TNA Impact Results
March 20, 2014
Taped 3/14 in Orlando, Fla.
Aired on Spike TV
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Impact opened with a backstage shot of a brawl. Eric Young and ODB were ganging up on goofy-looking Abyss, who looked like one of those old-school baseball catchers wearing a helmet without a bill under the catcher mask. Abyss eventually got the best of EY and slowly, methodically, worked him over as ODB shouted off-camera for security. No one showed up, then EY landed a few body shots. Abyss cut him off, then the fight eventually moved from the back into the arena.

Now in the Impact Zone, EY pounded Abyss with a chain wrapped around his fist. Abyss fought back as Mike Tenay and Taz noted they will be ringside tonight for the TNA World Title match between Magnus and Samoa Joe. The fight continued with Abyss introducing weapons into the ring as EY recovered against the ropes. Abyss then face-planted EY into the seat of an unfolded chair. He followed by trying to choke the life out of Young before grunting toward the crowd. Meanwhile, Taz tried to figure out the whole "Joseph Park/Abyss" thing while the crowd taunted Abyss with a "Joseph" chant.

Still no security or authority figure to take back control of the show as the Abyss-EY fight continued in the ring. Abyss eventually used a Black Hole Slam wrestling move to subdue EY. And, another choke-out attempt. Abyss tried to break his back along with choking him out as the audience sat quietly. The crowd then picked up a "Joe, Joe" chant. Abyss continued to choke out EY, then TNA abruptly cut to a video replay of the brawl. Suddenly, ODB was in the ring checking on EY.

Suddenly, TNA cut to Ethan Carter III's music playing for a follow-up segment unrelated to the show-opening brawl. ECIII came down to the ring, which no longer contained EY, Abyss, and ODB. Carter posed in the ring, then Bobby Lashley's music played. Lashley emerged on-stage, removed his gear, and posed before TNA cut to break.

[Commercial Break at 9:12]

[Q2]

1 -- ETHAN CARTER III vs. BOBBY LASHLEY

Impact returned from break with the bell sounding for Lashley's Impact TV return match. Lashley delivered a big back-elbow smash, then snapped off a delayed vertical suplex. Carter slid out of the ring for a breather, which Lashley took the bait on. ECIII lit up Lashley with a chop to the chest, then rolled him back into the ring. Carter continued to assault Lashley as Taz noted ECIII took out Sting a while ago and they haven't seen Sting since then.

Lashley made a comeback with a corner attack, then ECIII nearly collided with referee Brian Hebner. Lashley took the bait on ECIII purposefully maintaining contact with the ref, allowing Carter to mule-kick Lashley out of the ref's view. ECIII started to bail from the match, but Jeff Hardy/Willow attacked ECIII from behind. The ref called for the bell, but no decision was announced.

Post-match: Hardy pulled out a ladder from under the ring. After jamming Carter face-first into the ring steps, Hardy pulled out a chair and set up ECIII for an ankle attack. Hardy assaulted Carter some more, then climbed to the top of the ladder, but Carter slid underneath the ladder and dragged himself up the entrance ramp to the stage area. Hardy sat patiently on the ladder waiting to get his hands on ECIII.

WINNER: ECIII via DQ/Match thrown out? at 5:30.

Earlier Today: Bully Ray was called to a meeting with TNA president Dixie Carter in Nashville. Ray talked to an office camera that Dixie is making him wait. He said he'll wait all day long because he has something to say to her.

Backstage: Back to Orlando, where Samoa Joe walked into MVP's office. Joe said he's frustrated because of what MVP let happen at Lockdown. And, because Eric Young is on the way to hospital right now when he's supposed to be his insurance policy in the TNA Title match tonight. MVP tried to ensure Joe that everything will be fine by vowing to find someone to replace EY. Joe was not satisfied with his customer service and told MVP that every time he tries to fix things, it gets worse. Grumpy Joe stomped off and MVP sighed.

Backstage: Angelina Love said it's time to find out where Velvet Sky stands on a Beautiful People reunion.

[Commercial Break at 9:26]

[Q3] Locker Room: ECIII burst into Magnus's dressing room to complain about Magnus not being there for him earlier. ECIII calmed down and sincerely said Magnus is ... "an ass." Magnus laughed at Carter's plight getting beat up by a "clown" (Jeff Hardy/Willow). ECIII said their business relationship is over, which Magnus also laughed at. Magnus said he doesn't care about ECIII's family anymore, because he used "auntie" Dixie to get what he wants. Now all he needs is Abyss. ECIII sneered and walked off.

In-ring: Gunner was introduced to the ring dressed in street clothes. Gunner said he wants to take this time to say that he is proud that he beat one of the toughest men in this company at Lockdown. He's also proud that he served his country. Gunner said that as a Marine, he was trained to never give up and fight for what you want. He thanked his dad, who was sitting in the front row. Gunner said he plans to be World champ one day, then left the ring to hug his pops.

Suddenly, James Storm's new heel music interrupted. Storm said he hates to break up this little family reunion, but he finds it kind of rude that Gunner brought his dad here without introducing him. Storm took credit for making Gunner a star, then introduced himself to Gunner's dad. Storm said he knows who Gunner's dad is because he was the guy who cried during the video package before Lockdown.

Storm said he's sure right now that Gunner's dad's dad is looking down from Heaven and glad that he is dead so that he doesn't have to live to see his son and grandson become huge disappointments. Gunner had enough and punched Storm. But, Storm answered with a superkick to the mouth. Storm then handcuffed Gunner to the ring and grabbed Gunner's dad. Storm pulled Gunner's dad through the barricade to the ringside area and taunted him. Then, he picked up a beer bottle and smashed it over Gunner's dad's head. "Are you kidding me?" Tenay angrily asked. TNA replayed the bottle shot a few times, including a slow-motion shot of Gunner's dad collapsing to the ground. Storm left the ringside area as Gunner remained handcuffed to the ropes.

Backstage: Gail Kim talked to a camera about being the benchmark for the Knockouts division. Now, Lei'D Tapa thinks she is special. Gail vowed to end Tapa tonight.

[Commercial Break at 9:40]

Backstage: TNA tag champs Bro-Mans and D.J. Zema were shown arriving at the building. The trio approached X champ Sanada and Tigre Uno in the locker room to try to talk them up. The goal was to get them on the same page for the three-team Tag Title match later in the show. The heels noted they speak "Lucha Libre" and "Strong Style," but Sanada and Tigre didn't buy their act.

[Q4] In-ring: Back in the arena, Lei'D Tapa was standing by. Gail Kim then came out to approach her former associate.

2 -- GAIL KIM vs. LEI'D TAPA

Gail tried to intimidate Tapa early on, but Tapa was having none of it. Tapa dominated Gail, but she couldn't put her away. Gail then caught Tapa with Eat Defeat to secure a three count for the win. She made sure to taunt Tapa on the way out of the ring.

WINNER: Gail at 4:03. So, is that it for Tapa? The crowd didn't have much reason to get behind Tapa and she took a relatively clean loss to Gail in one of her first big TV matches. Hard to recover from that.

Up Next: Angelina Love confronts Velvet Sky.

[Commercial Break at 9:53]

Somewhere: MVP was looking for Jeff Hardy/Willow. MVP told Hardy he can have his match against ECIII if he wants it. Hardy, as Willow, sounded like a Green Day song shouting about politics, agendas, and other evils of the world. Willow said he is a loner and none of the issues involve him. Hardy vowed to strike when it's his time. His voice intentionally cracked talking about embracing the confusion. Hardy walked off, leaving MVP to figure out what mess he got himself into.

Beautiful People Reunion

In-ring: Angelina Love came to the ring for the top-of-the-hour segment. Love said it's been an entire week and she hasn't heard anything from Velvet Sky. She asked Velvet to come down to the ring and give her an answer on a Beautiful People reunion.

[Q5 -- second hour] Velvet came down to the ring to continue last week's conversation. Velvet revisited last week's talking points about Angelina teaching her things and believing in her when not many did. But, there were also the bad times when she felt completely subservient to Angelina. Angelina brushed that off, saying she was just trying to be the veteran of the group. "If that hurt you in any way, I'm sorry," she said, trying to sound sincere.

Angelina said "one" is a lonely number in this business, so they need to have each other's backs. Angelina tried to get the crowd behind her request, but Velvet remained unsure. She noted she's been through a lot recently with Chris Sabin, then changed her tone and declared that the Beautiful People are back in full effect. Their music played, then Angelina cut off the music and said they are missing a third piece to the puzzle. "Sit down, Mike," Taz said on commentary.

Angelina called out Madison Rayne, which brought out the Knockouts champion to join the conversation. Madison forced a smile on the way to the ring, selling that she wasn't so sure about this development. On the mic, Angelina put Madison at the end of the list of the BPs, which insulted Madison. Angelina said she was just paying her dues back in the day. Madison reminded Angelina that she is the Knockouts champion, so as much as she appreciates the offer, she is not interested in a reunion. "I'm out," Madison said. The KO champ left, Angelina sold being insulted, and Velvet sold being confused.

Backstage: The roving cameraman approached Magnus about his TNA Title defense tonight. Magnus said all he cares about his is business partner, Abyss. Suddenly, Samoa Joe entered the interview to explain to Magnus what's going to happen tonight. Joe vowed to tap him out, then stomped off in a grumpy mood.

In-ring: D.J. Zema was ringside to introduce the TNA Tag champs for a three-team title defense. After Bro-Mans made their way to the ring, X champ Sanada and Tigre Uno were introduced as the first challengers. Bro-Mans tried to complete the deal from the locker room area earlier, but the challengers replied, "No." A brawl broke out, then Bro-Mans tried to bail, but the Wolves's music played to bring out the second challengers. The Wolves attacked the tag champs on the ramp, then took the fight into the ring.

3 -- TNA tag champs BRO-MANS (ROBBIE E. & JESSIE) vs. THE WOLVES (DAVEY RICHARDS & EDDIE EDWARDS) vs. X Division champion SANADA & TIGRE UNO -- three-team match for the TNA Tag Titles

The bell sounded and Impact cut to break.

[Commercial Break at 10:11]

[Q6] Back from break, the Wolves were in control of the match as the announcers played up the idea of the tag champs in major jeopardy in this match. D.J. Zema tried to help out by repeatedly playing the horn at his d.j. booth. That didn't work, so D.J. grabbed Sanada's X Title and tried to snap a photo with it, which distracted Sanada. This allowed the Wolves to almost pin Tigre, put the Bro-Mans broke up the pin. Bro-Mans followed with a combination Bro-Down on Tigre for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Bro-Mans (w/an assist from D.J.) at 9:48 to retain the TNA Tag Titles.

Make-up Room: Angelina Love was distraught over Madison Rayne turning them down. Velvet Sky tried to calm down Angelina, who said she's not the same person that Madison thinks she is. Velvet told Angelina to talk to her one-on-one without the cameras and make it right.

[Commercial Break at 10:22]

Vignette: Kenny King is the King of the Night.

Backstage: Cameras followed Angelina Love to a follow-up conversation with Madison Rayne. What's the difference between the in-ring conversation and this conversation in front of the same TV audience? Angelina gave Madison a speech about the three of them getting back together as an equal group. Madison paused and said she'll think about it. Hug. Suddenly, Angelina smashed Velvet into a locker. Angelina continued the assault, then shouted down at her to never disrespect her again. Madison gasped for air after Angelina walked off.

Backstage: MVP told Samoa Joe that he will fix things tonight by chaining himself to Abyss. MVP said he wants to lead by example like a boss should. So, all Joe needs to worry about his capturing the TNA World Title.

[Q7] Video Package: Knux is back. The vignette showed Knux hanging out with a woman in a previous season of his life. He talked about his dad wanting him to runt he family business, but he wanted to be a wrestler. Now he's looking to reconcile with his dad. Knux seemed despondent over having to have this conversation. Where does the Aces & Eights business fit into this?

Still to come: Dixie Carter and Bully Ray had a conversation at TNA HQ.

[Commercial Break at 10:32]

Earlier Today: Bully Ray walked into Dixie Carter's office. No sign of Dixie as Ray talked to himself about no one liking Dixie. Ray said no one likes her. No one. "Wrestling fans despise you," he said, continuing to pace the room. Ray said Dixie doesn't like her, either, because she couldn't control him. Ray noted that Dixie came to his house in New York City to offer him a substantial amount of money to ensure Bobby Roode won at Lockdown. But, he made a decision when Mr. Anderson put him in a coffin that he didn't want to go out that way. Still no sign of Dixie in the room.

Ray said he did what he did at Lockdown because he doesn't respect her. "You're a nobody in my industry," he said. Ray said he's not going to sit here and talk to the back of Dixie's chair any longer. Ray spun the chair around to reveal it was empty. Bobby Roode then attacked Bully from behind. Roode said he's not going to let Bully screw him over. "You screwed the wrong man!" he said. Roode shouted at Bully that Dixie didn't invite him to the offices; he did.

Backstage: Magnus talked to Abyss, who said he has something real special for tonight's TNA Title match.

In-ring: Christy Hemme (hey, where's Sam Shaw?) was standing by to introduce Samoa Joe first for the main event.

[Commercial Break at 10:40]

[Q8] Earlier Tonight: James Storm attacked Gunner and Gunner's dad. Therefore, it's Gunner vs. Storm in a Lockdown re-match next week.

In-ring: TNA World champ Magnus was introduced to the ring. Magnus was flanked by Abyss, who looked less goofy in this segment. Still goofy, but not as goofy-looking as last week and earlier in the show. Before the bell sounded, Abyss and MVP were chained to each other ringside.

4 -- TNA World champion MAGNUS (w/Abyss) vs. SAMOA JOE (w/MVP) -- TNA World Title match

Joe sold abdominal injuries early on, prompting the announcers to speculate on whether Joe has recovered from injuries at Lockdown. Magnus targeted the mid-section to test Joe's health, which allowed him to control the pace of the action. Joe fired back with rapid-fire jabs, then a corner smash, but he winced in pain. Joe rocked Magnus again before Impact cut to break.

[Commercial Break at 10:51]

Back from break, Joe lit up Magnus with a chop to the chest. Magnus absorbed, then went back to attacking the mid-section. "Let's Go Joe!" the crowd chanted. Joe fought back, but lost control moments later. Joe came back with a rear-naked choke, the ref got way too close to the action, Joe's arm flailed backward, and ref Brian Hebner bumped himself across the ring.

This was the cue for MVP and Abyss to battle ringside. MVP thought he subdued Abyss, but Abyss smashed him from behind with a chair that he dragged out from under the ring. Joe then tried a suicide dive to Abyss, but Abyss kind of nicked him with the chair to block. Magnus then covered Joe, ref Hebner woke himself up, and a three count was rendered. On commentary, Tenay and Taz said they think MVP had the best intentions here, but it back-fired on Joe again. The show wrapped with Magnus escaping with the title belt by the skin of his teeth.

WINNER: Magnus at 11:38 to retain the TNA World Title. Another silly title match finish to follow up on Lockdown. It's not even "getting heat on the heels," just minor-league, especially with the ref bumping himself to set up the finish. The overall execution distracted from one of the other main stories here - Joe getting frustrated with MVP's scenarios back-firing.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a much better show than last week's off-the-rails offering, until the main event.

Alert: We're looking for your 0-10 score and comments on this show for an "Impact Reax" feature on PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Impact, email to pwtorch@gmail.com.

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