Source: TNAStars.com
Opening Segment
Impact Wrestling this week opens with a recap of Aces and Eight’s reign of dominance last week, Matt Morgan offering his assistance, and the 54-year old Sting and Hulk Hogan taking out all the members of Aces and Eights.
Inside the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Hulk Hogan makes his entrance to a standing ovation. Hogan tells the fans that they must like the drama because Sting and him almost went to blows and calls the first TNA Hall of Famer to the ring. Sting obliges in a t-shirt and his wrestling gear. Hogan says that since everything between the two of them is out in the open, and he knows when he’s right and wrong, and he got caught between some business and personal stuff and he was wrong when he ran Sting off and pulled Bully Ray close and apologizes. Hogan extends his hand and Sting shakes it and says the biggest mistake was not pulling Sting close and it was all on him. Sting tells Hogan that they’re together right now and it’s water under the bridge, and he wants a six-man tag match next week. Hogan tells Sting that it’s done and Hogan is going to find out who is going against Bully Ray at Slammiversary. He is cut off by the DNA of TNA Matt Morgan. Morgan looks at his imaginary crystal ball “this is the part where you just hand that jerk-off another shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, isn’t it?” Hogan tells Morgan that the biggest flaw he has is running his mouth and announces that there will be no more handouts or mistakes. Tonight, Matt Morgan will face Sting and the winner will face Bully Ray at Slammiversary.
((Jarrett’s Jab – I don’t need a crystal ball to see how this is going to turn out, and I’m not a big fan of what I see…))
A video plays of an interview with Chris Sabin and how he got injured. Sabin talks about how wrestling has always been a goal of his and he compares it to being in a big tunnel and the light being so far away. Doctors told him not to come back and he wants to be the Adrian Peterson of wrestling. He says that he doesn’t just want to be an X Champ or a Tag Team Champ, he wants to be the World Champion and that will always remain his goal.
Up next, Chris Sabin will have a chance to qualify for an X Division Championship when he faces Zema Ion and Sonjay Dutt.
-Commercial Break-
Kurt Angle is pacing in an exercise room backstage stating that he knew it would come to this and every week Aces and Eights try to take over the boys, the company, and they even have a title. Angle says he issues a challenge to any member that’ll face him and that “they can hurt me, they can even beat me, but if one thing is for sure, they can’t stop me”
X Division Championship Qualifier Match: Sonjay Dutt vs. Zema Ion vs. Chris Sabin
Sonjay Dutt is already in the ring; Dutt and Sabin get televised entrances. Ion pie faces Sabin, but gets pin ponged across the ring by Sonjay Dutt and Chris Sabin before getting tossed to the outside. Sabin gets a kick to the gut and Dutt connects with a hurricanrana and an arm drag. Sabin tries a sunset flip, but Ion powers out and gets kicked in the head. Ion manages to flip over the top rope and sunset flips Sabin, who suplex Dutt. Sabin rolls out and Ion fixes his hair before going out for Sabin and hitting a dropkick to the back. Ion drops Dutt throat first on the top rope as the results for the fan voting is shown, and with sixty-nine percent of the vote, Suicide is going to be involved in the next X Division Championship qualifier match. Rockstar spud received twenty-four percent of the votes, and Rashad Cameron only received seven percent. Sabin gives three hard chops, but Ion pulls the hair. Ion tries a back slide, but it’s reversed into a unique pinning predicament where Ion bas both men’s shoulders down. Dutt kicks the head of Ion while Sabin holds him in a submission hold. Sabin goes for cradle shock, but Dutt fights out. Spinning DDT and a standing Shooting Star by Dutt gains him two as we go to the X Cam for the count and I can barely see Ion kicking them out. Can we get rid of it now, the pinfalls are making me sick and dizzy. Jawbreaker by Dutt on Ion, but Ion gets a DDT for a two count as we go to the X Cam again. Sick kick by Dutt on Ion and Sabin takes his head off with a clothesline. Death Valley Driver on Dutt onto Ion and Sabin ties Dutt up in the Tree of Woe and throws Ion into him before hitting Cradle Shock on Ion (which Todd and Taz doesn’t even know the name to) for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Chris Sabin
Robbie E is backstage with Jessie and Jessie talks about needing to think about Rob Terry from a different angle and brings up some movie called ‘Three Dudes at a Lake’ where they try and slay a dragon and holds up a picture of Joey Ryan. Robbie E doesn’t like it and says that he’s sleazy. Jessie says “he’s just enough sleazy to make this easy” and reminds Robbie E that it’s three on one and walks away. Robbie E hollers that “Sleazy and Easy doesn’t even rhyme bro!”
-Commercial Break-
Bully Ray is backstage with the members of Aces and Eights asking them if they had a problem, then asking them if they saw Hogan mocking them. He states that he’s not worried about Morgan or Sting because he’ll get the job done with Boston. Ray describes Kurt Angle as a thorn in the club’s ass and wants him taken out like he took Jeff Hardy out. He asks which one of the “tough guys are going to do it” before asking Devon “you’re the Sergeant-at-Arms, who’s it gonna be?” Wes Brisco volunteers, saying that he beat Angle three times already and he can beat him again. Garett Bischoff interrupts and says the last time the two were in a ring, he took care of Angle and he wants to finish him off. D-Lo tells the “kids” to stop and that he’s the one that is going to beat Kurt Angle tonight. He’s the one that gave Wes and Garett the chains to get the victories, he’s the one that gave Aces and Eights access into TNA, and he’s the one that wants the honor of beating the Olympic Gold Medalist. D’Lo asks Knux, D.O.C., and Devon if they’ve see him in the ring while Bully Ray and Ken Anderson exchange a glance at each other. Bully Ray cuts him off and says that enough has been said. “You’re pretty fired up aren’t you?” and D-Lo replies that “you’re damn right!” D-Lo guarantees he’ll get the job done tonight, and swears his “colors” on it.
Robbie E, Jessie, and Joey Ryan vs. Rob Terry
Rock, Paper Scissors game ends up with Joey Ryan having to start the match with Rob Terry and receiving several blows to the back and then a big back body drop. Jessie grabs Rob Terry’s trunks from the outside and when Terry focuses on him, Robbie E hits a clubby blow to the back that doesn’t even faze Terry. Jessie tries one and then Joey Ryan clips the left knee before stomping on it and Jessie tags himself in and gets a few kicks before Robbie E and Jessie tag in several times in a row, doing the same thing. A tweet by Dixie Cater congratulating Chris Sabin is shown on the screen while Robbie E tries to cinch in a chin lock before Terry powers to his feet and backs him into the corner. Terry charges at the corner and Robbie E moves before hitting a shoulder block and Ryan tags in. Ryan gets slammed to the mat and the three attacks him before Terry throws them off and just takes them all out with clotheslines and lariats. Big double backdrop suplex by Terry on Jessie and Robbie E and the two roll out of the ring. Terry nails the Freakbuster (which isn’t mentioned by name by the commentary team) on Joey Ryan for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Rob Terry
The D’Lo Brown and Kurt Angle match and the Number One Contenders match between Matt Morgan and Sting is hyped before we are shown Bobby Roode and Austin Aries coming through the hallway. They will address the crowd…NEXT!
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, the former TNA World Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Austin Aries make their slow walk to the ring. Mike Tenay reminds everyone that the two will team to face Bad Influence next week and the winner will face the Tag Team Champions: Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Hernandez. Bobby Roode tells Kazarian and Daniels that their “stupid little mindgames” and they got in his head just a little bit by talking about reforming Fortune, but it was never about reforming anything, it was “simply about your jealousy of A Double and The It Factor and the World Tag Team Championships.” Aries states that he didn’t believe what Bad Influence said. They’re best friends, but Roode and Aries aren’t, they barely like each other, but they like each other just enough to work for a common goal. “We don’t ride the roads together like you do, we don’t giggle at each other adolescent jokes, we go out to win matches and champions. You see we are a team of World Champions! And that’s something that Frankie Kazarian of Chris Daniels will ever know anything about.” With that queue, Bad Influence comes to the ring. Daniels told Roode that he’s right about one thing, it was all about the tag team championships. But “you’re not the next Tag Team Champions of the World, you’re not even the best tag team in this ring, in fact no one has any increased blood flow in this general vicinity [waves around their crotches] over either one of you” because everyone knows that you’re a pale imitation of the best tag team in the biz-i-ness. Next week, the pale imitations are facing the “West Coast Boogie Men” for the tag team title shot. The next Tag Team Champions are in this ring “and spoiler alert: it’s us,” Daniels states.
Roode reminds everyone that he cracked a beer bottle over his best friend’s head to become the World Heavyweight Champion, and that they will do whatever it takes to win. Kazarian says that they can’t beat Bad Influence, they can’t out cheat Bad Influence and they can’t “out us…us.” Kazarian says that tall Roode and Aries are nothing more than Bad Influence-lite before Chavo Guerrero decides to interrupt. Chavo says that all those four ever do is talk and now is time for action and next week, there will be a special referee. Aries asks which one of them are the special referee, Chavo says that it’s not them, and “the special referee likes to count in sixes…or six-packs.” James Storm comes out with a six-pack of beer and a “I drink beer with your mom” shirt. Taz makes a funny comment about how there is a drunk female ref in ODB and now a drunk male ref in James Storm as Storm hands the Tag Team Champions a beer. ((Jarrett’s Jab – I’m begging anyone with a brain to never hand Chavo a microphone…ever. There’s a reason why he wasn’t handed one anywhere else. He’s just not good. Chavo and Hernandez either need to be broken up, or given a mouthpiece. He can ruin a segment pretty easy. And while some may question Storm as the referee, it actually makes some sense. While they referenced Storm’s history with Roode in the segment, Bad Influence feuded with Storm in December of 2012 and January of 2013. Christopher Daniels beat Storm to get a World Heavyweight Title shot at Genesis. At least it wasn’t somebody random like King Mo. Where is that guy anyways? After he got knocked out a few months ago, I haven’t heard a peep about him.))
Sting is shown walking into the training room that Kurt Angle was in earlier. Sting asks Angle if he’s ready for his match and asks Angle if he has a minute before telling the camera guy that he needs a minute and shuts the door.
-Commercial Break-
Backstage Tara and Gail Kim are talking about Taryn Terrell. Tara is tired of hearing about her, and Gail wants to focus on what’s important: that Taryn thinks she’s better than Gail and goes on a rant about how she’s all over the new Knockouts website. Gail says she should be the Knockout of the month and that tonight they need to embarrass Taryn in this tag match. Tara walks out and Gail says to herself that she’ll make sure she gets the victory.
Backstage Chris Sabin is talking about how he’s been training for the last number of months and that he’s had seven matches in the past three years, and before that he wrestled for eleven years straight before it was taken away.
The Number One contender match between Sting and Matt Morgan is hyped again before we go to the ring for our next match. Both D’Lo Brown and Kurt Angle get televised entrances before we head to a commercial break.
-Commercial Break-
D’Lo said that earlier tonight, he told his brothers that he would get the job done and beat him in the middle of the ring, but it’s not good enough for him…and tonight he’s going to do something that no one has ever done before: beat Angle in an I Quit match. He asks Angle if he agrees, and as soon as Angle nods his head, D’Lo hits him with the microphone and the bell rings.
I Quit Match: D’Lo Brown vs. Kurt Angle
D’Lo takes Angle down early in the corner, but Angle runs through D’Lo with a clothesline before Angle locks in a neat looking modified STF as Anderson is shown at ringside holding Aces and Eight’s back. Angle is distracted and D’Lo tires to gain an advantage but gets suplexed. D’Lo rolls out and sends his left shoulder into the ring post. He grabs the hammer from the ring bell, but strikes the ring post instead of Angle’s head. D’Lo sends Angle left shoulder into the ring post again. D’Lo slams the left arm into the apron and stretches it against the ring post before slamming it against the apron again as a close of Anderson watching from the guardrail is shown. D’Lo is rolled back in the ring and stomps on the left arm several times. D’Lo wrings the left arm as Angle gets the crowd behind him and fights out, only to get his arm slammed into the mat and get locked in a Cross Armbreaker. Angle is asked if he quit and he screams “Hell No!” Angle rolls and is able to transition into an ankle lock, but D-Lo kicks out and hits a clothesline. D’Lo goes for the Cobra Clutch as Taz points out how D’Lo is matching submissions with Angle. D’Lo tosses him off and hits five german suplexes and the referee asks him if he quits, and then tells the ref to “kiss my ass.” Angle hits one more suplex before cinching into the Ankle lock, but D’Lo kicks out and hits a Samoan Drop. D’LO goes for a Powerbomb, but takes too long posing, but Angle cinhes in the Ankle lock again. D’Lo tries to roll through, but Angle grapevines it. D’Lo taps, but the refree doesn’t do anything. About ten seconds later D’Lo quits.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Anderson looks on pissed before signaling for the troops to go to the back. Taz narrates some highlights and reiterates that he can’t believe D’Lo quit.
Christy Hemme interviews Angle on the ramp and congratulates him on the win and asks if it’s a measure of revenge. Angle says it’s just another battle in the war with Aces and Eight’s and says that he has his mind on someone else: The Phenomenal AJ Styles. Angle calls AJ Styles to the ring. ((Jarrett’s Jab – Wish the commentators had put more emphasis on D’Lo swearing his colors that he would win tonight. For a man who had his last televised match in 2008 and retired from wrestling in 2009, this was a great effort. He could have done an indy show that I can’t find, but I can’t find anything on him wrestling since 2009. Angle is the best guy D’Lo could have worked with because Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. I assume D’Lo is kicked out of the group tonight or next week, which is great because Aces and Eights needs to trim some names that doesn’t belong. I like the dynamic shown with Anderson lately, cutting a lot of the promos and leading the charge including tonight, maybe he becomes the next VP. It’s all speculation right now though.))
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Angle is in the ring and asks one more time for AJ to come out and talk. The crowd starts a “USA” chant and AJ finally comes out. Tenay wonders aloud if Angle ca finally gets some answers from AJ Styles. AJ hesitantly gets in the ring and stares nose to nose with Angle. Angle tells him that looking in the eyes that he doesn’t look the same. He looks like he wants to take Angle’s head off like he did James Storm. Angle says before he does to listen first. Angle announces that he won’t get far because this is his hometown, Western Pennsylvania. Everyone wants to recruit AJ, but AJ going with Aces and Eights would be the easy way out. Angle admits to taking the easy way out and getting a lot of success, but that’s not AJ’s style. Angle said he’s never said this before, but AJ Styles is the reason he came to Impact Wrestling. He knew that they could have the greatest match of all time…and they had a lot of them. He knows that AJ is going through a hard time in his life, and he understands that, but next week, Angle and Sting are taking the fight to Aces and Eights, and they need him. If he’s sides with them, that’s cool, if he sides with Aces and Eight’s…they’re going to have problems and with that Angle gets out of the ring.
The Number One Contenders match between “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan and “The Icon” Sting for later tonight. Taz speaks for his president Bully Ray and that it doesn’t matter who he faces.
We are shown a replay of Hulk Hogan making the match from earlier tonight.
Backstage, a shirtless Matt Morgan is pacing while the camera man asks him about his match tonight and says that he’s been waiting a long time. Morgan asks if waiting is really the word he used and said that he’s been pissed off, frustrated, and that waiting isn’t even the right word. Morgan calls himself the walking, talking, franchise of any wrestling company and tonight he’s gutting through Sting and at Slammiversary he’s gutting through Bully Ray to become the next World Champion before storming off.
Gail Kim comes out for her tag team match first. Tara comes out without Jessie, but uses the same TMZ inspired video wall that Jessie used earlier. Taryn Terell makes her way to the ring as Taz makes a remark about her having a horseshoe stuck up her…I don’t even want to guess where he think it’s stuck at.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Mickie James makes her entrance and we are ready for Knockouts Tag Team action!
Gail Kim and Tara vs. Taryn Terrell and Mickie James
ODB calls for someone to go to their corners for both teams. Mickie goes to the apron, but Gail grabs Taryn’s hair and Taryn has to fight off both Tara and Gail Kim. Mickie gets in the ring when Tara is holding Taryn and Mickie grabs Gail by the hair and we see a meeting of the minds between Tara and Gail. The two slide to the ring as ODB sends Mickie to the apron. Baseball slide by Taryn to both Tara and Gail and she slides Gail back in the ring. Taryn hits a clothesline and a snapmare before Mickie tags in and connects with a basement dropkick as two. Mickie rolls Gail into a cross armbreaker. Gail reaches the ropes and ODB forces a break. Gail favors the arm as she tries to slug it out, but Mickie easily gains the advantage in the brawl before Kim kicks the left shoulder. Taz makes a really bad remark about Mickie wearing a cup as Gail sends Mickie off the ropes. Mickie slides under Gail and hits an enziguiri for two. Gail hits shoulder blocks in the corner, but catches a back elbow. Mickie goes for a hurricanrana, but Gail dumps her out of the ring. Mickie barley lands on the apron and kicks Tara before getting a forearm to knock her to the floor. Tara throws Mickie back in the ring and Gail picks Mickie by the hair and clothesline her before sending her face first into Tara’s boot before tagging her in. Tara pulls the hair and strangely ODB doesn’t start a count. Tara covers but gets two. Tara knocks Taryn off the apron and she tries to get in the ring and ODB has to hold her back while Gail and Tara double team on Mickie. Tara cinches in a bridging chinlock, but Taryn breaks up the hold. Tara grabs Mickie’s right ankle and tags in Gail Kim, who covers her and doesn’t even get one. Mickie gets a hurricanrana, but both women hit crossbodies and both knockouts are down. Both get tags and Taryn hits a series of clotheslines and a back elbow before hitting a suplex and hits a crossbody from the top for two when Gail broke it up. Mickie kicks Gail out of the ring, the camera was out of position for what Tara hit on Mickie, but looked like a back elbow, and Taryn rolls up Tara for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Taryn Terell and Mickie James
Tara and Gail jump Mickie and Taryn. Gail puts right hands on Taryn and Mickie gains the advantage on Tara as they go up the ramp. Gail uses the hair to hold Taryn up in the ring and nails the Eat Defeat before slamming her into the mat by the hair. Gail locks in the Figure Four on the ring post and ODB breaks the hold as the refree checks on Taryn Terell.
Sting is backstage psyching himself up for his match.
-Commercial Break-
A advertisement plays for the new One Night Only Pay-Per-View: Joker’s Wild that debuts Friday, May the 3rd on Pay-Per-View!
A reply plays of D’Lo quitting in his I Quit match earlier and Anderson’s shocked look.
Bully Ray asks everyone if they heard D’Lo, the Vice President say “I Quit” and Anderson replies with “yep.” Bully Ray asks again and reiterates that he swore his colors on victory tonight and he said I quit. Anderson again said yes and noted that he pushed Garett and Wes aside to get the match. Garett said that “at least we got the job done” and Bully told him to relax and that “just because he was a douche to you, doesn’t mean you have to be a douche back to him.” And told him to remember that you never walk alone in Aces and Eights and he will deal with D’Lo Brown next week and they have a six-man tag next week. He’s not going to ask who is stepping up to the plate; he’s telling who is stepping up. It’s going to be Bully, Anderson and Devon.
A graphic showed the brand new match development of Sting, Kurt Angle and a mystery partner facing Aces and Eights members Bully Ray, Devon and Ken Anderson. And the graphic pops up reminding everyone of the Number One Contenders Match for the Tag Team Championships pitting Bad Influence against the team of Austin Aries and Bobby Roode.
Bobby Roode is backstage with Aries and says that Daniels and Kazarian, two men who never carried this company on their back like Austin Aries and the longest reigning TNA World Champion in company history Bobby Roode. Roode says that next week in Tupelo, Mississippi they will win and Chavo and Hernandez can’t hold a candle to them.
#1 Contendership for the TNA World Championship: “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan vs. “The Icon” Sting
Matt Morgan comes out with the robe that Hogan wore at Shea Stadium. I thought he wasn’t going to wear that anymore. The two tie-up and Morgan easily backs Sting up the corner and unloads with right hands and head-butts to the Icon before using his boot to choke him in the corner. Morgan runs right though Sting and hits another headbutt and just starts choking Sting in the corner. Another headbutt connects by Morgan and Sting starts to right back with right hands and chops, but Morgan throttles him and connects with a chokeslam for two as we head to a commercial break.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Morgan sends Sting head first into the steps and the guardrail before Sting turns it around and bounces Morgan’s head off the steel steps. Morgan drills his knee into the gut of Sting and rolls him back into the ring and chokes him with his boot again. Morgan positions Sting on the apron and hits a leg drop and stares down the fans before sending Earl Hebner back and missing a second leg drop. Sting sends Morgan head first against the guardrail twice and nailing right hands to the head and everywhere else before bouncing his head off the ring post and getting him back in the ring. Irish Whip by Moragn and a side slam connects for a two count. Morgan chokes Sting for a four count and puts his finger up and smiles, then signals the World Title before bouncing down on Sting as a “Let’s Go Sting” chant stars and Morgan mocks Hogan’s ear taunt. Morgan covers for two as Taz says that he’s wasting time by taunting Hulk. Sting starts to fight back but gets slammed down and misses an elbow. Morgan charges at the corner, but Sting moves and runs through Morgan with clotheslines and hits a Sting Splash before getting thrown in the corner and head-butted by Morgan and gets hit with the rapid fire clotheslines. Sting no sells and sends Morgan to the corner with a clothesline but gets nailed with the Carbon Footprint for ALMOST three. Morgan goes for it again, but hits the second turnbuckle and Taz explains that Morgan jammed the knee. Sting kicks at the knee and locks in the Scorpian Deathlock. Sting holds on the ropes to turn over, which Hebner doesn’t see. Morgan bites his hand and tries to power out to reach the ropes (although he was right in front of the ropes before) and crawls across the ring and reaches the ropes. Sting goes for the Scorpian Deathlock again in the center of the ring and sits down on the hold. Morgan tries to power out, but Sting looks like he falls when he sits down on the hold and Taz puts over how long Morgan has been in the hold. Hebner lifts the arm twice and it falls to the mat and instead of checking a third time like normal, he just rings the bell.
Winner by Submission: Sting
Bully Ray yells at Sting from the apron along with Devon and Anderson as we cut to credits.
((Jarrett’s Jab – There was no reason, NONE that in 2013, the 54-year-old Sting is challenging for the World Title. They could have put several people in this spot. Samoa Joe, Magnus, James Storm, they could have even had Morgan play a reluctant face, but instead Sting wins. The only thing I like about this is that Morgan didn’t tap out, he passed out in the hold, and they can always go back to that later. TNA needs to realize that having Sting and Hogan as your two big faces is going to kill the promotion in the long run. Kurt Angle said it best in an interview a few weeks ago that the younger guys need the spotlight. But for some reason that no one can explain why Hogan and Sting are the biggest players in a storyline surrounding the World Title. I can understand trying to kill time for AJ Styles since he can’t challenge for the title until Bound for Glory, but does it have to be Sting? There are too many names they could have built up and put into this match for me to believe that Sting was the only answer.))
