TNA Impact Wrestling Report
May 10, 2012
Taped in Orlando, Fla.
Report by Scott Turner, PWTorch contributor

[Q1] A video recapping Bobby Roode’s attack on Mr. Anderson, Jeff Hardy, and RVD with a steel chair aired to kick off tonight’s edition of Impact Wrestling.

Roode came out to the ring and asked if there was anything else he had to do to prove to everyone that he is the greatest and most dominant champion in the history of Impact Wrestling. He ran through a list TNA’s top stars that he took out last week, including his Sacrifice opponent, Rob Van Dam. He said in two weeks he is going to become the longest-reinging World Heavyweight champion in the history of the company.

Roode said that there was nothing RVD could do stop his World Title domination, which led to RVD coming to the ring to square off with him. He took a powder, but was met by Anderson at the top of the ramp, who brought him back in the ring where Anderson and RVD put the boots to Roode. Hardy came out to join the beating on Roode, but ended up squaring off with Anderson.

Officials came out to break up the brawl, including Hulk Hogan, who seemed satisfied with the fire shown by all the wrestlers in the ring. He said he had an idea for a main event that would turn the company upside down. Hogan said if RVD was okay with it, he wanted to book a fatal four-way between all of the wrestlers in the ring with stakes being that if Anderson or Hardy won they would take RVD’s spot as the number one contender. Furthermore, if Roode won he would be able to pick who he would face at Sacrifice from the three other wrestlers in the ring. The incentive for RVD was that if he won he would get to choose the stipulation for his match against Roode at Sacrifice. Hogan asked him one more time if he was willing to make the sacrifice, and RVD obliged.

Turner Reax: Honestly that is a pretty weak incentive for RVD. Everyone else in that match has way more to win than he does, and it kind of makes RVD look like a dope for agreeing to the match. That being said, it was worth noting that Roode is coming up on being the longest-reigning champ in TNA history. Good for him, and for the company.

Backstage, Bully Ray talked down on Austin Aries. He said he was sick and tired of Aries bullying him around, and that he was going to take care of him.

An ad aired for an update of James Storm later in the night, the final confrontation between Matt Morgan and Crimson, and a match between Brooke Tessmacher and Velvet Sky.

[Q2] An ad aired for tonight’s fatal four-way main event.

Backstage, Gail Kim was venting to Madison Rayne about losing to Tessmacher. Rayne seemed despondent, and when Kim asked her what was up, she said her mind was on a guy, but that she did not want to talk about it. Kim said she had to go watch Tessmacher’s match.

1 -- VELVET SKY vs. BROOKE TESSMACHER

The match started with Sky taunting Tessmacher using her rear end, which Tenay called “the dancing cheeks,” ugh. Tessmacher hit Sky with a monkey flip, but was thrown to the mat for a two count when she failed a second attempt. Tessmacher came back with a dropkick, and gave Sky the Stink Face in the corner. Tessmacher missed an attack in the corner, which allowed Sky to get a two count after a bulldog.

Tessmacher tried to sneak in a pinfall with a small package, but only a got a two count. She then hit Sky with a facebuster for the pin.

WINNER: Brooke Tessmacher via pinfall at 3:42

Turner Reax: The match was rather sloppy without Kim in there to pick up the slack for them.

Kim came out and hit Tessmacher with the Knockouts Title. She proceeded to hit her with Eat Defeat, and taunted her.

A teaser video aired for the update on James Storm. The video teased Storm losing his mojo, and being deeply affected by it. They also hyped the match between Crimson and Morgan.

[Commercial Break]

A.J. Styles was shown arriving to the Impact Zone and was questioned about the secret Daniels is hanging over his head. Styles got defensive and said the only thing he was concerned about was his match with Kurt Angle at Sacrifice.

[Q3] Crimson was the first out to the ring for his match against Morgan. Morgan was next, but before he could make it into the ring Ray attacked him from behind. He nailed Morgan with a chair, and looked into the camera to tell Aries that that would be him. A stretcher was brought to ringside as the show cut to commercials.

Turner Reax: To be honest, I was tired of seeing of Morgan lose to Crimson anyway. I’m not sold on Crimson and his undefeated streak so this was a good way to spare Morgan a loss, and put heat on Ray.

[Commercial Break]

The show came back to footage of Morgan being stretchered to the back while being antagonized by Ray. In the ring, Crimson mocked Morgan’s aspirations of being the first person to beat him. He told the referee to count to ten to allow Morgan to come back out and try to fight Crimson. The referee counted to ten, and Crimson gloated over his “victory.”

Another ad aired tonight’s fatal four-way main event, followed by a video package highlighting RVD, and hype for Aries defending the X Division Title after the break.

[Commercial Break]

[Q4]

2 -- X Division champion AUSTIN ARIES vs. ZEMA ION -- X Division Title match

As the match started, Ion used his hair spray to groom himself, which led to Aries putting him in a headlock to rough up his hair. Aries and Ion exchanged some high-risk moves with Aries diving to the outside from the top rope, followed up by Ion flipping over the top rope to the outside.

The high-risk continued with Aries nailing Ion with a diving elbow through the ropes to the outside. He threw him back into the ring and hit a springboard elbow drop for a two count. Ion tried to counter with a huracanrana off the top rope, but Aries held on and countered with a dropkick. He hit another dropkick in the corner, and followed up with a brainbuster for the pin.

WINNER: Austin Aries via pinfall at 4:17 to retain the X Division Title.

Turner Reax: These two put together a good television match as Aries continues to be the recurring Thursday night highlight for this viewer. I will say though, that spill Ion took after the failed huracanrana attempt had me worried for a second.

Daniels and Kazarian were shown backstage en route to the ring. Kazarian seemed to have second thoughts about revealing Styles’s secret. Daniels reassured him that this was the right thing to do, and that Styles was no longer their friend.

[Commercial Break]

A video recapped the brawl that led to tonight’s fatal four-way main event.

Backstage, RVD talked about tonight’s main event and seemed to show no concern over losing his number one contender’s spot. He said that if he won, the stipulation he would add to the match would be to make it a ladder match.

[Q5] A video package recapped the drama between Daniels, Kazarian, and Styles.

Daniels, with Kazarian, was in the ring and said that he was going to give Styles one last chance to tell everyone his secret before he did. He called for Styles to come out, and when it seemed like he wasn’t going to Daniels took to the mic, but before he could finish Styles came out. He said that he didn’t know what Daniels and Kazarian thought they had over him, but that it had to stop.

Kazarian said that at first he was protecting Styles, but that when he found out his secret he didn’t know why he was protecting him. Daniels revealed a picture of Styles with Dixie Carter, but Styles played it off like it was nothing. Daniels showed another picture with Styles face-to-face with Carter, with hands around her face. He had one more picture of Styles and Carter in a deep embrace which left Styles looking flabbergasted as the show went to commercial break.

Turner Reax: I couldn’t tell if in that last picture if A.J. was kissing up on Carter’s neck, but if he was then that’s a pretty juicy secret that Kazarian and Daniels have been holding over his head. If it was just a hug, I imagine it will play out in a way that Styles was consoling Carter about something.

[Commercial Break]

A video recapped the in-ring drama that occurred between Daniels, Styles, and Kazarian before the break.

Robbie E. came out with Robbie T. for his match against Devon. Before the match could start, Devon rushed to the ring and laid out both Robbie E. and Robbie T. The referee eventually rang the bell.

[Q6]

3 -- TNA Television Champion DEVON vs. ROBBIE E. (w/Robbie T.) - TV Title match

Devon continued to beat on Robbie E. and Robbie T. all over the ring and ringside. Devon hit a spinebuster on Robbie E. for the pin.

WINNER: Devon via pinfall at 1:13 to retain the TNA Television Title

After the match, Robbie T. snuck up on Devon and hit him powerslam, and handed the belt to Robbie E., who gloated with it for a little before leaving it in the ring with Devon.

A video highlighted Storm’s promo from after Lockdown where he began to doubt himself before a video package aired that furthered the idea of Storm doubting himself. He said that if wrestling was in the cards for him that it would happen, but that now he needed time to himself. He said he was second guessing himself about whether or not he wanted to be a wrestler because he couldn’t get the job done against Roode at Lockdown. Storm ended by recalling the saying “home is where the heart is,” and if that if he was going to return to wrestling he would find out at home.

Joseph Park was shown backstage asking a ring crew member how to get to the ring. He made his way to the ring as the show cut to commercials.

[Commercial Break]

Devon expressed his disdain for Robbie E. and Robbie T. and laid out a challenge at Sacrifice and said he would spinebuster both of them.

Turner Reax: Hey, at least it was better than just throwing the match out there on the day of the show with no build-up at all, right?...right?

A stylized video package aired for Joseph Park’s search for his brother, Abyss.

Park came out to the ring as the crowd chanted, “Where’s Abyss?” He seemed mesmerized by the Impact Zone, and thanked Hogan for allowing him to come out to address to crowd. He said the one common thread he had found through all of his investigation led back to Bully Ray.

[Q7] Park teased buying a ticket to Sacrifice to confront Ray, but was cut off by the man himself. Ray told Park that he was not in a courthouse, but rather a wrestling ring, and that he had no business being in a wrestling ring. Park asked Ray to calm down, and then reminded him that in Abyss’s last match he beat Ray. The crowd began to chant, “You’re a loser,” and Park played it up a little. He recalled a few more of Ray’s shortcomings in the past weeks, and the asked him how the bullying thing was working out for him. Ray shoved Parks to the floor and left, as Parks stared on in amusement.

Turner Reax: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really enjoyed Abyss’s mic work tonight. It’s a fresh take for him, and he wasn’t playing that annoying neurotic character he goes back to every so often. Of course, it’s not hard to shine opposite of Ray, but I have to admit I’m intrigued.

The backstage camera caught up with Mr. Anderson and said that he planned to fight Hardy at Sacrifice, but that if he wins tonight that Hardy would be put off the to side so he could win his title back.

[Commercial Break]

In accordance with the upcoming Slammiversary PPV, a video recapping some of TNA’s bigger moments highlighted Hogan’s TNA debut.

Backstage, Angle said Styles needs to worry about their match at Sacrifice, before the allegations being brought forth by Daniels and Kazarian

Yet another RVD video package aired concerning his match with Roode at Sacrifice.

Turner Reax: Just wanted to say it’s worth noting that during the commercial break, MMA fighter Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal called out Bobby Roode, calling him the “s*** factor.”

[Q8]

4 -- TNA World Heavyweight champion BOBBY ROODE vs. ROB VAN DAM vs. MR. ANDERSON vs. JEFF HARDY - non-title fatal four-way match

To start the match, all three faces took turns stomping on Roode in the corner. Eventually Hardy and Anderson focused on each other, but the focus boiled back down to Roode. He was able to overcome the numbers game sending RVD and Anderson to the outside. Roode duked it out with Hardy for a bit, and dodged a Whisper in the Wind as the show went commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

Roode and Hardy were still going at it as the show came back from the break. Hardy switched his attention to RVD and tried to hit him a dive off the ring apron to the outside, but it looked like he missed for a sick landing on the guardrail. In the ring Anderson nailed Roode with a swinging neckbreaker for a pin attempt, but it was broken up by RVD. Roode caught RVD with a spinebuster out of a Rolling Thunder attempt, but only got a two count. Hardy got back into the match with a Whisper in the Wind for a two count on RVD. Roode tried to capitalize, but was met with a bevy of finishers from the other wrestlers, with RVD getting the pin on Roode.

WINNER: Rob Van Dam via pinfall at 9:31.

RVD pulled out a ladder and sat at the top while doing the thumb pointing motion. A loud pyro blast came from the stage as bells began to ring. Abyss came out and warned his brother that he was getting to close to the fire, and then headed to the back as the show ended.

Turner Reax: That was a good, star-packed match to close out tonight’s Impact. The match followed the pace of the rest of the show, fast paced and all over the place. That being said, that pace did not necessarily lend itself to the appeal of tonight’s show. As much as I like Bully Ray’s TNA work, he was just on the screen too much tonight. There was some good wrestling on tonight’s show, but I can barely piece together what happened.

I would talk about the return of Abyss, who even with the weeks of build up with his brother felt like he came back too soon, but rather I would like to talk about King Mo. The way TNA handled the announcement of his entrance to the company was interesting. The cross-hype between Spike’s two combat sport shows, the Bobby Roode tease, and just the volatile personality that is King Mo has to count for something to TNA. I look forward to seeing where this goes. Thanks again for reading and see you next week.

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