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TNA: Wiggles, shark bites and Steiner
By
CHRIS SOKOL - SLAM! Wrestling
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Scott Steiner, Sting, Jeff Jarrett, Norman
Smiley, is this TNA or WCW? No matter what the case may be, you can't argue with
success. Two strong PPVs in a row, some decent television shows and an all-star
roster is what is keeping TNA in the race to become the next big promotion. With
Steiner's big arrival as the main focus of TNA, let's see what he does as he
makes his debut on Impact.
Jeff Jarrett and his militia make their
way to the ring to kick off the show, flaunting their newest acquisition in "Big
Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner. Jarrett and Steiner ran down Sting, claiming that he
was driven out of the company and wasn't going to return. To clarify a situation
from last week regarding this Sting angle, I will be perfectly honest. The
reason it has been a disappointment is because Sting is here for some shows, not
there for others, and he is feuding with Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett is
well-established, he doesn't need this feud, as to where a guy like Monty Brown
can benefit from wrestling Sting. That's just my opinion; regardless, it appears
as though the feud with Jarrett and Sting will continue through to Lockdown.
In the back, TNA commissioner, Larry
Zybysko announced that on the next edition of Impact, Team
3D would be facing Team Canada in a Six Sides of Steel match for the first
time on Spike TV. Samoa Joe came barging into the office, complaining that he
wanted an X Division title shot rematch, Zybysko denied the request and walked
off as Joe proceeded to tear apart the furniture and knock down the door.
Joe + Heavyweight division = obviously good idea.
Match One - Three Way Dance to
Determine the Next Entrant into Team USA for the World X Cup - "Maverick" Matt
Bentley w/ Traci Brooks vs. "Primetime" Elix Skipper w/ Simon Diamond vs. Sonjay
Dutt
Big loss for TNA losing Shannon Moore, he
fit perfectly in the X Division, but I guess they'll have to roll with the
punches and move on. Simon Diamond once again interrupted the commentary,
talking about how he made a promise at Destination X, and he was going to
fulfill it. This was an impressive high flying encounter, from three guys who
know each other very well. Dutt was able to wrap things up with a 450 Splash and
advance to Team USA to compete with Jay Lethal and Chris Sabin.
Winner Via Pinfall - Sonjay Dutt
Simon Diamond showed us some footage that
he and Alex Shelley took from White Sox training camp, of Diamond hitting some
balls at batting practice amongst other things. When we came back from break,
some more footage aired, but the footage didn't exactly showcase what Diamond
had been hyping. Diamond confronted A.J. Pierzynski and ran him down, only to be hit
in the back with a chair by Ozzie Guillen. After the footage aired, Diamond got
up and left the broadcast position in disgust. Nice deal there, smart move for
TNA to cross-promote a bit with MLB.
Backstage, Team 3D got ready for their
battle with Team Canada on the next edition of Impact. Should be good
match.
Match Two - "The Monster" Abyss w/
Father James Mitchell vs. Cassidy Riley
This was your typical squash match. Black Hole Slam, one-two-three.
Winner Via Pinfall - "The Monster" Abyss
Christian Cage joined us from Toronto,
where he was on the set of a movie that he was filming. He spoke about how he
was glad to be there, rather than in a wrestling ring, due to his cracked ribs.
He spoke about how bad he felt for Sting, putting down both Jarrett and Shelley.
Cage vs. Shelley on the road to Lockdown?
James Mitchell was in the back with Abyss,
putting down Cage and telling him not to humiliate Abyss. Alex Shelley popped in
and complimented Mitchell, saying that "Humiliation" would make a nice
documentary. Mitchell agreed and the two formed a bond. This Shelley push is
good, at least he's moving up, he certainly deserves it.
Match Three - The Latin American Exchange (Homicide and Machete) w/ Konnan vs. Shark Boy and Norman Smiley
The comedy tag team of Smiley and Shark
Boy proved to be a good pairing, as the Big Wiggle and the Shark Bite were
broken out early on. LAX came back with a few stiff shots to the duo, but when
Konnan attempted to use the slapjack to his advantage, he accidentally hit
Machete, allowing Shark Boy and Smiley to pick up the win.
Winners Via Pinfall - Shark Boy and Norman Smiley
After the match, Homicide and Konnan
attacked Machete and seemingly kicked him out of the LAX.
Match Four - Eight Man Tag Team Match - America's Most Wanted ("Wildcat" Chris Harris and "The Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm), Alex Shelley and "The Prince of Punk" Shannon Moore w/ Gail Kim vs. "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, Ron "The Truth" Killings and "The War Machine" Rhino
Rhino and Daniels showed some fury, taking
down their rivals. Once Styles got the tag, the match shifted. Shannon Moore, in
his last TNA bout, took the offense to Styles, breaking him down and tearing him
apart. Styles was able to come back and make the tag in to "The Truth." From
there, all eight men got involved, with the fight spilling to the floor. Back in
the ring, Daniels scooped Moore up, handed him to Styles, who proceeded to plant
Moore with a powerbomb, followed by a Styles Clash for the win.
Winners Via Pinfall - "The
Phenomenal" AJ Styles, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, Ron "The Truth"
Killings and "The War Machine" Rhino
Things are falling into place after
Destination X. Some new stars are getting their shot at the spotlight, and that's
always positive. TNA should continue to put their up-and-comers with bigger,
established names. The results should show that the younger guys can benefit
from it. TNA has a stacked roster, it's all about using their wrestlers
properly.
Visit the SLAM! Wrestling store!
TNA Best of the Bloodiest Brawls Vol. 1 DVD
Chris Sokol is from Long Island,
NY and wants to congratulate TNA on their first successful house
show.
