By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

KELLER'S TNA IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT
DECEMBER 15, 2011
TAPED IN ORLANDO, FLA.
AIRED ON SPIKE TV

[Q1]

-The show opened with a narration recapping the happenings at Final Resolution including the Robert Roode vs. A.J. Styles 30 minute tie and Jeff Hardy's victory over Jeff Jarrett. Sting said backstage that Thursday night he'd start the show with a bang.

-Mike Tenay introduced the show as the camera panned the crowd. They went right into the ring for Christy Hemme introducing the World Title Iron Man Overtime Match.

1 -- BOBBY ROODE vs. "THE PHENOMENAL" A.J. STYLES -- TNA World Hvt. Title Match

Tenay said Roode escaped with his title at Final Resolution by running out the clock. Taz said a lot of many great teams have won by running out the clock. He called it "brilliant." Tenay actually agreed, but added, "Not exactly the definition of a fight champion."

(WK Reax: Okay, I'm convinced. Roode is smarter than everyone else, brilliant, and knows how to keep his title. Now why am I supposed to root for Styles again?)

The five minute countdown clock began. Roode bailed out to ringside and Styles went right after him, then brought him back into the ring and aggressively went on the offensive including a near fall near 1:00. Then Styles applied a sideheadlock and leveraged it into a couple near falls.

(WK Reax: A near fall in a headlock might be dramatic if had EVER WON A MATCH. Styles going to into a headlock in a five minute overtime period makes him look something less than brilliant. Had TNA set it up by having Styles win some TV matches with that very move in recent months, then maybe there'd be some drama.)

At 3:00 Roode took out Styles's leg from ringside, knocking him off the ring apron to the floor. Styles rolled back into the ring, but Roode rammed his knee into the mat and then stomped on his leg. Styles made a comeback at 4:00 and hit a reverse DDT off the ropes. Roode saves himself from a pin with his leg on the bottom rope. Roode realized time was low and he bailed out with 23 seconds left. Styles chased him down. Roode re-entered the ring for some reason, then tried to leave the other side. Styles kicked him in the head from ringside and then went for a flip dive onto Roode. Roode moved and the time ran out.

Sting then walked out and said, "Bobby, we can do this all night long. First fall for the win!" The bell rang and the match began again. Tenay said that's why Dixie Carter put him in charge.

Roode worked over Styles's knee with a single-leg crab. Styles tapped out.

WINNER: Roode in 6:00 to retain the World Hvt. Title.

(WK Reax: Ultimately this likely just infuriated the PPV customers even more. They easily could have offered this on PPV to the paying customers and opened Impact with a 10 minute video highlight package of the entire match and all of Roode's stalling tactics and accomplished the same thing with TV viewers without making PPV customers feel like what they paid for was the first two-thirds of a story with the climax being offered to everyone for free.) [c]

[Q2]

-Backstage Roode bragged about "doing it again" and retaining his title. Elsewhere Styles said he had his number, but Roode clipped him from behind in the knee. He said he was "this close" to winning the title. Back to Roode, he said he spits in the face of authority and said bring on Jeff Hardy.

1 -- HERNANDEZ (w/Rosita & Sarita) & ROBBIE T. vs. SCOTT STEINER & ABYSS

Christy Hemme introduced the first Wildcard Tag Team Tournament match. Tenay explained that there will be eight randomly selected teams competing in a "unique and unpredictable format" in the next four weeks. The winning team will challenge Matt Morgan & Crimson at the Genesis PPV. Steiner chewed out Abyss backstage before walking to the ring. He said he is under direct orders from Eric Bischoff to make this work. "We're a team, right?" he asked. Abyss didn't respond. Abyss refused Steiner's attempt to tag him into the match. Tenay introduced the Twitter Softball Question of the Week (more of a softball than Ed Shultz's on MSNBC): Did Sting make the right call in ordering the overtime period in the World Title match? Next they'll ask: Do kids like ice cream? At 3:00 Abyss finally entered and clotheslined Terry and Hernandez. Abyss gave a Black Hole Slam to Terry. Then he turned and pointed at Steiner. He tagged him in to score the pin on Terry. Steiner looked at Abyss in disbelief as Abyss raised his arm and seemed to accept Steiner as a friend and partner once again.

WINNERS: Abyss & Steiner 4:00.

-Backstage Kurt Angle said he's had enough of Sting and it's time for him to do something about it. [c]

[Q3]

-Angle walked to the ring and said he has a few things to get off his chest. He called Sting to the ring. Angle told Sting, once he arrived in the ring, to shut up and listen for the first time in his life. He complained about being booked against James Storm with less than 90 minutes notice. Then Storm screwed him with a loaded boot to the chin. Then the same thing happened in the rematch. "Do you know who I am?" he asked. "I am Kurt frickin' Angle. I could take you down right now and make you cry for your mommy." He asked for a rematch. Sting asked if he was kidding. He said Storm beat him fair and square and needs to move onward and upward. Angle asked Sting if he has it out for him and Roode. Angle suggested it's time for him to play cowboy and go to his hometown and beat the crap out of everybody there. Then maybe Storm will accept his rematch and he will prove he's a bigger bad-ass than he'll ever be. Tenay and Taz agreed that Storm's boot wasn't loaded despite Angle's accusation. [c]

2 -- ANTHONY NEESE vs. ZEMA ION

Christy Hemme said this was the first of a best of three series between two wrestlers you might have never heard of and know nothing about. She didn't actually say that last part. After a springboard moonsault, Taz joked that Neese was watching some old tapes of his matches. Neese hit a flying flip dive over the top rope to the floor at 2:00. Zema established he was the cocky heel by pulling up Neese's shoulders at 3:00 during two covers at the two count. Taz said he totally disagreed with Zema's arrogance. Zemo then hit a 450 splash for the win. Taz said Neese will be pissed off after he watches this.

WINNER: Zema in 4:00.

(WK Reax: Good athletic action in this one, and they managed to establish a personality hook for Zema in the process. A little pre-match hype with backstage promos would have been nice, but by the end, they made some progress in that regard.)

-Jeff Jarrett and Karen arrived. Jarrett called it a big "clustermess" and said he's going to volunteer to Sting that after 25 years, he's ready to walk away. He said Karen is the V.P. of the Knockouts. Karen told him to stop talking like that.

[Q4]

-Backstage Zema said: "Look at me! I have the prettiest wrestling gear. I have the prettiest wresting moves. You saw the prettiest wrestling match with the prettiest wrestler in this company." He said he was tired of sitting at home, so he made his own opportunity. He said, "From now on it's about me, myself, and Ion."

(WK Reax: Simple, basic, but good heel promo. The word "pretty" can get him heel heat, and the "me, myself, and Ion" is a solid catchphrase for him to make his name memorable.) [c]

-Ric Flair told Gunner to make an example of Jesse Neal.

3 -- JESSE NEAL vs. GUNNER (w/Ric Flair)

Neal charged out to the ring enthusiastically. They showed a clip during Gunner's ring entrance of Garett Bischoff getting DDT'd at ringside last week. Tenay called it a revolting display with all of the emotion of reading a plug for Impact Wrestling Fantasy Game. Gunner went after Neal aggressively at the start. Taz asked Tenay if he'd prefer Jeff or Karen get fired. Tenay said Jeff. Taz said he hopes they both stay.

(WK Reax: Taz is so indiscriminate with what he endorses and what he condemns, nothing he says really means anything.)

Gunner took Neal to ringside and then shoved the ref. The ref DQ'd Gunner. Flair stomped on Gunner between the legs. Neal gasped for breath as Flair lifted the mat at ringside. Gunner DDT'd Neal on the floor. Taz called it "vile and nasty." They showed Neal being loaded onto a stretcher as his fingers twitched.

WINNER: Neal via DQ in 2:00.

-They showed Jeff Hardy arriving backstage. [c]

-Karen tried to charm Sting. She said his jacket looks great and he's never looked better. Sting pretended to be flattered, then asked what she wanted. Karen said he can't fire her. She said there are 1000s of Jeff Jarretts out there who could take his spot on the roster, but when God created her, he broke the mold. She said there's only one Karen Jarrett, and she needs someone at home watching the kids while she helps him run the show. Sting said he's known Jeff since he was a little kid. Sting said he heard her out and now he wants to hear out Sting, but he said he sees where she is coming from. She was giddy, but as soon as she left, Sting said, "Poor Jeff."

[Q5]

-Jeff Hardy made his full ring entrance. Hardy said his neck is hurting, his body is sore, he bit his lip before coming out to the ring, and he's the number one contender! He said on Jan. 8 "creatures will become champions." He said he'll do everything in his power to make 2012 the most memorable year of his wrestling career. Bully Ray interrupted. He marched to the ring with purpose. Ray informed Hardy that he is wrestling him later. "Oh, you didn't get the memo, you didn't get the fax, you didn't get the Tweet?" he said. He then accused Hardy of not having a life because he sits at home Tweeting his "Creatures of the Night." He said if he had a life, he'd be out being creative. He said he's been kicking his head in for 15 years. He said after Jeff had his little problem earlier in the year, he stepped in and took his spot as leader of Immortal. "I'm a freight train and you're standing on my tracks," he finished.

-"High Strung" Samoa Joe got in Brutus Magnus's face and said he doesn't know who he is and doesn't care to know him. He said he's "the anchor attached to this opportunity for me" and that's the only reason he's sharing space with him, but if he gets in his way, it'll be the worst thing he ever did. Brutus said, "The first thing I need you to do is back up, back up out of my face, Joe." He said he doesn't get many opportunities, either, so he's ready to go out there and win because he doesn't care about friendship, either.

(WK Reax: Magnus just cut a better promo in that 20 seconds than Rob Van Dam has been bothered to do in his 18 months in TNA. Good back and forth that felt real.) [c]

4 -- DOUGLAS WILLIAMS & ROBBIE E. vs. SAMOA JOE & MAGNUS

Another random tag team match as part of the tournament. Taz said he liked the Joe & Magnus team a lot. Former partners Magnus and Williams opened up against each other. Williams didn't like that Robbie fist-pumped before going for a pin. Late in the match Magnus made a comeback and hot-tagged in Joe against Williams. Joe rallied with a senton for a two count, then a snap powerslam. Robbie made the save. Joe casually walked to the side as Robbie attempted to give at him off the ropes. Williams then climbed the top rope, but Magnus knocked him off balance and then Joe gave him a Muscle Buster for the win.

WINNERS: Joe & Magnus in 4:00.

[Q6]

-Jarrett kissed up to Sting backstage. He said Karen has likely been lobbying for her position in this awkward situation. He said to be publicly humiliated and fired on national TV will be tough for her, so Jeff asked Sting to let her down easily because she is his wife. Jeff said, "Let's face it, we've always thought this; a woman doesn't have a place in the wrestling business, certainly not as V.P. of the Knockouts." He said Karen wants to be home with the kids anyway. Sting asked if he's sure Karen wants to be home with the kids. Jeff said he was sure and the last year on the road has been trying. Jeff said she understands she's being let go tonight. He complimented Sting's jacket one more time.

(WK Reax: Jeff and Karen going behind each other's back, and both complimenting Sting's jacket, was well played.) [c]

-Eric Young talked nonsense about China Hat. He said his mom dresses him and sends him out of the door, he is fully prepared. She tells him about his opponent's win-loss record, where to go, where the bus stop is, whether he's a good guy or a bad guy, all kinds of stuff. He told Sting if he has a mission for him, he must be explicit. ODB walked up to him and spanked him from behind. "Somebody's been doing some squats around here!" He told her to tell him who his partner is. ODB said it's her. Young replied, "If this weren't you, it'd be a nice little disguise, but I need to know." She said she is the big surprise. He got it and said, "Yes, we're life partners!" They warmed up together. She shoved him into the wall after a collar and elbow hook-up.

(WK Reax: Young is usually good for a chuckle. He something else.)

-Devon stood in the ring and called Pope to the ring. Pope walked out with Devon's kids. Devon said he'd take a bullet for his kids. He talked about everything he did for his sons to provide for them. He said he is training them now. He said he is going to train them the way he wants to and bring them up his way. He said no disrespect to Pope, but it's over. He asked his boys to come home with him and train the right way. He told them he loves them. As they were about to leave, Pope spoke up.

[Q7]

"I listened to you," he said. "Now you listen to me." He said his sons want a cool dad who is able to be with the times, not afraid to move forward, someone who is current. He said the difference between them is when they're with Pope, he gets them limos. He asked what they're supposed to learn from watching old tapes of him at the bingo hall. He said they're tired of his lifestyle. He said he can lose all the weight he wants, but he'll never be as fly and as pippin' as The Pope, and they know that.

Devon tried to leave. Pope said, "Don't you walk away from me as your wife did you!" The got Devon's attention. Pope said, "Those boys right there, they should have been my seed," he said. Then he turned to the boys and said, "But don't worry, me and your ma', we're working on that." Devon attacked Pope. Devon's sons pulled their dad away and calmed him down. Devon gave them a big hug. Pope got up and kicked Devon between his legs from behind. Devon's kids stood over their dad and then smiled at Pope. Pope mounted and punched Devon as Terrence and Terrell put on Pope sunglasses.

-Tenay called that a disgusting display, then he plugged Hardy vs. Bully Ray. [c]

-Karen told Jarrett that she talked to Sting and it went great. She claimed she told Sting that he is irreplaceable and she belongs at home with the kids, "and he agrees with me." Jarrett said he told Sting man-to-man, face-to-face, and he knows a star when he sees a star, and Karen is a star. He said it's nearly 2012 and women are put on a pedestal now. A backstage worker told Karen and Jeff that Sting wanted to see them together. Both Jeff and Karen were confused about that.

5 -- MADISON RAYNE vs. TRACI BROOKS

Traci attacked Rayne on the stage as she made her ring entrance. They brawled down the ramp and into the ring. Rayne took control at 2:00 and dominated offense for a while, including scoring a near fall. She was shocked at the kickout. She followed up with a stomp to her head and then got the convincing three count. The finish felt a little anticlimactic.

WINNER: Rayne in 4:00.

[Q8] [c]

-Backstage Sting told Jeff and Karen that he'll let them know his decision now. Jeff said he has told Karen that 2012 will be year of Karen Jarrett and Impact Wrestling. Karen said her place isn't in Impact Wrestling, it's home with the kids. Sting asked if either of them have been watching any part of the show tonight. Jeff said no disrespect to him, but his attention has been on Karen. Sting said he's confused because earlier he heard Jeff say the opposite, that Karen needs to be home with the kids. Sting told on her like Sophie did Coach during Tribal Council last night. Sting also revealed that Karen also said Jeff is easily replaced. Sting reenacted Karen's selfish plea to be saved. Karen said, "What is wrong with you? Why are you trying to create problems between the two of us?" Sting then aired footage. Karen said, "Turn it off!" Jeff saw her say exactly what Sting claimed she said. Jarrett freaked out as he heard more and more. Then the footage aired of Jeff talking to Sting, saying Karen is a mother of five who belongs at home. As Karen and Jeff argued, Sting stepped between them and said he'd solve this and help both of them. "You can't have Karen without Jeff, you can't have Jeff without Karen, so you're both fired! Fired!" He laughed and left. Karen told Jeff he screwed up everything.

(WK Reax: That was funny. The whole storyline was well played by Sting, Jeff, and Karen, with a good payoff.)

-Tenay and Taz reacted to Jeff and Karen being fired. Then Robert Roode walked out and joined them on commentary for the main event.

6 -- JEFF HARDY vs. BULLY RAY

Ray attacked Hardy before the bell. Tenay asked Roode about the Jarretts being fired, but he would only talk about himself. Roode rolled his eyes about being accused of not being a fighting champion. He said he put in 30 minutes on Sunday, and that counts as fighting.

[Q9]

They went into the overrun only seconds into the match. Roode said he cares more about his championship belt than his family, discounting their criticism of his latest actions. Hardy hit the Twist of Fate, but Ray kicked out. Ray hit a sidewalk slam, but Hardy kicked out. Ray went for a splash, but Hardy countered with another Twist of Fate for the win.

WINNER: Hardy in 5:00.

(WK Reax: It felt rushed. Not sure why they went just short of five minutes for a TV main event, especially involving Jeff Hardy who presumably should be a ratings draw. Ray losing cleanly quickly does cement him as a second tier heel, but he could be more than that.

-Roode charged to the ring afterward. Ray and Roode double-teamed Jeff. They powerbombed Hardy through a table. Sting ran out and got in Roode's face. Ray distracted Sting, then Roode hit him with his title belt. Roode and Ray stomped on Sting as the show ended. A seven minute overrun.

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