KELLER'S TNA IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT
JULY 14, 2011
TAPED 7-10 IN ORLANDO, FLA.
AIRED ON SPIKE TV

[Q1]

-The show opened with clips of the Sting-Mr. Anderson feud and the angles last week centering around them.

-Mike Tenay introduced the show as Immortal walked out onto the stage. He said: "On the heels of the terrific Destination X all-X Division pay-per-view event, we welcome you..." Immortal were dressed in suits and tuxedos, and were joined by four women in dresses. Tenay noted Mr. Anderson wasn't there. Eric Bischoff said he's in a festive mood. He said Immortal will be playing a little "truth or date" later. He said a poker table was in the ring because they're ready to gamble with people's career. Bischoff reached the mic out to Hogan who said they do it "because we can, brother." He said Anderson threw himself a party and no one came, kind of like "premature e-party-lation, if you will." Keepin' it classy. If you're going to go there, be sure it's funny or clever. That was clunky and awkward. He said now that Anderson has joined their party, it comes with respect, dignity, and solidarity. He said the party is for Anderson because he's now part of their family. Bischoff then introduced Anderson.

His music played, the lights went dark, and then there he stood under a spotlight wearing a unique looking tux that looked more like Rick Rude's tights with all of the images airbrushed onto it. He entered the ring and shook some hands. Hogan said he loves the look. Hogan said he and Anderson have had a rocky relationship, but they've shared in common the desire to be the best they could possibly be. He said he wanted to formally welcome him into their family. They hugged. Anderson said it was all too much and they were too kind.

Anderson said he's right, they haven't always seen eye-to-eye and might not always going forward, either. He said his joining Immortal is a gamble, but as long as he remains the top card on the deck, the Ace of Spades as Bischoff promised him, that a gamble he's willing to take. The lights went out again. "Now what?" asked Tenay. After the lights came back on, Sting sat the poker table, acting like the Insane "Joker" Icon. He said, "Did I hear somebody say 'gamble.'" Bischoff said he's always respected Sting as a stand-up guy. He said Sting has become the cancer and tonight he's going to take the cancer out once and for all.

Sting said he sees himself becoming the Heavyweight Champion once again, thus beginning his crusade to bring "the company" back to its rightful owner, Dixie Carter. Interesting to hear her name brought up for the first time in quite a while, since the early stages of Mick Foley being the on-air Network rep. Also interesting to continue to see the avoidance of the letters "TNA." Sting isn't aiming to be TNA Heavyweight Champion. He's striving to become Heavyweight Champion. He's not wanting to return "TNA" to Dixie, but rather "the company."

Hogan said he sees Sting leaving on a stretcher. Sting said he has all kinds of aces in the hole, such as The Network. He lifted a card on the poker table that was an ace of spades. He said he recalls The Network telling Bischoff and Hogan they were on a short leash without room for much error. He said has magic bullet aces that will appear before their very eyes tonight. He told them not to blink, then pointed to the catwalk. Another Joker-like figure appeared up there. Bischoff called him a freak. The camera panned and there were several up there. Sting said he's all in, and then he tipped over the poker table. Tenay said he's turned the Impact Zone into a funhouse.

[Q2] [c]

-A feature aired updating the Bound for Glory series, narrated by Taz. A soundbite aired with Bully Ray referencing how "the second half of his career" would show people how seriously he is taking everything. He turned 40 today. If he's only half way into his career, he'll be wrestling when he's... well... a little bit older than Sting. So I suppose in TNA that's a very realistic claim to make even at age 40.

1 -- ROBERT ROODE vs. SAMOA JOE vs. "THE POPE" D'ANGELO DINERO -- Bound for Glory Series Match

This included the three remaining wrestlers with zero points. Tenay said the loser of this might be eliminated from the BFG series because they're so far behind. Joe went after Roode at the start as Pope watched. Pope eventually knocked Joe out of the ring and got a near fall on Roode. He postured and played to the crowd and then hit a fistdrop off the second rope. Joe reentered and set up a Muscle Buster on Pope. Rodde broke it up and hit the fisherman's suplex into a bridge for a count. Pope broke it up. The crowd applauded the action rather than a wrestler. Roode and Pope hit each other at the same time. Joe applied a rear naked choke. Roode flipped over and positioned Joe's shoulders on the mat while he was still in the choke. The ref counted Joe's shoulders down. That was a pretty cool finish, actually. Joe, of course, got up thinking he won via tapout, but the ref informed him what happened. Joe threw a fit and yelled at the ref in protest. Several other referees ran out and jumped into the ring to try to calm him down and protect original ref, Earl Hebner. Tenay called it Joe's temper, moving away from the previously used term "Samoan temper" (which, of course, implies those darn Samoans have a short-trigger and big temper).

WINNER: Roode in 6:00. (*3/4) [c]

[Q3]

-The roving camera peered into the boss's office at Dunder Mifflin where Hogan instructed Immortal to cut the head off of Sting tonight. Bischoff said they want them to be ethical and professional, "meaning something bad can happen to Sting, but it can't come back to us." Hogan said they just want to be sure Sting doesn't make it to the ring. Bischoff stressed, "It can't come back to us." Abyss said, "Let's make it happen." Bischoff chewed him out for failing to retain the X Division Title on Sunday, so he told him to follow the leaders. Jeff and Karen Jarrett arrived in a celebratory mood. They handed out Mexican hats to Immortal in the office. Karen asked if Bischoff missed them. Jeff said they had presents for everyone. Bischoff and Hogan looked uneasy. Jarrett unveiled a a title belt from Mexico, which he showed off to Hogan.

-In the back, Devon's kids told Pope he's still got it and they support him. Devon walked up to them and said he told them to stay away from this clown. He told Pope to stay away from his boys. Pope shook hands with the kids and they left. Devon confronted Pope and said, "Those are my boys; they're nothing to you." Pope said they look up to him. Devon called him a two-bit con. Pope asked if he's supposed to turn his back on them. Devon said he doesn't trust him. Pope said he gave him seven points last week. Devon said he doesn't care. "That's your stupidity." Pope told Devon those kids might turn on him because of the way he treats him. He told him to have it his way and he walked away. [c]

-A commercial aired hyping the "Immortal Forever" DVD featuring the return of Dixie Carter's face to Impact Wrestling.

-A brief video aired showing highlights from Destination X including the finished of each of the matches with a lot of other highspot highlights. Interestingly, in the highlights, they followed the match order except for the finale, which showed Brian Kendrick beating Abyss and being lifted onto the shoulders of other X Division wrestlers. A clip of A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels preceded the title match clips. Nice video package, although the drawback is that it came across as a two minute excuse to get all of the Destination X talk out of the way quickly in one fell swoop so they could get back to the other stuff that matters more the rest of the show.

2 -- AUSTIN ARIES vs. SHANNON MOORE

Aries came out wearing his hot-punk faux-fur vest as the crowd chanted "Austin Aries." Tenay said the morale in the X Division locker room is at an all-time high because of "the elimination of the Xtreme Champion, as he called it, Abyss." Taz touted the "quick, crisp" action of the X Division. They need to do more with Aries, if he's going to be a new centerpiece of the X Division, than have him come out and work against a "is he a heel or is he a face" Shannon Moore in an even-steven match, minus any character-development. He's just the guy with the pink vest at this point. I assume they have something in mind, though. He definitely has an "It Factor" that is worth investing in, but his character needs a hook. Aries KO'd Moore with a chain as the ref was distracted, thus establishing firmly that he is a heel.

WINNER: Aries in 3:00.

[Q4]

-Afterward, Alex Shelley came out to protest Aries using the chain. Shelley said everybody saw it. Aries said, with a grin, "not everybody," meaning the ref. Aries walked away and said, "Fair and square."

-Backstage Abyss said Bischoff and Hogan are rightfully upset with him. He vowed to get his X Title back from Brian Kendrick, and he's not waiting for the rematch. One of Sting's clown friends hit Abyss with a bat, then walked away. [c]

-Shannon Moore told the roving camera that Aries cheated because he had to. Shelley said he hit a splash afterward to make it seem like he earned it, but it took the chain.He said for being the greatest man alive, he ain't so great if he has to cheat. They cut elsewhere to Aries and said he honestly doesn't think he can be beat. He said he is pound for pound the most polished and complete "performer" in the business. The thing about Aries that works is that he doesn't seem to be acting, he just comes across as an annoying "full of himself" athlete. It's not a perfect comparison, but he has some of that Matt Hughes arrogance and smug self-assurance that made a lot of people root against him in UFC, but he adds a little extra charisma and gift for gab to the mix.

-They cut to a video package on the Madison Rayne vs. Tara feud. Rayne said Tara was her first match in TNA and Tara beat her. She said since then she has won when it matters and she'll put the final nail in the coffin of her career. Tara said she has a present for her and wants to let the past be the past and become friends again. She said the gift is her size and color, but she has to wait until after the match.

-Taz and Tenay hyped Tara vs. Rayne, plus Sting vs. Anderson in the main event, billed as "A Mid-Summer's Nightmare."

-Steiner hit on So Cal Val backstage, asking if she wanted to see it there or back at the hotel room. She seemed uncomfortable. One of Sting's clown assistants attacked Steiner with a bat. Tenay said the Evil Clowns of Sting struck again.

[Q5]

3 -- MADISON RAYNE vs. TARA

Tara dominated early and grabbed Rayne's hair and bashed her head into the mat. Rayne came back and drove Tara's chin into her knee. Tara clotheslined Rayne seconds later, then gave her a spinning side slam. Rayne backdropped out of Tara's next move, then went on offense with a lot of screeching and yelling mixed in. Rayne then peeked inside her gift box and pulled out a tarantula in a glass case. She screamed and carefully set it down. Tara then walked up behind her and gave her the Widow's Peak finisher for the win. Tara took the tarantula out of the cage and gingerly walked to the back with the spider crawling on her hand. Tarantula's are delicate creatures and dropping it could kill it. That's what Tara told me when I met her at an all-women's indy wrestling shows two years ago this month.

WINNER: Tara in 4:00.

-They showed Angle heading toward the entrance tunnel. Tenay said they'd find out after the break what's on his mind. [c]

-Backstage, Brutus Magnus was shown warming up with Douglas Williams. Williams said Magnus's idea of rebuild the bridge with Rob Terry was a great idea. Magnus said all that is relevant right now is wrestling and winning the tag team titles. He said they have to become the no. 1 contenders. Williams said the tag champs are in the BFG series and have their eyes off the ball as a result.

-Kurt Angle then walked out to the ring to his full ring entrance.

[Q6]

-Angle said he stands before them the number one contender and he will get his title shot at Hardcore Justice in the main event on Aug. 7. He said the next stage of his career depends on what happens later between Mr. Anderson and Sting. He said he has a history with Anderson and he hopes he faces Anderson. He said he remembers what happened between them at Lockdown or what he did to him last week, so he's coming after him and he's going to hurt him. He said he and Sting have a history, too. "Does anybody remember the Main Event Mafia?" he asked. He said to this day people tell him the empty arena match between them is one of the greatest matches they ever saw. He said the problem is there was no winner. He said he has never defeated Sting in his entire career. "It kind of pisses me off and makes me want to beat your ass even more, Sting," he said. He vowed to watch his match and stand backstage as an innocent bystander, but at Hardcore Justice he will walk out as the Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion. There's the avoidance of the TNA letters again. It's not just the show-name that's changed, but they continue to strip away "TNA" from the lexicon. Nice straight-forward promo from angle setting the stage for the TV main event and the next PPV main event.

-Jeff and Karen walked out of the arena into the parking area. Karen was in charge of her bags, all three of them. Jeff carried just one briefcase. She begged him to open the door for her. He instead got right into the driver's seat. She opened the door and a clown with a bat was in there. Karen screamed and ran. The clown beat up Jeff with the bar and dragged him away. [c]

4 -- BRUTUS MAGNUS & DOUGLAS WILLIAMS vs. MEXICAN AMERICA (Hernandez & Anarquia w/Rosita) - No. 1 Contender Status at Stake

The Brits kick-started the match, but at 1:00 Hernandez took over on Williams. Taz and Tenay wondered if Sting was done with the clown attacks yet. Magnus hot-tagged in at 3:00. The crowd chanted "Let's Go Magnus!" He knocked Hernandez out of the ring and then worked over Anarquia. Williams and Magnus double-teamed Anarquia for a near fall broken up by Hernandez. The Brits set up a double team move. Williams hit a flying elbow to Anarquia as Magnus held him in the air. However, with the ref distracted by Rosita, Hernandez interfered and rolled Anarquia on top of Magnus for the win.

WINNERS: Mexican America in 4:00. Good, short tag match.

[Q7]

-Bischoff told Bully Ray and Gunner that they can't let him or Hogan down. He walked out. Gunner said, "Screw this, Bully. I want to be the hunted, I want to be the hunter. Let's find these punks before they get us." Bully said he was right behind him, but he stopped and let Gunner walk out on his own. [c]

-Kendrick talked about his win on Sunday. Shelley said now that he won the Ultimate X match, he can now challenge Kendrick and try to win the belt. Kendrick said if he lost to Shelley, Shelley would be severing him from his purpose. He said his purpose in the physical form is that X Title. Shelley said Detroit need heroes and championships. I'm almost getting a sense TNA is going to actually promote the X Division for a while going forward. They didn't totally abandon it after Destination X. I'm skeptical it will last or that they've invest in it 100 percent rather than dooming it with a half-way inconsistent effort, but this is encouraging.

-Tenay hyped Shelley vs. Kendrick for the X Division Championship. Taz also hyped Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James. Tenay hyped RVD vs. Steiner in a BFG Series match. Taz said Styles & Joe vs. Gunner & Matt Morgan in a BFG Series tag match. Then they discussed the Sting vs. Anderson main event. Tenay said the "evil, demented clowns" haven't let him down so far. Taz said it's totally kept Immortal off their game.

-They cut to the parking lot where four of the clowns walked out pounding the ground with their bats in creepy unison. Gunner said, "Let's dance, let's go!" Gunner was no match for the four clowns, though. They beat him down. I wish the clowns included Don West and Jeremy Borash, especially Don. It scares me to think about Don West dressed as a clown, laughing uproariously. The clowns, though, unmasked and revealed themselves to be Styles, Daniels, James Storm, and Kaz. Kaz asked, "Now where's Bully Ray." Styles said he was already taken care of. Daniels stepped on Gunner's head briefly before walking away. [c]

[Q8]

5 -- MR. ANDERSON vs. STING -- TNA Impact Wrestling Heavyweight Title Match

Sting's full ring entrance took place as Tenay talked about Sting's plan to even the playing field working perfectly. Borash handled the formal ring intros, Tenay said Anderson has had a chance to study all of Sting's history and that seemingly would give him an advantage, but this is a different Sting who is totally unpredictable. Sting blocked an early sunset flip attempt by Anderson. Taz said Sting is whack and nuts, but maybe also crazy like a fox. Sting went for two Stinger splashes in the corner, but Anderson kicked his legs on a second attempt. Anderson began to work over Sting's leg. Taz said that can weaken Sting's Scorpion Deathlock. After working over his legs on the mat for a couple minutes, Sting kicked himself free, then got up favoring his injured leg. Sting gained his footing as he threw some chops and a clothesline. He awkwardly lifted Anderson into the ropes, but then hit the Mic Check. Anderson kicked out of his own finisher.

The ref got knocked to the floor. Sting then applied the Scorpion Deathlock. Anderson tapped out at 7:00, but the ref was out at ringside. Ray entered and attacked Sting from behind. Tenay said Ray was the one member of Immortal that Sting's clowns didn't eliminate. Ray then held a heavy chain and threatened to hit Sting. Ray told Anderson to hold up Sting. Anderson did so. Ray wrapped the chain around his fist. The lights went out. When they came back on, there was another clown in the ring. The clown attacked Ray with the bat, then went after Anderson. The lights went out again. When they came back on, Anderson stood alone in the ring. The clown stood on the stage looking on. Sting then gave Anderson a Scorpion Deathdrop from behind. The ref returned to the ring and counted to three.

WINNER: Sting in 9:00 to capture the World Championship of Impact Wrestling. Not a good match leading up to the finishing sequence, which was very storyline oriented. (*1/2)

-As Sting celebrated, the final evil clown on the stage - the one who interfered in the match - revealed himself as Angle. Tenay freaked out as the show ended right at the end of the hour, so no overrun.

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