TNA Impact Wrestling results
January 5, 2012
Taped in Orlando, Fla.
Report by Jay McQuade, PWTorch contributor

[Q1] A video package opened the show, recapping Bobby Roode’s recent villainous actions over the last few weeks, including last week where he attacked Sting and Jeff Hardy.

Sting made his way out to the Impact Zone to officially start the show. The first thing he did was call Jeff Hardy out to the ring. Hardy made his way out and received a big positive reaction from the audience. Sting praised him for his efforts to re-build his trust from the fellow wrestlers, and gave him his endorsement. Bobby Roode interrupted Sting’s speech and made his way to the ring, accompanied by Kurt Angle and Bully Ray.

Roode said that he should be endorsed by Sting because Hardy is an embarrassment and he’s a champion. He also went on to say that Sting is unfair as a boss because he plays favorites. James Storm then interrupted Roode and made his way out to the ring, accompanied by Abyss. Storm immediately confronted Angle and told him he could take him out with one superkick. Abyss then grabbed the microphone and told Bully Ray that he doesn’t need Immortal, and that he’s gonna make him pay at Genesis.

Sting then made it official that there would be a main-event six-man tag team match between Hardy, Storm, and Abyss vs. Roode, Angle, and Bully Ray. [CB]

[Q2] A segment aired which appeared to be from earlier in the day with Madison Rayne and Gail Kim at a hotel pool with Traci Brooks and Mickie James. By no surprise, Brooks and James were ambushed.

1 -- Knockouts tag champions GAIL KIM & MADISON RAYNE vs. MICKIE JAMES & TRACI BROOKS -- Knockouts Tag Title match

The match opened with James and Brooks immediately attacking the champions. Brooks slammed Kim into the steel steps outside, and James hit a neckbreaker on Rayne in the ring. James and Brooks then took turns slapping Kim, and then tossed Rayne into her. At this point, the show cut to a commercial. [CB]

The match resumed with James stomping Rayne in the corner. Rayne got control when Kim attacked James from the outside. Rayne got her in a headlock, but James got out and slit Rayne’s legs pretty violently. Rayne got control once more and settled for a few rest holds, but eventually did a faceplant. She then tagged Kim, but James also tagged Brooks, who did a few clotheslines and a jawbreaker. Kim got control after Brooks was distracted by Rayne and hit her with an inverted stomp facebreaker to get the pinfall.

WINNERS: Gail Kim & Madison Rayne in 7:00 to retain the KO Tag Titles.

[Q3] [CB] Ric Flair was shown backstage with Gunner, giving him a pep talk for his match tonight with RVD. The two are interrupted by Sting, who told Flair to watch Gunner’s match backstage with him. Flair was visibly upset and told Gunner to kill RVD.

Also backstage was Eric Young. He said he’s looking for ODB, because the two have a match tonight. He was then informed by an official that they were eliminated last week. EY doesn’t take no for an answer, so he went off to look for his partner.

Samoa Joe and Magnus were also seen backstage. Magnus was hyping Joe up for their tag team match tonight, and Joe responded with an uncharacteristic handshake.

A.J. Styles and Kazarian were being interviewed backstage, where they said they trust each other and have the biggest advantage in the tag team tournament because of their chemistry.

[Q4]

Garett Bischoff was seen backstage putting on his referee uniform. Sting walked up to him and asked if he’s ready to come back to work. He then told him to take the ref shirt off and handed him a pair of wrestling boots.

Eric Young was seen parading backstage into the women’s locker room, where he was forced to leave by Madison Rayne and Gail Kim.

2 – ROB VAN DAM vs. GUNNER

Gunner began the match by shoulderblocking RVD after the lock-up. Van Dam then got control and did a running springboard backflip off the top rope. At this point, the show went to a commercial break. [CB]

After the show came back from a load of commercials, Gunner seemed to be in charge as he hit RVD with a few elbows. After charging RVD in the corner, he was kicked in the face. Then, Van Dam went to the top rope and hit a flying sidekick on Gunner. Gunner came back after a failed pin attempt and choked RVD on the ropes. He then got him in position for the F5, but RVD got out and did a roundhouse kick, followed by a few punches and the Rolling Thunder. After Gunner went to the outside, Van Dam tried to follow, but was dragged down by Gunner and his leg was caught in the ring apron. The two were then counted out after not taking the match back in the ring.

WINNER: Double count-out in 6:00.

After the match was ruled over, Gunner tried to go for a piledriver onto the exposed floor, but RVD back body dropped him. He then set Gunner up for his 360 legdrop, but Gunner moved out of the way and RVD went crashing. He then set Van Dam up for another piledriver, but TNA officials came out and stopped him. Where were they the last few times this happened? [CB]

[Q5] Jeff Hardy was backstage with his tag team partners for the night, and they all said they’re not afraid of their opponents in the main-event.

Bobby Roode was also backstage with his own tag team partners, who all said that their opponents would not make it to Genesis after their match tonight.

3 – X Division champion AUSTIN ARIES & KID KASH vs. JESSE SORENSEN & ZEMA ION

Kid Kash opened the match by attacking Sorensen. Sorensen then reacted with a flying knee, and was tagged by Ion, who entered the match himself. Aries then got in the ring and took it to Ion with a few stiff hits before throwing him outside, so he could do his trademark dive. After taking it back in the ring, Aries hit his pendulum elbow. Sorensen then got in the match after getting the tag and hit a solid dropkick. Kash then got in the ring and executed a reverse vertical suplex. Ion then tagged himself in and hit a wicked DDT on Aries. He also pulled off a corkscrew off the top rope. Sorensen then tagged himself in and hits a neckbreaker on both Kash and Aries. He then slingshot onto Kash on the outside. Back inside, Ion tried to hit a 450 Splash on Aries and missed. Sorensen then got to Aries and hit him with an outward rolling cutter to get the pinfall. [CB]

WINNERS: Jesse Sorensen & Zema Ion in 7:00.

[Q6]

Kazarian was seen backstage and was told to come on to the ring by Styles. After the two left the picture, Christopher Daniels arrives with a smile on his face.

Eric Young was once again seen backstage and this time he finally found ODB, who informed him that they are indeed out of the tag team tournament.

[Q7]

4 - A.J. STYLES & KAZARIAN vs. SAMOA JOE & MAGNUS -- Finals of Wild Card tag tournament

Styles and Joe start the match. Joe backed him up into the corner and began striking. He then tagged Magnus, who hit Styles with a backbreaker. Joe then came back and put Styles in an abdominal stretch. Styles then did a kip-up headscissor after being thrown down. Kaz and Magnus both entered the match and Magnus was double-teamed by the others. Styles and Kaz made quick tags to each other after wearing down Magnus with strikes. Joe and Magnus then double-teamed Kaz, which ended with Joe backsplashing him after a big boot from Magnus.

Kaz made a tag to Styles, who hit a springboard forearm, followed by a Pele kick after a few more strikes. Styles went to tag Kaz, but Kaz dropped down to the outside, refusing to tag in after seeing Christopher Daniels make his way out to the Impact Zone. Joe and Magnus then blindsided Styles and got the pinfall.

WINNERS: Samoa Joe & Magnus in 7:00.

After the match, Kaz was seen walking towards a happy Daniels up the ramp, but nothing was addressed by them or commentary.

Crimson & Matt Morgan were backstage being asked about facing Joe & Magnus at Genesis. Shortly after the question, Joe & Magnus showed up and not surprisingly shoved their future opponents. The scuffle didn’t escalate much as TNA officials were on the scene to split the two teams up. [CB]

[Q8]

5 - JEFF HARDY & JAMES STORM & ABYSS vs. TNA World Hvt. champion BOBBY ROODE & KURT ANGLE & BULLY RAY

Bully Ray started the match with Storm. After locking up, he hit a wicked uppercut on Ray’s jaw. Ray immediately tagged Roode, who was hit by a big boot, but got control after Ray distracted Abyss. At this point, the show cut to a commercial break. [CB]

After the show came back from a commercial break, the match resumed with Angle putting the attack on Abyss. He then tagged in Roode, who was shoved off by Abyss. He then double-clotheslined Angle and Roode, then tagged in Storm, who back body dropped Roode and clotheslined Angle. Ray hit a right hand on Storm as he came to his corner, causing him to lose momentum. Ray then entered the match and sent him head first into two corners. He hit a delayed vertical suplex, then tagged in Angle.

Storm then got his momentum back and hit a Russian leg sweep on Angle. They both made a tag, and Hardy came in to beat down Roode, including a split legdrop and a Twist of Fate. After the pin attempt was interrupted, all hell broke loose as everyone entered the ring and had at each other. The referee had no choice but to end the match.

WINNER: No Contest in 10:00.

Afterward, Hardy and Roode stayed in the ring and fought it out. Hardy hit another Twist of Fate and tried to go for a Swanton Bomb, but was sent flying by Bully Ray. Storm then tried to hit a superkick on Roode, but was low blow’d by Angle. Abyss then tried to hit a backbreaker on Angle, but was hit with a chain by Bully Ray. The show concluded with Bully Ray choking Abyss with a chain, Angle having the anklelock on Storm, and Roode having the crossface on Hardy.

FINAL THOUGHTS: There was a decent amount of wrestling on this show, but it wasn’t evenly spaced out. There were quarter-hours of this show that were entirely made up of backstage segments and commercials, and the commercial breaks on this show seemed endless. It doesn’t bode well for the ratings when the wrestling isn’t distributed well, as they could lose some of the audience if viewers only see random segments and commercials. I thought the matches were pretty solid, but the finishes were pretty lame.

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