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Impact: Seaons beatings for the new year
By
CHRIS SOKOL - SLAM! Wrestling
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Welcome to a special double wide, double packed
edition of the TNA Impact Report. TNA comes to us on the eve of New Year's from
where else but Orlando, Florida. If you were out partying and missed Impact live on
Spike, do the right thing and read the report!
- New Year's Eve Edition -
Prior to the action getting underway, "The
Franchise" Shane Douglas caught up with "Bullet" Bob Armstrong backstage. "The
Bullet" informed Douglas that despite failing to recruit Ron Killings last week,
he was going to make an attempt to get Konnan to see things his way.
We see a recap of last week's Christmas Eve
edition of Impact, featuring everything from Bentley Claus to the Christain Cage
mugging. If you want a detailed recap of the show, feel free to browse the SLAM!
archives, it's there.
Match One - "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown
and Jeff Jarrett w/ Gail Kim vs Kenny King and Shark Boy
Before the match could get
underway, Jackie Gayda came out and got into an argument with Jarrett, that led
to her getting escorted from the arena by security. It's no guess how this one
wound up. Brown and Jarrett picked up where they left off
last week, all but demolishing King and Sharkboy. In the end it was Shark Boy
who received The Stroke while King was left wide open to feel the
POOOOUNNNNNCEEE! Period. Double cover, double pin. After the match, the lights
went out and Sting's Scorpion image appeared all over the TNA Trons. Let's hope
that after his arrival, he will make TV appearances. The Scorpion symbol
appearing on the Trons is already getting old.
Winners Via Pinfall - "The Alpha Male"
Monty Brown and Jeff Jarrett
In the backstage area, Don West caught up with
Jackie Gayda. He asked her what her relationship with Jeff Jarrett was. She
responded that he had promised her the spot and the money that Gail Kim took.
She said that until Jarrett gave her the money he promised, she was going to
make his life a living hell. She also noted that she has a secret on Jarrett
that TNA Management wouldn't like to hear. Before West could get her to
elaborate, she stormed off.
Some Impactful Moments of 2005 were shown. 2005
should definitely be considered a banner year for TNA, they really exceeded all
expectations.
After a commercial break, TNA reviewed some more
big moments from 2005, including Rhino's run to the NWA World Heavyweight
Championship at Bound For Glory.
Match Two - "The Man Beast" Rhino vs A-1
w/ Coach Scott D'Amore
Rhino started his drive towards goring Scott
D'Amore by taking on the big man from Team Canada, who appeared happy to be
competing in his fourth or so TNA match since being with the company for all
this time. No matter what the case may be, Rhino ran through the big guy,
planting him with a Spinebuster and sending him back to Winsdor via the
gore!
Winner Via Pinfall - "The Man Beast"
Rhino
After the match D'Amore hit Rhino with a hockey
stick, but Rhino didn't budge. While his attention was diverted, "The Monster"
Abyss and Father James Mitchell made their way in through back door and
destroyed Rhino. After the beat down was complete, D'Amore and Mitchell stood
over the fallen beast to shake hands and show their alliance. Apparently TNA is
just two big factions.
In the back, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong was shown
trying to convince Konnan to join back up with the Jameses. Konnan listened, but
said that he needed to change people's perception of him. He told Armstrong that
he wanted him there when he did it. Can you say, heel turn?
Next up, we reflected on another Impactful
Moment, the funeral of Team 3D.
Following that, another Impactful Moment, this
time, the arrival of Samoa Joe. Anyone else think he's a tad
overrated?
Match Three- "The Samoan Submission
Machine" Samoa Joe vs Roderick Strong
Strong fell a couple notches in the TNA ladder
after getting knocked around by the Samoan strongman. Dave Hebner came out
during the match to take notes, while "The Prince of Punk" Shannon Moore stood
atop the stage to watch on. Joe finished Strong off with a Muscle Buster,
followed by the rear naked choke for another submission victory.
Winner Via Submission - "The Samoan
Submission Machine" Samoa Joe
Morphoplex Move of the Night - The Muscle
Buster
In the back, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong is shown
being beaten down by Konnan and his new partners, Apolo and the debuting
"Notorious 187" Homicide. Konnan told Armstrong that they were sending a message
to BG and Kip, and that was not to send an old man to do their dirty work. Glad
to see Homicide in TNA; As long as he is used correctly, he is gold for the
company.
Christain Cage's TNA Debut is reflected on as
another Impactful Moment.
The final Impactful Moment of the episode was the
"Winsdor, Ontario screwjob," which saw Jeff Jarrett defeat Raven for the NWA
World Heavyweight Championship at a Border City Wrestling event.
Match Four - "The Tennessee Cowboy" James
Storm w/ "Wildcat" Chris Harris and Gail Kim vs "The Phenomenal" AJ
Styles
The odds were stacked against Styles for the
entire match. With Kim and Harris on the outside, Styles had absolutely no
chance of winning. "The Phenomenal One" was able to hit a Pele Kick and gather
up some good offense, but Gail Kim's interference proved to be the difference.
As Styles went to hit her with The Styles Clash, Storm came from behind and
cracked him in the head with a beer bottle. He followed up with a superkick that
put Styles away for the one-two-three.
Winner Via Pinfall - "The Tennessee
Cowboy" James Storm
After the match, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher
Daniels came down and complained about Storm's cheating. "The Living Legend"
Larry Zybysko came out next and announced that on the midnight edition of
Impact, it would be "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels and "The Phenomenal"
AJ Styles taking on America's Most Wanted for the NWA World Tag Team
Championship. AMW and Gail Kim promptly attacked their opposition, until
Christain Cage hit the ring and cleared house with a steel chair. Cage said that
Styles and Daniels would become the new tag champs and that on the midnight
edition of Impact, he would make the formal announcement to introduce the newest
member to the TNA roster.
- New Year's Day Edition -
Christian Cage and Mike Tenay were shown in the
ring as Christian counted down to 2006. Confetti flew all over the Impact Zone
as the crowd celebrated the New Year. Once all the festivities were through,
Christian and Tenay announced that the newest member to the TNA roster was none
other than former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Sting. It was also announced
that at Final Resolution, the main event would be Jeff Jarrett and "The Alpha
Male" Monty Brown vs Christian Cage and Sting. Jeff Jarrett came down
immediately, telling Cage that this was a war, and that this was a war that was
going to be won on Planet Jarrett. Cage told Jarrett that he was glad he finally
grew a set of nuts, and let him know that he was tired of verbally abusing him,
so his New Year's Resolution was to physically abuse him. The two began brawling
as Monty Brown made his way to the ring. Rhino then came to even the sides.
Jarrett's side came down in full force as AMW joined in, but the odds weren't
stacked for long as Team 3D came down to support the good guys. Again, it
appears as though TNA is just a battle of two big factions.
Match One - NWA World Tag Team
Championship Match - America's Most Wanted w/ Gail Kim (C) vs "The Phenomenal"
AJ Styles and "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels
Styles and Daniels dominated for most of the
match, sending AMW all over the ring and to the floor. After a melee between the
four men, the ref was knocked out. It was then that Styles was able to hit the
Styles Clash, but there was nobody to make the obvious three count. "The Prince
of Punk" Shannon Moore took this time to hit the ring and take out Styles,
allowing AMW to regain consciousness and make the pinfall to score a victory and
retain the NWA World Tag Team Championships in the first wrestling match of
2006.
Winners Via Pinfall and STILL NWA World
Tag Team Champions - America's Most Wanted
Glad to see TNA do something else different, by
having a match at midnight on New Year's Day. It is quick thinking and new ideas
that will put TNA on the map. However, they need to push for a longer time slot.
The fact that one storyline consumes about 75% of their show is a problem. They
need to focus on the bigger picture.
TNA Final Resolution Matches Already
Announced:
- Sting and "Captain Charisma" Christain
Cage vs Jeff Jarrett and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown
- TNA X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH -
"The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe vs "The Fallen Angel" Christopher
Daniels
- INTERNATIONAL X SHOWCASE - "The
Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs New Japan's Tanahashi
- "The Man Beast" Rhino vs "The Monster"
Abyss w/ Father James Mitchell
- Raven vs An Opponent of Larry Zybysko's
Choice (If Raven wins, he gets a World Title shot, but if Raven loses, he's gone
from TNA)
Chris Sokol is from Long Island, NY and
wonders why TNA insists on putting their Heavyweight Champion in a tag team
match on every other PPV. Shouldn't the title be defended on
PPV? Didn't I ask this once before?
