WRESTLE-NET: TNA iMPACT COVERAGE RIGHT HEREPosted by Daniel Peterson at 04:49 on 2 January 2009Thursday 1st January 2009 - Orlando, Florida [/color]
- Hello there, this is Daniel Peterson of the Wrestle-Net staff here and I will be doing the reporting for Total Non-Stop Action this week, and this is almost identical to what I've already done with WCW 1999 ten years ago. Well, the number two promotion in wrestling, I doubt it'll become the number promotion as easily, and it is ten years exactly since the WCW 1999 diary log began so here we go.
- The usual TNA Wrestling: Cross The Line segment plays hyping up the upcoming program here next on Spike.
- To no suprise, the usual video recapping of last week's TNA iMPACT is missed out, it seems like TNA are blocking out rememberence of Vince Russo's dark days of booking in TNA. Good job, there. The opening video package airs, hyping up the program even further as it shows numerous clips of stipulated matches (not Russo-styled ones at that thank god), looks like TNA have redecorated the package as the iMPACT package previously showed 'TNA HD' flashing onto the screen before going to the iMPACT Zone. This time it was the iMPACT logo. Another thankyou and this is only 30 seconds in!
- We go to the live arena where Mike Tenay and Don West happily announce a new era in Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling with another year gone by (smarks will realise a new era in booking as well as in TNA kayfabe). Tenay and West hype up the upcoming two-hour program with ten days left until TNA Genesis 2009, live on pay-per-view on January 11th. The main event is planned to be TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Sting teaming with Booker T to take on AJ Styles and Rhino.
- We kick things off with the theme of Abyss playing into the arena as the 'Monster' Abyss and the 'Blueprint' Matt Morgan begin to make their way down the rampway to the ring. Morgan announces that this is a new year for professional wrestling, that this year will be his and Abyss' big break in TNA wrestling. Abyss then got on the microphone about the Main Event Mafia and how they're stealing their time, Morgan mentions that him and Abyss have previously taken no notice of the Mafia and that they've now realised what they must do to succeed and get their big break by eliminating the Main Event Mafia. Abyss then continues by calling out 'Big Sexy' Kevin Nash to the ring. Nash walks down the ramp on his own in a sweater and jeans as Nash stands at ringside cutting a promo back at Abyss telling him if he wants a fight then he can have it at Genesis. Abyss tells him that he can't wait to get a piece of Nash. Hmm, now this could be an interesting storyline and match, Nash obviously isn't as good as he was in the past but maybe this could drag a good match out of him.
- We go to the commercial break and when we return, a hype video airs, reminding us of Suicide and who he is. It is brought to my attention that Kaz, the man behind the mask of Suicide is currently sidelined with shoulder injury, scheduled to be able to compete to wrestle in February, so I suppose we'll have to suit for beatdowns and hype videos until then. I just wish Kaz was back.
- Following the hype video, we go to the backstage area where the interviewer, Lauren Brooke is seen standing by with 'Black Machismo', Jay Lethal. Jay is holding his briefcase as he cuts a promo in full Randy Savage monologue in which he says that he won this briefcase in preparation to fight for the duo title in TNA Wrestling. Jay introduces us to Consequences Creed as they cut a promo on Beer Money Inc, the TNA World Tag Team Champions announcing that Lethal wants a tag title match with Creed against Beer Money at Genesis. This could be a great match.
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Alex Shelley defeated Consequences Creed[/color] in a TNA X-Division Championship Semi-Final match in 7:18. Now this was, simply put a prime example of how TNA should of been in the first place, 2008 could of been dead and buried simply enough with this single match, but then again that's just me exaggerating. Shelley and Creed put on a decent effort, Creed was slightly sloppy but he is slowly improving in the ring, he was incredibly green if you all remember back in April 2008, he's improved gradually. Shelley and Creed did some innovative stuff in the ring, Shelley did an impressive spot where he went for the springboard moonsault, missed, landed on his feet, shoved Creed into the ropes, leapfrogged and hit the springboard moonsault again with succession. Creed looked like he had the match won however with the Creed-DT but the referee had been bumped by Alex earlier on. Robert Roode ran in, hit the Payoff on Creed and Shelley got the pin for the win.
**1/4[/color]
- We go to the backstage area where Robert Roode is seen panting as he returns to the Beer Money Inc locker-room where Jacqueline Moore and James Storm have been waiting. Roode grins as Storm offers him a beer before interviewer Lauren Brooke walks in asking them why they did what they did. Roode did the talking, saying that if Creed wanted a shot at their TNA World Tag Team Championships then they will the hard way. Storm did his catchphrase before moving away.
- An advertisement for TNA Genesis airs, based around Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett, which I admit Russo booked as a good headlining feud, hopefully this serves as the main event at Genesis.
- Another
exciting edition of ODB's Angle airs in which the Old Dirty Bitch herself is joined by tonight's Knockout of a guest in Roxxi. ODB asks Roxxi about her background as well as about what she went through with her having her head shaved bald back at the infamous pay-per-view event, TNA Sacrifice. Roxxi says that obviously she's trying to find her way back and she will know when she has when she eventually wins the TNA World Knockouts Championship.
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Raisha Saeed defeated Christy Hemme[/color] in 6:07. This was a brutal match, I mean I know that Christy Hemme isn't the greatest womens wrestler in the world but this was simply put murder. Hemme tried to do some good moves in the ring but unfortunately she wasn't able to pull it off with succession. I don't know maybe it was just a lack of chemistries in the ring, I mean Raisha Saeed is a solid female performer as we saw in SHIMMER when she was Cheerleader Melissa. Anyways, Hemme was worked on alot by Saeed over the period of this match. Hemme had a few shots in at the opening bell but at that point, Saeed found a body part and started picking at it, unfortunately for Christy, it was her neck. Saeed continued to hammer on it for minutes before Christy mounted a comeback against the foreign knockout near the closing minutes of the bout. In more bad news for Christy, she lost by count-out after being accidentally dropped on the back of her head with a backdrop off of the apron, Hemme's head landing on the concrete.
*[/color]
- Post-match, the referee as well as TNA road agent, BG James came out to attend to Christy Hemme in which she wasn't in good shape. Raisha Saeed taunted the unconscious Christy from in the ring before Roxxi came running down the ramp to shut up the annoying Saeed. Saeed's associate, Rhaka Khan also attempted to get involved but ODB came to Roxxi's rescue, ODB and Roxxi eventually standing tall in the ring.
- Following commercial, we cut to the backstage area where in TNA Frontline's locker-room, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe were quite comfy as AJ was dressed in his tights for tonight's tag team match in the main event. AJ and Joe seemed to be going through the strategy, they were talking about what they'd do in the ring if any of the Main Event Mafia wanted a piece of them in the ring at TNA Genesis, it kind of spoiled that another match would be made tonight, but it was a good promo nontheless.
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Chris Sabin defeated Eric Young[/color] in a TNA X-Division Championship Tournament Semi-Final in 9:32. This was a great match in which saw both of these men hit some extremely aerial based moves, I'm personally happy that Eric Young finally dropped the putzy gimmick, it was really stupid for a man with good in-ring abilities. Mind you Super Eric was the worst. Sabin and Young competed in a back and forth battle in this final semi-final contest as Sabin attempted the Cradle Shock on countless occasions. Young always hits a great DDT, he did some extremely convincing ones in this match, too. Young almost had the match won after a top-rope positioned powerbomb but Sabin got a foot on the ropes. Chris also hit some moves that Alex Shelley used earlier, a hurricanrana that planted Young on his head, that spot seemed deadly the way Young sold it. Sabin finally finished it off with the Cradle Shock.
**3/4[/color]
- Alex Shelley soon after Chris Sabin's win coems out to the live arena to join Motor City Machine Gun partner in the ring as both men celebrated, that all ended when they looked at the big screen on the stage, showing the updated bracket reading Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in the finals of the TNA X-Division Championship Tournament at TNA Genesis. Both men looked at each other in shock.
- We see Jeff Jarrett in the backstage area as Jeremy Borash joins him, Jarrett seemingly extremely calm about the situation with Kurt Angle. JB asks Jarrett why he's so calm in which Jeff responds by saying that he is holding in his anger until Genesis on January 11th. Jarrett says that he's apologized to Mick Foley and to BG James, saying that his friendships with both men are as secure as ever. Jarrett promises to annihilate Kurt Angle at Genesis.
- We are in the backstage area where 'Mrs. Sarah Palin' is further talking to the Beautiful People, Cute Kip, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky in which the two girls are now dressed in pensioner's clothing with no make-up and geeky glasses, Palin promising them that they have done well in fulfilling needs that had to be made for entry into the White House, though 'Palin' says that she cannot allow them to enter the White House today or any other day due to the fact that the Beautiful People are gullible. I liked this part, Palin threw down her glasses and let her hair down before pulling out a digital camera. Palin said she'd waited a lifetime for this to happen. She took a bit of an outraged Beautiful People as she got up, removed her jacket and revealed her true personality as being Daphney, the true beautiful person in wrestling. Velvet and Love looked shocked as Kip tried to get some make-up quickly. Interesting indeed.
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AJ Styles and Rhino defeated Sting and Booker T[/color] in 14:22. This was an outstanding way to finish off TNA iMPACT, the rebirth of TNA and incredibly better than all of December's episodes of iMPACT by a long shot. These two teams put on one heck of a show in this decent tag team main event. AJ Styles looked (pardon the pun), phenomenal out there and almost pinned the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Sting on two seperate occasions, but Rhino, he just went for the TNA World Legends Champion, Booker T suprisingly. And Rhino is supposed to be the guy in contention for the World title. AJ and Booker started things off, AJ had a lot of offense as Sting got the tag, worked down and isolated AJ from Rhino before Rhino came in and started kicking ass. Rhino had gotten Sting down at the point of stalking him in preparation for the Gore but Scott Steiner and Kevin Nash ran into the ring and attacked Rhino and AJ Styles causing a disqualification.
**3/4[/color]
- Following the match, the four members of the Main Event Mafia continued the assault before Samoa Joe ran in alongside Matt Morgan and Abyss. Joe hammered Steiner as Morgan did Sting as Abyss just simply stared down Nash before getting jumped by Booker T. Abyss, Morgan, AJ, Joe and Rhino eventually all fought back and cleared house of the Mafia as iMPACT went off the air.
- Overall, this was a great way to kick off TNA Wrestling in 2009, this was far superior than the dark days of Vince Russo booking iMPACT, though only four matches, the two X-Division Tournament matches and the main event tag team match was decent. There was some interesting booking in segments as well, interested where the Beautiful Person/Beautiful People storyline will go.
**3/4[/color][/center]