11/13 Powell's TNA Impact Live Coverage: Three title matches, Christian Cage must join the Main Event Mafia, Scott Steiner vs. Rhino

TNA Impact on Spike TV
Taped in Orlando, Fla.

[Q1] HIghlights aired of the Main Even Mafia's sweep at the Turning Point pay-per-view... The title of this week's show is "Christian gets made"... Backstage, Jeremy Borash interviewed Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley. Jarrett defended the young guys losing all their Turning Point matches by essentially saying you win some and you lose some.

Foley said he thinks someone needs to deliver a message of hope to the young guys. Borash asked if he had Barack Obama on speed dial. Foley took a serious tone and said he was embarrassed on Sunday night and wasn't in a joking mood...

Powell's POV: Good to see Foley show some fire. By the way, Rich Twilling is celebrating a friend's engagement by getting drunk and watching football tonight, so I'm flying solo with the live coverage.

Mike Tenay and Don West introduced the show from ringside... Foley walked to the ring for a promo. More highlights aired from the pay-per-view as Foley entered the ring. Foley mentioned the clean sweep and called A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, the Motor City Machine Guns, Eric Young, the Motor City Machine Guns, Jay Lethal, Petey Williams, and Consequences Creed to the ring. Shelley clowned around by waving to Foley and the camera on his way to the ring.

The young wrestlers joined Foley in the ring. Foley applauded the young wrestlers on the heart and effort they showed. Foley tried to give the youngsters a pep talk when he stopped and asked Alex Shelley if he was playing with a booger. Foley got in Shelley's face and demanded that he look at him. Shelley continued to clown around.

Foley told Shelley that he's a valuable piece of talent in TNA, but he said he's not invaluable. "I will deal with you next week and that's a promise," Foley said. Mick turned his attention to A.J. and said everyone needs to understand the power of words. Foley said Joe beat the hell out of Nash, but Nash still got the win. "Next time, no mental mistakes," Foley said.

Foley said all the young guys must learn from their mistakes or the Mafia will strike them out every single time. The fans cheered, presumably for the Mafia. Foley told Young that he earned a shot at Sheik Abdul Bashir and asked if he wanted that shot during the show. Foley praised Styles as one of the most talented performers he's ever seen in the ring.

Foley said Joe is the most convincing bad ass in the business and reminded him that he wrote it in one of his books. Foley announced Joe and Styles vs. Beer Money for the TNA Tag Titles later in the show. Foley also booked Sting vs. Jay Lethal for the TNA Title. Foley asked if Lethal wanted to step up to the plate. "Oh yeah," he said in Macho Man style. Ugh.

Powell's POV: The TNA creative team has to know that the Black Machismo character is dead. It might sell some t-shirts at the house shows, but it's a dead on-air character. And what's up with Petey still dressing like Scott Steiner? Shouldn't Foley or someone else ask him why he's still dressing up like one of the Mafia members? Solid segment and nice mic work from Foley, but the young side looks really weak.

Earlier in the day. Lauren caught up with Christian Cage about joining the Main Event Mafia. He said it doesn't matter what his thoughts are because he doesn't have a choice. The Mafia showed up and said they were going to give him a welcoming party. "Tonight, you become a made man," Kurt Angle said. They handed Cage a tux and told him to put it on. After they walked away, he threw it in the trash... [C]

[Q2] Backstage, Lauren approached ODB, who was building a set for her new talk show that debuts next week...

Powell's POV: Really?

1. Awesome Kong and Rhaka Khan (w/Raisha Saeed) defeated Roxxi and Taylor Wilde in 3:25. The heel duo attacked the babyface team at ringside before the match. They eventually threw them inside the ring and the bell rang to start the match. Roxxi and Taylor got in plenty of offense, but Kong finished off Roxxi with the Implant Buster and scored the clean pin...

Backstage, Lauren interviewed the Machine Guns. Shelley questioned why Styles and Joe are at the front of the line instead of them... [C]

Powell's POV: Solid promo with Shelley's cocky personality coming through, but someone needs to tell those guys that being from Detroit isn't nearly as cool as they seem to think it is. What has it done for the Lions?

[Q3] Backstage, Saeed told Traci Brooks that Kong is looking for better competition. Lauren asked Rhaka Khan about turning on Taylor. "Who wouldn't want to be on the side of the beast," Khan said... A TNA video aired...

2. Eric Young beat Prince Abdul Bashir to win X Division Title in 3:40. Spaz referee/wannabe wrestler Shane Sewell is working the match. Young dominated the early action, but Bashir caught him with a low blow. Bashir went for the cover and had the pin, but Sewell stopped the count at two. The announcers tried to explain that the referee must have saw the low blow out of the corner of his eye.

Bashir got physical with Sewell, who ripped off his shirt and roughed up Bashir. Young hit the death valley driver and scored the pin. After the match, Earl Hebner ran out and scolded Sewell while the TNA Originals came out and celebrated with Young... [C]

Powell's POV: The live crowd got a kick out of watching Sewell spaz out again. Young's facial expressions are a little too precious. The look back at the pyro that used to scare him was good the first week, but it's already getting annoying. The young guys look like dorks for celebrating this as a major accomplishment when the damn referee did all the work for Young.

[Q4] Backstage, Lauren interviewed Young, who was celebrating his title win with the other wrestlers. Joe and Styles sat quietly off to the side...

Powell's POV: I still think they look dorky for celebrating a flukey title win, but at least TNA made it seem like title changes are worth celebrating. It's frustrating when WWE features a title change on television and then just moves on to the next segment.

A Rough Cuts interview aired with Hernandez, who discussed his high school football career. He revealed that he wore as Mr. Texas in Mexico. He said he's listened to Homicide and considers him the general because he's been successful wherever he's gone. He said Homicide is the general of the team and the guy who puts everything together. "Homicide is definitely one of my mentors"...

Backstage, Borash interviewed the Mafia about the title change. Angle reminded him that Young didn't beat a Mafia member. Petey entered the room. Steiner said he'd talk to him after his match and told him to leave the Mafia dressing room... [C]

Backstage, Lauren interviewed Jay Lethal about his title match. He was in full dork Macho Man mode. After he left the room, Lauren warned Petey to be careful when he talks to Steiner later. Petey said Steiner is his boy. "Big Papa Pump has my hookup," Petey said...

Powell's POV: Two "originals" who dress up like two old guys. Ugh.

3. Scott Steiner pinned Rhino in 3:55. Kurt Angle sat in on commentary for the match. Kurt said something about everyone talking about work or shoot. He said his feud with Jeff is "the real deal." Angle said he's had the Main Event Mafia in mind for the last two years. In the ring, Rhino took control of the option and set up for the gore, but Angle dropped the headsets and ran interference for Steiner. Moments later, Steiner suplexed Rhino and scored the pin...

Powell's POV: Lazy finish. Rhino turned around and Steiner nonchalantly suplexed him. So if Angle vs. Jarrett is a shoot, what does that make everything else in TNA?

Backstage, Borash interviewed Sting about his match with Lethal. Sting said the young guys would start the finger pointing once they started losing more matches. He said they don't respect the Mafia and they don't even respect each other...

[Q5] [C] 4. Sting defeated Jay Lethal to retain the TNA Title in 10:00. Borash handled the in-ring introductions for the title match. Borash said Lethal was challenging for the TNA Title for the first time in his career. Nice touch. More cheers than boos for Sting. Sting, the heel, backed Lethal into a corner and gave him a clean break, but Lethal, the babyface, hit him with a flurry of punches. Sting sold a knee injury at the 2:00 mark. [C]

After the break, the Machine Guns walked to ringside and cheered for Lethal. The crowd was split in their chants for Lethal and Sting. At 9:30, Shelley distracted the referee and Sabin held onto Sting so Lethal could take a free shot. Lethal got upset and threw Sabin out of the ring. Sting kicked Lethal from behind and hit the Scorpion Death Drop for the win.

After the match, the other young guys ran out and bickered with the Machine Guns. The show was interrupted by a Spike TV video game awards update. No, really. They acted like they interrupted Impact so they could run through some of their video game award nominees...

Powell's POV: Good action during Sting vs. Lethal match. Lethal worked really hard and it was entertaining. I also like what they're doing with the Guns and I'm curious to see how it plays out. The video game update made TNA look really bush league.

They cut back to a backstage shot of the Main Event Mafia beating up Petey Williams. Steiner roughed up Petey and led the charge while Angle, Nash, and Booker T cheered him on. Tenay claimed he's never seen anything like this from any faction in pro wrestling... [C]

Powell's POV: Mike Tenay just lied through his teeth.

The young guys tended to Petey backstage. The announcers ran through highlights of the attack... Borash interviewed Beer Money about their match with Joe and Styles. Roode questioned who Foley thinks he is... [C]

Powell's POV: By the way, Lauren is smarter than Petey and every young guy in the company since she's the only one who saw Steiner's attack coming.

[Q7] 5. Beer Money (w/Jacqueline) fought Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles to an apparent no-contest in 11:20. Storm rode to ringside on a beer cooler with a helmet on. Team 3D walked to ringside two minutes in and then the show cut to break. [C]

Team 3D joined the announcers on commentary. Devon spoke first, prompting Ray to joke that Obama won and suddenly Devon is doing all the talking. He joked that Don West getting over must be next. The action picked up in the ring with the babyface team picking up the pace with their flashy offense. At ringside, Storm whipped Styles into the corner. Jackie distracted the referee while Storm snuck in the ring and spat beer in Joe's eyes.

[Q8] Team 3D entered the ring and spat beer in Storm's eyes, causing the referee to throw out the match...

Powell's POV: This beer spitting bit is almost as lame as Finlay using the shillelagh finish on ECW most weeks. That said, there was some good action during the match and I'd like to see these more from these four minus the intererence.

A shot aired of Christian Cage walking backstage... [C] Another "Who is Suicide?" vignette aired...

Powell's POV: They ditched the bad narrator for the Suicide vignettes.

Backstage, the Beautiful People wore Tina Fey glasses and invited Sarah Palin to become an honorary member. "If you join the Beautiful People, you will know what it's like to be part of a winning team," said Angelina Love. Cute Kip said he approved the message...

The Main Event Mafia members (minus Sting) walked to the ring together and called out Christian Cage. Tenay pointed out that every Mafia member is a former World Champion. Angle told Cage that when they tell him to wear a suit, he better wear it. Angle said they wanted to welcome him to the family.

Angle said he heard that Cage and his lawyer closed negotiations with TNA. He said he heard that Cage is heading back to WWE once his contract expires in a few weeks because he's tired of being a big fish in the company. Angle said they've all received similar offers from WWE. Angle said it's not a welcome party, it's a going away party. You're tired of being a big fish, tonight you sleep with the fishes, Main Event Mafia style.

Cage threw punches at the Mafia members, but was quickly outnumbered. The Mafia members too turns hitting their finishers on Cage. The Mafia members stood over Cage and put their suit jackets back on to pose for the cameras. Nash has a new hand signal for the group. Tenay said it's obvious that this is the Mafia's world. "And quite honestly, we're playing under their rules," Tenay concluded...

Powell's POV: They intentionally left the angle open so that Cage could pick up where he left off if he chooses to re-sign with TNA. I'll have a lot more to say about this angle and the entire show in Friday's TNA Impact Hitlist.