By Jason Powell

TNA Impact on Spike TV
Taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla.

The show opened with footage from last week's shows... The opening video was shown... Hulk Hogan's music played as Mike Tenay and Taz checked in on commentary. Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Miss Tessmacher headed to the ring together. Hogan said he loves coming to work because the greatest talent in the wrestling business is backstage.

Hogan called out Mr. Anderson, D'Angelo Dinero, Jeff Hardy, and Kurt Angle separately and they all obliged. Hogan referred to them as the fatal four, as they are the last four men in the TNA Title tournament. Hogan and Bischoff both praised Rob Van Dam's performance as champion and discussed the tag match.

Abyss came out with his weapon and entered the ring. He said he came with a "newsworthy revelation from them." Hogan said he knows they are actually Ric Flair and Fortune. Abyss said Hogan is ignorant. Abyss said "they" was never EV2 or Fortune. However, Abyss said they told him the chess pieces are in place and the plan is ready to proceed.

Abyss said the date is October 10, 2010 at Bound For Glory. Hogan said "they" better tell Abyss to get out of his face. The fans cheered and then chanted Hogan's name. Abyss said they will take over TNA and turn it upside down. Abyss said it will start with the removal of Dixie Carter and then exterminate Hogan, Bischoff, and everyone else in the ring. Hardy finally punched Abyss as the show went to break... [C]

Powell's POV: A decent opening segment that did more to hype the Bound For Glory angle than the Impact main event or TNA No Surrender. They worked in plugs for both, but Abyss pretty much took over the segment and left the four babyfaces looking dumb for not getting together to beat the hell out of him. I know it's not exactly a babyface move, but neither is standing there so long when Abyss put Van Dam on the shelf.

[Q2] Footage aired from TNA Reaction of the Beautiful People past and present talking about their current feud...

Madison Rayne and biker chick came out together. Angelina Love and Velvet Sky roughed up biker chick and left her at ringside. They cornered Rayne and set her up for a spanking, but biker chick recovered and broke it up. The ref rang the bell to start the match...

1. Madison Rayne and biker chick beat Angelina Love and Velvet Sky in 2:30. The announcers hyped Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett for later in the show. Love and biker chick fought to ringside. Biker chick grabbed her helmet and hit Sky with it while the ref was distracted. Rayne covered Sky to get the win.

After the match, Madison and biker chick roughed up Sky and Rain. Biker chick unmasked to reveal that it's been Awesome Kong all along. Okay, not really. It was Tara (a/k/a Lisa Marie Varon). Act surprised... [C]

Powell's POV: The live crowd didn't seem very surprised to see Tara, nor should anyone else. Now that the mask is off, I'm curious to hear what her explanation is for hooking up with Madison.

[Q3] Backstage, Stevie Richards said he's been asked all day whether he's afraid of facing Abyss. He said he's not because he's been through multiple throat and vocal chord surgery, as well as neck surgeries... A video package featured footage from a past TNA Reaction regarding Abyss and whether They are real...

Rob Van Dam will speak on next week's TNA Impact...

Powell's POV: It will be interesting to see whether RVD appears in person or calls into the show.

2. Stevie Richards pinned Abyss in 2:20. Richards ran to ringside and brawled with Abyss before he could get inside the ring. Abyss rolled him inside the ring and the ref started the match. Late in the match, Abyss and the referee argued over a chair. Richards super kicked Abyss and pinned him for the upset win.

Abyss attacked Stevie after the match. Abyss hit Shock Treatment. A backstage shot aired of EV2 and Fortune being held apart by security. Mick Foley was on the ground holding his ankle. Back inside the ring, Abyss hit the Black Hole Slam on Stevie. He grabbed the weapon he can never use without killing someone, only to have Brian Kendrick run out and kick him. Kendrick and Richards ran backstage...

Powell's POV: Did I really just see Stevie Richards pin Abyss? Why? Sure, it was an upset, but I don't think viewers will look at Stevie any differently.

Backstage, Mr. Anderson whispered to the camera that he doesn't understand why The Pope doesn't like him. He said he's been nothing but nice to him. Funny. Pope laughed and said he's not buying the crap that Anderson has sold the fans and Jeff Hardy on. Anderson said he's not selling anything. He said they need to put their differences aside for the night. Pope said he doesn't like, nor trust Anderson...

Powell's POV: I like the dynamic between those two. It's refreshing to see that creative didn't have them make peace just because they're both babyfaces. My guess is that Anderson turns heel again at Bound For Glory when he wins the TNA Championship.

The announcers hyped Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett... [C]

Powell's POV: How many viewers are turning the channel because they're advertising Sting vs. Jarrett? After all, they've teased this match several times in the past only to have lame attacks by Sting that don't lead to matches. Hell, they even did a nice job of building up a television match between them at one point, only to deliver a cheap finish.

[Q4] Tommy Dreamer, Mick Foley, Rhino, and Sabu stood in the ring. Dreamer said he doesn't like talking. He called out Fortune "to do this." A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Beer Money, Matt Morgan, Douglas Williams, and Ric Flair walked onto the stage. Styles started the mic work for Fortune.

Styles ran through the EV2 pay-per-view matches and predicted that EV2 will be slaughtered. Styles said he's going to embarrass Dreamer "in my own house." Dreamer said they don't have to wait for the pay-per-view. "I said let's do it now," Dreamer said. Dreamer said the Impact Zone is a house where people think Styles sucks. He challenged them to a four-on-four match. Tenay started hyping it as a match...

Backstage, Jeff Jarrett told Samoa Joe that he's going to the ring to face Sting for TNA, Samoa Joe, and all his friends in the locker room. Jarrett said it's up to Joe to do the right thing. Joe said that if there's one thing he's learned, it's that you should mind your own business... [C]

Kevin Nash and Sting were walking through the backstage area. Sting told Nash he wants to really mess with Jarrett tonight. Nash said he doesn't know if Joe is with him or not. Sting said he knows who else is going to show up and when he does he plans to pull him inside the ring...

In another part of the backstage area, Jeff Jarrett told the camera crew that he hopes someone stands up and takes his side because he can't do it alone...

3. Sting (w/Kevin Nash) pinned Jeff Jarrett in 3:10. Tenay hyped that Hogan's office confirmed that there would be a four-on-four elimination match between Fortune and EV2 later in the show. Sting wore the Wolfpac face paint. Nash tripped Jarrett at 1:00. Jarrett knocked Sting down and then went out to ringside to take some shots at Nash.

[Q5] Jarrett was eventually outnumbered by the duo at ringside, so Sting got the better of the ringside fight. Tenay said the Wolfpac face paint is the bond between Sting and Nash and has been for years. In the end, Jarrett went for a superplex, but Nash tripped Jarrett. Sting covered Jarrett for the pin while Taz questioned whether they paid off the referee.

Afterward, Sting wrapped the bat around Jarrett's neck. Hulk Hogan's music played and he walked onto the stage. Samoa Joe came out and attacked Nash from behind. Sting told Joe that he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sting and Nash backed away while Hogan walked down the ramp and stood next to Joe...

The announcers hyped the tag match between the four remaining wrestlers in the TNA Title tournament... [C]

Powell's POV: Yawn. I guess this means Samoa Joe is stuck playing games with the old guys. Maybe he should go in the production truck and do his best to get another month of vacation again just to avoid this mess. Yes, I'm sure it will be a big storyline once "They" are revealed at Bound For Glory, but Joe should be having great high profile matches, not cast as a sideshow player in the old man feud. I wonder if they'll tie in his forgotten kidnapping angle with the "They" storyline.

Another vignette aired for "Shore" coming soon... The announcers ran though the lineup for the pay-per-view that will draw a horrible buy rate in the United States because of the strange decision to book a pay-per-view during Labor Day weekend...

Desmond Wolfe, Magnus, and Chelsea stood in the ring for a promo. Wolfe hyped them up as "London Brawling" (ugh), and Magnus said they are there to save the fans from the Motor City Machine Guns. Magnus said the belts are coming off the boys and going to the real men.

The Guns were apparently so bothered by those generic lines that they had to come out to offer a rebuttal. Chris Sabin said it looks like the only tag teaming Desmond and Magnus have done is with each other. Desmond took that to mean that the Guns think he and Magnus fancy one another.

Desmond pointed out that they're the only guys in the ring with "a bird." Magnus told them something about growing hair on their nuts. Yes, really. Alex Shelley said he's older than Magnus. The Guns told some jokes about Chelsea being a call girl. Desmond told Chelsea to tell let everyone know that he rocks her world and is the biggest man this this side of the pond.

[Q6] "The biggest?" Chelsea asked. She said that if there was a sword fight in the ring right now, his weapon would fall short. Desmond wasn't happy, but he ended up using it all as a distraction to cheap shot Shelley. Magnus did the same to Sabin.

Powell's POV: On guard, bitches!

Backstage, Brian Kendrick entered the EV2 locker room and said he wants to be on their side. Dreamer tried to talk him out of it, but Foley said he's perfect for it. Kendrick shook their hands and acted giddy...

Powell's POV: Whenever I see the EV2 guys talking backstage, it reminds me of how serious my buddies and I tried to act when we were little kids pretending to be soldiers or something. I'm sure they're enjoying themselves just like we did, but I keep waiting for the big kids to show up and laugh at them. I don't know about you, but I'm having a big kid moment right now.

An ad aired for TNA live events...

Powell's POV: Um, maybe the production team should edit that footage of monster heel Abyss smiling like a dork for the camera and signing autographs just like a normal person would from their otherwise quality video package.

Backstage, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy spoke about their tag match, and their semi-final match at the pay-per-view. Angle said he doesn't plan on losing on Sunday...

4. A.J. Styles, Kazarian, James Storm, and Robert Roode (w/Ric Flair, Matt Morgan, Douglas Williams) defeated Sabu, Rhino, Tommy Dreamer, and Brian Kendrick in an elimination tag match in 18:05. Williams reached in and tripped Sabu, which led to Kazarian pinning Sabu at 1:50. Kendrick eliminated Kazarian at 4:50 to even the remaining wrestler count 3-3.

[Q7] Kendrick leapt onto Styles and chocked him until the ref pulled him off. Kendrick dropkicked the referee and flashed a sinister smile. With the ref down, the six remaining wrestlers brawled. Mick Foley walked onto the stage and the show cut to break with everyone brawling. [C]

An ad aired for Bound For Glory...

Powell's POV: They are doing a good job of giving extra hype to Bound For Glory and I like the 10/10/10 theme. Nice work.

Back from the break, the announcers said Kendrick was disqualified during the break for attacking the referee. Beer Money took turns working over Dreamer. Tenay announced that Kevin Nash and Sting will face Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe at the pay-per-view on Sunday. Rhino tagged in and the energy level soared as he roughed up the heels for a strong reaction from the crowd.

Abyss came out and brawled with Rhino at ringside. Rather than throw out Abyss, the referee just counted out Rhino. Um, okay. Anyway, Rhino was counted out at 13:10 to give Fortune a 3-1 advantage.

Super Tommy DDT'd Roode and pinned him while Styles accidentally hit Storm. Dreamer rolled up Storm and pinned him, so it came down to Styles and Dreamer. Morgan tried to interfere, but Dreamer fought him off. Foley and Flair fought at ringside. Styles hit the Pele Kick and scored the pin on Dreamer...

Powell's POV: I hope that Foley and Flair brawl wasn't supposed to be meaningful because it didn't feel like it. Tenay was excited, but it was a blink and you missed it moment. Good match, though, if you take the limitations of the ECW guys into account. I was hoping for more Sabu and less Dreamer, but I'm not surprised they went the route they did.

[Q8] [C] Ring introductions for the main event took place...

5. Mr. Anderson and D'Angelo Dinero defeated Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy in 4:35. Tenay plugged TNA Reaction as the main event got underway. Late in the match, Hardy accidentally hit Angle with the Whisper in the Wind. Anderson followed up with the Mic Check finisher, but Pope stole the pin. Anderson at on the mat and smirked.

Tenay said that if this were Sunday and Angle were pinned, his career would be history, so the retirement stipulation is still in play. Anderson and Pope stood face to face. Anderson threw the first punch. They traded punches until Pope speared Anderson and they both tumbled to the floor.

Angle and Hardy stood up. Angle punched Hardy and then they traded punches. Hardy and angle fought their way to ringside next to Pope and Anderson. Security ran out and broke up the wrestlers to close the show as Tenay hyped that fans could join them on Sunday at No Surrender...

Powell's POV: The pull apart continued on TNA Reaction. It was a logical close to Impact with the goal of selling viewers on seeing those matches play out at the pay-per-view. Overall, a decent show without a slew of "only in TNA" moments. They focussed heavily on the pay-per-view matches. Was it enough to sell a Labor Day weekend pay-per-view? Probably not.

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