Welcome to the Pulse Wrestling TNA IMPACT Wrestling Report for 1.12.12. I am Alexander Miezin and I will be your Bob Barker for the evening. Thanks to all of the readers last week. I hope you all had a wonderful past seven days and are ready to kick off the weekend early with some TNA IMPACT.
Tonight’s show will feature two rematches from the Genesis PPV (which I thought was good). Jeff Hardy will once again challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship as he takes on Bobby Roode. Also, Kurt Angle will go to war with James Storm once again. Two very promising matches that are guaranteed to entertain. TNA is picking up steam and quite frankly, I think it is a much better product than WWE is currently. Anywho, enough of my opinions. Let’s blue skadoo into the television program!
Taped from Orlando, Florida at the IMPACT Wrestling Zone.
The show opens with a recap of the Genesis PPV event with Hardy defeating Roode by disqualification with Roode doing whatever it took to retain the gold.
Announcers for the evening are Mike Tenay and Taz.
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode makes his way into the IMPACT Wrestling Zone with the twenty-five pounds of gold draped over his left shoulder. Looks like it’s promo time. I must admit that I like this new theme better than the old one that had words. This one seems more distinguished. Roode calls his performance at Genesis, “dominant.” He has become the most dominant World Heavyweight Champion in TNA history. He is the greatest. He reminds us of his title matches with James Storm, AJ Styles, and Jeff Hardy. He tips his hat to Jeff Hardy. It almost brings a tear to his eye, but Jeff Hardy failed. The crowd is screaming for Jeff Hardy. Bobby Roode calls Jeff Hardy out to the ring. He wants Hardy to accept his defeat. Sting’s music plays instead. The Icon is in the house! Sting talks to Bobby Roode like he is a caveman. Sting calls Roode a punk kid. The crowd chants “spank his butt,” after Sting makes a comparison to Roode being a punk kid in the back of a classroom. Sting calls him stupid. Roode will defend the World Title tonight against Jeff Hardy! Roode goes ballistic in the ring. Sting leaves with a huge grin on his face.
Matt Morgan is shown arriving at Direct Auto Insurance. He sees Crimson coming out of the store. They do an advertisement essentially. Morgan is going to make his payment. They have a match with Robbie E. and Big Robbie T. tonight. We go to a commercial break next. Wasn’t that just a commercial though? Kind of? Sort of?
Non-Title: TNA World Television Champion Robbie E. and Robbie T. vs. TNA World Tag Team Champions Matt Morgan and Crimson
Rob Terry has on bright green with black trunks. The champions get a huge ovation. Probably piped in, but still an ovation. They defeated Samoa Joe and Magnus at Genesis to retain their titles. Robbie E. hides behind Robbie T. Terry starts in the right with Crimson. Terry slaps on a headlock. Crimson gets shoulder blocked. Tag in to Robbie E. Robbie tags in Terry after being shoved by Crimson. Body slam by Robbie T. Robbie E. gets tagged in, but leg sweeped by Crimson. Crimson has Robbie E. by one leg. Morgan comes in and clotheslines Robbie T. Crimson tags his partner in. Morgan elbows Robbie E. multiple times with no elbow pads on. Crimson whips Morgan into Robbie E. Overhead exploder suplex by Crimson. They double choke slam Robbie E. for the three count. 1/2*. Total squash.
Samoa Joe and Magnus attack the champions after the match. Joe hits Morgan with the belt. They stomp them down. Joe and Magnus hit spin kicks and elbow drops respectively on Crimson. Samoa Joe and Magnus pose with the title belts over the injured champions.
Eric Bischoff is headed to the ring as we go to break.
Gunner gets a little video montage of him saying that he will go after Garett Bischoff. They show Garett’s victories over Gunner and becoming an active wrestler. Gunner’s piledriver on the floor to Garett is also aired.
Eric Bischoff walks slowly down the ramp with a smile on his face. He gets booed. His entrance theme warms his heart. Garett’s dream of being a professional wrestler is just a dream. Eric builds himself up as changing the wrestling business. The crowd wants him to shut up. Eric says he burned everything that doesn’t benefit him including the people that he has worked with. He encourages Garett to give up his dream. Garett’s strange music plays and here comes the newest TNA wrestler. Garett snatches the microphone from his father. Garett says that he won’t give up his dream because of what his father has done. Garett has friends. He is not going anywhere. Garett is proud to be a professional wrestler. No one will take it away from him. Garett says he will keep coming back because that is what he does. He has a new trainer. Eric will be shocked at who he is. Garett turns his back and Eric tries hitting him. Garett grabs his dad and puts him in the corner. I bet Hogan is his new trainer. Apparently the crowd does as well as they chant his name. Garett lets go of Eric and exits.
In the back, Angelina Love and Winter finally found there way back from who knows where. They make fun of the Knockout division. Winter wants people to remember who she is. Angelina Love wants people to remember who she is as well. Winter will wrestle ODB tonight. Commercials again.
Eric Young’s relationship with ODB is recapped. The hilariousness never gets old. Their big kiss last week shows as well as their elimination from the Wild Card tournament.
ODB and Eric Young are backstage. ODB says that it was just one kiss. ODB grabs Eric’s butt.
Winter w/ Angelina Love vs. ODB w/ Eric Young
Wonder if Eric will take his pants off tonight? Winter’s theme is something I have missed. I’ll admit that it’s five kinds of awesome. Eric Young slaps his chest like ODB does. Young locks up with the referee before the match. Young runs around the outside of the ring. Bell sounds and we are underway. ODB and Winter go at it in the ring. Winter gets the back of ODB, but gets kicked. Winter slaps ODB. ODB chest rams Winter. ODB misses the Bronco Buster. Winter drags ODB by her hair. ODB is placed in the tree-of-woe position. Winter chokes ODB with the bottom of her boot. Young thinks it’s a tag match as he is holding onto the tag rope. He fends off Angelina Love on the floor. Winter covers ODB for two. ODB gets her head slammed into the mat by Winter. Winter applies a choke. Eric gets the crowd into it. ODB gets up off the ground and fights out. The shoulder blocks Winter twice. Irish whip into the corner and a avalanche by ODB. ODB nails the Bronco Buster this time. Taz says Winter needs Purell on her face. Fallaway slam by ODB. ODB poses. Angelina gets in the ring. Young grabs her and airplane spins her around. They both fall over. ODB hits the BAM!, which is like an F-5, on Winter for the win. *1/2. Enjoyable stuff. Young tries to put ODB on his shoulders, but fails. Young gives ODB her flask. She chugs it. Young takes a sip as well then downs it, too. Commercials attack!
AJ Styles heads down the ramp towards the ring. He looks very angry. Last week, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian screwed him out of a tag title shot. Styles has a microphone and speaks. He wants answers from Kazarian. Kazarian makes his way into the IMPACT Wrestling Zone. Both men’s faces are overly tanned. AJ’s lips look white. AJ was caught by surprise. He never expected Kazarian to turn on him. He wants to know why. AJ Styles reminds everyone of when Daniels turned his back on him a year ago. Styles wants an answer. Kazarian can’t tell him why, but Daniels can! Daniels comes down the ramp with a microphone. He calls himself the “face of IMPACT Wrestling”. He says that Kazarian sees AJ as a lost cause. Ever since Daniels beat AJ in Alabama, Kazarian was wondering why he’s with a loser like Styles. Kazarian is done carrying AJ. Daniels gets interrupted by Kazarian. Kazarian says something to Daniels and leaves. AJ throws the microphone at the back of Daniels. AJ pounds away at Daniels in the ring. Kazarian rescues Daniels pulling him to safety. AJ wants a piece of them.
James Storm is in the back and is headed to the ring in his full wrestling gear. Mike Tenay is puzzled. Break time.
The Monster’s Ball bout between Abyss and Bully Ray is recapped from Genesis in a blood video.
Backstage, Bully Ray says he was trending on Twitter to Bobby Roode. Please no more Twitter. Stop it. Stop it. Roode asks Bully if he heard Sting tonight and explains what happened earlier. Bully Ray says, “Sting’s never been trending on Twitter!” I think this is a jab at WWE. A hilarious jab. Bully Ray says that he has Roode’s back, but he wants a shot at the title. Roode and Ray slap each other’s backs.
James Storm comes to the ring. Lots of promos tonight. He is dressed to wrestle. The Angle vs. Storm match highlights are shown in still images from Genesis. Storm is sick of things getting sketchy in TNA Wrestling. He wants to call out Kurt Angle down to the ring. Lots of call outs tonight as well. Angle obliges. Angle is wearing jeans and a t-shirt along with a smile. A big smile. Angle is told to shut up by Storm. Storm smacks Angle’s microphone to the ground. James Storm tells Angle that Angle always takes the high road. Angle is a cheater. Storm reminds Angle of his title victory over him in thirty seconds. Storm wants Angle in the ring tonight. He tells Angle to go get his gear on and be ready to poop out his own teeth. Angle says to James that it is his night off. Angle came to the arena to see his buddies. He is celebrating the moment. No way is Storm getting a rematch. He proved himself at Genesis. Angle is onto the World Heavyweight Championship. Sting comes down the ramp again. Sting says that if Bobby Roode gets himself DQ’d purposely, Jeff Hardy wins the title. Nice addition! Sting tells Kurt that he will get his title some time, but tonight will be the rubber match! The winner of the Angle/Storm match will face the winner of the Hardy/Roode match eventually! Sting tells Angle to go get ready. Angle runs up the ramp to the back to get ready. Match begins after the break.
#1 Contenders Match: James Storm vs. Kurt Angle
Storm is waiting in the ring for Angle. Christy Hemme introduces both. Angle takes awhile to get to the ring. Earl Hebner rings the bell without Angle in it. He starts counting Angle out! Angle has his gear on and makes it in the ring at nine. Storm punches and kicks Angle. Storm slaps Angle in the face. Storm then stomps on Kurt’s hand. Ouch. Angle eats the turnbuckle pad. Punches again by Storm. Angle rakes the eyes of Storm. Angle charges at Storm, but shoulders the ring post. Storm takes Angle down by his arm. Two count for Storm. Storm slams Angle’s arm to the canvas. He’s targeting that arm of Kurt. Kurt gets thrown to the floor. Storm slaps him again. Angle’s head gets slammed into the ring steps. Storm fish hooks Angle’s mouth. Angle tries to get away. Angle rolls back to the floor away from Storm then catches him with a low blow. Slap to the face by Kurt. Storm’s face eats the ring steps now! Kurt rolls James back into the ring. Kurt stomps on the head. Angle punches Storm. Storm elbows down Kurt. Angle rolls back to the floor. Storm chases him, but gets kicked in the knee. Overhead release belly-to-belly suplex on the floor by Angle! We go to break.
Finally back from break as Angle tries to pin Storm, but only gets two. The crowd seems split. Angle punches and kicks Storm. Angle continuously stomps on Storm’s leg. Angle picks up Storm and suplexes him for a two count. Angle kicks Storm’s leg out of his leg. Angle steps on the back of the head of James Storm. Angle picks up Storm and European uppercuts him. Storm fires back with punches. Storm runs into a huge elbow from the Olympic Gold Medalist. Angle taunts to the crowd. He gets a lot of boos. Angle slugs Storm. More punches. Storm fights back, but is caught with another punch. Clubbing shot to the upper back by Angle. The two collide with crossbodies in the middle of the ring. Both men are down. Earl applies the count. Both men are up. Storm counter punches Angle. Clotheslines by Storm. Back cracker by Storm. He covers for two! A very close near fall. Angle’s mouth is bleeding. Side back breaker by Storm. Storm goes to the middle rope. He jumps off and catches Kurt’s leg. Storm applies the Ankle Lock! Sort of! Angle might tap! Angle rolls out kicking Storm into the corner. Angle Slam! Near fall for Angle! Angle grabs his own ankle. Stomps by Kurt. Angle mounts Storm and punches. Angle takes his forearm and rubs Storm’s face with it. Angle goes to the floor and grabs Storm’s beer bottle. Kurt takes a drink of it. Earl grabs the bottle from him while Kurt spits the beer in Storm’s face. Angle covers Storm for two! Angle wants Storm to get back up. Out of nowhere Last Call Superkick by Storm after a chest breaker for the win! ****. Really great match. On par with their Final Resolution match.
James Storm celebrates with the crowd.
Jeff Hardy is talking to the camera man. He gets his rematch tonight. He is very aware of Roode’s antics. Tonight he will take the Championship. Commercial break.
February 12th is TNA’s next PPV event, “Against All Odds”.
A commercial with Brooke Tessmacher is shown of her work with Hooters. Wowzers.
Madison Rayne calls Sting handsome while he is getting pictures taken. She apologizes for the stuff she did, but wants Sting to make it official and name her V.P. of the Knockouts. Sting can’t do that. He wants one good reason. Rayne says she can get the job done. Sting announces that Madison Rayne will wrestle Mickie James in a Steel Cage Match next week! Can’t wait. Madison yells for Gail Kim.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match; if Bobby Roode gets himself intentionally disqualified, he will lose the title: Bobby Roode (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
James Storm, Bully Ray, and Kurt Angle all have upcoming title shots. Will they be against Hardy or Roode? This is the big rematch from Genesis. Roode got himself DQ’d with a low blow to the referee at the PPV. Jeff Hardy enters first followed by the champion. Jeremy Borash does the formal introductions in the ring. That is still one of the best things that TNA does. Roode stands on the ramp during the introductions. Roode kisses the belt then is baseball slide kicked in the face by Hardy. Hardy slams Roode’s head into the guard rail. He does it again on the opposite side. Punch by Jeff. Hardy slams the champs head into a nearby chair. Kicks to the gut of Roode. Roode gets sent face first into the ring post! Smack. Hardys slams the face of Roode off the steps. Dixie Carter is at ringside. Hardy gets kicked in the stomach by Roode. Punch to the back by Roode. Roode gets sent face first into the post again like a lawn dart. Clothesline on the floor by Hardy. Hardy slides the champion in. The bell FINALLY sounds. Kicks to the stomach by the challenger. Clothesline in the ring by Hardy for a two count. Clothesline again by Jeff. Two count follows. Front suplex by Hardy. Hardy clotheslines Roode to the floor. Final commercial break of the evening.
We come back with Hardy continuing the attack on Roode. Roode is sent knees first into the steps! He flips over them ala Mick Foley. Hardy sets up the steps and runs then jumps off of them onto Bobby Roode, but misses and eats nothing but the rail with his legs! That looked sick! Both men are out of it on the floor. They are struggling to get back to their feet. Roode is first back into the ring. Hardy looks sore from the blow. Hardy gets in right before the ten count. Roode mounts Hardy and slugs him. Roode picks up Hardy, knees him in the back, then applies a chinlock. “Let’s go Hardy!” chants erupt. Hardy gets back to his feet. Roode forearms the back of Hardy. Roode goes to the second rope jumps off and snaps the neck of Hardy in a neckbreaker. Two count for the champion. Roode continues to stomp on the fallen challenger. Roode picks Hardy up, but Jeff jawbreaker’s him. Side Russian leg sweep. Two count. Hardy leg drops the groin twice of Roode. Dropkick. Two count again for Jeff! Whisper in the Wind for Jeff Hardy. Near fall! Both men struggle to get up. Hardy tries the Twist of Fate, but it’s countered into a spine buster. Roode picks up Hardy and tries a Fisherman suplex. Twist of Fate by Hardy! Jeff misses the Swanton! Roode covers quickly. Two count! Close call. Great sequence. Roode wanted three. Roode gets kicked in the stomach. Twist of Fate! Jeff rips his shirt off and climbs to the top again. He connects with the Swanton! Bully Ray pulls the ref out of the ring after a two! Jeff dives to the floor onto Bully Ray! Roode rolls out of the other side of the ring. Hardy looks mad. He should be champion. Hardy’s music hits. I guess no winner? The referee is out of it. ***1/2. On par with their Genesis match, just a different dynamic.
Another absolute stellar show for TNA. I will never understand the hate for this company. Two great matches. A nice cliffhanger for next week. I can’t wait to see where they are going with the title picture.
