11/14 Shore's TNA Impact Wrestling live coverage: TNA Championship tournament continues with Kurt Angle vs. Austin Aries in a submission match

By Chris Shore

TNA Impact Wrestling on SpikeTV
Taped on 11/7 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

[Q1] A video recapped the Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Sabin match from last week… The show opened with Aces and Eights as Mike Tenay and Taz checked in on commentary. Taz laughed about the swerve from last week and Ray harassed Tenay during their entrance. Ray did his question gimmick and said he was the puppet master that pulls everyone's strings. He said he didn’t have to be the champion to be the "be all, end all" of TNA.

Ray said Ken Anderson tried to drive a wedge between Ray and his men and his woman. He said no one drives a wedge into his girl but him. No, seriously. That's what he said. Ray accepted Anderson's challenge and said this time he was going to piledrive Anderson through the stage.

Anderson made his entrance and said he and the crowd were tired of Aces and Eights. Anderson said when he beat Ray next week that would be the end of the gang in TNA for ever. Ray asked why he would take that offer and started to refuse but Anderson cut him off. He put his career on the line to sweeten the pot.

Ray said if he had the chance he would love to piledrive Anderson's pregnant wife and Anderson must be crazy to put his career on the line against Ray. Anderson agreed he was crazy and attacked Ray. Bischoff and Knux made the save and held Anderson while Ray got a chair. Before Ray could hit him, Anderson fought his way out and cleared the ring. He said he couldn’t wait for next week and wanted to fight one of them right now. Knux agreed going into the break…[C]

Shore's Slant: Decent opening but I can’t believe they are ripping through this feud so fast. Don’t get me wrong, I'll be happy to see Aces and Eights go (presumably), but this seems a little rushed. I guess we'll see how this plays out.

1. Ken Anderson vs. Knux. The bell rang as soon as the show returned from break and Knux was still on the outside. He rolled in the ring and Anderson attacked immediately. Knux hit the crossbody quickly and took control.

[Q2] The fight spilled to the outside and Knux slammed Anderson on everything outside the ring. He rolled Anderson back in the ring and continued the assault. Knux went for a short-arm clothesline and Anderson reversed into a mic check for the win…

Ken Anderson defeated Knux at 5:02.

An Impact 365 video showed Joseph Park challenging Christopher Daniels to a match and then another video showed Daniels accepting…[C]

Shore's Slant: Pretty good opening match with Knux looking strong in defeat. I hope there is a plan for him post Aces and Eights because I have always thought the guy had potential.

A video hyped the Aries vs. Angle main event… Daniels and Park made their ring entrances…

[Q3] 2. Christopher Daniels vs. Joseph Park. Park hit power moves on Daniels as the crowd sat on their hands. Daniels ran around the ring and kicked Park when he chased. Park started his comeback and 13 people seemed to care. Park knocked Daniels into the corner and Earl Hebner stepped between them. Park shoved Earl aside and Daniels hit a low blow for the win…[C]

Christopher Daniels defeated Joseph Park at 5:23.

Shore's Slant: Weak match with an even weaker response from the crowd. I worried last week that the crowd might burn out. So far my fears are being realized.

Backstage, Knux was frustrated by his loss but Garett and Ray told him it was no big deal and to relax. Ray said he was going to beat Anderson next week and end his career. They left to go to a strip club…

[Q4] 3. Ethan Carter III vs. Norv Fernum and Dewey Barnes in a handicap match. The first minute happened in the last quarter. The jobbers started off with a cute tag in and out thing but EC3 hit a running clothesline to end the offense. Fernum got the hot tag and hit a tornado DDT for two, but EC3 hit his finisher on both men and pinned them both for the victory…

Ethan Carter III defeated Norv Fernum and Dewey Barnes at 3:29.

Post-match, the ref rolled the jobbers from the ring to the floor and then Carter did his catchphrase…[C]

Shore's Slant: After a good start the wheels have come off this show. Carter got very little reaction from the live crowd and the jobbers got way too much offense. Not to mention how precious their little rope gimmick thing at the start of the match was. So dumb.

A "friends of AJ" video showed AJ Styles defending the TNA title in AAA. Backstage, Dixie Carter freaked out about the video, still asking how it happens even though they dealt with that during their Impact 365 video this week. Fail…

An Impact 365 video hyped Jeff Hardy's win in the full metal mayhem match last week and he revealed he chipped a crowned tooth in the match…A video hyped Austin Aries…[C]

[Q5] Dixie Carter made her ring entrance to good heat, but I'm not convinced it isn’t go away heat. Dixie bragged about kicking "that redneck" off her roster and how it has benefited TNA. She told the crowd they didn't understand that this was a business and it's all about what you have done lately. She said all AJ did was steal her title belt and drive to Mexico in the car he stole from her.

She transitioned to hyping the Turning Point themed Impact next week and called out Bobby Roode, James Storm, Samoa Joe, and Magnus. Dixie said she spun the wheel earlier and the video is available online. She announced a bull rope match for Roode vs. Storm. Dixie said the advantage was to Roode because he had beaten Angle twice and Storm needed to step up and show her something.

Storm took the mic and said he didn't have to prove anything to her. Storm said it was about time a redneck became the champion.

Shore's Slant: Has Storm not been watching the product?

Storm did his catchphrase and Dixie stepped in and announced a falls count anywhere match between Magnus and Joe. Joe said he was tired of the charade. He said they were having this tournament to cover up for her bad business. Joe said once he runs through this tournament he would defend the title against the man who never lost it, AJ Styles.

Dixie said Joe was lucky he was in the tournament and he could be replaced in an instant. Magnus took the mic and told her to calm down. Magnus cut a heelish promo about the tournament being a good thing and said he had to beat the best and that meant Joe. He said it wasn't going to be easy, but it was going to happen…

Backstage, Anderson beat the crap out of Garett Bischoff and handcuffed him to a trailer. Anderson drank Garett's beer and said they needed to have a little talk…[C]

Shore's Slant: Abysmal talking segment that didn't move the needle one iota for me for next week. The gimmicks to the matches are completely unnecessary and stupid, and they didn’t even make a big deal about the stipulations so why bother? Just have the tournament and let these personalities do what they do best and end the silliness. Also, didn’t Garett go to a strip club? Is the kid already out of money?

[Q6] Gail Kim and Lei'D Tapa made their entrance as a video showed the two of them taking out the Knockouts roster last week. Kim repeated her challenge that any woman can try her luck and Hannah Blossom from British Boot Camp made her entrance…

4. Gail Kim (w/Lei'D Tapa) vs. Hannah Blossom. Blossom had one flurry of offense but otherwise it was all Kim. Kim won with Eat Defeat…

Gail Kim defeated Hannah Blossom at 3:22.

Post-match, Kim said week after week she will continue to show why she is the greatest of all time… Angle and Aries were shown walking backstage. Their match is next…[C]

Shore's Slant: Remember when Tapa was this possible breath of fresh air in the Knockouts division? Now she's a glorified valet for a woman wrestler.

[Q7] Joe Park came back out and cut a promo. He said he's tired of being harassed by Bad Influence and agreed that he wasn't as good as Abyss because his brother was a future Hall of Famer. He said people are always asking where his brother is and he said he didn't know because his brother was crazy. He issued a challenge for next week for Abyss vs. himself…

Aries and Angle made their ring entrances. While Angle was making his, Anderson was shown uncuffing Garett and carrying him off somewhere…[C]

Shore's Slant: Oh god. Abyss vs. Park? This is going to be a mess. And where is Anderson taking Garett? Somebody needs to tell him no means no.

5. Austin Aries vs. Kurt Angle in a submission match in the first round of the TNA Championship tournament. Both men managed to half hook their submission finishers during a series of chain wrestling. Nice start. Aries hooked a surprise STF on the bandaged leg of Angle, but Angle made the ropes immediately and came back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

Bobby Roode walked out with a chair and sat down on the stage. Angle went to the floor to confront Aries. Aries jumped off the top rope and Angle caught him for a belly-to-belly on the floor. Roode continued to yell to Angle that he only wanted to watch while staying in the chair on the stage.

[Q8] Angle rolled Aries in the ring and looked at Roode again. Aries hit a baseball slide to knock Angle down but he sold too…[C] Aries hit a neckbreaker through the ropes and a video showed Aries slamming Angle around the ringside area during the break. Angle sold for a moment and then came right back with his rolling German suplexes.

Aries reversed out of the Angle Slam into an arm drag and then hit a discuss forearm that dumped Angle to the floor. Aries hit a dive from the top rope and sold his ankle so as soon as they got back in the ring, Angle hooked the ankle lock. Aries kicked away but when he went for a dropkick, Angle grabbed the ankle again.

Aries kicked away and Angle went to the floor. Aries hit another dive on the floor and then a missile dropkick back in the ring. He hit the corner dropkick and the brainbuster. He floated over and hooked the Last Chancery in the middle of the ring. Aries broke the hold for some reason and Taz tried to cover for it by saying he must not have had it hooked in right.

Angle fought back at that point and hit his rolling Germans again. Aries grabbed the ropes to stop him so Angle set Aries on the top rope. Aries knocked Angle away and went for a 450. Angle moved and Aries landed on his ankle which he sold. They had a sloppy exchange and then Aries dove into the corner and hit the ring post. Angle pointed at Roode, yelled "You!" and hooked on a crossface for the win…

Kurt Angle advanced in the TNA Championship tournament at 18:43.

The announce team hyped the Turning Point theme next week and then Anderson carried Garett Bischoff onto the stage. He hit a piledriver on Garett on the stage as Roode and Angle looked on…

Shore's Slant: GAAAH! They just can't help themselves can they? Aries and Angle have a pretty good match and they can’t even let what happened sink in before changing to Anderson and Garett and taking all the heat off of Roode and Angle. It's just too much to try and process at the same time and TNA just cannot help but do this time and time again. It’s so frustrating.

Overall a less impressive Impact than last week but not a bad show at all. Contrary to what our correspondent reported, the crowd was completely dead by the end of this show. They cheered a little for the main but they had nowhere near the energy they had last week. What a shame. I don’t think this show hooked you enough for next week, but TNA did a great job of trying to make next week feel special. I hope for their sake it worked. Jason Powell and Will Pruett will have more tomorrow. Thanks for watching along with me tonight.

Questions? Comments? Anyone, anyone? Let me hear from you. Email me at css3238@gmail.com or tweet me @TheShoreSlant with whatever is on your mind.

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