iMPACT Wrestling Results (2/28): How Could You?

Source: TNAStars.com

Opening Segment
The Impact Recap shows Bully Ray being named number one contender and Aces and Eight’s first win since Genesis.

Footage is shown from earlier today of Brooke and Bully Ray arriving at the Impact Zone. The interviewer is pestering Brooke and Bully Ray for an update on Hulk. Bully says that Hulk is messed up really badly, but says they’ve done enough talking and head into the building.

Bully Ray comes out to the ring and says it’s good to be back in the Impact Zone, but he’s never been more pissed off in his life because of Aces & Eights. They took out Hulk, Sting, Magnus, and ruined his wedding. Last week should have been huge for TNA with the return of Hulk Hogan to the ring, but it didn’t happen because of Aces & Eights. Ray says to all of them, and especially Devon, he’s going to get his hands on them so bad that they’ll never want to set foot in a wrestling ring again. Bully has one other man to speak to, the man that Aces & Eights attacked four weeks ago, and the man he’ll be facing for the TNA World Title at Lockdown: Jeff Hardy. The champ makes his return to TV with the TNA United States Championship belts over his shoulders…I meant World Championships, my bad. Jeff says that never in his wildest dreams would the two of them be standing across the ring from each other getting ready to wrestle for the most important title in the industry. Bully says that it means a lot at him, but he doesn’t feel right about this. He doesn’t want to get the title shot just because he married Hulk’s daughter. Hulk set up all those matches to determine a challenger and he wasn’t in any of them. He states that he’s not sure he’s the right guy to face Hardy at Lockdown. Hardy says it’s great to be back on Impact IN THE ZONE, and loves the fact that Hogan chose him. They do have a lot of history involving chairs, tables, and ladders, and now they take it to the cage for the World Title. At Lockdown, they’re going to reinvent their history and may the best man win.

Bad Influence’s music hits to save the day! Daniels tells Bully that he shouldn’t feel good about this situation because he didn’t earn the title shot. His daddy-in-law gave him the title shot just like he gave him his daughter. Kazarian says someone needs to rub tanning lotion on her back and tweet questionably photos of her, and it might as well be him. BURN!! Daniels says that “Jefferson” doesn’t deserve to be in the main event because he outwrestled him like he was Lou Thesz’ favorite son, and the only reason he lost was because of the poisonous paint Hardy covered his skin with gave him an allergic reaction “and you know it!”. Of course they want to wrestle each other so they don’t have to face them, and it’s time for Bad Influence to give the fans what they want, and that’s “Permission to Worship US!” Bully slaps the microphone out of Daniels’ hand steals his appletini, spits it back into the glass, and then tells “baldy” that real men don’t drink appletinis. A brawl breaks out, and Bully says that he and Jeff Hardy will wrestle them tonight.

Mike Tenay and Todd Keneley announce that Velvet Sky will defend the Knockouts Championship against Tara; Gutcheck retuns; and the teams for TNA and Aces and Eight’s Lethal Lockdown match will be revealed.

-Commercial Break-

Sting is sitting in Hogan’s office while Magnus explains to him why he should be on the Lethal Lockdown team. Magnus says TNA took a chance on him when he was barely more than a kid, Sting took care of him, and now he wants to pay that back. He’s not just on Team TNA, he’s on Team Sting. “Why should you pick me? Why the hell not?”

Knockouts Title Match: Velvet Sky vs. Tara

The first Knockouts Champion, Gail Kim is at the broadcast booth and informs everyone that she is getting a title shot against the victor at LockDown. Tara goes right after Velvet as the bell rings. The former champ backs Velvet into the corner and stars sholderblocking her before using her hair to toss her across the ring. Tara whips Velvet hard into the corner, charges into her boots, then tries a third charge and Velvet dodges and takes her out with a clothesline. Velvet connects with a flying headscissors and Jesse grabs at Velvet’s ankle from the floor. Tara attempts a cheap shot while Velvet’s back is turned, but Velvet ducks the shot and nails Tara with one of her own. Velvet covers, but Jesse drags Velvet out of the ring to save Tara, and this time Tara gets the cheap shot. Terrell sees him interfere and ejects him from ringside. Tara argues with Terrell and Velvet nails the spear on Tara. Velvet hits In Your Face and Terrell uses one of the fastest counts I’ve ever seen for the win.

Winner by Pinfall and STILL Knockouts Champion: Velvet Sky

Gail Kim on commentary complains about the fast count and says that it’s a conspiracy by Terrell.

Austin Aries is backstage on his phone telling Bobby Roode he needs to get to the building for their photo shoot and mentions being ready for their triple threat match against Daniels & Kazarian and Chavo Guerrero Jr and Hernandez at Lockdown. Chavo and Hernandez stroll in the room. Aries and Chavo go back and forth and Chavo mentions that he heard Aries say that he could beat anyone by himself, so he can wrestle Hernandez tonight.

-Commercial Break-

The Cameraman catches Kenny King backstage and asks him where he goes from here now that he lost to Rob Van Dam again, and King says he’s going to talk to Rob Van Dam. King storms into RVD’s locker room and demand another title shot, RVD doesn’t want to give it to him because he’s already beaten him so many times. King says that RVD has beaten him twice, but can he beat him a third time? RVD gives him the shot, but says that it’s his last chance.

Austin Aries vs. Hernandez

Hernandez backs Aries to the corner and breaks clean, but Aries dances around. Aries dances around Hernandez and takes him down, but Hernandez blocks a hip toss and launches Aries across the ring with a hip toss of his own sends Aries over the top with a clothesline. Hernandez goes for the big dive, but Aries shoulderblocks him in the gut and sunset flips in. Hernandez yanks Aries to his feet by the neck and runs through him with a full body tackle. Aries tries diving off the second rope but Hernandez catches him in midair. Rake of the eyes by Aries and he sends Super Mex out to the floor and destroys him with a suicide dive. Aries goes back inside and comes off the top rope with a double axe handle, then brings Hernandez back inside. Aries tries a frog splash, but Hernandez moves out of the way. Hernandez goes up top and plows through A Double with a flying shoulderblock. Hernandez press slams Aries and goes for the Border Toss, but Aries escapes and goes for the IED. Hernandez nails with a Pooouuunnnccceeeeee! Aries grabs his belt and tries to escape up the ramp, but Hernandez comes after him and tosses him back in the ring. Aries tries to hand him the belt to make peace, but the referee grabs the belt and brings it back to the timekeeper. Aries pulls a chain out of his tights, knocks Hernandez out with it and covers for the win.

Winner by Pinfall: Austin Aries

Joseph Park is in Hogan’s office sucking down a plate of ribs Sting bought him (reference to Park’s hilarious segment a few weeks ago about ribs), and Park says he knows Sting needs team members, and even though he’s just a greenhorn, he wants to join Team TNA at Lockdown. Sting tells Park he’ll think about it. Sting runs into Matt Morgan in the hallways and says that is looking for opportunities, and asks him to join Team TNA at Lockdown. Morgan says he knows Hogan put him up to this, and that anyone affiliated with Hogan is guilty by association and declines.

-Commercial Break-

X Division Title Match: Rob Van Dam vs Kenny King

Kenny King is already in the ring and RVD gets a televised entrance. Not looking good for K². The two have a fast paced, back and forth start the match until RVD sends King flying to the corner with a German suplex. King tries to get some space and RVD turns his back on King and gets nailed from behind as a result. RVD falls out to the floor, but dodges a dive from King and takes him out with a leaping thrust kick from the apron. RVD slung King over the guardrail and hit the spinning leg lariat off the apron as we go to commercial.

-Commercial Break-

We’re back, and King has the advantage and hits a snap suplex, rolls through, and drills RVD with several mounted right hands before covering for two. King charges at RVD in the corner, and RVD gets the boot up and a body scissors cradle for a two count. RVD connects with a series of clotheslines and the rolling monkey flip. King lands on his feet and RVD takes him out with a charging leg lariat. RVD hits Rolling Thunder and goes for the 450 splash, King moves out of the way and RVD hits the mat. King gets a cradle and either RVD didn’t kick out in time, or Earl Hebner botched the count. They have to call a finish on the fly where King finally got RVD on his shoulders and nailed the Royal Flush for the win.

 Winner by Pinfall and NEW X Division Champion: Kenny King

We jump backstage really quick where Sting catches up backstage with Kurt Angle, who’s wearing a “Save Olympic Wrestling” shirt. Angle asks to look at Sting’s list of people he wants to ask to join the Lockdown team. Angle looks shocked at one of Sting’s picks, but Sting says desperate times call for desperate measures. Angle wishes him luck.

-Commercial Break-

We look back at last week when Aces & Eights attacked Hulk Hogan and injured him badly enough that he required surgery and a tweet is shown with a picture of Hogan’s leg. Aces & Eights come out to the ring so Devon can say that he doesn’t know what Hogan’s thinking, but everyone else has obviously been drinking his Kool Aid. Aces & Eights is the team that will dominate TNA in 2013, because Doc, Knox, Anderson, and Bischoff will join him in Lethal Lockdown and shatter their dreams. It’s going to be no different than Bound For Glory, because they’re going to reign supreme again at Lockdown, and the only difference is that this time, Sting’s leading his team to the slaughter. Sting comes out to the top of the ramp and introduces his team: Samoa Joe, James Storm, and Magnus. Sting says as far as his last member goes “It’s Showtime!” Anderson tells Sting that that’s his nickname and it’s clever, but to cut the crap and say who it is. Sting repeats the line and the camera zooms out to see “Showtime” Eric Young in his ridiculous beard behind the Aces and Eights. The two teams brawl and Team TNA win the battle while Aces & Eights retreat.

The Gut Check returns tonight between two would-be Knockouts. One of them is Ivalice Velez, from Puerto Rico. She stated that her mother didn’t approve of her going into wrestling, and it took time to mend that fence because she was basically living on the streets at that point in her life. She knows she’s the hottest diva talent in the business today, and she’s going to take her spot tonight in the Gut Check. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Ivalice was on the 2012 revival of WWE Tough Enough. Remember that, where someone made a piss pour decision and had “Silent Rage” win instead of anyone else. That worked out well, a one year guaranteed contract and a drug suspension later, he’s in the unemployment line. One of the reasons I hate Gut Check is because these videos end up being sob stories. I should like wrestlers for their talent, not because they’ve had things happen to them.))

-Commercial Break-

Aces & Eights is in the parking lot and seem pissed off that Eric Young is back, the same guy that hasn’t been taken seriously by anyone since World Elite. Kurt Angle is shown stalking them and tells the cameraman to follow him.

We take a look at Lei’d Tapa, the other contestant in tonight’s Gut Check. She’s from Tonga and is the Barbarian’s niece, and she wants to win the competition and make her uncle proud.

Gut Check: Ivalice Velez vs. Lei’d Tapa

Tapa lifts Ivalice off the mat by the throat and tossing her to the mat. Tapa tries to grab her again, but Velez catches her in a front guillotine choke. Tapa picks Velez up again and attempts a TKO, but Velez slips out and catches Tapa in a sleeper. Tapa escapes and takes Velez’ head off with a big superkick, then flattens her with a clothesline. Tapa connects with a hard bodyslam. Velez tries punching Tapa in the ribs, but Tapa headbutts her down and stops to yell at the fans while Tenay notes that if she is anything like her Uncle, the last place you want to get hit at is with her head. Tapa whips Velez hard into the corner, then does it a second time. Velez dodges a charge and hits a tornado DDT through the ropes, and Tapa is finally down. Velez hits a pair of clotheslines and a flying headscissors, but Tapa picks her up like she’s nothing and hits a Samoan Drop. She makes a nonchalant cover and Velez kicks out at two. Tapa stops to argue with the referee and Velez cinches in a front guillotine choke. Tapa tries to fight and nearly gets off the mat a couple of times, but eventually is forced to tap out.

Winner by Pinfall: Ivalice Velez

Austin Aries walks in on Jeff Hardy doing squats and give him some pointers, then says that he knows they haven’t always been best friends, but he’s pulling for Hardy because Bully is the golden child, just like Hardy was when Aries was the champion. Aries hopes he overcomes the odds like he wasn’t able to, and wishes him luck tonight and at Lockdown.

-Commercial Break-

TNA recently sent their cameras to the home of AJ Styles and his wife talks about meeting him in high school when he was a big bully who wrestled and played football, and how she started to doubt his faithfulness during the whole Claire Lynch thing. AJ’s best friend says he’s not the guy he used to know, and that he needs to take care of his family. AJ’s wife can’t continue the interview because this is just too personal. AJ gets home on his motor bike with a little longer messy hair and black stubble. He says TNA just doesn’t get it, and he gets back on his bike and rides away.

We get a flashback to all of the dissension between the two Robbies. Robbie E is in the ring saying there are times a bro needs to admit there’s a bigger bro. He asks Rob Terry to come out to the ring so he can say that he wants to admit he was wrong and that T is the better bro. He wants to have one last Bro Off for old time’s sake, T is reluctant but gives him a fist pound. E hits the music and E starts dancing like Carlton without lessons. Robbie T doesn’t want to bro, but Robbie E reminds him that he’s the Bro Off Champion, so he’s realized that Terry is the one who deserves the spotlight. He’s going to leave the ring and give the fans what they want, so the music and lights hit again, and T tears his shirt off and flexes. Robbie E takes a poster and smashes it over T’s head and yells that Terry is nothing but a piece of garbage. Rob Terry gets back up while Robbie E is celebrating, tears the poster off his head and smashes it, and yells at Robbie E as he heads for the hills.

Bully Ray is backstage lifting weights when Austin Aries comes in and tells Bully that he’s pulling for him. Bully tells him to cut the crap because Aries isn’t going to stir him up. Aries is one of the best wrestlers in the world and is one half of the tag champions, and he knows something about that belt, but he tells Aries to get used to it because he’s not winning the World Title anytime soon. He tells Aries to get out of his face, Aries says okay and to tell Brooke hi for him, and Bully calls him a wise ass.

-Commercial Break-

We go back to Kurt Angle, who says that if Aces & Eights wants a fight, they’ve got one. He seems to have tailed them back to their clubhouse, which is situated outside the damn soundstage! They seriously couldn’t have covered up that sign, or shot from a different angle?

Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs Bully Ray & TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy

Daniels and Bully start us off, Daniels showboats and Bully takes his head off with a clothesline. Kazarian tries to sneak in and gets backdropped, but that distracts Ray long enough for Daniels to nail Bully from behind. They Gangnam Style dance before getting taken out by a double clothesline from Bully, who then does a little Gangnam Style himself before taking both of them out with Bionic elbows. Hardy clotheslines Daniels to the floor and then hit a double team neckbreaker Dudley Boyz style as we go to commercial.

-Commercial Break-

We’re back, and Bad Influence is still on the receiving end of an ass-whippin from Hardy and Bully. Hardy springboards off Bully to hit Poetry In Motion, then Hardy whips Bully into splashes on both men in the corner. They go to try the Poetry in Motion on Daniels, but Kazarian grabs the hair of Hardy to slam him to the ground. Daniels hits a clothesline, and Kazarian hits a springboard legdrop on Hardy for two. Daniels holds Hardy in a side suplex position so Kazarian can nail him with a springboard guillotine legdrop. Hardy hits Daniels with the Whisper In The Wind. Hardy makes the hot tag to Bully and he cleans house on anything that moved. Uranage on Daniels from the number one contender for two and then a side suplex gets the same count. Ray dumps Kazarian off the top rope and to the floor and slams Daniels so Hardy can hit the Swanton, but Kazarian jumps on the apron and shoves Hardy off the top rope, allowing Daniels to nail Bully and hit an STO on Hardy for two. Bully big boots Kazarian and then picks Daniels up and hits an electric chair so Hardy can hit him with the Swanton for the win.

Winners by Pinfall: Jeff Hardy & Bully Ray

We head back to the Aces & Eights clubhouse where Angle fights his way into their boardroom and dukes it out with the Vice President. Angle smashes a beer bottle over the VP’s head and knocks him out, then decides to find out who he really is and pulls his mask off. We don’t see who’s under the mask because he’s unconscious under a table, but Angle says “Holy shit!” (which is censored) and then asks “how could you this?” Before he can get any answers, the rest of the gang runs in and beats Angle down as we call it a night.

((Jarrett’s Jab – Joesph Park was held hostage for a month, and he was held walking distance from the Impact Zone??? The VP was more than likely who was unlocked, and while people are speculating Hogan, Bischoff, or Jarrett, I don’t think it was any of those. Why would Jarrett doing this surprise Angle? This is the same guy that flaunted the fact on screen that he was married to his ex-wife. Bischoff has always been a slimeball. And Hogan wouldn’t be anything less than the president if he was involved. If I had to take a guess, my first one would be AJ Styles. He was riding a motor bike earlier, looked like he gained a little muscle, is ready for a heel turn, and Aces and Eights wear so much clothes he doesn’t have to be that big. That was my first thought though, it could always end up being D’Lo Brown from that whole Gut Check thing months ago, Joesph Park, or even Samoa Joe.

That main event sure didn’t help the best act in TNA: Bad Influence at all. A lot of people think that Bully Ray deserves the shot at LockDown, but I still think that it should be Daniels. He’s doing the best work of his career, has one of the best characters in TNA, and should have won the belt last month since Hardy can’t travel out of the US. Either way you look at it, because of Jeff Hardy, TNA has two episodes of Impact to build the world title match and this was one of them.

That’s it for me, be sure to tune in next week for the LAST episode of Impact Wrestling to be in the Impact Zone and for LockDown next Sunday.))