climb the ropes and powerbomb Aries, but Aries turns it to a top rope Frankensteiner, and he follows that with the IED and brainbuster. Aries climbs across the ropes with his arms and legs and gets the belt.
Winner: Austin Aries
Taz says that Sabin may have hurt his leg when Aries sent him over the top rope earlier. Aries gets the microphone and says he made some pretty big claims and said there’s nobody here he can’t beat, and that he’s the best pound for pound athlete in TNA. People thought that was a lot of hot air at first, but he kept knocking it out of the park, and regardless of whether he’s the first match or last match, he’s always the main event. He’s not satisfied with the X Division Title, and he’s not here to earn respect, he’s here to take it.
Hulk Hogan’s music hits, and Aries says he’s just the man he wanted to see. But we’ll have to wait and see why…after this commercial break!
-Commercial Break-
Hogan says he can hear how loud the fans get when he comes out, but to say he’s the main event no matter where on the card he is, well, that’s a pretty tall order. Hogan knows what it’s like to be the main event and to headline the big shows, and the one thing he’s never done is get the kind of goosebumps he gets when he sees Aries wrestle. Hogan says he’ll stake his reputation on this, forget the pound for pound crap, Aries is the greatest thing he’s ever seen in the ring. Aries says that’s great, and now all he needs to know is how to get into the main event. Hogan says he can put him into the main event of Destination X, but on one condition: he can’t have one man as the champion of both divisions, so Aries has to give up the X Division Title. The stakes are high because, if Aries wins, he’s the World Champion. If he loses, he walks away with nothing. Hogan and everyone watching believe in Aries and they know he can do it. Aries says he worked his butt off for that title, and asks if Hogan wants him to just hand it over. Hogan says no, he wants him to become the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, and he’ll give him a week to give Hogan his decision. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Apprarently Hulk Hogan doesn’t remember when Kurt Angle held the Tag Team Championships, X Division and World Championship all at in August 2007. Aries deserves to be the main event and I’m excited to see that Hogan put Aries over more than he did himself.))
We see our first Slammiversary moment, as Dixie Carter raves about the crowd that showed up to the PPV, then we see Abyss helping his brother Joseph Park win his match. We then go to catering as Joseph Park was raving about his match at Slammiversary, but all the backstage folks listening get up and walk away when Bully Ray shows up. Ray wants to know where his brother is, and Joseph Park says last time he checked, he was putting Ray through a table. Ray flips the table Park is eating from over and says that he’s going to find Abyss.
-Commercial Break-
TV Championship: Devon (c) vs Hernandez
Hernandez sneak attacked Devon before the bell with dive over the top rope as Devon made his entrance. Hernandez then quickly rolls him inside and goes for a cover, but only gets two. Hernandez connects with a slingshot shoulderblock from the outside, but still only gets two. Hernandez gets a bearhug and squeezes, but Devon fights his way out and takes Hernandez out with a flying shoulderblock of his own. Devon off the ropes with another shoulderblock and a neckbreaker, followed by a diving headbutt. Devon with a running clothesline in the corner, but Hernandez comes out of nowhere with a Pounce for two. Hernandez skins the cat onto the top rope, briefly loses his footing, and comes off with a flying clothesline. Devon sends him to the ropes and hits the spinebuster for the win.
Winner: Devon
We go back to last week when Christopher Daniels exposed Dixie Carter’s affair, and then her husband punched out AJ Styles. We then go backstage to AJ saying it’s time to go public about what’s going on, and Dixie says that people will get hurt. AJ says people are already getting hurt, and the longer they keep it quiet, the more ammunition they give Daniels and Kazarian. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Nice to see Devon be able to defend his title without Robbie E involved in the match. Devon needs a new feud and needs it quick.))
-Commercial Break-
We see Bobby Roode arriving at the arena earlier today as he prepares for his title defense later tonight against Ken Anderson.
Bound For Glory Series Gauntlet Match Battle Royal
AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy start us off, Hardy gets a side headlock and holds on tight. AJ shoves him off and hits a dropkick that sends Hardy out to the apron, but Hardy slingshots his way back in with a dropkick. Rob Van Dam is the next participant and takes both Hardy and AJ out with a flurry of kicks, then literally monkey flips AJ completely across the ring before hitting Hardy with Rolling Thunder as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We’re back, and Magnus and Bully Ray have joined Hardy, Van Dam, and Styles in the ring. Ray attacks everyone in the ring and tries to dump AJ, but AJ hangs on as we count down to the next participant. Kurt Angle comes out next and suplexes the crap out of everyone before going toe to toe with Ray. The clock counts down and the next entrant is “The Pope” D’Angleo Dinero! Mike Tenay mentions that The Pope has been working on movies (including the new Batman flick) as he goes after Magnus and AJ, but gets nailed with a double sledge from behind by Ray. Ray tosses Hardy to the ring apron and then knocks him to the floor, so we have our first elimination. byss comes out from under the ring and gets on the apron right behind Ray. Ray doesn’t see him, so Abyss grabs him by the neck and drags him out as well.
-Commercial Break-
No eliminations during the break, but we are joined by Robbie E. Rob Van Dam gets dumped, and then Christopher Daniels makes his entrance just in time to catch a slingshot clothesline from AJ. AJ absolutely unloads on Daniels, Angle tries to hold Daniels, but AJ accidentally hit Angle with the enziguiri. Daniels quickly grabs AJ from behind and dumps him, then picks up the unconscious Angle and tosses him as well. Samoa Joe is out next, and he tears through everyone but Magnus. Robbie E slaps Joe and not only gets headbutted, but eliminated. Daniels and Pope try to dump Joe, but Magnus makes the save. Joe and Magnus stare off before Joe chopping him in the chest, and they start going at it in the middle of the ring. Magnus takes Joe out with a big boot, but Joe ducks a charge and Magnus goes out to the floor and is eliminated. Joe and Pope ping pong Daniels, and now James Storm makes his entrance. He immediately dumps Pope, then backdrops Daniels and nails him with the Closing Time before Daniels catches the Last Call Superkick. Storm however clotheslines him over the top rope. We’re down to Joe and Storm, and they trade blows, clotheslines, and big boots. Joe tries to dump Storm, but Storm skins the cat and dumps Joe to the apron. Joe gets the Kokina Clutch, but Storm drops down and Joe goes throat first across the top rope. Storm superkicks Joe to the floor.
Winner: James Storm
Storm says the last time he was in that ring, he thought his luck had run out, but after spending the last couple of months at home thinking things over, he’s back. He knew what wrestling meant to him, but he didn’t know what it meant to his little girl, and coming back to TNA, he didn’t know what he meant to the fans, but he wants to thank everyone for the reaction they gave him. He promised his family and he’ll promise the fans now: he came back to TNA to be the World Champion, and he wants Bobby Roode to know that he hopes and prays that he will still be the champion when the series is over.
Bobby Roode is backstage saying that he’s not intimidated, because Storm’s just jealous. For now, though, he just has to worry about an asshole he’ll have to fight a little later. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Despite this match was announced as a Gauntlet match, it was a Battle Royal. Apparently they forgot that there is only two men in the ring at a time in a gauntlet match. Once Storm was announced, you knew who was going to win this…and the whole series.))
-Commercial Break-
We’re back, and Kurt Angle is yelling at AJ Styles backstage for letting the thing with Daniels and Kazarian get under his head. AJ promises to get focus, and Angle hugs it out.
Madison Rayne vs Knockouts Champion Brooke Tessmacher
Brooke and Madison trade takedowns to start, and Brooke gets a drop toehold and a front facelock, but Madison rams her into the corner and drops her on the back of her head. Madison chokes Brooke and catches her with a running forearm in the corner, followed by a spinning bulldog for two. Brooke gets a neckbreaker and starts firing back with right hands, then takes Madison out with a series of clotheslinesand a flying forearm. Brooke with a flying bulldog out of the corner for twp, but Madison blocks her finish and goes for that neckbreaker thing she does, but Brooke counters to a version of the Pepsi Twist for the win.
Winner: Brooke Tessmacher
Brooke Hogan is backstage with Gail Kim, and she says she’s trying to decide who to put in the ring with Brooke for the title next week and is thinking of a four way. Gail isn’t down with that because she has a rematch clause in her contract, and Brooke says that she gets to decide when the rematch happens, and since Gail doesn’t want to be part of the four way next week, Gail will have to wait and Brooke tells her to enjoy her vacation. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Wait a second, wasn’t the Knockout Championship defended on Open Fight Night the month before last?))
It’s main event time!
World Heavyweight Championship: Bobby Roode vs Mr. Anderson
Anderson goes right after Roode, whipping him hard into the corner and then running him over with a clothesline. Roode grabs Anderson by the tights and Tully’s him out to the floor, but he misses a dive over the ropes and Anderson whips him hard into the ring steps as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
Roode has Anderson in a rear chinlock after taking him out with a clothesline during the commercial. Anderson makes it to his feet and escapes, then gets a roll up for two, followed by a backslide for another two, but a second backslide attempt sees Roode counter to a neckbreaker for two. Roode hits a kneedrop out of the corner for a two count, then he goes back to the rear chinlock. Anderson slips out and starts a comeback, hitting a series of back elbows, clotheslines, and a neckbreaker. Anderson with a twisting enziguiri and then sets up for the Mic Check, but Roode counters to the Crippler Crossface right in the middle of the ring. Anderson rolls Roode to his back, but only gets two. Anderson with a Finlay Roll for a two count, and Roode rolls out to the apron to try and catch a breather. He grabs Anderson’s arm and drops it across the top rope, then rams Anderson shoulder first into the corner and puts him back in the Crossface. Anderson tries to hold on, but ends up tapping out.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Dixie Carter and AJ Styles are backstage and they agree that they’ll need to come clean…next week. Speaking of Dixie, we take another look back at Slammiversary as Dixie made Sting the first inductee into the TNA Hall Of Fame. And Speaking of Sting, he’s backstage, and he’s…WALKING! ((Jarrett’s Jab – Nice to see Bobby Roode FINALLY get a clean win after Slammiversary. If you haven’t seen that, you will see the most pathetic overbooking disaster that has ever been used in pro wrestling. Roode needed this match in the worst way.))
-Commercial Break-
We go to Jeremy Borash, who introduces a video package with several TNA wrestlers discussing Sting for his Hall of Fame induction and putting over how much he’s done for the company. We go back to the Impact Zone as Borash now introduces Sting himself, who says that Slammiversary 2012 will go down as one of the best nights he’s ever been a part of in wrestling. He didn’t win the title, but he ‘took a huge hunk out of Bobby Roode’s hide’, and he can’t even tell us what being the first inductee in the TNA Hall of Fame means to him. The crowd chants “you deserve it” at Sting, but he says that he was standing next to a lot of other talented guys who deserve it too, and he specifically names Jeff and Jerry Jarrett for starting the company, and also wants to thank Dixie Carter. Before Sting could continue, three guys in masks jump into the ring and beat the crap out of Sting. They continue the mugging as we go to credits. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Not quite the ending I was expecting. Personally I expected to hear Jeff Jarrett’s theme at any time. This was a great edition of Impact Wrestling. James Storm makes his return, Roode gets a win that he despirately needs, Austin Aries is making his claim to the Main Event, Ultimate X, and of course the lovely new Knockouts Champion Miss Tessmacher.))
