TNA iMPACT Report – April 26th, 2010
Report by Dave Scherer, PWInsider
The show opened with a video recap of Rob Van Dam winning the TNA World Championship. It was voiced over by Hulk Hogan. They showed a brief clip where RVD said being a champion is nothing new to him and it ended with a “Mr. Monday Night” graphic.
After the open it was announced that AJ Styles would team with Sting to take on Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy. Also Ric Flair will take on Abyss in a battle of the TNA, er WWE, Hall of Fame rings.
After the open, Hulk Hogan came out to start the show. He came into the ring and he is happy. Things are changing around TNA. He said that being the champion is being the “hood ornament of the company”. He put over RVD and said that he has a target on his back. Then he talked about how the people in the back are gunning for RVD. He talked about Eric Bischoff’s ranking system and said that the fans would have input into it. He was on the edge of his seat watching RVD take on Jeff Hardy last week. He put over the match and then said that RVD beat Jeff and took on one of the “greatest wrestlers of our time, AJ Styles”. He knew when RVD won that the game had changes around TNA. He then brought out RVD.
RVD came out and said from now on “Hulkie” should call him Mr. TNA, Rob Van Dam. Yes, he called him “Hulkie”. Hogan asked if he could call him that and did. RVD said he was in TNA, “where all the wrestlers want to be now”, is because Hogan, Dixie Carter and Eric Bischoff could let him be himself. He said, “Hulkie, look where that got us!” He told the fans that a lot of people will never understand their connection or his with “mother’s earth’s finest”. RVD said people don’t get what it’s like to be cool and to be able to kick someone’s ass. He said people don’t need to get that. They just need to understand that he is tough and the best champ TNA has ever had and that is why he is “the whole F’n show”.
That brought out AJ Styles and Ric Flair. Styles grabbed the mic and before he could talk, Hogan said that no one invited either ex-champ out. AJ asked if they were done talking, while the fans chanted, “Ex World Champ”. Styles didn’t like it. He said RVD sounded like a Hallmark greeting card. He told RVD was right, people don’t get him. He is a hippie freak that no one understood. AJ was incredulous that RVD thought he could be the best champ ever. He asked RVD if he was high right now. Taz said that there was a good chance of that. AJ said that last week he was beating the piss out of him and when he was going for the kill, he slipped on the top rope. That is how RVD became the champ. He said RVD may have lubed the ropes because he know how good AJ was. AJ is not happy that he is in a tag match when he should get a rematch. But, he will get his rematch when he and he alone wants it. Flair told Hogan that he did something he will have to answer to. Flair said he was OK with RVD winning the title but he had a problem with Hogan. Flair took off his suit jacket. He told Hogan he had take responsibility for giving Abyss the ring. He will take it out on Abyss, and it’s Hogan fault for making a mockery out of Flair. If you do that, you die. I am not sure if he meant Flair or Hogan, but he is pissed.
In the back, The Beautiful People were complaining that Madison Rayne already had to make her first defense of the Knockouts Title. And, she had to do it against two former champions (Tara and Angelina). She doesn’t even have to lose the match to lose the title. Velvet Sky wasn’t happy either. Lacey Von Erich was stupid, and Velvet was clear about that to her face. Madison said she would win anyway.
They did a vignette where Tara was not happy that she lost her title by chance. They showed footage of Angelina losing the title at Lockdown. They showed the tension between Love and Tara. Time for the three way Knockouts match. The BP came to the ring, en force. They did their “you fans wish we were lesbians” bit and entered the ring.. Ref Slick Johnson sent Sky and Lacey to the back. Madison ran out to start. This led to a face off between Tara and Love. They fought while Madison was on the floor. She came back in quickly and they had three way action. Tara ran Love into the post, and she fell to the floor. Tara sold that she felt conflicted by doing it. Tara then got into it with Madison. After a minute or so, Love came back and it was three way action. Tara laid out Love but before she could take advantage Rayne pushed Love into Tara and rolled up Angelina for the win.
After the match, Tara went after Love for, and they faced off. Security pulled them apart for a minute, then they went back after each other. Taz made a joke and said something about screaming Cat Fight. They tried to fight and got pulled apart again, then Tara said she was sorry. As Love left, Tara attacked her again and drove her out of the ring.
Now it’s time for the X Division, as we have a title match between the challenger Shannon Moore and the Champion, Frankie Kazarian. Mike Tenay said that Moore was so focused on this match that he turned down the offer of being a tag champ from Matt Morgan last week. Taz said that Kaz didn’t have the belt because the former champ Douglas Williams still has it. Williams will be on Impact next week. Tenay wonders how he will feel about losing his title because the volcano kept him away (maybe he should move to Orlando?). Taz thinks that Williams shouldn’t have been stripped either.
They had a back and forth match until Kaz “accidentally” shoved the ref into Moore. Moore continued to the top, where Kaz tried for the rana. Moore blocked it. Moore went for a spot on the top when Matt Morgan ran out and pushed him off of the top to the floor. Morgan then threw Moore into the ring. He said that nobody turns us down. The ref and Kaz never saw what happened. Kaz hit his finisher and got the win.
After the match, Samoa Joe’s music played. Out he came. He faced off with Kaz and kicked him in the face. A beatdown ensued. Joe did a “Joe is gonna kill you” on Kaz and we went to commercial.
Abyss said that he knows the Hall of Fame ring doesn’t give him powers, it gives him confidence in himself. He said he knew he could lose the ring to Flair but he would never lose what the ring gave to him. He wondered what Flair was gonna do when Flair takes his ring “from you”.
Jesse Neal was asked by We about defending the titles against Team 3D. Neal said he saw what Morgan did to Amazing Red and no thanks. Morgan knew that Neal was trained by 3D and had issues but he has to live up to the memory of his friend who died on the USS Cole and he had to team up with him. Wow, they went there. He said WE remember the promises that Neal made to his fallen friend and he should join with Morgan to make good on that promise. Morgan said he wouldn’t ask anyone else to be his partner. They want Neal. He told Jesse to think with his heart.
Styles and Sting vs. Hardy and Jarrett is next. Styles is angry and is ready to take care of business right now.
Sting and Styles came out first. Taz said Sting doesn’t have to explain his actions. Tenay said he owes one to Dixie Carter. Jarrett came out and Tenay said that he and Sting are one on one at the Sacrifice PPV.
They ran a trailer talking about Angelina Love’s arm injury.
The tag match had good back and forth action early on. Then Jarrett made the tag to Hardy but the ref missed it. Jarrett kept getting beaten down but fighting back. Jarrett made the tag again but dopey ref was distracted by AJ and missed it again. Hardy pushed the ref and came in to work, and the ref decided that was OK I guess because he didn’t throw him out. Hardy went to work on Styles and Sting took a hike. Styles, alone, fought back and got the upper hand on Hardy on the ramp. Jarrett left to find Sting and they met on the way to the rafters. They brawled up the stairs. Back to the ring area, Hardy had AJ on a table. Hardy set up a ladder. Back to the stairs, Sting hit Jarrett with a ladder and pinned him while Hardy was on the top of the ladder. Hardy looked shocked and didn’t do the ladder spot on AJ.
In the back, we see footage of Neal asking 3D for blessing to take the match with WE, to I guess honor the memory of his dead friend. They told him go do it. Neal said it was against them. Ray told Neal that Red got killed by Morgan and he would do it to Neal. Neal said he would take care of Morgan and wanted their blessing so he could be a tag champ for the first time “not the 23rd”. Ray asked he planned on doing that. Neal said by beating you guys. Ray said that is how they taught him and go for it. They would give him their best. Ray told D they had to go take care of that thing.
The Pope D’Angelo Dinero came out for an interview. His right arm is in a sling due to him getting a shoulder injury against AJ Styles. He had an eye patch too, and Pope is mad at Styles for jamming a pen in his eye. Even those AJ doesn’t have the belt, Pope still had him on his radar. He will take an eye for an eye. He doesn’t expect Styles to come out but he isn’t done with him and he will be watching him. He said when Pope falls down, they get up. AJ is just an obstacle and he is back up. Can he get an amen. He said that the congregation will not dwindle and the people did the amen gimmick. Mr. Anderson came out as he finished the promo. Anderson clapped for Pope as the announcers talked about the Lockdown match Mr. A had with Kurt Angle. Angle is taking time off due to that. A said that he will call Pope the Kool Aid man, like Jim Jones (the mass murderer). He told Pope he gets it, the fans are gullible. He then called the fans names. He asked Pope if he was OK and if he got a boo boo. He said that Angle got one too. Angle is home, nursing them. He said the big question was whether Pope would go home and nurse his wounds. Pope said get to the point. Anderson asked if Pope would wrestle him at Sacrifice. He asked for an Amen, but wondered if he would get a chicken noise. He bocked at Pope for a minute or so as the fans chanted for Pope. Pope used his good arm to slap Anderson. Anderson attacked him and put his thumb in Pope’s eye. Security came out and broke it up. Looks like Pope vs. Anderson at Sacrifice.
Tag Title match time. Team 3D were to come out first. Instead in the back we saw 3D laying over a prone body of a bloody Sean Waltman. They laid him out. 3d hit the ring and Morgan and Jesse Neal followed. As Bubba was bearhugging Neal, the Band entr4ance music played and out came Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. They attacked 3D and they fought outside. Neal went to help them and guess what happened? Yep, Morgan attacked him and took him back to the ring. Morgan chokeslammed him. He said Neal would never be the tag champ because he is the best thing going. So, even though Neal knew what was coming, he still fell prey to it.
Back from break, Neal was in the ring with 3D. He told Morgan he was not done. He said come down and he would kick his ass. In the back, Christy Hemme found Morgan. She said Neal was calling his name. He said WE were off the clock and he was leaving. The Hulkster came out and said that the way he sees it, Morgan needed to make a choice. He can deal with “superstar” Jesse Neal, or deal with him. Morgan cowered away from Hogan and went out to the ring. Neal met him on the ramp and they fought. The crowd was behind him. Neal came into the ring with one of the belts. Morgan begged off. Neal was a sap and fell for it. Morgan crotched him and then nailed him with belt. Shannon Moore’s music played and the only person in the Impact Zone to not know it was Morgan, who was kicked in the back by Moore. Neal got up and the two guys with mohawks were suddenly friends.
They went to the back for the announcement of Eric Bischoff’s new ranking system. He was nice in taking the pass from the announcers, a non-heel EB. Miss Tessmacher was there. EB had come up with a new ranking system where the fans would have a say in it. Go to TNAWrestling.com and vote for who you thinks deserves a TNA Title shot. Yep, that is it. He said feel free to vote early and often. Jay Lethal came and gave a top 10 of old WWF stars. Thank god he didn’t get through the whole list.
In the back we saw Flair getting read for his match with Abyss.
Back from commercial, we saw the TNA Live Event Update. That was followed by Orlando Jordan. He is misrepresented. He needs color and “vibrance” and life. His art represents his soul and passion. Rob Terry is something like that I guess. He will debut his new show the Ozone next week, with Terry. He said it will be “absolutely delicious”. OK.
Taz and Tenay recapped the issue with Abyss and Flair, which is of course about the ring. Flair did a promo in the back saying Hogan was the problem. He gave Abyss a ring that Flair worked for and it offends him. Flair had tobacco in his mouth too for those who care. He even said that’s the bottom like because Ric Flair said so and even mentioned he was saying it before Steve Austin. So, he had two WWE references in one segment.
In the back, Hall and Nash were mad that Syxx was laying in a pool of blood. Nash was mad at the guy asking about it. He was asked if he was aware they were a man down. Nash is and they will bring someone for when they face off with 3D next time.
We had another Hogan giving Abyss the ring recap. Flair still doesn’t like that Abyss could win it.
Main event time. Out comes Flair, in an orange robe. Abyss is next. For those wondering, yep Flair is really wrestling. Tenay pushed that you need to go to TNAWrestling.com to vote and see who would wrestle RVD at Sacrifice. Meanwhile, Flair and Abyss went down to the floor. Flair is already bleeding. Flair went to the top and of course, Abyss got him and slammed him. Taz even asked if he has ever hit that move. Tenay said the next time will be the first time. Abyss was in control and splashed him in the corner. Flair did the flop. When he got up Abyss mounted him from behind in the corner. Flair nailed the ref, who was behind Abyss, in the nut sack. Flair took out the brass knux from his trunks. He punched Abyss in the face, nothing. He punched him in the jewels, that worked. Down went Abyss and Flair, who was a bloody mess, got the pin. Earl Hebner raised Flair’s hand and saw the knux. The match is back on. Flair then went right after Abyss. Abyss hulked up and did the Black Hole Slam. Three count. We have a new winner. Hogan’s music hit and out he came. Abyss has two WWE Hall of Fame rings he didn’t earn now. Abyss held down Flair while Hogan took the ring off of his finger (why did he need Brass Knux then?). Hogan then told Flair that he “knew who he was going to present the ring to next week”. They told us to tune in next week to find out. I guess Abyss has to do that too. Here I thought he won the ring.
That’s a wrap.
