By Chris Shore

TNA Impact Wrestling on SpikeTV
Aired live from Peoria, Illinois.

[Q1] Sting was shown arriving to the arena earlier today in a suit with no make-up…A video hyped the BFG series. All of the participants of the BFG series except Jeff Hardy and Bobby Roode were in the ring. Hulk Hogan made his entrance, but stopped on the stage. He put over the ten men in the ring, and then announced that the other two guys qualified because of their prior wins.

Shore's Slant: Didn't we cover this territory last week?

Roode made his ring entrance, followed by Hardy. Hogan showed that Jeff Hardy won the vote 68-32 over Bobby Roode so he gets first call out. Hardy took a mic, but before he could speak, Austin Aries cut him off. Aries said he would love to be the guy Jeff called out, but they all knew it wasn't going to happen. He said Jeff was popular, and Jeff didn't want to get beat by the more popular Aries.

Daniels took the mic and said Jeff should call out anyone but he and Kazarian because Jeff would start with the worst defeat. Hardy said all that was great, but one guy made it personal last week, so he was calling out Roode. A brawl broke out and continued into the break…[C]

Shore's Slant: No real surprise on the matchup between Roode and Hardy. It’s a good start to the series. The brawl looked dumb, especially with the way they just went to commercial. It may work out better after the break, but it was weird the way they went to commercial with guys only half-fighting. Usually the brawl is still hot or close to over when you cut away. Not here.

[Q2] A video recapped the brawl. So no, it didn't get better after the break. A graphic explained the points system for the BFG series. Anderson made his ring entrance. He took a mic and said since it was Open Fight Night, he got to call someone out. He said an easy "dub" would be Joseph Park…Park…

1. Mr. Anderson vs. Joseph Park in a BFG series match. Anderson let Park put him in a side headlock and then chain wrestled out until he dropped Park. Anderson let him do it again, but this time Park chain wrestled and slammed Anderson to the mat. Park locked in the Boston crab, but Doc ran out and Park broke the hold even though Doc didn't get near him. Park went to the top rope. Anderson grabbed the ref and Doc kicked Park. Anderson followed with the Mic Check for the win…[C]

Mr. Anderson defeated Joseph Park at 5:06 to earn 7 points in the BFG series.

Shore's Slant: As Jason Powell and I talked about today on Dot Net Weekly, these first few matches are often a bore. This is a prime example. My guess is we see this again at Bound for Glory, like most of the matches we see tonight.

Backstage, the gang was together and Anderson said he proved he deserved to be VP. Doc said Anderson was skating backwards until he stepped in and he should be VP. They started yelling at each other and Bully Ray yelled at them to shut up. He said they would vote on the VP later, but tonight they had other business, and it concerned his wife…Jay Bradley made his ring entrance and called out Aries…

[Q3] 2. Jay Bradley vs. Austin Aries in a BFG series match. Aries attacked at the bell and dove on him twice, but Bradley kicked him of the top rope on the third attempt to take control. Bradley went for the Boom Stick, but Aries ducked it and hit kicks to the leg. He went for a corner splash, but Bradley kicked him out of the air in a nice looking spot. Bradley again went for the Boom Stick and Aries hit a crucifix. He hit the corner dropkick, followed by the brainbuster for the win…

Austin Aries defeated Jay Bradley at 3:37 to earn 7 points in the BFG series.

A video recapped Sting's announcement of the return of the Main Event Mafia. Backstage, IQG asked Sting what the plan was tonight and Sting said tonight the Mafia grows…[C]

Shore's Slant: A meaningless match really, but I'm at least sympathetic here because the wide swing in the points means the BFG series doesn't really get going good until three-quarters of the way through.

Backstage, Sting asked someone who we couldn't see if he was in. The man shook his hand, but I didn't see any identifying marks…Backstage, Chavo got Hernandez hyped up. Hernandez made his entrance and called out Christopher Daniels…[C]

3. Hernandez vs. Christopher Daniels in a BFG series match. Hernandez powered Daniels around and hit his running shoulder tackle. Daniels hit a low blow that the ref didn't see and followed with BME for the win…

Christopher Daniels defeated Hernandez at 2:19 to earn 7 points in the BFG series.

Brooke Hogan was show walking backstage…

Shore's Slant: Wow, Brooke looked amazing tonight. I'm usually indifferent about her, but she looked nice. I think TNA might make me eat my words on expected BFG matches with these last two. I doubt we get either of them again.

[Q4][C] Kazarian stood in the ring and challenged Magnus…

4. Kazarian vs. Magnus in a BFG series match. Kazarian got in a few shots, but Magnus hooked in the Texas Cloverleaf for the win…

Magnus defeated Kazarian at 2:54 to earn 10 points in the BFG series.

Backstage, Hogan was on the phone and Bully Ray walked up behind him with the hammer. Hogan grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. He said he was happy Bully finally grew some balls and told him to go ahead and do it. Bully asked if he looked like a guy who would hit a guy from behind with a hammer. He said he wanted to talk to Brooke. Hogan said no, they were done. Bully asked him if they were done why, would Brooke stop him from hitting Bully. He called Hogan dad and said he would see him later…[C]

Shore's Slant: Hopefully they pull the trigger on Brooke's turn tonight. I'm all for not rushing storylines, but this one is so obvious they just need to get to it and tell the story they want to tell after that. Dragging this out serves no purpose.

[Q5] Brooke Hogan made her ring entrance and stood at a podium in the ring. She put over the Knockouts division and said it was only going to get better. She said there were a few issues to deal with and asked for the Knockouts to come out. They all did, including EY and ODB as tag champions.

Brooke had to give Mickie James her own entrance. Mickie came out with a mic and put over her winning and took a shot at Velvet's knee. Brooke said she would get to all that later, but first she needed to address EY. Young said he wasn't a woman, but he was the toughest guy in the ring right now. Brooke agreed. He handed the tag belts over and said it was national kissing day. He mauled ODB and they ran to the back.

Brooke put over Velvet next as the heart and soul of the division. She said she knew Velvet wanted her rematch. Mickie cut her off and said Velvet's knee still wasn't healed. Brooke said she talked to Velvet's doctor and she was cleared so they were going to fight next week. Gail Kim took a mic and said she was being over looked. Brooke said her match with Tarn Terrell was good, and they would have a rematch in Las Vegas and it would be a ladder match. Brooke dismissed them and the segment just ended…

A video recapped Sting arriving earlier today and him asking the mystery person to join the Mafia…Backstage, Hulk told Brooke she did a good job, but it was time to leave because Bully wanted to make a scene tonight. Brooke argued and put Brooke in a car so the driver could take her back to the hotel…[C]

Shore's Slant: That was terrible. I mean really, really terrible. It was rambling and disjointed and even the crowd started heckling by the end. The Knockouts might be the most entertaining segments as a rule, but not when they're just standing there while Brooke talks. I'm honestly shocked they thought that would be a good idea.

[Q6] Jeff Hardy was shown backstage, and then Mike Tenay hyped the TNA Evolve app…AJ Styles made his ring entrance. He took a mic and spoke for the first time since he returned, if memory serves. He said it was real simple. He said it wasn't about Aces and Eights or TNA, it was about him. He said it was about him becoming the next champion, not for the fame, glory, or money. He said everyone was looking for a hero, but he's learned one thing, this was no place for a hero. He said he was sick and tired of doing the right thing, so he was doing his own thing. Samoa Joe was out next…

5. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe in a BFG series match. The match started with even back and forth. Joe dumped AJ to the floor and teased a dive. AJ slid in the ring and then came out to the apron where Joe kicked his legs and AJ landed face first on the apron…[C]

Joe stayed in control and worked his methodical style. AJ hit a dropkick out of nowhere and then a baseball slide to the floor as Christy Hemme announced five minutes left in the match. That's nice because I had six minutes left. Styles rolled Joe back in the ring and went for a suplex but couldn't get the bigger man up. He hit a neckbreaker instead and went to the top rope. He jumped over Joe and Joe hit a powerslam when Styles charged back at him.

[Q7] Joe went for a superplex, but AJ twisted and landed on top of Joe in a tough looking spot. Both men made their feet and AJ hit strikes. Joe hit one strike that rocked AJ. He backed Styles into the corner, but Styles ducked under and hooked the Calf Killer. Joe reversed into a rear naked choke. Styles flipped over into a pinning predicament, but Joe broke the hold. Hemme announced one minute remaining and the two men rolled around on the mat until the time expired. They battled for a little bit after the match ended. AJ had a bloody nose, but he left the ring…

AJ Styles and Samoa Joe fought to a 15 minute draw at 13:42. Both men earn 2 points in the BFG series.

Backstage, Bully Ray spoke with Brooke on the phone. He asked her to come back because he needed to talk to her. He hung up and sent three guys to make sure she got there OK…[C]

Shore's Slant: An OK match. We've seen better from them but it wasn't bad either. The timing is very stupid though. This is a live show. I would forgive it if it was a taped show, but that's just ridiculous on a live show. It's not a great sin or anything, it just makes them look like they can't tell time.

An ad hyped the next One Night Only PPV…Backstage, Hogan told Chris Sabin, Kenny King, and Suicide that whoever won their match next week could cash in the belt for an attempt on Bully Ray's title on July 18. He wished them all luck and left. King punished past the other two and walked off…

6. Bobby Roode vs. Jeff Hardy in a BFG series match. Roode attacked Hardy on the ramp, but Hardy drove him back to the ring to start the match. Hardy hit a few quick shots, but Roode hit a slingshot move in the ropes to take control. Hardy came right back and hit his double leg drop into a low drop kick.

[Q8] My cable hiccupped for just a second, but I got to see Jeff score the pinfall. Dammit…

Jeff Hardy defeated Bobby Roode at 6:15 to earn 7 points in the BFG series.

Backstage, IQG asked Sting if he was leaving. Sting said no, he had business to attend to…[C]

Shore's Slant: I have no idea how Hardy won, but it wasn't a role up or anything. My cable froze for a moment and then there was Hardy getting the pin. Weird. Even more weird? The fact that this match only went six minutes. They set it up for two weeks and that's all they get. How odd.

Bully Ray made his ring entrance and put over the BFG series and the X Division match equaling 15 guys were trying to take his championship. Ray said he would do anything to keep his title, so none of them wanted any of him. He said it was Open Fight Night, so he wanted to call someone out, but he didn't want to fight because he was a lover, not a fighter. He called out Brooke Hogan.

He waited for a moment and then asked again. Some music hit and Sting made his ring entrance instead. Sting said he realized no lone wolf would pierce the corporate shield of the Aces and Eights so he went back to his family. Ray yelled at the crowd for cheering Sting and asked Sting what he knew about family. He said he defeated Sting singlehandedly and Sting could never challenge for the title again.

Sting agreed and said he could still get retribution. He walked to the corner and started disrobing. Bully said all he had to do was snap his fingers and his crew would come out. He threatened him again and Sting kept disrobing. Bully snapped his fingers and called for his gang. Nobody came out. Sting took his shirt off and threw it in Bully's face. Bully called for the gang again, but Sting pointed to the screen.

The gang was shown knocked out backstage. Sting attacked Bully, who immediately left the ring via the ramp. Bully backed up the ramp until Kurt Angle came out and knocked Bully down. He applied the ankle lock and Sting got in Bully's face while Bully tapped out. Sting and Angle posed to close the show…

Shore's Slant: Welp, there you have it. Old guy Kurt Angle who didn't save old guy Sting at the PPV is now somehow the answer. What an abject failure of a segment. The crowd popped for Angle, but this is going to get lame fast. The only thing worse than recreating the MEM is that Knockouts segment from earlier. This was an incredibly weak episode of Impact. The BFG series started off with no buzz, the Knockouts segment stunk, and the MEM is everything we feared (so far). I'm incredibly disappointed. Jason Powell and Will Pruett will have more tomorrow. Thanks for watching along 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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