By Wade Keller, Torch editor

TNA IMPACT REPORT
OCTOBER 19, 2006
ORLANDO, FLA. AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

-The show opened with clips of last week's sitdown with Angle. Then clips of Samoa Joe's storyline of having kidnapped the belt, then defending possession of the title against Christian in what turned into a ladder match.

-Mike Tenay stood in center ring. He held a piece of paper which said TNA officials had ruled that Joe must return the NWA Title belt by the end of the show or he will be removed from the roster immediately. That makes sense. It's about time TNA management showed they have some authority and the brains to get back stolen property with a threat that carries weight.

-The Impact opening aired, then Don West introduced the show as pyro shot off. Tenay joined West and reintroduced the show. Raven, Runt, and Abyss brawled in front of the broadcast table. Abyss dumped Runt and Raven onto the table. Abyss swung a chair at Raven, but Raven moved. Runt then gave Abyss a low-blow. Raven fired back with a chairshot to Abyss, then rammed Runt crotch-first into the ringpost. Raven threw Abyss into the ring, then gave him a drop toe hold into the chair. He followed with some punches, but Abyss came back with a Black Hole Slam, showing no signs of having been dropped onto a chair seconds earlier. The lights went out, and when they came back on, Jake "The Snake" Roberts walked out with a bag over his shoulder. Roberts looked like he had been dragged under a bus on his way to the arena. Not that he'll live long, but it's amazing how resilient the human body is when you take into consideration how poorly Roberts has treated his over the last decade or two.

Roberts slid his snake bag into the ring, then gingerly entered the ring himself. Jake pulled a snake out of the bag. Abyss and James Mitchell fled from the ring. Abyss's eyes bugged out of his head. Runt entered the ring. Jake smiled and took a step toward Runt, then put the bag over his head and DDT'd him to the mat. Tenay said, "Jake 'The Snake' Roberts is in TNA? Can we get an explanation? What is this all about?" Roberts grabbed the mic and said he was there to referee the Monster's Ball. He mumbled rather incoherently with a raspy voice for a few sentences while losing his balance.

-Borash approached a white limp and opened the door, assuming it was Samoa Joe inside. Instead, Kurt Angle stepped out. Angle said, "Surprised? I said it was real. Damn real."

[Commercial Break]

-A commercial aired for the Road to Glory special on Spike TV on Saturday night at midnight.

-They replayed Angle's arrival.

1 -- CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. NORMAN SMILEY

Smiley came to the ring in a full football outfit including the helmet. Christian gave Smiley a chairshot to the helmet. Smiley set up the Big Wiggle, but Christian mule kicked out of it. He yanked off Smiley's helmet and gave him an Unprettier followed by a chairshot sandwich for the win. During the match Tenay plugged the move to prime time on Nov. 16 and said everyone is trying to prove themselves before then. Christian was going to put Smiley in a straight jacket. Shark Boy charged to the ring to make the save. Christian KO'd him with the helmet. Rhino charged to the ring, so Christian bailed.

WINNER: Christian in 2:00.

STAR RATING: 1/4* -- Overall, solid way to build up the Christian-Rhino street fight.

-Borash bumped into Eric Young backstage. Young was in disguise and was shocked that Borash recognized him. His hair is blond again. Borash told Young that Larry Zbyszko that his job is back if he can beat him at Bound for Glory on Sunday. Young was happy. Then he told Borash he saw Joe has the belt, and he said he's a man of his word, and there's not a man in TNA who can take the belt from his hands.

[Commercial Break]

-Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt mocked Senshi backstage, imitating him while playing a video game. Jerry Lynn walked in and told them that they had a match and had to stop taking things so lightly. Senshi jumped both of them in the locker room. He dragged Lethal to the ring.

2 -- SENSHI vs. JAY LETHAL

West said they're too close to Bound for Glory to be joking around like they were. Senshi dominated except for a brief dropkick and suplex flurry by Lethal. Lethal missed a splash, and Senshi finished him off with a cradle suplex. After the match, Sabin charged to the ring to save Lethal from a post-match attack by Senshi. Senshi, though, hit Sabin with a dropkick and his double foot stomp off the ropes to end standing, with both Sabin and Lethal on the mat.

WINNER: Senshi in 2:00.

STAR RATING: 1/2 -- It's tough seeing the talent Lethal get sacrificed in less than two minutes, yet at the same time, it plays into the storyline that there's a price to be paid for not taking things seriously.

-They went to the Kevin Nash and Alex Shelley press conference "Paparazzi Production." They were at a sports bar to announce the Kevin Nash Open Invitational X Division Gauntlet Battle Royal. The patrons cheered. Nash said his old partner might be there. He said, "Hall, yes Monty Hall might be there." Nash and Shelley said they're in hot negotiations to bring in Bob Newhart, Cecil Fielder, Tom Zenk, Erik Watts, Carol Burnett, Foreigner, and all the remaining living members of the band ABBA. Nash said Shelley has been locked in and they're negotiating with Hogan. "Everybody knows he has a tight shooting schedule, but if we can get him away from Crocodile Dundee 3, yes Paul Hogan will be in Detroit, Michigan." He closed the press conference.

-Christy Hemme plugged the B.G. James interview.

[Commercial Break]

-Tenay interviewed B.G. James about his comment last week defending Jarrett. James said he understands Jarrett well. He said Jarrett has been there for him, helping him out of bad situations. "There's a damn good reason for everything Jeff Jarrett does. He has a lot of weight on his shoulders. I'm not going to go into it here or now... But I know him, and he's a damn good men. Don't let anyone tell you different, because they're wrong."

-Back at ringside, Tenay said he was shocked at James's comments about Jarrett. West said he was surprised, too. Then they ran down the line-up.

3 -- AMW (w/Gail Kim) vs. LAX (w/Konnan) vs. A.J. STYLES & CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. THE JAMES GANG

All-out brawl to start, with Daniels and Hernandez brawling at ringside. They cut to a break a minute in. Just as an experiment, they should cut out match interruptions for two months and see if that makes a difference in ratings or the overall feel of the show. The reason to always have commercial breaks during matches is to fit more matches into the show, while selling the idea (which they don't overtly point out) that to get matches uninterrupted, you have to order the PPV. The downside is that it makes matches feel unimportant since half of the matches are usually off air, and it takes the flow out of the story being told in the matches, especially shorter matches which barely have a chance to get started before the break.

[Commercial Break]

Styles surprised Chris Harris with a schoolboy to win the match shortly after returning form the break. Tenay plugged quickly that there would be a four-way tag match at Bound for Glory with Team 3D and The Naturals in the mix. After the match, Konnan and Gail Kim got into an argument. Kim slapped Konnan. Konnan called off Homicide and Hernandez. Then he turned them loose on AMW. Kim jumped on the back of Homicide. Hernandez grabbed her and gave her the Border Toss. West said, "That is wrong! Absolutely sick!" Tenay said they went way over the line. LAX draped their flags over Kim and AMW, then stood in the ring trash-talked toward the camera.

WINNERS: Styles & Daniels in 7:00.

STAR RATING: 1/2* -- Hard to say, since so little actually aired.

[Commercial Break]

-Another Sting vignette aired.

-Tenay stood in the ring with Earl Hebner, who held "official documents." Tenay said they needed an answer of whether Joe would return the NWA Title belt or would he be removed from the TNA roster. Joe came out to his music, bringing the NWA Title belt with him. Tenay asked for Joe's answer. Joe grabbed the envelope as the fans chanted, "Keep the title." Do the fans want him kicked out of TNA? Joe skimmed the paperwork, then ripped it up and threw it in Tenay's face. "There's your answer!" he said. Then Kurt Angle's ring intro began. He walked out with the American flag draped over his back like a cape. Not to be overly sensitive, but he wrinkled up the flag and handed it to a woman at ringside in a rather nonchalant and borderline disrespectful manner. If you're going to use the flag as a prop, as a babyface, you ought to show the utmost respect for how its handled. Angle entered the ring and had a staredown with Joe. Then he gave him a headbutt and an Olympic slam. The crowd popped. Angle grabbed the belt and held it up. Tenay said, "Oh my god, what a picture this is!" Joe stood up with blood streaming down his face. He gave Angle his jump roundkick to the face. As Joe and Angle brawled, Jarrett came out and took his belt back. Joe lifted Angle, but Angle turned and tackled Joe to the mat. Angle was pulled off of Joe. Joe charged back at Angle. They brawled in the aisle as the crowd heat was incredible. Tenay said, "We'll see you this Sunday! You've got to be there at Ground for Glory!"

-The show ended with a Fozzy music video featuring Chris Jericho singing on camera. It featured clips of TNA wrestlers interspersed hyping Bound for Glory. Having Jericho appear on TNA Impact right after Angle first in-ring appearance gave TNA an extra dose of star power and will get TNA fans wondering if Jericho is headed in. The downside is Jericho is not on Bound for Glory and it may have set expectations high that he'll be in TNA some day soon.

Final Note: The Angle-Joe heat was tremendous. The downside is that Joe and Angle aren't fighting at the PPV. Angle is involved in Jarrett vs. Sting, and the final angle of the final show headed into that PPV should have been for a match that's on that event, with Angle-Joe being saved for when that match was on the docket. Jarrett sneaking his belt back wasn't exactly a hot angle for the BFG main event. Where was Sting? Shouldn't their top paid wrestler be good enough on the mic to give a final hard sell for his challenge for the NWA Title? Instead, they began building sympathy for Jarrett too soon, taking away the core emotions fans should be feeling, which is seeing Sting take the belt from the hated heel Jarrett. The sympathy angle could start at the PPV, but starting it before the PPV is risky. The positive side is perhaps fans will be intrigued with what B.G. said and tune in to see if more unfolds at the PPV, but it's risky.T

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