Black Widow
03-28-2008, 12:38 PM
FULL TNA IMPACT REPORT FEATURING THE RETURN OF STING
by Devin Cox @ 2008-03-27 23:38:12
TNA’s first ever live broadcast (titled “Sting’s Return”) opened with their new slogan, “Cross the Line.”
Booker T and Robert Roode are brawling through the crowd immediately at the opening. They make their way to the ring and Peyton Banks runs in, then Traci Brooks. The women catfight for a moment before Jim Cornette and TNA security break up the fight.
Tenay and West welcome us to the show and run down tonight’s card.
Cornette’s got a mic and he says that tonight we will see Booker T vs. Robert Roode with the fans being able to pick the stipulation… First Blood, Last Man Standing, or I Quit.
Backstage Kurt Angle tells Styles and Tomko that he needs them at their best tonight. He needs Tomko for his strength and A.J. for his speed. He then tells Jeremy Borash he needs to hit the gym because next week it might be him.
Match #1 Johnny Devine vs. Alex Shelley – X-Scape qualifier
They go back and forth at the beginning while team 3D looks on. Devine with a rollup for a 2 count. About 2 minutes in, the lights go out as if Sting might be making his entrance. Team 3D run away in fear. The lights go back on and Shelley dives to the outside onto Devine as the crowd chants T-N-A. This crowd is awesome. The Knockouts are arguing in the back as we go to commercial. Can we focus on one thing at a time TNA?
We are back and Devine with a snap suplex followed by a two count. Devine pounds Shelley into the mat and then mocks his Motor City Machineguns hand signal thing. Shelley with chops and a suplex, followed by a nice Lionsault for a two count. They reverse each other’s moves until Shelley backdrops Devine out of the ring. Devine uses Shelley’s paparazzi camera as a weapon, the ref doesn’t see it, Devine hits his finisher for the pin. Too short of a match to judge really. I was surprised by the finish.
Winner: Johnny Devine
They show a video of Jay Lethal and Socal “Miss Elizabeth” Val working out in the gym. Val is spotting Lethal while he bench presses. Sonjay Dutt shows up and offers to help Val work out. They run off leaving Lethal stuck with lots of weight on his chest.
Booker T cuts an awesome promo saying he wants Robert Roode’s blood. I guess they’re pushing First Blood match for the fan voting… He says Roode won’t make it to lockdown. He says he will make sure Roode is never in the ring with Sharmell ever again. And he knows Roode can dig that… sucka.
Commercial break…
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Team 3D and Johnny Devine. Ray shoves Borash out of the way and congratulates Devine on his win. Ray then focuses on Sting. Sting’s path and Team 3D’s path have never crossed. Ray says that while Sting was being baby’d in WCW, Team 3D was stealing the show in WWE. The lights go out again. They look around trying to figure out what’s going on…
Speaking of WWE, TNA decides to rat out none other than Highlander Robbie McCallister sitting in the audience! He obviously doesn’t want the cameras on him. Oops! Let’s see how long before WWE is “wishing him the best in all his future endeavors…”
Match #2 Scott Steiner, Rocka Chan and Petey Williams vs. LAX and Salinas
Steiner with a belly to belly suplex on Homicide but pulls him up before the 3 count. He gives him a top rope belly to belly instead. Steiner tags in Williams who works him over with punches until Homicide hits the Gringo Stunner and tags in Hernandez. Hernandez cleans house, throwing bodies everywhere. Salinas attacks Rocka. Hernandez flies out of the ring onto Steiner. Homicide attempts a Gringo Killer on Petey, Petey reverses into a Canadian Destroyer, but Homicide reverses that into a T-Bone suplex for a bridge and a 3 count. The crowd loves LAX. Steiner takes Petey back for more punishment.
Winners: LAX and Salinas
TNA Rough Cut video about VKM breaking up over the feast or fired match. Why are they on a playground?
Commercial break…
They air a cool video promoting the Lockdown ppv, but the audio feed is screwing up. They start to show a Consequences Creed video, but there’s still no audio. Welcome to live TV TNA!
Mike Tenay interviews Karen Angle about her separating from her husband. Karen took the children away from home… yada yada… Kurt’s focused on Joe so much that he doesn’t show any affection to his family… blah blah… Tenay asks Karen to confirm that she’s seeing someone on the TNA roster. Karen says she has met someone who treats her as a lady should be treated, the way Kurt used to treat her. But other than that she cannot confirm any rumors. Whatever.
Another commercial break.
Video about Joe training for his lockdown match. They’re pushing this like it’s a legitimate MMA-style shoot fight. Cool video.
Tenay asks Joe via satellite how the training is going. Joe says it’s the most vicious training he’s ever been to. He says there’s a thousand excuses why he didn’t win all of his matches against Angle, but that’s not what the fans want. He says he will hold the TNA title with honor and defend it with sweat and blood, not with backstage politics. He’s coming for something at Lockdown, and it’s Kurt Angles TNA title. Great promo.
MMA fighter Frank Trigg joins the commentators for our next match…
Match #3 Kurt Angle vs. A.J. Styles and Tomko in some sort of collegiate wrestling thing?
We will have alternating one minute rounds. First is Angle vs. Tomko. Angle takes down Tomko and locks in a triangle choke. Tomko gets the ropes and Angle breaks the hold. Angle takes him down again and wrestles around a bit as time runs out.
A.J. is in now and Angle slaps him around. A.J. is wearing his goofy old Gainesville collegiate wrestling gear. A.J. circles around, avoiding Angle for a minute, literally, and time runs out with nothing happening. Trigg puts over that A.J. is tiring and frustrating Angle.
Tomko is in and he chokes Angle against the ropes, they break and Tomko takes him down to a positive crowd reaction. Angle reverses into an ankle lock and Tomko holds on, screaming in pain, as time runs out.
A.J. is in again and he wrestles with Angle a bit, but mostly avoids anything physical. Tomko is shown on the apron, bleeding from his right eye. Time runs out and Angle is frustrated that A.J. is not trying to fight Kurt. Time runs out again and Tomko breaks them up.
Team Cage comes out and Christian wonders if Angle is seriously doing this. He challenges Team Angle to a real wrestling match. Angle walks out of the ring and Team Cage attacks Tomko and A.J. Team 3D runs in and the heels gang up on the babyfaces. They set up a table and put Christian on it. The lights go out again and… Sting is in the ring with a baseball bat! The ring clears and the crowd goes nuts. The heels look on in disbelief. Sting says it feels great to be back. Sting says let’s not wait for Lockdown, let’s have a match tonight. Sting's music plays while he shakes hands with Christian as we go to commercial…
We are back and Don West pushes the house shows and Lockdown fanfest.
Jeremy Borash is in the back with Robert Roode. JB says that his match tonight will be… surprise surprise… a First Blood match. Roode says that come hell or high water, he will get Sharmell back in that ring and there’s nothing Booker can do about it. He says that Booker wants his blood, well that makes them even because Roode wants Booker’s blood as well. And he also wants Sharmell’s blood as well. Damn… that promo was downright evil. Roode is really coming out as a great heel.
Match #4: Booker T vs. Robert Roode – First Blood match
Booker hits the ring and chops Roode then kicks him in the head. Roode with punches and runs against the ropes but Booker with a spinebuster. He goes for the scissor kick but Roode avoids it. Booker goes for the Bookend but Roode avoids that as well. Tenay says that tonight’s main event will be an 8 man tag – Sting, Cage, Nash, and Rhino vs. Team 3D, Styles and Tomko… commercial free. Booker backdrops Roode out of the ring as we go to commercial.
We are back and they are brawling outside the ring. Roode slams Booker’s head into the apron and tells the ref to check for blood. They get back in the ring and Roode sets up a chair. Booker with punches but Roode with a drop toe hold into the chair. They are up and Roode punches Booker but Booker no sells, Roode grabs the chair but Booker kicks him. Booker throws the chair to Roode and attempts to kick it, but Roode ducks and hits Booker with it. He goes to hit Booker again but Booker moves and the chair bounces off the ropes and hits Roode in the head. Booker clotheslines him over the ropes and attacks him outside. Booker catapults Roode into the ring post and Roode is busted open. Wow, that ended quickly.
Winner: Booker T.
We are in the back with Awesome Kong and Raieesha Saieed. Saieed says that it does not matter who wins the fans voting. Tonight Kong will show why she is champion. We will find out Kong’s opponent right after the commercial…
We are back and “thousands” of votes have been counted and tonight Kong will be facing… ODB. Gail Kim congratulates her and tells her to get the job done.
Match #5: Awesome Kong vs. ODB
The crowd is chanting O-D-B at the start. They lock up and Kong throws ODB into the ropes. ODB with punches to Kong and attempts to slam her, but Kong falls forward onto ODB instead for a two count. Kong with chops in the corner, then slams her by her hair into the mat. Kong ties up ODB in a Steiner-recliner like position, but pulling her hair instead of choking her. Kong whips her into the corner then squashes her. Kong with a camel clutch. ODB somehow reverses and slaps Kong off of her. She runs off the ropes and tries a clothesline but Kong doesn’t budge. Kong clotheslines ODB and goes for a splash but misses. ODB hulks up and punches Kong. She goes for shoulder blocks and dropkicks but cannot knock Kong down. ODB climbs the ropes and drinks from her flask, powering up like Popeye with his spinach and finally takes Kong down with a flying tackle for a near fall. Kong with a kick and then an awesome bomb for the clean pin. Short, but a fun match!
Winner: Awesome Kong.
Commercial, then they re-show the Lockdown preview, this time with audio (yay!).
Team Cage is in the back with Leticia with a promo about tonight’s match.
Match #6: Team 3D, AJ Styles and Tomko vs. Rhino, Kevin Nash, Sting, and Christian Cage.
The crowd is way behind Sting, who looks to be in great shape. Cage and Styles lock up at the start. Cage slaps AJ, then a drop toe hold. He whips AJ into the corner and AJ goes for a moonsault but misses and lands on his feet. He tags in Tomko and Cage chops him then tags in Nash. Nash and Tomko stare each other down then lock up. Tomko with punches in the corner. Nash reverses an Irish whip and hits a side slam for a two count. Nash tags in Rhino, Tomko tags in Ray. Ray hits Rhino then tags in Devon for a double team move. Rhino starts to make a comeback on Devon, but Styles and Tomko trip him from the outside and crotch him on the ring post. The crowd is chanting “We Want Sting.” Ray is in now and splashes Rhino for a two count. He tags in Tomko who kicks Rhino and chokes him. Rhino with punches but Tomko with a huge elbow and Rhino is back down again. Tomko tags in Ray who ties up Rhino with a leg scissors. He tags A.J. and A.J. beats him down. He whips Rhino into the ropes and hits a beautiful dropkick then tags in Ray. Team 3D are double teaming Rhino when he avoids it and hits a hot tag to Sting.
Sting cleans house and gives the crowd a “whoo.” Sting hits Stinger Splashes on everyone in the corners. Sting with a Scorpion Deathlock on A.J. but Ray hits him off. Everyone is in the ring now with Hebner losing control. Tomko tries to slam Sting but Sting reverses into a Scorpion Death Drop. Nash clotheslines Devon then chokeslams Ray. Cage with a tornado DDT on Tomko from the corner. Sting press slams A.J. onto Tomko in the back. 3D tries to hit the 3D on Sting but Rhino gores Ray. Sting locks in the Scorpion Deathlock on Devon while the babyfaces make sure the heels stay away. Devon taps out.
Winners: Sting, Christian Cage, Rhino, and Kevin Nash.
Team Cage celebrates in the ring with a fireworks display. James Storm comes out of nowhere and hits Sting with a beer bottle and the heels attack. James Storm celebrates with the heels while Sting stares at the lights as we go off the air.
Thoughts… All of the matches on this show were a lot of fun, but way too short. I guess we’ve come to expect that from TNA lately though. The longest match was the one no one cared about (Angle’s collegiate wrestling, whatever that thing was). The main event was great and the crowd obviously loved Sting’s return. Sting scoring the victory was exactly what should have happened. James Storm’s attack came out of nowhere and left the show with a great cliffhanger. It took an otherwise predictable segment and added some surprise. I guess it will be five on five at Lethal Lockdown after all… Overall I really enjoyed this show. It was the best Impact in recent memory. TNA can really get the ball rolling here if they make the right moves creatively over the next couple weeks.
PWInsider.com
by Devin Cox @ 2008-03-27 23:38:12
TNA’s first ever live broadcast (titled “Sting’s Return”) opened with their new slogan, “Cross the Line.”
Booker T and Robert Roode are brawling through the crowd immediately at the opening. They make their way to the ring and Peyton Banks runs in, then Traci Brooks. The women catfight for a moment before Jim Cornette and TNA security break up the fight.
Tenay and West welcome us to the show and run down tonight’s card.
Cornette’s got a mic and he says that tonight we will see Booker T vs. Robert Roode with the fans being able to pick the stipulation… First Blood, Last Man Standing, or I Quit.
Backstage Kurt Angle tells Styles and Tomko that he needs them at their best tonight. He needs Tomko for his strength and A.J. for his speed. He then tells Jeremy Borash he needs to hit the gym because next week it might be him.
Match #1 Johnny Devine vs. Alex Shelley – X-Scape qualifier
They go back and forth at the beginning while team 3D looks on. Devine with a rollup for a 2 count. About 2 minutes in, the lights go out as if Sting might be making his entrance. Team 3D run away in fear. The lights go back on and Shelley dives to the outside onto Devine as the crowd chants T-N-A. This crowd is awesome. The Knockouts are arguing in the back as we go to commercial. Can we focus on one thing at a time TNA?
We are back and Devine with a snap suplex followed by a two count. Devine pounds Shelley into the mat and then mocks his Motor City Machineguns hand signal thing. Shelley with chops and a suplex, followed by a nice Lionsault for a two count. They reverse each other’s moves until Shelley backdrops Devine out of the ring. Devine uses Shelley’s paparazzi camera as a weapon, the ref doesn’t see it, Devine hits his finisher for the pin. Too short of a match to judge really. I was surprised by the finish.
Winner: Johnny Devine
They show a video of Jay Lethal and Socal “Miss Elizabeth” Val working out in the gym. Val is spotting Lethal while he bench presses. Sonjay Dutt shows up and offers to help Val work out. They run off leaving Lethal stuck with lots of weight on his chest.
Booker T cuts an awesome promo saying he wants Robert Roode’s blood. I guess they’re pushing First Blood match for the fan voting… He says Roode won’t make it to lockdown. He says he will make sure Roode is never in the ring with Sharmell ever again. And he knows Roode can dig that… sucka.
Commercial break…
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Team 3D and Johnny Devine. Ray shoves Borash out of the way and congratulates Devine on his win. Ray then focuses on Sting. Sting’s path and Team 3D’s path have never crossed. Ray says that while Sting was being baby’d in WCW, Team 3D was stealing the show in WWE. The lights go out again. They look around trying to figure out what’s going on…
Speaking of WWE, TNA decides to rat out none other than Highlander Robbie McCallister sitting in the audience! He obviously doesn’t want the cameras on him. Oops! Let’s see how long before WWE is “wishing him the best in all his future endeavors…”
Match #2 Scott Steiner, Rocka Chan and Petey Williams vs. LAX and Salinas
Steiner with a belly to belly suplex on Homicide but pulls him up before the 3 count. He gives him a top rope belly to belly instead. Steiner tags in Williams who works him over with punches until Homicide hits the Gringo Stunner and tags in Hernandez. Hernandez cleans house, throwing bodies everywhere. Salinas attacks Rocka. Hernandez flies out of the ring onto Steiner. Homicide attempts a Gringo Killer on Petey, Petey reverses into a Canadian Destroyer, but Homicide reverses that into a T-Bone suplex for a bridge and a 3 count. The crowd loves LAX. Steiner takes Petey back for more punishment.
Winners: LAX and Salinas
TNA Rough Cut video about VKM breaking up over the feast or fired match. Why are they on a playground?
Commercial break…
They air a cool video promoting the Lockdown ppv, but the audio feed is screwing up. They start to show a Consequences Creed video, but there’s still no audio. Welcome to live TV TNA!
Mike Tenay interviews Karen Angle about her separating from her husband. Karen took the children away from home… yada yada… Kurt’s focused on Joe so much that he doesn’t show any affection to his family… blah blah… Tenay asks Karen to confirm that she’s seeing someone on the TNA roster. Karen says she has met someone who treats her as a lady should be treated, the way Kurt used to treat her. But other than that she cannot confirm any rumors. Whatever.
Another commercial break.
Video about Joe training for his lockdown match. They’re pushing this like it’s a legitimate MMA-style shoot fight. Cool video.
Tenay asks Joe via satellite how the training is going. Joe says it’s the most vicious training he’s ever been to. He says there’s a thousand excuses why he didn’t win all of his matches against Angle, but that’s not what the fans want. He says he will hold the TNA title with honor and defend it with sweat and blood, not with backstage politics. He’s coming for something at Lockdown, and it’s Kurt Angles TNA title. Great promo.
MMA fighter Frank Trigg joins the commentators for our next match…
Match #3 Kurt Angle vs. A.J. Styles and Tomko in some sort of collegiate wrestling thing?
We will have alternating one minute rounds. First is Angle vs. Tomko. Angle takes down Tomko and locks in a triangle choke. Tomko gets the ropes and Angle breaks the hold. Angle takes him down again and wrestles around a bit as time runs out.
A.J. is in now and Angle slaps him around. A.J. is wearing his goofy old Gainesville collegiate wrestling gear. A.J. circles around, avoiding Angle for a minute, literally, and time runs out with nothing happening. Trigg puts over that A.J. is tiring and frustrating Angle.
Tomko is in and he chokes Angle against the ropes, they break and Tomko takes him down to a positive crowd reaction. Angle reverses into an ankle lock and Tomko holds on, screaming in pain, as time runs out.
A.J. is in again and he wrestles with Angle a bit, but mostly avoids anything physical. Tomko is shown on the apron, bleeding from his right eye. Time runs out and Angle is frustrated that A.J. is not trying to fight Kurt. Time runs out again and Tomko breaks them up.
Team Cage comes out and Christian wonders if Angle is seriously doing this. He challenges Team Angle to a real wrestling match. Angle walks out of the ring and Team Cage attacks Tomko and A.J. Team 3D runs in and the heels gang up on the babyfaces. They set up a table and put Christian on it. The lights go out again and… Sting is in the ring with a baseball bat! The ring clears and the crowd goes nuts. The heels look on in disbelief. Sting says it feels great to be back. Sting says let’s not wait for Lockdown, let’s have a match tonight. Sting's music plays while he shakes hands with Christian as we go to commercial…
We are back and Don West pushes the house shows and Lockdown fanfest.
Jeremy Borash is in the back with Robert Roode. JB says that his match tonight will be… surprise surprise… a First Blood match. Roode says that come hell or high water, he will get Sharmell back in that ring and there’s nothing Booker can do about it. He says that Booker wants his blood, well that makes them even because Roode wants Booker’s blood as well. And he also wants Sharmell’s blood as well. Damn… that promo was downright evil. Roode is really coming out as a great heel.
Match #4: Booker T vs. Robert Roode – First Blood match
Booker hits the ring and chops Roode then kicks him in the head. Roode with punches and runs against the ropes but Booker with a spinebuster. He goes for the scissor kick but Roode avoids it. Booker goes for the Bookend but Roode avoids that as well. Tenay says that tonight’s main event will be an 8 man tag – Sting, Cage, Nash, and Rhino vs. Team 3D, Styles and Tomko… commercial free. Booker backdrops Roode out of the ring as we go to commercial.
We are back and they are brawling outside the ring. Roode slams Booker’s head into the apron and tells the ref to check for blood. They get back in the ring and Roode sets up a chair. Booker with punches but Roode with a drop toe hold into the chair. They are up and Roode punches Booker but Booker no sells, Roode grabs the chair but Booker kicks him. Booker throws the chair to Roode and attempts to kick it, but Roode ducks and hits Booker with it. He goes to hit Booker again but Booker moves and the chair bounces off the ropes and hits Roode in the head. Booker clotheslines him over the ropes and attacks him outside. Booker catapults Roode into the ring post and Roode is busted open. Wow, that ended quickly.
Winner: Booker T.
We are in the back with Awesome Kong and Raieesha Saieed. Saieed says that it does not matter who wins the fans voting. Tonight Kong will show why she is champion. We will find out Kong’s opponent right after the commercial…
We are back and “thousands” of votes have been counted and tonight Kong will be facing… ODB. Gail Kim congratulates her and tells her to get the job done.
Match #5: Awesome Kong vs. ODB
The crowd is chanting O-D-B at the start. They lock up and Kong throws ODB into the ropes. ODB with punches to Kong and attempts to slam her, but Kong falls forward onto ODB instead for a two count. Kong with chops in the corner, then slams her by her hair into the mat. Kong ties up ODB in a Steiner-recliner like position, but pulling her hair instead of choking her. Kong whips her into the corner then squashes her. Kong with a camel clutch. ODB somehow reverses and slaps Kong off of her. She runs off the ropes and tries a clothesline but Kong doesn’t budge. Kong clotheslines ODB and goes for a splash but misses. ODB hulks up and punches Kong. She goes for shoulder blocks and dropkicks but cannot knock Kong down. ODB climbs the ropes and drinks from her flask, powering up like Popeye with his spinach and finally takes Kong down with a flying tackle for a near fall. Kong with a kick and then an awesome bomb for the clean pin. Short, but a fun match!
Winner: Awesome Kong.
Commercial, then they re-show the Lockdown preview, this time with audio (yay!).
Team Cage is in the back with Leticia with a promo about tonight’s match.
Match #6: Team 3D, AJ Styles and Tomko vs. Rhino, Kevin Nash, Sting, and Christian Cage.
The crowd is way behind Sting, who looks to be in great shape. Cage and Styles lock up at the start. Cage slaps AJ, then a drop toe hold. He whips AJ into the corner and AJ goes for a moonsault but misses and lands on his feet. He tags in Tomko and Cage chops him then tags in Nash. Nash and Tomko stare each other down then lock up. Tomko with punches in the corner. Nash reverses an Irish whip and hits a side slam for a two count. Nash tags in Rhino, Tomko tags in Ray. Ray hits Rhino then tags in Devon for a double team move. Rhino starts to make a comeback on Devon, but Styles and Tomko trip him from the outside and crotch him on the ring post. The crowd is chanting “We Want Sting.” Ray is in now and splashes Rhino for a two count. He tags in Tomko who kicks Rhino and chokes him. Rhino with punches but Tomko with a huge elbow and Rhino is back down again. Tomko tags in Ray who ties up Rhino with a leg scissors. He tags A.J. and A.J. beats him down. He whips Rhino into the ropes and hits a beautiful dropkick then tags in Ray. Team 3D are double teaming Rhino when he avoids it and hits a hot tag to Sting.
Sting cleans house and gives the crowd a “whoo.” Sting hits Stinger Splashes on everyone in the corners. Sting with a Scorpion Deathlock on A.J. but Ray hits him off. Everyone is in the ring now with Hebner losing control. Tomko tries to slam Sting but Sting reverses into a Scorpion Death Drop. Nash clotheslines Devon then chokeslams Ray. Cage with a tornado DDT on Tomko from the corner. Sting press slams A.J. onto Tomko in the back. 3D tries to hit the 3D on Sting but Rhino gores Ray. Sting locks in the Scorpion Deathlock on Devon while the babyfaces make sure the heels stay away. Devon taps out.
Winners: Sting, Christian Cage, Rhino, and Kevin Nash.
Team Cage celebrates in the ring with a fireworks display. James Storm comes out of nowhere and hits Sting with a beer bottle and the heels attack. James Storm celebrates with the heels while Sting stares at the lights as we go off the air.
Thoughts… All of the matches on this show were a lot of fun, but way too short. I guess we’ve come to expect that from TNA lately though. The longest match was the one no one cared about (Angle’s collegiate wrestling, whatever that thing was). The main event was great and the crowd obviously loved Sting’s return. Sting scoring the victory was exactly what should have happened. James Storm’s attack came out of nowhere and left the show with a great cliffhanger. It took an otherwise predictable segment and added some surprise. I guess it will be five on five at Lethal Lockdown after all… Overall I really enjoyed this show. It was the best Impact in recent memory. TNA can really get the ball rolling here if they make the right moves creatively over the next couple weeks.
PWInsider.com