TNA Impact on Spike TV
Taped in Orlando, Fla.

[Q1] The show opened with a preview of the Rhino vs. Sting match and some of the other matches scheduled for the show... This week's show is called, "Last Chance to Surrender"... The opening montage aired... Mike Tenay and Taz introduced the show from ringside and hyped the tournament matches...

1. Sting pinned Rhino in a tournament match in 3:30. The announcers recapped Rhino's attack on Jesse Neal from last week. Taz said he thinks Rhino went too far. Sting jumped out to the early advantage and hit a couple of Stinger splashes. He locked in the Scorpion Death Lock at 0:45. Rhino reached for the ropes and eventually made it.

Taz pointed out that Rhino was still fresh and that it's rare to see Sting apply a submission hold so early in the match. Rhino came back and flipped off the crowd when they booed him. He went for the gore, but Sting dodged it and hit the Scorpion Death Drop for the win. Afterward, Rhino gored Sting and beat him up in the corner. Rhino gored Sting again... [C]

Powell's POV: Good action in a short, yet energetic match. I'm all for keeping this one short because Sting is better in small doses. It was also nice to see them use Sting to get Rhino over as a heel. That worked a hell of a lot better than last week when they had Rhino beat the hell out of Jesse Neal. The funny thing was that it was supposed to be a heel move by Rhino last week, but the crowd cheered him more than they have in months. It's important to make Rhino mean something heading into his pay-per-view match with Bobby Lashley.

After the break, the announcers recapped the previous match and Rhino's post-match attack. They aired a shot of Sting having his ribs taped while A.J. Styles stood by. The announcers questioned whether Sting would be able to compete later in the show...

Powell's POV: I like it. They create sympathy for Sting heading into his match later in the show and make it seem like the odds are stacked against him.

[Q2] Backstage, Booker told Kurt Angle he would take out Matt Morgan "mafia style." Angle said Morgan was his project and he has to reprogram him. Booker flipped because Kip James was installing a phone line in his private locker room. Scott Steiner entered the room and asked if he could hang in the room because they were painting the Mafia locker room. Kurt Angle and Sharmell were also standing by. Steiner went to Booker's putting area and slammed the ball hard. Booker wasn't happy. Angle said it was a zoo and split...

2. A.J. Styles beat Chris Sabin in a tournament match in 5:30. Alex Shelley sat in on commentary. He referred to Sabin as his "heterosexual life mate." Funny. They plugged the "Made" show on MTV for Sunday. Shelley pointed out that Styles is appearing long after he and Sabin appeared on the show.

Powell's POV: Shelley was funny on commentary, but this wasn't the match to clown around in. There was a shot at the TNA Title at stake and the action in the ring was excellent. It's too bad because I'm all for giving Shelley mic time. A fun match albeit with a predictable outcome.

Backstage, Lauren interviewed Hernandez, who didn't buy that he and Homicide were randomly selected to face one another in the first round of the tournament. Eric Young entered the picture wearing a suit and made his invitation pitch to Hernandez about joining the World Elite... [C]

Powells' POV: A Dot Net Member asked in Q&A recently if Young is supposed to be TNA's version of Chris Jericho. I thought it was an excellent observation then and I'm even more convinced it's true now after seeing him wear the suit. Unfortunately, Young's claims of being discriminated against because he's Canadian just don't ring true.

Daniels came to the ring dressed in street clothes. He sat down on the top rope and plugged his X Division Title match for the pay-per-view. He called for Samoa Joe to join him in the ring so that he could get something off his chest.

[Q3] Samoa Joe walked to the ring with the X Division Title draped over his shoulder. They've remixed Joe's entrance theme and it now has hip-hop music included that a few people in the crowd were rocking out to. Joe joined Daniels in the ring and listened as he spoke.

Daniels said there was a time when the X Division Title revolved around him, Joe, and Styles. He said the cool thing was that they came up together and they became like family. Daniels said all the hard work paid off at Unbreakable. Daniels said that was the night that people realized TNA was the future of pro wrestling.

Joe spoke for the first time by saying he's given Daniels ample time to make a point that he cares about. "So if you'll excuse me, I have things that I need to do," Joe said. He started to leave, but Daniels spun him around and questioned what he had to do. Daniels said the Main Event Mafia is afraid Joe. He pointed out that Joe beat all of them when he was the TNA Champion.

Daniels said that's why they took Jenna Morasca's money, paid Taz off, and convinced Joe to join them. Daniels said Joe sold his integrity. He said he doesn't even know Joe anymore and neither do the boys in the back. He questioned how Joe's wife and son could respect him knowing that he's a sellout. Daniels turned to ask Joe a question. Joe grabbed Daniels and nailed him with a suplex... [C]

Powell's POV: Quality mic work from Daniels. Still, Daniels did look a little dim for turning his back on Joe just seconds after insulting him by bringing up his wife and son.

Backstage, Lauren interviewed Matt Morgan and said it seemed like there were some serious head games being played by him and the Mafia. Morgan played dumb. "Everything is fine with the Main Event Mafia and Matt Morgan," he said. "And things are even better with Kurt Angle and myself." Morgan got intense and said he's counting down the days until he gets in the ring with Kurt one more time at No Surrender...

3. Doug Williams defeated Doug Williams in a tournament match in 5:55. Tenay pointed out that the other members of the British Invasion were not at ringside. He assumed that was because TNA officials empowered the referees.

[Q4] Suicide was dominating the match when D'Angelo Dinero walked to ringside. Suicide dove onto Dinero at ringside. He got back in the ring and Williams rolled him up and then rolled through and turned it into a great suplex for the 1-2-3...

Powell's POV: I don't like the way they've scaled back Suicide's entrance so much. It just sends the message that he's not as important as he was when they were shaking it up every week. I also wish they would reconsider their approach with Dinero, who looks like a star and seems to get bigger babyface reactions than Suicide. The fans want to cheer him, so push him as the babyface.

Backstage, Sting said he wasn't 100 percent, but he knew he didn't have too many more chances to fight for the TNA Title. "The end is near and I know that too," Sting said. "But tonight the beginning is right in front of me"...

A shot aired of The Beautiful People sitting on their thrones... [C]

Powell's POV: Nice move to tease The Beautiful People before the break. If that doesn't keep viewers watching then nothing will.

The James Earl Jones guy narrated a PPV commercial plugging Bobby Lashley's debut...

Backstage, Lauren got cocky as she interviewed The Beautiful People. Velvet Sky chewed her out and said they don't care who Madison Rayne's partner is. Angelina Love said they don't understand Lauren because they don't speak ugly. Angelina suggested that Lauren work as Madison's tag partner so they could give her the ass kicking she deserves...

Powell's POV: Good hype for the Knockouts match that takes place next week, but what about the one coming up?

4. Christy Hemme and Tara pinned Sojourner Bolt and Hamada in a TNA Knockouts Tag Title tournament match in 7:25. Early in the match, Tara bowed at Hamada, who responded by kicking her in the head. Tenay actually referred to a move that Hemme used as some type of "fire crotch" move. Taz and Tenay had a debate on whether saying crotch or groin is better for TV. Um, I'd say groin sounds less offensive. [C]

[Q5] After the break, Tara hit the Widow's Peak finisher on Bolt and scored the clean pin. Tara took the spider out. Hamada hit the Hamada Driver on her own partner. Tenay said she was upset with her partner. Tara never did anything with the tarantula...

Backstage, Borash told Angle that he thinks Matt Morgan is working him. Angle said it wasn't true and that Morgan needs him. Morgan entered the picture and Angle quickly buddied up to him. Morgan said he lost his temper last week, but he would still team with Angle at the pay-per-view. "Are you screwing with me right now?" Angle asked. Morgan said that there would be no questions to ask when it came down to the two of them. Angle bought it... [C]

Powell's POV: So now the announcers have figured out that Morgan is putting one over on Angle. That's a good move because they looked like dopes for acting like they didn't know what was going on. The only problem is that Angle looks like the big dope now for being the only one in the world who doesn't know what's going on. Funny Kurt is entertaining, but smart, bad ass Kurt draws money.

An LAX video package set up their match as the first time they've faced each other...

[Q6] 5. Hernandez pinned Homicide in a tournament match in 3:55. Taz said Homicide and Hernandez are brothers without the blood. The two wrestlers had a friendly embrace in mid-ring. Hernandez went for an early Border Toss, but Homicide slipped out and kicked his partner's knee. After some back and forth action, Hernandez hit one of his finishers while looking at the camera and pinned Homicide clean. They shook hands after the match, but Homicide didn't look Hernandez in the eye... [C]

Powell's POV: I didn't care for this match. Some of the small nuances that tag partners usually use to make them look even were missing, and I hated the way Hernandez looked into the camera as he finished off his partner. This was positioned as a match that he was reluctant to wrestle, yet he looked into the camera as if he was pinning a jobber. The live crowd didn't pop for the finish. I'm guessing the loss causes Homicide to be jealous and turn on Hernandez at some point, but the actual match itself could have been laid out and executed much better than it was.

Backstage, Doug Williams cut a promo while Brutus Magnus and Rob Terry stood by. He said he's a fan of A.J. Styles's work, but vowed to beat him...

Powell's POV: Magnus is the best talker of the group and should handle the bulk of the mic work, just as Williams is better in the ring and should handle most of the in-ring work.

Backstage, Styles told Borash that his confidence level is at 100 percent again... Kurt Angle came to ringside and joined Tenay and Taz on commentary... Ring introductions for the Styles vs. Williams match took place... [C]

[Q7] 6. A.J. Styles pinned Doug Williams in 7:15 to earn a spot in the four-way PPV main event. Angle said he was rooting for Williams to win the match so that they could be in the pay-per-view main event together. After Styles scored the pin, Angle guaranteed that Styles wouldn't beat him for the title.

Powell's POV: The match was very good, but the fans haven't been given any reason to take Williams seriously as a singles wrestler. Thus, the outcome of the match felt obvious from the start.

At ringside, Borash interviewed Styles, who jumped out in down in excitement over getting his title shot. Styles said he conquered the hill, but he still has to climb the mountain. He said nothing will stop him, "not even myself"... [C]

Tenay plugged upcoming live events and the Bound For Glory pay-per-view...

Backstage, Lauren interviewed Team 3D and Jesse Neal. Ray said he and Devon are heroes to wrestling fans all over the world, but Jesse is an American hero. Ray ran through the story about Jesse's friend dying and how he dedicated his career to his fallen friend. Ray said Rhino knew this and beat the hell out of Jesse and left him lying. Ray questioned why. He said Jesse is now under their protection, and they're going to take him to the Team 3D Wrestling Academy. He said Neal will be a war machine when they're done with him...

Powell's POV: Nobody likes Jesse because he doesn't look the part. He has a goofy haircut and piercings that make fans question whether his military background is legit. He wears scrubby gym clothes in the ring that make him look low budget. He should have started out looking the part and then slowly changed his look.

[Q8] 7. Sting beat Hernandez by DQ in 2:05 to earn a spot in the four-way pay-per-view main event. Tenay said the rumor is that Sting has two or three cracked ribs. Hernandez stopped wrestling early and asked the ref to check on Sting, who then fired up with some offense. However, he hit a dropkick and then fell to the mat in pain.

A couple minutes into the match, someone dressed as Homicide walked to ringside and attacked Sting with a baton. Security ran out and grabbed the man. They pulled down the bandana that was covering his face to reveal Eric Young was the Homicide impostor... [C]

After the break, Hernandez stood in the ring and called out Young. He came out, but the other members of World Elite attacked Hernandez while Young stayed at ringside. He entered the ring after the other members had worn down Hernandez. A.J. Styles ran in to help, but he was outnumbered.

Beer Money ran in and helped Hernandez and Styles clear the ring. Team 3D's music played and they walked onto the stage, leaving World Elite standing between them and the wrestlers in the ring. This led to a big brawl with the babyfaces and heels fighting at ringside. The babyfaces got the better of the heels.

Scott Steiner and Booker T came out and attacked Team 3D before they could put Bashir through a table. Beer Money entered the ring and fought Steiner and Booker, but the World Elite recovered and won the numbers battle. Booker and Steiner put James Storm through a table to end the brawl...

Powell's POV: I enjoyed the first hour of the show a lot, but the second hour was disappointing and the match outcomes were all predictable. They just keep shoving World Elite, and especially Eric Young, down the throats of viewers. And then they make them look like glorified jobbers by having the babyfaces kick their asses until the big heels showed up.

The Sting vs. Hernandez match was really weak. You'd think they'd restart the match given all the fuss they've made over empowering the referees and trying to eliminate the cheap finishes. Perhaps the brawl at the end would have been more effective if they didn't go this route a few weeks ago. By the way, they must have set the record for most tournaments taking place during one pro wrestling show. Thanks for watching along with me tonight. Rich Twilling will have the TNA Impact Hitlist in the morning.

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