Impact Results from 4/24

Backstage, Kurt Angle was warming up. He addressed the camera, giving a warning for his upcoming opponent, Rockstar Spud, as well as ECIII.

- A video package showed how Eric Young became TNA Champion, and how he defended that title the next week against Abyss.

- In the arena, Magnus came out carrying a steel turnbuckle hook. Magnus had to stop himself when he started with his usual championship introduction. An “EY” chant began after Magnus somewhat hinted in that direction. Magnus, though, had his harshest words for Abyss. He told Abyss to come out so he can say what he needs to say to his former bodyguard’s face. Abyss dutifully made his way to the ring.

When Abyss entered the ring, Magnus talked about how sick Abyss makes him, and that he realizes why everyone has kicked Abyss to the curb: Because he’s a big disappointment. I’m getting a Joe Carroll of “The Following” vibe from Magnus on this promo. Abyss reminded Magnus that MVP threatened to fire anyone who interfered in his match with Eric Young. Magnus said Abyss works for him, not MVP. Magnus fired Abyss (wishing him best of luck in his future endeavors, of course). Abyss said it was never about the money, but rather, having a sense of belonging. He said he trusted Magnus, who claimed he was a friend of Abyss. Now, he sees Magnus for the arrogant jackass that he is. Abyss said he destroys lives and end careers. Now, since he’s no longer an employee of Magnus, he’s going to start next with him. Magnus said Abyss isn’t a contracted wrestler, so he’ll have Abyss arrested. Almost on cue, MVP’s music hit.

MVP implored Magnus to put his weapon down. He talked about the second chances he’s been given, and was willing to give one to Abyss. MVP asked Abyss if he wanted a full-time spot on the roster. Abyss didn’t answer, so MVP said he’ll get one if he wins his match tonight against Magnus. Magnus was not happy about that. MVP skipped to the back for some reason. “Tonight, I’m going to kick your ass,” said Abyss to Magnus. Abyss and Magnus weren’t together long enough for their breakup to have much impact, and Abyss appears to be turning babyface only a few weeks after trying to destroy Eric Young. There doesn’t feel like a lot of consistency in characters here.

- A graphic aired for James Storm & Bobby Roode rekindling their tag-team glory, taking on Bully Ray & Gunner.

- But next, Rockstar Spud vs. Kurt Angle.

- Spud was backstage when ECIII approached him. Ethan Carter warned Spud that last week, he saw the real Kurt Angle. And there’s only one man who can beat Angle…himself. Carter tried to convince Spud to be a gazelle in the ring against Angle. Spud looked worried at that prospect.

- Kurt Angle made his entrance. Angle vs. Spud takes place after the break.

[Commercial Break]

1 – KURT ANGLE vs. ROCKSTAR SPUD

Spud was accompanied by ECIII. Spud was somewhat reluctant to take on Angle here. Spud tried a single-leg, to no avail. Angle gut-wrenched him halfway across the ring. Kicks to the leg by Spud had no effect. Angle was focused on ECIII at ringside. Angle chased Spud around the ring. A distraction allowed Carter to hook Angle’s leg and Spud punched away on Angle. Dropkick from the second rope for not even a one-count. Spud went to the top, where Angle grabbed him and delivered an overhead suplex. After knocking ECIII off the apron, Angle applied the anklelock submission.

WINNER: Angle, via submission, at 2:03. Spud was not treated as a threat to Angle, which was the right move.

ECIII attacked Angle after the match, drawing Willow out from backstage. He chased Carter out of the ring with his umbrella.

- Backstage, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love cut a promo. Love made a remark intimating that Madison Rayne is ugly. The ladies stole Rayne’s makeup bag and promised a makeover, Beautiful People-style.

[Commercial Break]

- MVP was on the phone backstage. He said he’s in a match with Austin Aries tonight. He walked into his office, where Kenny King had taken up residence on his couch. MVP and King traded sarcastic barbs until MVP put King in a match. MVP promised to put King in a huge feature match. He called the production truck to let them know he’s in a match next and told them he’ll come tell them personally who he’d face.

- Madison Rayne entered the arena following that segment. Apparently, “next” means “next match” and not “next segment.” Rayne challenged the Beautiful People to come out and give her the makeover they promised. Love said Rayne looks a little run down. She asked if Madison’s baby was keeping her up all night. Is that officially TNA canon now? Or did they mention it when she left/returned? Rayne said the BP were right, and she apologized…for what she was about to do. That was attack the Beautiful People. She got a few shots in, but the numbers game won out. Love yelled that Rayne was a nobody before she became a member. She said they only brought Rayne aboard to make them look better. More Vince Russo fingerprints. Brittany came out and attacked the Beautiful People for the attempted save, but it was to no avail. Hey, at least a babyface tried to help another babyface. Once Brittany was disposed of, Sky gave Rayne a face-buster. Then, they brought back the paper bag gimmick, putting it over Rayne’s head.

- Mr. Anderson was on location, seeking out Samuel Shaw’s childhood home. I smell hijinks!

- Kenny King was walking in the hallway backstage, readying himself for a match against a mystery opponent.

[Commercial Break]

- They showed the BP makeover from “Moments Ago,” and during the break, Gail Kim approached Brittany and Madison Rayne in the Knockouts locker room. She said the Beautiful People are taking over the division, and she doesn’t like it. She asked Madison to tag with her tonight, despite their differences. Madison agreed. Brittany said she’d be out there too, but Madison declined her offer to help.

2 – KENNY KING vs. BOBBY LASHLEY

King was less-than-enthused about this choice of opposition for him. Lashley took King down with some quick amateur moves. King took Lashley down with a drop toe-hold, floating over into a side headlock. Lashley recovered and gave King a side slam. Big bodyslam by Lashley, but the ref was pulled in front of King in the corner when Lashley attempted a charge. Lashley stopped short before hitting referee Brian Stiffler. King took over on offense for a spell. Belly-to-belly suplex by Lashley and both men were down. “Let’s go Bobby” chant from the fans. Back-drop by Lashley, who then sized King up. King avoided the spear, but he jumped right into a suplex from the middle rope. Impressive strength by Lashley. King avoided another spear attempt. He tried to crawl away from the ring and voluntarily took the count-out loss.

WINNER: Lashley, via count-out, at 5:38. Lashley had a real spring in his step here, which was cool to see.

- Back to Mr. Anderson, who was in the car driving around Shaw’s neighborhood. He found the house where Shaw’s family still apparently lives. He rang the doorbell and a woman opened the door. She professed to be Shaw’s mother, and spoke in a similar cadence to Shaw. She invited Anderson in.

- Storm and Roode reminisced about past bouts between the two. Storm said he never forgets. Roode asked why he even wanted to be partners tonight. Storm said they were unbeatable as a team. He talked about the respect they have for one another, unlike Gunner, who he said never gave him the credit he deserves. Storm also noted the desire to make Gunner’s father cry again. Roode, meanwhile, loved the idea of putting Bully Ray through table after table. They parted, as close to being on the same page as the two of them could be given their history.

- Austin Aries, then MVP, were shown walking outside the arena separately, readying for their match, which is next.

[Commercial Break]

3 – AUSTIN ARIES vs. MVP

Dueling chants by the crowd met the wrestlers after the bell rang. MVP worked a wrist-lock, which evolved into some chain wrestling. It ended when Aries gave MVP a seated dropkick. MVP brought Aries down across his knee and went for the “Ballin’” elbowdrop, but Aries ducked out of the ring. MVP followed him out, but Aries dropkicked the leg on his way back in. Aries came down with a double axe-handle on MVP. Splash by Aries for two at 2:40. Middle-rope elbow to the shoudlerblades by Aries, also for a two-count. MVP went back on offense with a series of corner clotheslines. He nearly turned Aries inside-out with a clothesline for two. MVP finally hit his signature elbowdrop. Discus forearm by Aries, though, felled MVP. MVP escaped a brainbuster attempt and tossed Aries over his head with a released suplex. Knee-breaker into a suplex by Aries. Corner dropkick by Aries, and a cover got two. From the top, Aries missed a 450 splash. MVP took advantage by hitting a running kick to the head for the win.

WINNER: MVP, at 6:36. Not a bad match by any stretch, but most of it felt like just a series of moves that didn’t mean a whole lot.

- They showed a clip of Sanada winning the X Division Title in Japan, and Great Muta putting Sanada over in a promo. Sanda’s training regimen was shown, and he cut a promo (with subtitles) about the pressure he’s facing to be great.

- Mr. Anderson and Christie (and the cameraman) were in the kitchen. Christie offered Anderson iced tea. Anderson said they’re doing a piece on talented people. Christie said Shaw can play the piano and has a great singing voice. Apparently, Christie bakes an entire apple pie for Samuel every day. Apparently, Samuel still lives in the house. Well, the basement anyway. Christie offered to show Anderson the room.

- James Storm was introduced to the live crowd. They showed a clip of Roode putting Gunner through a table last week. Bobby Roode then came out to partner with Storm. Bully Ray and Gunner came out together, to Ray’s music. The match is next.

[Commercial Break]

4 - BEER MONEY vs. BULLY RAY & GUNNER

Ray took care of both Storm and Roode in the early going. Ray tried to get the crowd behind Gunner before tagging him in. A thumb to the eye allowed Storm to tag Roode. But Roode fell victim to a bodyslam from Gunner for two. Back elbow caught a charging Ray. Storm tripped up Ray from outside the ring and pulled him boys-first into the ring post. The heels took over on offense at that point. Behind the ref’s back, Storm gnawed on the head of Ray while choking him across the bottom rope. Ray managed a desperation slap to the chest of Roode. Both men made tags at 4:47, and Gunner was a house afire. Slingshot suplex to Storm for two. Ray held Roode at bay and slammed Storm. Gunner went to the top and gave Storm the Whazzup diving headbutt, with the assist to Ray. Gunner was ordered to get the tables, and he obliged. While he set one up outside the ring, Roode attacked, so Gunner put Roode on the table. Ray came off the apron but missed an elbowdrop, breaking the table. DDT by Gunner in the ring, but the pin was broken up by Roode. Gunner gave Roode his finisher, but Storm superkicked his former partner and made the pin.

WINNERS: Beer Money, at 7:07. The former tag champs were rusty at first. I chalked it up to Storm wearing tights rather than trunks, as he did during the Beer Money days. There’s an adjustment period for things like that.

- Magnus told the roving cameraman that he’s going to teach Abyss a lesson about what his role is. He said “people around here” needed to understand whose time it was. And when that time comes, he said there’s nothing MVP, Dixie Carter or anyone can do about it.

- A graphic showed Abyss vs. Magnus was still to come.

- Anderson whispered to the cameraman, catching the viewers up on the news that Sam Shaw still lives in the basement. Christie allowed Anderson down there alone. “Oh…my God,” was Anderson’s reaction to something we didn’t have the privilege of seeing. At least, not yet.

[Commercial Break]

- Upcoming TNA live events flashed across the screen.

- Back in Samuel Shaw’s room, Mr. Anderson discovered that it looked like the bedroom of a young child. Shaw showed up, irate, and the two started to brawl. The cameraman got nicked in the fracas and he sprinted up the stairs. Christie offered him some pie, but the cameraman declined. Shaw made it up the stairs, bleeding from the mouth. The cameraman left and Christie gave him a creepy goodbye.

- Entrances took place for the Knockouts Tag Match. It’s next.

[Commercial Break]

5 – THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE vs. GAIL KIM & MADISON RAYNE

Velvet wanted nothing to do with Rayne at the start of the match. Finally, Rayne was able to get her hands on Sky. The babyfaces did a double dropkick (which did not look good), sending the BP to ringside. A brawl ensued, with Madison giving Sky and Love a double noggin-knocker (the scientific term for that move). Kim tagged in and registered a near-fall on Sky. Love taunted Rayne and the ref held Rayne back from interfering illegally, but Love didn’t take advantage with any kind of shenanigans. At 3:00, the Beautiful People tried to run away, but the babyfaces stopped them and brought them back in. Headscissors applied by Kim to Love. Sky interfered with a dropkick to break it up. Love jumped on Kim’s back and put her in a sleeper. Kim turned it into a back-breaker. Rayne made the hot tag and took the fight to both heels. Rayne speared Sky, but Love rolled her up for the win, using the tights for leverage.

WINNERS: The Beautiful People, at 4:53. Gail Kim is still the class of the Knockouts division, and this match showed it’s not even close. And, in a subject Jim Valley and I discussed in today’s PWTorch Livecast, the announcers didn’t feel the need to admonish Love for cheating to win.

- Another Mike Knox vignette aired. Knox said he needed to go back to Impact Wrestling. The woman he was with (who was playing with fire, literally) said she was going with him and wasn’t going to let him go again. To be continued…

- Abyss told the camera backstage that he just wanted a sense of belonging when he joined up with Magnus. He basically repeated the essence of his opening promo. He said he made the mistake of hurting those who he cared about the most. Tonight, the massacre is for “him.”

[Commercial Break]

- A Wolves vignette aired.

- Mike Tenay and Taz ran down the Sacrifice card.

- Eric Young came out to do commentary on the main event.

6 – MAGNUS vs. ABYSS – IF ABYSS WINS, HE GETS A TNA CONTRACT

Magnus tried to lecture Abyss, and that went over about as well as you’d think. Two clotheslines sent Magnus reeling and Abyss threw him over the top rope. They went to break :50 in.

[Commercial Break]

Back at 4:28 of the match. Magnus kicked Abyss’ leg out from under his leg to keep control. The crowd chanted “overrated” at Magnus. Single-leg take-down by Magnus and again he went after the knee. Eric Young didn’t think that Abyss was talking about him in the promo right before this match. Right hands sent Abyss to one knee, but Abyss caught Magnus and teased a chokeslam. Magnus kicked at the knee of Abyss, however. Magnus was kicked out of the ring by his opponent when he tried a figure-four. Abyss took over again and again tried a chokeslam, but Magnus kicked Abyss in the groin for the disqualification.

WINNER: Abyss, via DQ, at 7:31.

The announcers didn’t seem to know if this meant Abyss would get a contract. He won, didn’t he? Magnus got a chair from ringside and wailed on Abyss with it. EY ran to the ring for the save, but Magnus gave him a low-blow too. He delivered several chairshots as well. Tenay called the actions of Magnus “deplorable.” Both babyfaces were left prone in the ring while Magnus posed for the fans to close the show.

- An ad for next Thursday’s Impact aired, based around the fallout from Sacrifice.