TNA Impact – 5/27/10

Thursday’s is back to what it used to be.  I’m glad that now I can get back in the habit of TNA Impact being on Thursday’s once again.  The number one contender is set for Slammiversary, and we’re only a few weeks out.  What chaotic events will happen leading up to the annual PPV showcase?  Find out what happened last night, right here:

Video Package: Last week, Sting was named #1 contender to the TNA World Title.  Kurt Angle returns from his vacation.  Mr. Anderson has a change of heart..?

Jeff Hardy to the ring and calls out Mr. Anderson.

• Anderson to the ring and he tells Hardy, “Maybe I give assists to confuse people?  Maybe I did what I did because I’m an asshole?”  He then makes a comment about Hardy’s appearance, and says, “We’re all assholes!”
• Interrupted by AJ Styles, Ric Flair, Beer Money & Desmond Wolfe. Styles takes mic, “I just got here and I see that I have a match with you… (Hardy thinks hit’s him)”  Styles acknowledges that it’s Anderson who asked for the match.  “Do you know who I am?!?”
• Anderson says, “I know who you are… Let me tell you who I am… MISTER ANDERSON, ANDERSON!!!”

Video Package: Build up to the rivalry between Jesse Neal & Brother Ray.  Also the fallout that’s beginning to happen with his Team 3D partner, Brother Devon.

Non-Title Match
The Band vs. Team 3D vs. Ink Inc.
WINNERS: Ink Inc. via pin fall after Jesse Neal hits Brother Ray with a Spear

• Ray was stopped by Devon from hitting Neal with a chair, distracting him.
• Post match, Ray takes the mic and challenges Neal to a match, one on one, teacher vs. student.  Neal accepts!

Backstage: Christy Hemme is in locker room with Kazarian who’s more confident with himself than ever thanks to one reason…

• Ric Flair walks into the room to talk to Kaz about his match tonight with Jay Lethal.  Flair wants Kaz to manhandle him.
• AJ Styles interrupts looking to get a few pointers for his match tonight against Anderson, but Flair sort of blows him off.  AJ looks bothered by this.

Backstage: Rob Van Dam is taping up, getting ready for the show, says that he’s going to call out Sting tonight!

Jay Lethal vs. Kazarian
WINNER: Kaz via pin fall roll up with a handful of tights

• Mid match, Ric Flair comes out to try and distract Lethal
• Post match, Flair attacks Lethal and gets best of him for a bit till Lethal turns it around.  Lethal throws Flair out of ring, and AJ Styles comes out to attack Lethal.  Kaz looks like he’s going to help AJ, but instead they argue about who’s going to take Lethal out, allowing him to regroup and drop kick both men from the ring.

Backstage: Shannon Moore is shown laid out in the back with the ace of spades card laying on his back.

Video Package: Drama between Abyss, Desmond Wolfe & Chelsea.  Abyss wins Chelsea’s services and last week takes his prize.

Orlando Jordan vs. Abyss with Chelsea
WINNER: Abyss via DQ after Wolfe came out and hit Abyss with a pipe

• Mid match, OJ threw Abyss into Chelsea knocking her over, prompting Wolfe to come out and attack him.
• Post match, two on one beat down of Abyss till Rob Terry comes out and clears house.

Video Package: The progression of Sting’s turn, and no answer as to why.

Rob Van Dam to the ring to call out sting.

• Video package shows on screen of RVD’s first appearance in TNA.  He beat Sting, but post match, Sting beat the crap out of him with the baseball bat.
• Sting responds from up in the rafters, “It’s going to be showtime at Slammiversary!”

Video Package: Earlier, Mr. Anderson and Hulk Hogan talking about Anderson’s situation and Hulk wonders where he really wants to be.  Anderson assures him that he’s had a change of heart and he’ll prove it in his match with AJ tonight.

Puppet The Psycho Dwarf from Half Pint Brawlers joins Taz & Mike Tenay on commentary.  They talk about his TV show premiering on Spike soon.

Backstage: Christy Hemme is with Roxxi and they talk about her return.  Hemme then lets her know that at Slammiversary, TNA management has granted her a Knockout’s Title match against Madison Rayne.  Roxxi is excited beyond belief!

Knockout’s Tag Title Match
Beautiful People vs. Taylor Wilde & Sarita
WINNERS: BPs via pin fall after Lacey Von Erich locked on The Claw to Wilde and slammed her to the canvas.

• Post match, Puppet leaves commentary to celebrate with the BPs, and he slaps Velvet Sky on the ass.  She takes exception, and she and Madison Rayne attack him.
• As they leave, Lacey stays in the ring to check on him, and he plants a kiss on her.  She likes it and they roll around the ring together.

Backstage: Jeff Hardy talks to camera about wrestling Desmond Wolfe for the first time ever.

Kurt Angle joins Taz and Mike Tenay on commentary.

Desmond Wolfe vs. Jeff Hardy
WINNER: Wolfe via pin fall

• Mid match, Hardy went for Whisper in the Wind and accidentally hit the referee.  In that time Wolfe grabbed what looked like a slap jack and hit Hardy with it.

Matt Morgan to the ring and he bitches about how he was attacked by Samoa Joe and it cost him the TNA Tag Titles.  Now he’s even more upset because in order to get his rematch at Slammiversary, he’s got to find a tag team partner.  He sees Kurt Angle still on commentary and calls him to the ring like he’s some young punk.  Angle goes to the ring.  Morgan talks down to him some more and attacks him.  Angle tries to fight back, but security stops him.

• Joe’s music hits and he comes to the ring.  Morgan bails out.  Joe and Angle go nose to nose, but no punches thrown.

AJ Styles vs. Mr. Anderson
WINNER: Styles via pin fall with his feet hooking the ropes.

• Post match, Anderson calls for his microphone and tells Styles, “You got me at my own freaking game.”  Crowd acknowledges it and Anderson attacks Styles.
• Beer Money comes out to ring and numbers game gets best of Anderson until Jeff Hardy comes to ring with chair.  All opponents bail out.  Hardy extends a hand to Anderson and they shake.

QUICK THOUGHTS:

I’m a little baffled by this angle with Anderson and Hardy.  Part of me thinks that this is all a ploy and Anderson is actually up to some big trick to lull Hardy in and then attack him later, but I’m not certain.  It seems like now things are all okay between them, but we’ll see what happens around Slammiversary.

Brother Ray and Jesse Neal’s rivalry just went to the next level with the challenge for Slammiversary.  The story I’m intrigued by is the relationship now between Ray and Devon.  How are they going to co-exist when Ray flies off the handle like he has been the last few shows?  Could this be leading up to the end of Team 3D?

AJ Styles and Kazarian are looking like they’re fighting for the attention of Ric Flair.  I don’t know how much this can do for the Flair camp, but I’m hoping that it ends up with a great match between the two high fliers!

I’m wondering when they’re going to talk more about what’s going on with Samoa Joe… He was kidnapped about 3 months ago, and they’ve never acknowledged where he was or what happened to him.  I’m wondering if this has to do with the fact that either Matt Morgan was involved, or that TNA creative is totally incompetent and didn’t know where to go with it, so it’s being dropped and forgotten about entirely?