TNA Impact Wrestling Report
April 12, 2012
Taped in Orlando, Fla.
Report by Scott Turner, PWTorch contributor

[Q1] Impact opened with the usual recap video that highlighted the happenings from Hulk Hogan’s first night as general manager of Impact.

Eric Bischoff was the first one to come out to the Impact Zone. Bischoff antagonized the crowd as they chanted, “You suck,” followed by, “We don’t care.” He said his name is going to live on, and that it would be a legacy in the business. Bischoff said he had put together a devastating team to represent him at Lockdown. Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Bully Ray, and Gunner came to the ring to the tune of Ray’s music. Ray asked the crowd if they knew who Bischoff was as they once again chanted, “We don’t care.” He said that as great of man that Bischoff is, he made one mistake, producing Garett Bischoff. Bischoff said at the behest of Hogan that one of the teams competing in the Lethal Lockdown match would have a one-man advantage, and that the team with the advantage would be decided through a series of matches between the respective members of each team tonight. Bischoff nominated Gunner to compete in the first match, next.

Garett came out and said he had a team ready as well, and that his team would be the one to gain the one-man advantage. He introduced Mr. Anderson to face Gunner as the show went to commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

1 -- MR. ANDERSON vs. GUNNER

The match was already underway when the show came back from break with Anderson getting some offense in. They took the match to the ringside where Anderson slammed Gunner into the ring post and guard rail. Back in the ring Gunner reversed the Pittsburgh Plunge into a roll-up, using the tights for leverage, for a two count.

[Q2] Gunner continued to beat on Anderson, who began to bleed from a pre-existing wound on his forehead. He once again scored another two count on Mr. Anderson after a second attempt at a roll-up, tights and all. An incensed Anderson beat on Gunner in the corner long enough for the referee to call for the disqualification.

WINNER: Gunner via disqualification in 4:42.

Turner Reax: I had a feeling that one way or another Gunner was going to get the win. It’s par for the course for the heel team to go into a match like Lethal Lockdown with an advantage, which this is setting up for with the best-of-three series tonight.

An ad aired for ODB and Eric Young’s wedding and the confrontation between James Storm and Robert Roode later in the night.

[Commercial Break]

Young was shown talking to himself in a mirror before being confronted by Joseph Parks, who complimented Young on his outfit. He asked Young if had ever considered a prenup, funny. He asked Young if he had any knowledge of Abyss’s whereabouts, but he didn’t.

In the ring, the Motor City Machineguns ran through a list of accomplishments they have accumulated throughout their career. They facetiously listed the accomplishments of Samoa Joe and Magnus, and told them that on Sunday they would be facing one of the greatest tag teams in the world.

Joe and Magnus came out, and once in the ring, Magnus praised the Guns, but told them that it wasn’t about who was the best team ever, but rather who the best team is now. He said Joe and he are always ready, and if they didn’t want to wait until Lockdown that they could go at it now.

Before they could get into it, Mexican America came out with Anarquia on the microphone. They made their way into ring to try and make a case for being a worthy tag team, but then tried to blindside the competitors in the ring. Hernandez was quickly thrown outside as the Guns hit Anarquia with a double-team move. The two remaining the teams of the Motor City Machineguns and Joe & Magnus stared each other down.

Turner Reax: Short and simple. I’m looking forward to their match at Lockdown as it has the potential to be sleeper show-stealer, but I can’t help but feel that this was just a little rushed. Nonetheless, the Guns vs. Joe & Magnus is worthy of a spot on the card for a bigger TNA pay-per-view like Lockdown.

An ad aired for the best of three series for the advantage at Lockdown with Daniels against an unannounced opponent.

[Commercial Break]

[Q3]

2 -- X Division champion AUSTIN ARIES vs. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS -- non-title match

As the match started, the crowd chanted in unison for Aries. Aries got the better of Daniels with a series of headlocks before both wrestlers exchanged a pair of cartwheels into some offense. Aries tried to take to the top rope, but was stopped by Daniels. Daniels locked Aries into some submission offense as the crowd once again chanted for Aries. He tried to take advantage of a weakened Aries on the outside with a moonsault to the outside, but Aries dodged by sliding back into the ring and quickly followed up with a suicide dive. Aries hit a missile dropkick, a dropkick in the corner, and a brainbuster for the win.

WINNER: X Division champion Austin Aries via pinfall at 5:32.

Turner Reax:That was an awesome television match! After a string of, disappointingly, subpar matches with A.J. Styles, I almost forgot that Daniels could go like that. It was a nice touch that the announcers played up the idea that Aries had to win to keep his team in the running for the one-man advantage at Lockdown.

Another ad aired for tonight’s wedding. Taz hyped Jeff Hardy coming to the ring.

[Commercial Break]

[Q4] The steel cage was being built as Hardy came out to the Impact Zone. The announcers hyped his match with Angle at Lockdown. Hardy said his feud with Angle started when he cost him the World Heavyweight Title. He said on Sunday that he Kurt were not only going to make history, but that they were going to hurt each other.

Turner Reax: That was mighty uneventful. Two years ago, Hardy and Angle had a pair of epic matches before that year’s Bound for Glory, and that memory alone is probably the only thing that has me looking forward to their match on Sunday. This feud started because Angle didn’t like Hardy’s purple hair, and the fact that he wore socks on his arms...

Footage from last week aired of James Storm with Montgomery Gentry as the three of them called out Bobby Roode.

Backstage, Sarita and Rosita tried to seduce Young into giving up the Knockouts Tag Titles, and backing out of his wedding. Young thwarted their advances and ran away before another ad for his marriage aired.

[Commercial Break]

[Q5] Young made his way to the ring set up with Knockouts Tag Titles at the altar. Generic wedding music played for ODB, but it cut out to tease the idea that she may have gotten cold feet. The crowed “oh’d” in unison before ODB came out in a camouflage wedding dress to her normal ring music. The minister in the ring introduced a video recapping Young and ODB’s relationship.

Young was first to read his vows. He promised to be with her forever and always, even when she farted. He also promised to allow her to rub his feet whenever she wanted because he knew she was into that. He then vowed to be her tag partner in wrestling and life forever. Then, it was ODB’s turn as she promised to not take his last name, but to take his ring music. She said she would slap his a** whenever he wanted, because she knew he was into that. The minister said that it if anyone had any objection to speak then or forever hold their peace.

Sarita and Rosita came out and asked Young if he really wanted to stay with ODB or to get a taste of the greatest Knockouts tag team of all time. Both girls stripped down to their lingerie as ODB began to shed a tear. ODB said she understood that she didn’t have what Sarita and Rosita had, but that they didn’t have what she had as she stripped down to her lingerie and drank from a mini bottle of booze. She asked Young what was it gonna be, and he responded by stripping down to his underwear. ODB then demanded that the minister strip down to his underwear as well. He did, and then proceeded to marry them. Young and ODB made out on the floor.

Turner Reax: That was what it was. Wrestling weddings have been around since, well since dinosaurs roamed the earth. In all seriousness I was dreading this segment, but it actually lent itself to what has so far been a strong episode of Impact.

Backstage, Ric Flair and Bischoff’s Lethal Lockdown team gave Bully Ray a pep talk for his match, next.

[Commercial Break]

Ray came out first with his Lethal Lockdown teammates and waited in the ring to find out who his opponent was going to be. A.J. Styles’s music hit and he came out accompanied by Garett Bischoff, Andersons and Aries.

[Q6]

3 -- A.J. STYLES vs. BULLY RAY

The crowd was hot for Styles as they chanted, “Let's go A.J.” After a pair of lock-ups that ended up in the corners of the ring the action in the ring picked up with Styles hitting a drop kick before receiving a boot to the face that sent him to ringside. Ray hit Styles with a big back drop that probably made Ric Flair proud. Styles hit a clothesline the corner, but Ray retorted with a Samoan drop for a two count.

Ray went to the top rope, but Styles put the breaks on that and hit him with hurricanrana. After some outside interference caused the teams to start brawling outside Styles hit the pele kick for a two count. Styles became distracted by all the commotion outside allowing Ray to get a chain around his knuckles for a punch to knockout Styles for the win.


WINNER: Bully Ray via pinfall at 6:43.

Turner Reax: Another strong match for tonight’s Impact. Both Ray and Styles were intense and seemed like they really wanted the win. If Aries and Ray aren’t feuding coming out of Lockdown, I wouldn’t mind seeing Styles slide into that spot. It could do wonders for Styles’s character to face off with the heat magnet that is Bully Ray.

Hogan came out and congratulated Bischoff for his victory. He told Bischoff that he was changing the Lethal Lockdown match from a 4-on-4 match to a 5-on-5 match, and that Bischoff had three minutes to figure out his new team member was going to be.

[Commercial Break]

Hogan told Bischoff that he was out of time, and demanded to know who his new addition to his team would be. Bischoff begged Flair to join his team, but then decided that he would be putting himself in the match. The crowd chanted for Sting, but seemed just as pleased when it was announced that is was going to be Rob Van Dam.

[Q7] Rob Van Dam came out as the crowd sang along with his wrestling music, and did the whole thumb-pointing thing.

A video package, narrated by Roode and Storm, aired highlighting the feud between them. Uncensored, Storm said in three days the bulls*** stops.

4 -- TNA Knockouts champion GAIL KIM & MADISON RAYNE vs. VELVET SKY & MICKIE JAMES

Rayne and James started the match and saw James take a sick kick to the head from James. James and Sky got some double team offense in before Kim snuck in and laid James out which allowed Rayne to get a close two count. Kim and Rayne exchanged rapid fire tags to continue to beat James down, but it eventually backfired and James was able to tag Sky in. She got the best of her Lockdown opponent and after a faceplant on Kim went for a pin attempt only to get a two count. Kim tried to run away, but was met by James, who threw back into the ring where Sky hit her with In Yo Face for the pin.

WINNERS: Velvet Sky & Mickie James via pinfall at 3:53.

Turner Reax: I hope Sky’s victory tonight is indicative of her losing at Lockdown. I think Sky and Kim are going to have a good match, but I don’t think it’s time to put the belt on her. I’d even be open to the idea of Kim winning at the pay-per-view and having their feud extend past Lockdown, but even then I don’t want to see her with the belt.

[Q8] Storm made his way into the ring, followed by Roode and his entourage of security guards. Roode instructed them to stay at ringside as he came face to face with Storm in the ring. Storm said he they have been yelling at each other a lot lately, and suggested that now they talk. He recalled them talking about wrestling for the World Title on a trip to Japan, and how they laughed at the idea because they didn’t think they would make it to that level. He then recalled their success as a tag team.

Roode said he wasn’t going to pretend like Beer Money never existed, and that it was one of the proudest periods of his life. He recalled the Bound for Glory Series for a shot at the title at Bound for Glory that he lost. He tried to rub the fact that Storm was not on the card in his face, but Storm retorted with the fact that he did what Roode couldn’t, beat Kurt Angle for the title. Roode then asked Storm if he remembered two weeks later when he beat him for the title, and Storm said he remembered it as the night he destroyed a friendship. Roode said their was no friendship and that the only reason Beer Money was so successful was because they had a passion for the business.

Roode followed by saying that Storm made a living to support himself and his family off Roode’s talent. Storm said where he came from friends and family still mean something, and that he does what he does for all the fans. Storm said Roode isn’t going to need luck, but rather a miracle. Roode said Storm was the one who was going to need the luck and that his dead relative were proof of that.

Turner Reax: THAT was major league, well until the last line about Storm’s dead family members; that was strange. Storm and Roode brought their A-Game for this hard sell for Lockdown. That felt like I was watching something special, a true rarity when it comes it to the Impact television show. Remember this is the same show that made the debuts of Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam pack a punch the size a baby’s fist.

I thought the last two editions of Impact were pretty good, but this one was definitively great. That being said, TNA has its second biggest pay-per-view of the year this Sunday. Where was this same level of quality in the prior weeks? I never thought I’d say it, but time just flew by this week for a show that can sometimes feel like it goes on forever, in the worst way possible. I have a good feeling about the Storm and James match at Lockdown this Sunday, and I hope I’m right. Thanks again for reading, take care and see you next week.

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