We look back at last week when Kurt Angle returned to TNA and challenged Bobby Roode to face him at Bound For Glory, a rift began to form between Brutus Magnus and Sting, and AJ Styles took a beating from Bully Ray after defeating Garett Bischoff and Knux by himself.
We go to the arena where Dixie Carter and her shitty entrance music make their way to the ring, escorted by Atlas Security and a big ol’ briefcase. She knows what Michelangelo felt like when he finished the Sistine Chapel because works of art take a long time to come together, but Michelangelo didn’t have to deal with AJ Styles splattering paint all over his masterpiece. And speaking of splattering, Bully Ray splattered and destroyed AJ, who was too dumb not to stay down. Dixie says her other job is to evaluate talent, and tonight, she’s got a big thing planned: the contract signing for the main event at Bound For Glory, but what if AJ Styles didn’t make it to that contract signing because another talent stepped up to impress her, take AJ’s place, and made himself $50,000 richer by making tonight AJ’s last night in the company? AJ may have walked away from the money she offered her last week, but there is someone who won’t repeat his mistake, and when that happens, AJ will NOT be in the main event of Bound For Glory because a spot will have opened for someone else because making opportunities and making people rich is what she does. She has Atlas Security open the briefcase and show off the $50,000, but Bully Ray’s music hits and he comes out with Brooke in tow. Bully tells Dixie that they haven’t seen eye to eye, and he’s not exactly on Team Dixie, but $50,000 buys a lot, and since he took AJ out for free last week, he’ll do it again tonight and collect the 50 grand. Magnus comes out to the ring and asks if he’s got this right: twelve men put everything on the line for three months in the Bound For Glory so that Dixie could try and give the chance away because she doesn’t like AJ Styles? Magnus hates to be insubordinate, but it’s no wonder everyone thinks Dixie sucks. The sheep in the audience start chanting Dixie sucks, and 50 grand may be chump change to Dixie and the champ there, but it’s not to the people in Oklahoma, and she wants her to know that he will fight Bubba tonight for free. Bully asks if Magnus knows who he is, and he has heard that Magnus is the future of pro wrestling, he’s tough, he can fight, he has heart, and all the fans seem to like him a lot, they believe in him, Sting believes in him, but now he’s going to tell the truth: Magnus is a fraud. He’s just a big pretty boy who doesn’t have a tough bone in his body, he’s known Magnus since the day he stepped foot in a wrestling ring, he’s a loser and a fraud, and probably the biggest disappointment he’s ever seen, such a big disappointment that he might as well be from Oklahoma. Magnus knocks Bully on his ass with a right hand, and Bubba rolls out to the floor and tells Magnus that if he wants a match against him, he’s got it.
Kurt Angle is backstage, and he’s…WALKING!
Bully Ray is backstage with Garett Bischoff and Knux and says that last week felt like old school Aces & Eights, and he told them he’d give them the spotlight and the glory, and they took it. Tonight, Knux gets another chance at the spotlight and $50,000, and he knows Knux has one half of the tag champs tonight, but he’s got their back just like they have his. You know, I liked the old Aces & Eights clubhouse a lot better than just whatever random backstage area they set up shop in now.
Four Corner Match: Christopher Daniels vs Eric Young vs Hernandez vs Robbie E
Each man will be one half of a team competing in this weekend’s pregame show match at Bound For Glory, with the winning team challenging for the TNA World Tag Team Title on the PPV. Robbie E gets beat on by Young and then Hernandez, but he tags Daniels in and skips off to the floor while Daniels yells at him. Hernandez runs over Daniels with a body tackle, gets an overhead release choke suplex, press slams Daniels across the ring, stops to nail Robbie E off the apron, and gets knocked to the floor by Daniels while he has his back turned. Robbie lays in some shots on the floor before rolling him back in so Daniels can dish out more punishment. Daniels with a leg lariat for 2, then Robbie comes in and hits a second rope kneedrop for 2. Hernandez takes both Robbie and Daniels out with a double clothesline and makes the tag to EY, who takes both Daniels and Robbie out with a missile dropkick before going to town on both men with boots and slams. Daniels hits him with an STO, but Robbie breaks the fall at 2. Daniels and Robbie get in each other’s faces and don’t notice Hernandez charging down the ramp to hit the flying shoulder tackle to Daniels, then Pounce Robbie into next week. Daniels dodges a charge in the corner and Hernandez tumbles out to the floor, EY comes in and lays Daniels out with a belly to belly suplex, hits the top rope elbow, and gets shoved out to the floor by Robbie, who immediately covers Daniels and gets the win.
Winner: Robbie E
Robbie E just pinned Christopher Daniels…the damn Bromans are winning the tag title…why…
Jason Hervey asks AJ Styles how it feels to be walking around with a bounty on his head, and AJ barely says two words before Jessie Godderz jumps him. AJ lays Godderz out, turns back to Hervey, and says it’s going to be a long night.
AJ Styles comes out to the ring and says Dixie Carter reeks of desperation if she’s putting a bounty on his head, and he’s flattered, because that means Dixie knows he’s going to win at Bound For Glory and is scared to death because he’s going to win that title and make her pay. AJ tells all the people who want to cash in on the bounty that he’s not going to run or hide, and to come get paid. Knux and Garett Bischoff come out, and AJ takes off his leather jacket to get ready to fight. Bischoff and Knux beat him down, but James Storm and Gunner run out and chase them off, and Gunner vs Knux is up after this commercial break!
Gunner vs Knux
Knux gets an early advantage after Bischoff grabs Gunner’s leg from the floor, but Gunner powerslams Knux and hammers him with right hands. Gunner fires back, but Knux nails Gunner with a huge clothesline for 2. Knux slams Gunner and chokes him with his knee, then goes to a rear chinlock. Knux misses a legdrop and then he and Gunner wipe each other out with a double clothesline, and both men are down. Bischoff is getting in Storm’s face on the ramp, so Storm spews his beer in Garett’s face as Gunner starts running Knux over with clotheslines before picking Knux up, holding him up, and hitting a fallaway slam. That was very impressive. Gunner goes for the Gun Rack, but Knux blocks and catches Gunner with a short crossbody for 2. Knux yells up the ramp to Bully Ray to come help him, but Bubba never shows as Gunner spears Knux and covers for 3.
Winner: Gunner
So much for Bubba having his back!
Chris Sabin is backstage with Velvet Sky saying he’s going to collect his $50,000 and get into the main event of Bound For Glory, and when Velvet tries to stop him, Sabin says he’ll get her something nice and runs off.
Knux is backstage complaining to Garett that Bully Ray didn’t have his back and next time he needs their help, it’s going to get real damn interesting.
We look back at the last two weeks as Lei’D Tapa, who went on a rampage as she destroyed both Velvet Sky and ODB. Speaking of ODB, she’s defending the Knockouts Title against both Brooke and Gail Kim this weekend, and Gail comes in to try and talk about Tapa with Brooke, who is taking pictures of her ass with her cell phone. Gail wants to make an alliance, and Brooke says she’s not helping her because she only answers to one person.
We see a video package looking at the five participants in this weekend’s Ultimate X match, then we see Chris Sabin stalking around backstage looking for AJ Styles. He ends up running into Samoa Joe, who says he’s on the wrong side of town because he may be looking for AJ Styles, but he should be worrying about facing him tonight in the ring, then facing him again at Ultimate X. Sabin slowly backs away, but they’ll be facing each other…NEXT!
Magnus is backstage, and he’s…WARMING UP! We’ll see more of him later tonight, but first, we have a preview of Ultimate X…
Samoa Joe vs Chris Sabin
Sabin gets the drop on Joe early on, but Joe starts firing back, pummeling Sabin with strikes until he goes out to the floor to seek the comfort of Velvet Sky. He, can’t blame a guy. Joe drags Sabin back in, and Sabin tries to nail Joe with a series of jabs, but Joe shrugs them off and hits a big chop that sends Sabin back out to the floor where he grabs Velvet and starts heading to the back. Joe goes after Sabin, who pulls Velvet in front of him as a human shield, then nails Joe while his guard’s down and gives him a DDT on the ramp. Sabin runs back to the ring and tells the referee to count, and Joe just barely beats the ten count, but puts himself right in the line of Sabin’s fire as he goes back to pummeling Joe. Sabin with a charging forearm in the corner and then goes to the eyes for the heck of it, but he tries another corner charge and gets caught with the STJoe. Joe begins his usual comeback, but Sabin goes to the eyes and catches Joe with a tornado DDT for 2. Sabin goes for an O’Connor roll, Joe counters to the Kokina Clutch, and Sabin taps out immediately.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Austin Aries runs down to the ring as soon as the match is over, hits Joe with a missile dropkick, and yells at him for interjecting himself into his match. Heff Hardy runs out and hits Aries with the Twist of Fate, then pulls a ladder out from under the ring, sets it up in the corner, and starts to climb. Sabin drags him down as Manik comes out to the ring and takes both Aries and Sabin out with a crossbody off the ladder. Manik celebrates as we’re told there’s a disturbance backstage.
We go backstage where Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian are beating AJ Styles up, but AJ gets away and sprays a fire extinguisher in their faces, then disappears before the cloud dissipates. Daniels and Kazarian lost AJ…for now.
Ethan Carter III is backstage getting photos taken, and he’s coming to Bound For Glory!
TNA World Champion Bully Ray vs Brutus Magnus
They tie up and jockey hard for position, but neither man can get an advantage, so Bubba runs Magnus over with a shoulderblock instead. Bubba picks Magnus up and slams him hard, then waits for Magnus to get to his feet so he can take his head off with a big clothesline. Bubba hits some big chops in the corner, but Magnus fires back with some right hands and backdrops the champ before running him over with a clothesline. Magnus goes to the top rope, but Bubba shakes the ropes to make Magnus lose his balance, then he hammers him with a big right hand as we go to commercial.
We’re back, and Bully is still in control, but he misses an elbowdrop and gives Magnus the room to get back to his feet and trade blows with Bubba before picking him up and slamming him. Magnus with a big boot and then he goes up top and hits the elbowdrop, but Bubba is out at 2. Bubba pulls the referee in harm’s way as Magnus charges him, then once the referee is out, Bubba grabs the chain and prepares to nail Magnus with it. Sting comes down to ringside and grabs Bubba’s arm, and the referee is so distracted by Sting that he doesn’t notice Bubba turning around, nailing Magnus low, and covering him for the win.
Winner: Bully Ray
Oh, I bet Magnus will be real mad about this one. Indeed he gets in Sting’s face, and Sting says he tried to save Magnus because Bubba was trying to use the chain. Sting extends his hand to Magnus, but Magnus just walks off and a frustrated Sting follows him to the back.
Kurt Angle is backstage, and he’s…WALKING! We’ll find out what’s on his mind…NEXT!
Sting finally catches up with Magnus backstage and asks him what the hell is going on, and Magnus freaks out because he wound up on the losing end again because of Sting. Samoa Joe comes out and gets between then, and Sting says that Magnus will be alone this weekend when they face each other.
Speaking of the Main Event Mafia, Kurt Angle (who doesn’t appear to be part of the group anymore), comes out and tells Bobby Roode that he’s one of the most talented wrestlers he’s ever seen, he reminds Kurt of himself five years ago, but when he tried to rain on Angle’s Hall of Fame induction, he made it personal. Roode may be one of the best today, but he will never be Kurt Angle. Roode comes out and tells Angle that he’s right, he’ll never be Kurt Angle, but he’s okay with that because he doesn’t want to be Kurt Angle even though he used to. Angle used to be the be all and end all of professional wrestling, but he’s the be all and end all now, and he’s more worthy of a Hall of Fame induction than Angle is. Roode tells Angle to tell him what he’s done lately, and it’s been a whole lot of nothing for years now. The last thing he remembers Angle accomplishing was when he beat him at Bound For Glory two years ago, but that woke him up, created the It Factor of Professional Wrestling, and led to him becoming the longest reigning champion in company history. He’s going to be Bobby Roode this weekend, because Bobby Roode is going to beat Kurt Angle. Angle asks how he’s going to beat him when he’s busy tapping, but Roode ays he’s not going to tap because…oh wait, he suckerpunched Angle and is putting the boot to him. Angle picks his ankle and goes to the anklelock, but Daniels and Kazarian run out and beat Angle down before ramming his shoulder into the post. Roode tells them to get off of Angle because he’s got this, and get puts Angle in the Crippler Crossface. He lets the hold go and finishes his earlier thought: he’s not going to tap because he’ll be busy tapping Angle out.
Dixie Carter is backstage, and she’s…WALKING! We’ll get the contract signing next!
We’re back with Jeremy Boash and Dixie Carter in the ring. They introduce Bully Ray and then AJ Styles, who takes his time before getting in the ring to go face to face with Bubba. Borash tells them it’s time to make it official, and asks Bubba to go first. Bubba signs the contract, then tells AJ that he’ll make this real simple: AJ can’t beat him because he doesn’t have the brains in his head, the passion in his heart, or the thunder in his fists to beat him. He’ll give AJ a little history lesson: in 1985, a man named Ric Flair destroyed, maimed, and took out Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes came back a month later and talked about how Ric Flair put him, the fans, the wrestling industry, and his family on hard times, but if you fast forward nearly 30 years, Bully Ray has put the wrestling world on hard times. He started with Jeff Hardy in a cage at Lockdown, he defeated Sting and made sure he could never be a World Champion again, he ran Chris Sabin back into AJ’s X Division, and make no mistake, he’s the guy who ran Hulk Hogan outta here and put him on hard times. AJ may be wondering what this has to do with him, but in three days at Bound For Glory, he’s going to beat AJ and put him on hard times, he’ll put AJ’s fans on hard times, and he’ll put AJ on such hard times that he’ll send AJ home a defeated man with no contract or championship, and when AJ gets back to that trailer park, he wouldn’t be shocked if AJ’s wife and three kids aren’t even there anymore. He’s the Darth Vader of the wrestling business, and AJ is no Luke Skywalker. AJ says he can appreciate Bubba’s story, but Bubba is no Ric Flair and AJ is no Dusty Rhodes. That was the past and they’re in the future, and Bubba thinking he can compare himself to Ric Flair is pathetic because Bubba is nothing but a big dumb bitch who has no idea who he’s getting in the ring with. He has nothing to lose and he has to win to make Dixie beg, to take Bubba’s title, and is the most intense and desperate man Bubba has ever gotten in the ring with. He will beat Bubba, he will make Dixie pay, and he will be the next World Champion. AJ signs the contract, and Bubba tells Dixie to hold up for a moment: he’s taking it back and won’t put his World Title on the line because he’s cashing in on those 50 Gs right now. Bubba tries to attack AJ, but AJ takes the briefcase, smashes Bubba in the head with it, then tosses the briefcase at Dixie and sends money flying everywhere. AJ gets in Bubba’s face and says that belt will put food on his kids table, Bubba says he’s taking AJ out, and AJ says Bubba will have to kill him.
End of show.
Credit: PWInsider
