By: Daniel Wilkenfeld, PWTorch Contributor

Where We've Been: At roughly 7:58 PM this past Sunday, I was not planning to get TNA: Genesis. Then I decided that I would give TNA a chance to prove me wrong. They did not. There were three things to applaud this past Sunday: a stellar Motor City Machine Guns match, a very good Angle-Jarrett match, and the fact that they allowed Hernandez to defeat a small army of mid-carders. On the flip side, you had a whole lot of garbage, including a women's title match being promised and never delivered (after Hemme went down with an injury the website still listed Kong as defending against "TBA") and a subpar outing for the tag team division. Mostly though, what you had were two out of three main events being train wrecks. For some reason, they decided to push a Rhino injury angle, though only after wasting hours speculating about where he could be. First off, by my math the whole "wrestler mysteriously doesn't appear for their title shot at a PPV" angle is still off limits for another 20.7 years. More importantly, it made the match suck—move, wince, repeat, Scorpion Death Drop. The booking here genuinely baffles me—maybe they're trying to build to Rhino's "real" title shot next month, but we thought his "real" title shot was this month and still didn't care. Finally, there was the real main event, which suffered from two main problems. First, Mick Foley has been hit-or-miss for the last couple years, and this month was definitely an entry in the miss column. Hopefully that's just a sign that it was a relatively impromptu decision to get him back in the ring and not a sign that he's finally passed his moment. The bigger issue is the more obvious—Kevin Nash can't make a main event, and the most suitable replacement TNA can come up with is Cute Kip? Really? At the exact moment he finally started to grow on me as a background comedy act they make him be the big surprise in a PPV main? That's not cool. Here's a fun game: try to come up with anyone they could have slotted in that would have been a worse pick than Cute Kip. I'm really drawing blanks here. Ideally they'd stick to the "former world champion" shtick and bring in someone like Raven for a quick pay day (if they had enough notice). More realistically, they had a champion on the roster who wasn't booked—how awesome would Awesome Kong be in the MEM?

The Show: When Icons Collide

[Opening Credits]

Possibly as a mea culpa for Sunday, tonight's main event will be AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle with special guest referee Mick Foley. Or at least that's the scheduled main event. Color me…skeptical.

The Main Event Mafia come down to the ring, sans Kevin Nash and (thankfully) Cute Kip. They're not in their suits, and look like they came to fight. Kurt says that throughout history, there have been many great gatherings of individuals who would literally take a bullet for each other. Kurt reminds us of his prediction three months ago that the MEM would be the greatest assemblage of champions in the history of this business, which proved true. Everything they set out to do, they've done. They have left a trail of broken dreams and bodies along the way. They've even ended careers, though admittedly none you would have been particularly proud of in the first place. Kurt takes us to a video package of the MEM taking people out. He says that it gives him chills. And now he's taken out Jeff Jarrett for good. He and Sting won their battles on Sunday, but an ill-timed injury to Nash and the interference of Mick Foley kept them from putting away the war. But tonight they're ready to finish things when Kurt takes out AJ Styles, with Mick Foley as the special guest referee. Sub-par performance or not, the crowd still marks out for the Mick Foley reference (as would I). Kurt says this is perfect, because for the first time, they'll have a multiple hit hear tonight. HOLY SHIT, here's Hernandez. He says that if they want to play mafia, they can do it LAX style, because he's cashing in his Feast or Fired title shot right now.

[Commercial Break]

(1) HERNANDEZ vs. STING (c) World Heavyweight Championship Match

I really was hoping they'd give Hernandez a real shot, but such is life. Hernandez gains the advantage of the lockup, forcing Sting into the corner and chopping him. Sting reverses a charge with a Back Body Drop, but Hernandez lands on the apron and comes back in with a Slingshot Shoulder Block. He nails Sting with a Back Breaker for a long two count. He tries to follow up with a Delayed Vertical Suplex, but Sting reverses it into a Scorpion Death Drop. Hernandez kicks out with authority after two. Sting stomps Hernandez around the ring. When the ref pulls him off, Steiner helps out with an illegal assault from the outside. Sting makes the mistake of whipping Hernandez into the corner, from which he bounces back with a Decapitator Clothesline. He hits a couple more, and pulls off his shirt to nail the Border Toss. Booker T tosses the shirt back onto his head, then kicks him in the gut. That draws the DQ.

WINNER: Hernandez, in 4 minutes, by disqualification. (N/A) I reiterate my complete and total hatred for the new rule about titles not changing hands on DQs.

After the match, referee Shane Sewell tries to prevent the three on one beating (Sting never really participates), and when Booker tries to force the issue Sewell Back Body Drops him out of the ring. Sewell then backs off as they continue the beat down on Hernandez. Homicide runs out to make the save, but he can't beat the numbers game. AJ Styles runs down to help, but by now Homicide's down too and the numbers still don't work out. Finally someone has the idea of coming down two at a time, and…hey, that's Team 3D! If this had been the PPV, it would have been significantly better. Team 3D turn the tide. LAX gain enough time to grab a table, through which Team 3D put Kurt Angle. The MEM bail.

[Commercial Break]

Brother Ray is out among the crowd, which seems happy to have him back. They give him a "welcome back" chant as he rejoins Brother Devon and AJ Styles in the ring. Devon tells Kurt Angle that his whole career, he's been involved in tag team wrestling. They've won tag titles everywhere they've been, and as far as he's concerned they are the standard bearers of tag team wrestling. However, there's one thing they've never done, which is showing just how good they are as singles competitors. He's not planning to start at the bottom either—he's planning to kick Kurt Angle's ass all over at Against All Odds. Brother Ray treats us to the opening riff from Eminem's "Without Me". He points out that the MEM didn't get the job done. (He pauses here to call attention to his new Mohawk). What kind of mafia are they supposed to be? Where he's from in New York City, the mafia would have buried him six feet under and had a dog piss on him. All they did was put him in a dumpster, so he just threw a party and came back. He never gave a lot of thought to what Devon just said, but he's right—there's not much left to do as a tag team. So Devon wants Angle (Devon kicks in with a "why the hell not", which is the best reason for a match I've ever heard)? Well that's fine, cause Brother Ray wants Sting. Why Sting? He didn't break a 2x4 over his back like Kevin, or nail him with a pipe like Booker, or beat him to a pulp like Kurt, but he did something much worse than any of them—he did nothing. He knew it was wrong, but he just stood there as they beat him and left him for dead. He just watches it all and lets it all happen, and pretty soon everyone is going to get wise to his BS. So at Against All Odds, Brother Ray will become a World Champion for the very first time.

The MEM tell us to cross the line.

Not-Crystal is in the back with The Beautiful People. She wants to know how they expect to join the cabinet January 20th, when that's when Obama's taking office. Sky questions what she knows about politics. Cute Kip tries one last time to tell them it's a rip, but they're annoyed with how jealous he's acting, and just tell him to smile and enjoy what's happening for them. Kip says that he will be smiling, cause he's done all he can.

[Commercial Break]

It's time for an update on Jeff Jarrett, but not after reminding us how badly he got beaten on Sunday. They run down a list of unpleasant things Jarrett's dealing with.

Kurt is in his locker room being treated. The doctor doesn't want to clear him to wrestle. Steiner's eager to step in, and, after all, it's only one match. Angle yells that it's about every match, especially with both AJ and Mick out there.

[Commercial Break]

We recap The Beautiful People's "road to the white house". And this show started off so promisingly. Now they come out with "the governor". Mike Tenay: "we have watched for weeks, and weeks, and weeks, The Beautiful People interact with the governor." You could actually hear the pain in his voice. "Palin", clipboard in hand, tells them that they've passed every test they needed to in order to get invited to the inauguration and serve as role models. She runs what they've done, and then gives them a contract to make their appointment official. They sign it without reading. They all share a hug, but it's interrupted by Taylor Wilde and Roxxi in the entranceway. Taylor tells Roxxi to look at the plastic, phony, be-yotches in the ring. For the last six months they've been looking for a way to get back at the Beautiful People for embarrassing the knockouts' division. The wrestlers want this to be about women who're willing to fight all having a chance to step up and make it. Instead, Love and Sky have been parading around in their fake hair and their fake boobs. It's time for them to process that they're not divas—they're knockouts. Roxxi gets the mic, and clears up that there's no inauguration, and that that's not Sarah Palin. But that wasn't quite enough, so now it's time for The Beautiful People to get "mucked"—just then, manure drops on them from the ceiling. "Sarah Palin" joins Wilde and Roxxi in the entrance, laughing. They still haven't told us what's in the contract.

[Commercial Break]

They show us what happened "moments ago" as the crew cleans up the ring.

Not-Crystal is in the back with the Kongtourage. She asks for comments from "SoJo", who says no one but her mamma can call her that. She actually cuts a really competent promo about how they're going to take out Wilde, Roxxi, and ODB. They should let her talk more.

Tonight's Rough Cut is about Sojourner Bolt. Wow—they answered my call to let her talk more in what has to be record time. She talks about what it was like growing up, intimidating boys as a black woman who could beat the hell out of them. She's been wrestling for six years, because as soon as she could she started driving from match to match. This was a good one.

(2) ROXXI, TAYLOR WILDE & ODB vs. THE KONGTOURAGE

Apparently I've been spelling "Kongtourage" correctly—neat. This is your 10 o'clock contest this evening, which does mean that only four out of the last sixty-four minutes have had any wrestling. Saeed starts things off with Roxxi, but after some jockeying Taylor Wilde tags in and nails Saeed with a Double Axe Handle. Bolt tags in, but Wilde Arm Drags her and brings in ODB. Bolt quickly turns things around, but then stupidly tags in Khan. ODB tags in Wilde, who comes in with a Cross Body Block off the top rope for two. Khan powers her down, awkwardly kicks the back of her head, and then tags in Saeed.

[Commercial Break]

Somehow ODB is still being isolated, as they pull her out and beat her around the ring. Things break down, which is okay, since this is a street fight. They get ODB back into the ring, and for some reason the ref is still enforcing tag rules. ODB finally creates some distance and gets in the tag to Roxxi, as Khan slowly comes into the ring. Roxxi tries a couple of times to get her off her feet, finally succeeding with a Cross Body Block. Bolt and Saeed try to make the save evil-ninja style, so Roxxi takes them out with some slams. A Backslide gets two before being broken up by Bolt, which interference triggers the pier-six brawl. Roxxi and Khan end up alone in the ring, where Roxxi nails the Voodoo Drop for the win.

WINNER: ODB, Wilde, & Roxxi in 10 minutes. 1/2*, and that's almost entirely due to Roxxi's rally at the end.

Booker T tells us to Cross the Line.

The Bookerman is also in the MEM locker room, where he convinces Angle that he should just relax tonight. AJ's just some hick from Georgia, so he can take this tonight.

[Commercial Break]

(3) MATT MORGAN & ABYSS vs. LETHAL CONSEQUENCES ("BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL & CONSEQUENCES CREED) #1 Contender's Match

Morgan starts things off by powering Creed into the corner. Creed's trying to jab and dodge, but Morgan catches him and tosses him into the corner. Creed tries to get away again, but gets caught in a Trapping Head Butt. Both men make tags. Lethal offers Abyss a handshake, and Abyss takes it. Morgan isn't so pleased about that. Abyss whips Lethal into the ropes; Lethal comes back with a Handspring Elbow, but Abyss stays on his feet. Lethal tries a variety of strikes, including a Double Sledge off the top rope, but none of it works. Eventually Abyss connects with one big slam, and we have another pair of tags. This time Creed is able to rock Morgan with the quick right hands, but then walks right into a Carbon Footprint.

[Commercial Break]

We get back just in time to see Morgan nail a Stinger Splash on Creed. Abyss has spent the break trying to tag in, without Morgan allowing him to. Morgan nails the cool leap-over-choke-on-the-rope thing that really needs a name. Finally Morgan takes in Abyss, but Creed rolls under his arms and makes a tag. Lethal runs across the ring and nails the Springboard Dropkick on Morgan on the apron. They start to pummel Abyss—he tries to come back with a Double Clothesline, but they go under his arms and hit dual Suicide Dives on Morgan. They come back in and hit back-to-back Missile Dropkicks for two. Morgan comes in and tosses Creed over his head with some sort of fall-away toss, but before he can get up Abyss accidentally Power Bombs Creed into him. A recovering Lethal stalls a stunned Abyss long enough for the ref to make the count on Morgan. I guess he must have tagged in?

WINNER: Lethal Consequences, in 10 minutes. 3/4*

After the match Morgan slugs Abyss. He's finally had enough, so he slugs back. They're briefly pulled apart by security, but that's no more effective than usual. They keep getting free and attacking each other.

Jim Cornette is in the back in the MEM locker room. He says that there's no question of Kurt wrestling, since he's not cleared. Cornette says one of the other two will take it.
Steiner tries to call it, but Booker wants it too. He suggests they settle this like they did in the hood—eeny, meeny, miney, moh. They agree in principle, but argue over the rules till Cornette just gets sick of it and gives Steiner the nod. He warns them of potential consequences if there is any outside interference.

[Commercial Break]

We see another promo for Brutus Magnus, which promises that he's coming soon.

JB is in the back with Mick Foley. He points out that while Foley won on Sunday, the MEM are still doing what they always did. Mick doesn't feel much like celebrating, as he can barely walk, Jarrett's out with serious injuries, and the MEM are in the back playing eeny meeny miney moh. Is this some kind of game to them, messing with his other people's livelihoods? Well he's not laughing. He also appreciates Cornette's help, but it's not needed. Mick is asking, no, literally begging any member of the MEM who wants to to come down tonight, because the games are over.

(4) SCOTT STEINER vs. AJ STYLES

Steiner brought a lead pipe to ringside, but the ref makes him give it up before coming into the ring. Steiner gets the quick takedown, so AJ slides out of the ring to get advice from special guest enforcer Mick Foley. He rolls back in, and Steiner wrenches his arm a couple of time. AJ goes to the ropes again to chat with Mick. Steiner hits a couple of chops as he comes back in, but AJ slips away and hits a headlock takedown for two. Steiner Back Body Drops him, but AJ lands on his feet and cinches back in the headlock. Steiner shoots him off; AJ goes for a German Suplex, Steiner blocks it with a back elbow, but then AJ does some quick leapfrogging and nails his high dropkick. Steiner rolls out of the ring, but AJ follows him out with a Slingshot Body Press.

[Commercial Break]

AJ nails a Knee Drop on Steiner for two, but Steiner flings AJ into the ring post as he gets up. He works the chops and then whips AJ into the ropes; AJ tries to hit a Cross Body Block, but it's reversed into a Power Slam for two. Steiner beats AJ in the corner, then hits a Do-se-do Suplex for two. Steiner cinches in a chin lock. AJ powers out, only to be caught in a bear hug. AJ tries to fight out with an Eye Rake, but Steiner falls back and flings AJ into the canvas for two. He nails a clothesline for two, then goes out to grab a chair. Mick points out the chair to Earl Hebner as Steiner sets it up in the corner. Steiner gets ready to drive AJ into it, but the ref threatens him with a DQ. Steiner goes to argue with him, and ends up being driven by AJ into the chair himself. AJ charges Steiner, gets Back Body Dropped out to the apron, and comes back in with The Flying Forearm for two. Steiner pokes the eyes as he gets up, but AJ still has the wherewithal to nail a Northern Lights Suplex for two. AJ nails a Stinger Splash in the corner, but when he goes for a second one Steiner pulls the ref in front of him. As AJ is distracted, Steiner nails a Flat Liner. Mick Foley enters the ring to check on Hebner, but Steiner has gotten the lead pipe. He nails Foley on the back with the pipe. He tries to get AJ; AJ kicks his gut and goes for the Styles Clash, but is re-reversed into a Back Body Drop. Steiner gets the pipe, and this time he connects to AJ's face. The ref wakes up just in time to count the 1, 2…no! They got me with that one. Steiner locks in the Steiner Recliner. Mick Foley gets on the apron, sock in hand, to help out, but Earl Hebner cuts him off. As they argue at the apron, Petey Williams runs down to the ring and nails a Missile Dropkick on Steiner. AJ and Steiner both get to their feet at the same time, but AJ is the faster one—he nails a Pele for the win.

WINNER: AJ Styles in 15 minutes. *** This was a rock solid Impact main event.

AJ and Peter share a post-match hug.

Where We're Going: This was not a reset show, but it wasn't far from. Brother Ray and Brother Devon are at the top of the card, Rhino is nowhere to be seen, Mick is back to his old awesomeness, and we're finally done with "Sarah Palin". There are two ways to think of Team 3D's sudden promotions—on the one hand, it puts the final nail in the credibility of the TNA originals, but on the other, I'm pretty sure that coffin was already built. For better or worse (mostly worse), the MEM-Frontline feud is now just fairly standard factional warfare. Once that's accepted, I have to acknowledge the artist formerly known as Bubba Dudley rose to the occasion once again. His promo was pitch perfect, mixing in his excitement to be back with some genuine depth with respect to Sting's culpable inaction. How well the two of them can work main event matches remains to be seen, but I do remember being moderately impressed by Brother Ray's brief singles career right after WWE's brand split.

Star of the Night: Brother Ray. I have got to convince Rachael to let old grudges go, cause Ray is looking like he might be just getting settled in at the top. This one she'll find particularly annoying, as he took tonight's spot from a member of LAX.

Overall: This show was bookended by some great action, with a moderate amount of garbage in the middle. For once the women were the show's weak link, as some of their segments were decidedly sub-par. While pacing was a bit of an issue tonight, and wrestling purists were probably pulling their hair out for the first hour, I found this a genuinely enjoyable show. Mostly, I love me my dramatic, unannounced returns. My biggest complaint is the complete absence of a celebrating Alex Shelley, but maybe he just needed a day off after his work on Sunday. Also, the new DQ/title rule still sucks, and they should seriously give Hernandez his briefcase back. A-

Daniel is a graduate student at The Ohio State University. He will give a shout-out to anyone who figures out why it's off limits for 20.7 years and sends the answer to dawilk316@gmail.com

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