Andrew’s TNA Impact Report: TNA World Title Tournament
By Andrew Ryan
A scene from “moments ago” starts off this week’s Impact with Jeff Hardy attacking Abyss, trying to get revenge for the brutal attack Abyss gave to Hardy’s good friend Rob Van Dam to end last week’s Impact. Abyss eventually takes control as the men brawl out into the Impact Zone where only the fans that have arrived early are present and the ring crew is still preparing for the show. Both men get in shots on each other with a broom handle. They then make their way to another part of the backstage area as Abyss begins choking Hardy with an extension cord. Hardy’s @$$ crack has to be blurred out periodically. They continue to brawl with no one coming to attempt to break up this unsanctioned madness. Gunner and Murphy, TNA’s aggressive security guards that have been introduced on TV a few weeks back restrain Hardy and that ends the segment.
They cut back live to the Impact Zone where Eric Bischoff is making his way to the ring with no music. Bischoff begins talking about the horrific events that took place last week as they cut to various replays of the mayhem. Bischoff says that Ric Flair is going to be held responsible for this attack on the ECW guys. He then reassures Dixie Carter that indeed Flair will be held accountable for this atrocity. He also talks about how the attack on RVD last week by Abyss was almost homicidal. RVD’s condition is worse than they had feared. Due to this, the powers that be have come to the decision to vacate the World Heavyweight title and a tournament will be held starting on this Impact to determine a new champion.
The opening match of the tournament is “The Freak” Rob Terry vs. “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy. Hardy comes out injured and immediately attacks Terry. Hardy eventually gets the win with the swanton bomb and advances to the semifinals of the tournament which will be held at the No Surrender PPV on September 5th.
Backstage, Ric Flair and Fortune are arriving to the Impact Zone in style. They then air a replay package of the events that took place when Fortune massacred the ECW guys. Hogan is on his cell phone backstage talking to someone about the attack. He is contemplating quitting over all this.
The second match of the tournament is up next with Jay Lethal vs. Mr. Anderson. Anderson is really over with the Impact Zone. Anderson tries for the Mic Drop multiple times and eventually hits it for the win to advance to the semifinals. Afterwards, Anderson and Lethal show their respect for each other as they shake hands.
Backstage, Christy Hemme interviews Angeline Love. Madison Rayne invoked the rematch clause and the two will be facing each other tonight for the Knockouts title. Love says she will have backup of her own if Rayne’s bodyguard interferes tonight. They cut to a promo by the Motor City Machine Guns and show a recap of their best of fives series win over Beer Money.
The Knockouts title rematch is up. Madison comes out on the back of the motorcycle driven by her mysterious bodyguard. Angeline Love comes out and has Velvet Sky as her backup. Rayne is furious. The match starts with a feisty Madison Rayne going to town on Love. The bodyguard tries to interfere but is stopped by Velvet Sky who grabs Rayne’s foot which allows Love t hit the Botox Injection and retains the title. After the match, Sky and Love raise each other’s hands in the ring but are ambushed by Rayne and her bodyguard.
Ric Flair and Fortune come out to the ring. He introduces X-division champ Doug Williams and Matt Morgan as the newest members of Fortune. Ric Flair cuts a promo calling the ECW guys a “circus act” and says they aren’t even wrestlers. Flair can crash in an airplane and still walk around and talk about it. He hands the mic to AJ who cuts a promo about how he is TNA until he is interrupted by Dixie Carter. She says that she has signed all of the ECW guys to contracts. Flair is going crazy as Tommy Dreamer cuts a promo. Flair is even more livid as Foley takes the mic and talks about how he was the one who enticed Flair to come to TNA. They set up a match for later tonight with Tommy Dreamer vs. AJ Styles.
Next match is Kurt Angle vs. the X-Division champion Doug Williams in another first round bout in the TNA World title tournament. Angle has to retire if he loses this match. Very good match here as the finish sees Angle fend off a rolling German suplex and counters into the ankle lock. Williams is forced to tap out and Angle advances.
Sting and Kevin Nash are shown heading to the Impact Zone. Mr. Anderson cuts a mini-promo backstage about his win earlier. Nash and Sting head out to the ring. Nash says that though they have had disagreements there is no one in the business he respects as much as Sting. Nash shoots on his critics and says “the cancer” of TNA is in the back. Jeff Jarrett interrupts Nash and says that Nash is full of BS. Jarrett says he is going to come down to the ring and beat down both Nash and Sting. Hogan interrupts and says if Jeff is going to do that he isn’t going alone. This feud is being built around the old guys who don’t want to give up their spot for younger guys. Hogan gets Sting to throw the bat away as he and Jarrett head to the ring. The lights go out in the Impact Zone and when they come back on Nash, Hogan and Jarrett are all laid out and Fortune has Sting surrounded and takes the beating to him.
Backstage, Dreamer and Raven are talking along with the other ECW guys about how they should handle the situation. The final match of the World title tourney first round is up with Matt Morgan taking on “The Pope” D’angelo Dinero. The Pope gets a nice upset after dodging a big boot on the outside and hitting a Pope Express on steel ring post. Pope has a ton of potential as I was a big fan back in his Elijah Burke days. With this, the first round is completed
Next up is the main event with TNA TV champ “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles taking on the heart and soul of ECW, the “Innovator of Violence” Tommy Dreamer. Backstage, Foley cuts a promo on Fortune telling them there will be vengeance. Tommy quickly becomes a bloody mess. Dreamer counters an AJ springboard and hits his patented DDT. Fortune comes out to help AJ but not before they are cut off by the ECW guys. While all of this is going on, Abyss sneaks out from underneath the ring and hits the black hole slam on Dreamer which allows Styles to get the win. The show ends with the two factions continuing to brawl.