It might be Valentine’s Day for Pulse Wrestling’s Paul Marshall, but luckily I’ll be here and torturing myself enjoying TNA’s latest wonderful PPV offering.
We’ll be in around 8pm with live match by match results. The card is set and the in-ring work should be solid with something wacky in the booking. Those are my official predictions.
Ric Flair comes into the TNA Arena and he is livid! Christy Hemme tries to catch up and he cuts a promo on Bischoff, and is unhappy that Eric will be reffing the match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.
8 Card Stud Tournament Match
The Pope D’Angelo Dinero vs. Desmond Wolfe w/Chick
Tenay talks about one “young wrestler” getting the chance with the tournament. Pope has a cool triple elbow dance move. Both guys getting in about an equal amount of offense. Pope has some momentum. High cross body for 2. DDE (former Elijah Express) and Pope gets the clean pin.
Winner: The Pope
Ric Flair storms into Eric Bischoff’s office. They scream at each other. Bischoff says he plans on calling it right down the middle and warns Flair to keep his distance.
Rehired Jeremy Borash is backstage with Supermex Hernandez and Matt Morgan. They discussed it early, but Morgan recaps it for JB – they want to prove who’s the best and leave it all out there.
8 Card Stud Tournament Match
Supermex Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan
They fist pound to start the match to show the fans that they are doing this straight-up. Morgan is making Hernandez look small. Top rope move by Hernandez leads us to BOTCH CITY and both men tumble down and re-group. Slow motion action. Morgan locks in a head lock and Hernandez sits down to relax. Hernandez with a nice delayed veritcal suplex. Morgan on the metal ramp and Hernandez FLIES onto him. Seems like Morgan hit his head hard, and Hernandez landed on his shoulder. Hernandez selling the shoulder. Morgan holds the ropes to let Hernandez back in, but then tosses him headfirst into the corner turnbuckle, and rolls him up for the pin.
Winner: Morgan
You see, Morgan said it would be straight-up and settled like men but then he acted cowardly.
Backstage, Kurt Angle makes amends with Hulk Hogan.
8 Card Stud Tournament Match
Ken Anderson vs. Kurt Angle
Anderson drops the mic when it falls. The crowd is amused. So am I actually. He cuts a promo. Angle has a stars and striped ring outfit. Action moved to the corner, and Anderson grabs Kurt’s metal necklace and rakes it across his face. Angle is busted open. Angle regains control. Blood drips all over the mat. Angle does rolling German suplexes. Kurt goes for the Angle Slam, Anderson floats back but trips, gets back up and hits the Rolling Fireman’s Carry move for a 2 count. Anderson goes to untie a turnbuckle pad, the ref fixes it, and Anderson exposes another. Goes to ram Angle, who blocks and hits an Angle Slam for 2. Finish comes when Kurt charges at Anderson in the corner, Anderson moves and Kurt hits his bloody forehead into the STEEEEL exposed turnbuckle. Anderson hits the Mic Check and pins Angle. Wow. Nice match too.
Winner: Anderson
After the match Anderson throws Angle’s medals down onto him and the spits on him. Spitting is all the rage in TNA.
Backstage Eric Bischoff reminds Mick Foley and Abyss to have a real match or Abyss gets unmasked on Impact. Bischoff gives them a barbed wire bat and says it’s legal in the match. One of them has to use it or – you guessed it – Abyss is unmasked on Impact.
8 Card Stud Tournament Match
Abyss vs. Mick Foley
TNA fans go old skool and do the “ohhhh ohhhh Abyss” chant. Tentative at first but Abyss attacks Foley. Gets the bat, crowd chants “use the bat” but he is conflicted and puts it down. Foley is up, slaps Abyss and tells him to use the bat. Brawling to the floor and Foley grabs a chair from the front row and hits Abyss across the back. We move back to the ring and Foley hits a spinning neckbreaker. Abyss back in control, and has TACKS. Goes for a chokeslam, but Abyss hesitates and Foley breaks it up. Abyss now has Socko and the crowd chants “use the sock”. Finally he does use the sock, but Foley has ANOTHER sock, and he is better at applying the sock. Foley socks Abyss to the mat. Foley grabs the barbed wire bat, but Abyss hits the Black Hole Slam on the tacks. He gets upset at himself at first, but then covers for the pin. No one used the bat.
Winner: Abyss
Abyss takes the tacks out of Foley’s back as we see the brackets.
So our second round matches will be:
The Pope vs. Matt Morgan
Ken Anderson vs. Abyss
Christy interviews the Nasties backstage.
Nasty Boys vs. Team 3-D
Match breaks down immediately with all four brawling in the ring. That’s a lot of fat in one ring. Nasties take a breather on the floor. Bubba and Saggs lock up~! This is brutal. Nasties set up for PITTY CITY but Bubba blocks and hits a back suplex and legdrop for 2. That was a lot of effort and the Nasties need another breather on the floor. Crowd chants for tables. Match continues with slow fat-man action. Jimmy Hart runs down with a Nasty Boyz helmet and tosses it to Knobs, who uses it on Bubba for the baffling pin.
Winners: Nasty Boys
Jimmy Hart jumps up and down celebrating with the Nasties as they exit off the ramp.
Samoa Joe clutches the “3” briefcase he’s cashing in tonight, and Bischoff approaches. Bischoff has history with Flair and wants Joe to win. I smell some kind of swerve!!
I still can’t believe how bad that Nasty Boys match was.
8 Card Stud Tournament Semi-Final Match
The Pope vs. Matt Morgan
Pyro for Morgan for a second match but not enough money for Pope to make it rain a second time. Match moves to the floor early, then back in. Both guys getting in some offense. Pope hits FIVE elbows and pelvic thrust. Morgan regroups, goes for the Carbon Footprint but crotches himself on the corner. The Pope hits the DDE and gets the pin. Nice batch of surprising finishes tonight so far.
Winner: The Pope
Backstage JB talks to Ken Anderson, who is drinking a water bottle and still has a splash of Angle’s blood on his face.
8 Card Stud Tournament Semi-Final Match
Abyss vs. Ken Anderson
Brawling moves to the floor and Abyss claps to himself. Back to the ring, Abyss in control. Anderson clips his knee and goes to work on the knee. Abyss regroups, hits a side slam for 2. Goes for a Shock Treatment and hits it but Anderson punches on the way down and both are knocked out a bit. Anderson gets up, goes up top, but Abyss goozles him as he comes off the top. Anderson grabs Abyss’ mask, the ref checks or something and Anderson hits the Mic Check for the pin.
Winner: Anderson
The final is The Pope vs. Ken Anderson.
Christy Hemme interviews AJ and Flair backstage. Styles has bleached highlights and a diamond earring in his right ear.
Hogan and Bischoff have a pow-wow backstage about believing in them and calling it down the middle.
TNA World Title
AJ Styles (c) w/Ric Flair vs. Samoa Joe
Styles has a robe, blue with white fluffy. JB does the full, long intro, which is always a nice touch. Joe has control early in the match. Styles with some kicks, but gets cocky and Joe tosses him to the floor. Then Joe follows with a flying dive over the top and Styles hits hard against the railing. Brawling on the floor and Styles gets the upper hand. Moves the padding on the floor and goes for a suplex on Joe on the exposed concrete. Joe blocks. Nothing happens with the concrete yet and they go back into the ring. AJ goes for a top rope ‘rana, Joe THROWS him off, AJ lands on his feet. AJ runs at Joe on the middle rope, Joe slaps him hard and then hits a stiff top rope thigh attack. I just realized Bischoff is the ref, he hasn’t made any tainted calls. Styles drives Joe’s knee into the ringpost and goes to work on the leg. Styles goes for the figure four. Joe tries to roll him over but Flair prevents it. Bischoff threatens to throw him out of the ringside but doesn’t. Styles dumped to the floor. Back in. Joe with a powerslam for 2. Crowd chants for Joe. Very mild Impactzone crowd tonight. Joe sets up for the Muscle Buster. Flair tries to interfere, and Bischoff goes to the floor to confront him. Joe then hits the Muscle Buster – but there is no ref!!! Bischoff knocks out Flair on the floor and Joe is not happy. Joe and Bischoff have words in the ring. Joe pushes Bischoff into the corner. Joe turns around and hits the Pele Kick for 2. Styles Clash for the pin. Bischoff reluctantly counts three.
Winner and still champ: AJ Styles
Music cuts and Flair grabs a mic after the match and cuts a nonsensical bit of a promo. Play AJ’s music again!
For those that had “February 2010” for when Mr. Anderson vs. The Pope were main eventing on PPV, you win the pool.
Recap of the tournament to date. What a thrilling tournament so far. Even Taz and Tenay are having trouble feigning exciement.
Christy is backstage with Anderson again, who is getting quite a bit of screentime tonight. Cuts another promo, he’s says checking things off his Bucket List tonight – beat Angle, beat Abyss, send Pope back to Harlem – might as well check that off too. He is one match away from being King of the Ring 2010!!! being #1 contender. Goes to do “Mr Anderson” but just walks away. THAT’S how serious he is.
We’re over to JB who is with the Pope. I do like how they are doing promos to build up this final. This business needs change. The Pope is the cashier – consider Anderson’s check voided. Scott Hall and Syxx show up to beat down Pope. Hall cuts a drunken promo about Hogan’s party being crashed by the Wolfpac, and does the NWO 2-sweet hand symbol.
8 Card Stud Tournament Final Match
The Pope vs. Ken Anderson
Pope’s music plays. No Pope! Anderson’s music plays, he comes out. The Pope literally crawls up the ramp, and Anderson goes to attack. Bell rings. Brawling on the ramp. Anderson jumps into the ring to break up the count. Anderson beats Pope on the ramp and moves to the ringside area. Flair and AJ are shown watching the match backstage. Finally back into the ring and Anderson tries covers for 2 counts. Crowd chants for the Pope. Anderson stomps on Pope. Finally Pope makes a combeack. Hits a suplex, then a German suplex. Goes for a third, but Anderson elbows out. Pope then hits a slam for 2. Big punch then the DDE but it only gets 2. Pope is shocked. Crowd is mild. Anderson regains control, the mic comes down and he cuts a mini promo. Then hits a Mic Check but Pope kicks out. Anderson is upset and stomps away. Hits the rolling samoan drop, then goes for the KenTon Bomb, but Pope moves. Pope hits the DDE a second time and gets the pin.
Winner: The Pope
The Pope is now #1 contender for AJ Styles’ World title at Lockdown in St. Louis in April.
The cash comes from the ceiling – the Pope’s win makes it rain once again in the ImpactZone.
Check out our exclusive Toy Fair 2010 coverage with new WWE figures and tons more.
Thanks for being with me tonight, we’re recording the Mango PPV Rewind next!
