TNA Impact Taping
Orlando, Fla. at Universal Studio
Report by Dot Net reader Emmanuel Cruz

First off, as always there was a massive line stretching for more than a hundred yards in the general audience entrance and many of them did not get inside whatsoever, prompting the typical angry TNA mob outside the studio doors. As someone who has had to endure those lines before smarting up and getting VIP'd, TNA really, really needs to do a better job managing that. Anyway, on to the results:

The show opens with Jeremy Borash hyping up crowd as always, t-shirts are tossed, and then a dark match is announced.

Dark Match

1. The Motor City Machine Guns and Consequences Creed defeated Shark Boy, Super Eric, and Curry Man. The match was quickly paced with some nice spots from all the competitors and pops galore for all the Machine Guns' constant posing and playing to the crowd.

Impact Taping

Next was the Impact opening pyro, and then a video where Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe pull up and get out of a car together starting an interview segment. Joe and Nash talk about the Jarrett Guitar/Sting Bat situation.

1. Christian Cage and Rhino defeated The Rock and Rave Infection. Nothing huge here, nice spot at the end with Rhino goring Lance Rock, and Cage hitting the Frog Splash for the three count immediately after.

There were interviews with Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles separately and back to back. They both put over Angle's neck injury and announced the main event for the night—an Olympic style mat wrestling match with no ropes on the ring and three two minute periods, scored as such: two points for a takedown, two for a near fall, and four points for a pinfall.

2. Matt Morgan squashed Johnny Devine. After the match, Team 3D came out and beat the hell out of Morgan along with Devine. The arena went dark and then Abyss appeared. He cleaned house and then shook hands with Morgan.

3. Black Machismo Jay Lethal beat Sheik Abdul Bashir. After match, Bashir beat Lethal down and then Sonjay Dutt came in and did some damage as well. There was a backstage segment with Lethal saying he loves Val but would rather defeat Dutt.

4. Team 3D defeated Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe via disqualification. Initially, Joe made Devon tap with a rear naked choke. After the match, Joe pummeled Devon and gave him a few chair shots. He was warned by Earl Hebner to stop. Joe responded by decking Hebner in the face. Thus, the disqualification.

5. TNA Knockouts Champ Taylor Wilde defeated Christy Hemme with Traci Brooks as special referee. Yet more post-match interference, this time from Awesome Kong, who beat Wilde senselessly until Gail Kim ran in for the save. Kong and Kim trade offense with Kim eventually gaining the upper hand to, no lie, the biggest pop of the night.

6. Hernandez defeated James Storm. A surprisingly good match between the two with Hernandez dominating for the most part. They sold the Homicide injuries by not having him present at ringside with Salinas and Hector Guerrero.

7. A. J. Styles def. Kurt Angle via pinfall/points in an Olympic medal match. The stipulation of the match was if A.J. won, he got Angle's Olympic Gold medal. There were three two minute long periods of wrestling, amateur style with Angle dominating the first period with takedowns, Styles dominating the second with near-falls, and Styles winning the third via pinfall after a smash on Angle's head with Jarrett's guitar while the referee was knocked down from a previous accidental blow.

Just before the end of the third round and with the score tied, the Impact Zone went dark. Sting's music hit, the lights came up, and Angle was suddenly brandishing a black baseball bat. Just before Angle swings at A.J.'s head, the Impact Zone goes dark again, Jarrett's music hit, the lights came up, and Styles was holding Jarrett's guitar. Styles smashed Angle with it for the win, and gave Angle yet another nasty gash.

End of Show

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