TNA Impact – 4/26/10

After crowning a new champion on Impact last week, what did the Hulkster have in store for the TNA fans last night?  Read on and fight out what went down on TNA Impact:

Video Package: Last week, Rob Van Dam wins a number one contender match against Jeff Hardy, then goes on to defeat AJ Styles to become the NEW TNA World Champion!

Hulk Hogan to the ring, “Things are really changing around TNA… to be the TNA Champion, you’ve got a big target on your back…  Eric Bischoff has a top ten ranking system he’s working on that’s going to be influenced by the fans… RVD took on one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, AJ Styles, and then when RVD hit the Five-Star Frog Splash, I knew the game had changed…”

• Hogan introduces RVD.  He comes to ring, “The reason I’m here in TNA, I figured Dixie Carter, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff would give me a fair opportunity to be just Rob Van Dam, and look where that got us… they don’t get what it takes to be a laid back dude and kick so much ass…  you need to understand I’m one of the toughest guys you’ll ever run into, that I’m the best at what I do, and from this day forward, I will continue to be the best champion TNA will ever have!
• Interrupted by AJ Styles & Ric Flair.  Styles takes mic, “You sound like a Hallmark greeting card… you’re right, there’s plenty of people that don’t get you or your lifestyle… Are you high right now?  Right when I was going in for the kill, I slipped on the top rope and that’s how you became champion.  I should be getting my rematch tonight for that title, but I’m going to take it when I want it!
• Flair takes mic, “You (Hulk) and I have a problem… you are taking responsibility for giving Abyss that hall of fame ring… tonight, Abyss is done and you and all this mockery of who we are will die!”

Backstage: The Beautiful People talking about Madison Rayne‘s first title defense tonight as Knockout Champion.  She’s upset because it’s a Triple Threat against Tara & Angelina Love.

Video Package: A look at the rivalry between Tara and Angelina Love over the past month.

Knockouts Title Match
Madison Rayne (Champion) vs. Tara vs. Angelina Love
WINNER: Rayne via school girl pin fall on Love

• Before match, Lacey Von Erich & Velvet Sky were sent to the back by the referee.
• After match, Love and Tara battle it out in the ring till security breaks them up.

X-Division Title Match
Kazarian (Champion) vs. Shannon Moore
WINNER: Kazarian via pin fall after hitting a Reverse Pile Driver

• Mid match, Matt Morgan came out and knocked Moore off top rope while ref was incapacitated as payback for saying no to his offer last week to become his tag team partner.
• After match, Samoa Joe‘s music hits and he stares down Kazarian, then beats the crap out of him.

Video Package: Abyss talking about the hall of fame ring that Hulk gave him… He knows that there is no super powers attached to it, but now he’s got the confidence in himself because Hulk believes in him and there’s nothing that he can’t do!

Backstage: Matt Morgan asking Jesse Neal about being his tag team partner, and Neal turns him down after what he’s done to his past partners.  Morgan tries to sell him on being a tag team champion and even talks about Jesse’s road to getting here and doing it for his fallen friend.  Morgan leaves him to ponder the proposition.

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Jeff Jarrett & Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles & Sting
WINNERS: Styles and Sting via pin fall after Sting assaulted Jarrett with a baseball bat on their way up to the rafters.

• Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Hardy jump off a ladder while on the entrance ramp onto Styles who was on a table, on the floor because the match was ended via pin.

Video Package: Jesse Neal talked to Team 3D about him partnering up with Morgan because they’re going to be the opponents tonight in the match, and they’re his mentors.

• 3D comment him on him growing a set, and warn him that they’re not going to go easy on him and not to trust Matt Morgan completely.

“Pope” D’Angelo Dinero to the ring, “AJ Styles, you tried to take away The Pope’s career… Who do you think you are?  Just because you don’t have the gold doesn’t mean Pope forgets… an eye for an eye… when we fall down, we get back up…”

• Interrupted by Mr. Anderson, “Wow!  I’m going to start calling you Kool-Aid Man, you (crowd) are drinking the Kool-Aid.  I get it, they’re gullible… The big question, are you going to go home and lick your wounds like Kurt Angle, or are you going to take your testicles out of your mom’s purse, sack ’em up, and get in the ring with yours truly at Sacrifice?  (Anderson makes chicken noises)
• Pope pimp slaps Anderson… Anderson beats Pope down and rakes Pope’s injured eye.

Backstage: Cameras catch Team 3D standing over the decimated body of Syxx Pac who is a bloody mess laying through a broken table.

Tag Team Title Match
Team 3D vs. Jesse Neal & Matt Morgan (Champions)
WINNER: No Contest

• Mid match, The Band members Scott Hall & Kevin Nash come down the ramp for a fight with Team 3D.
• Bells ring and Jesse Neal helps his mentors with the battle… That is until Matt Morgan attacks him and leaves him lying in the ring.
• Morgan leaves, and the fight is broken up.  Jesse Neal takes the mic and calls out Matt Morgan for a fight.
• Backstage: Christy Hemme grabs Matt Morgan who says, “We’re off the clock,” and tries to walk away.  He’s confronted by Hulk Hogan and told “either deal with Jesse Neal or with me” by the Hulkster!
• Morgan goes to the ring and for a few moments, Neal gets the best of him, but not for long as Morgan hits him with a low blow and then beats him down.
• Shannon Moore runs down and hits Morgan with a drop kick from the top rope to knock him out of the ring to get some sort of payback from earlier.

Backstage: Eric Bischoff talks about his top ten ranking system that’s going to be voted on by the fans…

• He’s interrupted by Jay Lethal who wants to cast his vote for the top ten and starts naming superstars from the past.

Backstage: Orlando Jordan talks about “works of art” and focuses on Rob Terry.  Tells everyone that Terry will be the guest on his segment “The O-Zone” next week.

Video Package: Ric Flair talking about coming out of retirement to put a notch in his belt by humbling Abyss.

Backstage: Cameras catch up with Hall and Nash, and they’re both pissed that the camera is there.  Nash more so than Hall.  They vow to have a third guy at Impact next week to replace their fallen comrade.

Video Package: How Abyss gets Hulk Hogan’s hall of fame ring and how Ric Flair took offense to it.

Ring for Ring Challenge
Abyss vs. Ric Flair
WINNER: Flair via pin fall after using brass knuckles while the ref was incapacitated

• After match, referee Earl Hebner, sees the brass knuckles and orders the time keeper to ring the bell

**Match Restarts**

WINNER: Abyss via pin fall after hitting the Black Hole Slam

• After match, Hulk joins Abyss in the ring and helps him get the ring off Flair’s finger.
• Hulk takes mic, “I know exactly who I’m going to present this ring to next week!”

QUICK THOUGHTS:

Not as good as last week, but still a solid show considering it was mostly story line and only five matches.

The X-Division match was strong until the ref bump and outside interference.  I guess it helped put Matt Morgan over as more of a dick, but it wasn’t really necessary.

The falls count anywhere match somewhat bugged me because we didn’t get to see the crazy, Jeff Hardy high spot off the ladder.  It was such a tease.  Guess TNA’s getting smart about not showing PPV type spots on Impact.

I like the idea of starting a rivalry between Pope and Anderson.  They could tear the house down potentially.

Never did I think I’d be intrigued by a story line that involved The Band.  I’m wondering who they could possibly bring next week?  I’m still hoping Team 3D whoops their asses, but I can’t help but be a little intrigued by this angle.

The Abyss/Flair match was a blood bath because it seems like Flair never has stitches put in his head.  It’s almost like he has them crazy glue his scars shut so they reopen again easily.  The match wasn’t bad, and I like the way Flair won and then got pissed when he got caught with the knucks, then lost.  I saw it coming once he didn’t hide the knucks back in his trunks.  The whole ring thing is a goofy concept, but I like tuning in to see if Ric Flair is going to have an aneurysm on TV.  It looks like he’s going to explode sometimes from anger.

Only time will tell how the Top Ten Ranking System will work or not.  I’m guessing there’s got to be something rigged about it because not all fans know who’s really deserving of a title shot.  Most will pick the guy they like the best, and if that’s the case, slim to no heels would ever get a title shot.  My guess, Jeff Hardy will be the first one because the fans love him.  Hell, if that’s the case we may see guys like Amazing Red get a World Title shot… I hope not… he’s not on that level.