WRESTLING 101

Given the way Aces and Eights has dominated ‘Impact’ as of late, it seemed safe to assume that TNA would focus its efforts on moving that storyline forward, in addition to the Bound for Glory Series. So, while it may not be their 1000^th episode, its been proven that they can put on a good two-hour wrestling show in the past, perhaps they could do it again.

That suspicion proved valid, as Sting was the first out of the gate, announcing himself as the GM for the night because Hulk Hogan is home with his injuries. Kurt Angle and Austin Aries joined him. Bobby Roode came out and accused James Storm of being behind the attacks, which, as one might imagine, started a brawl between the two. Roode decided to leave, refusing to drop the accusations. They hyped Chavo Guerrero’s debut.

In Knockout’s action, Mickie James and Tara – previously known as Victoria – took on Madison Rayne and Gail Kim. There were some nice maneuvers in this one (although way too many clotheslines) a brisk pace. After a Mickie James roll-up, Earl Hebner claimed that her shoulders were down and gave the victory to Rayne. Remember, she kissed him three weeks back.

Backstage, Sting order Aries to make some cuts in the X-Division. In the ring, Sam Shaw got his Gut Check opportunity against Douglas Williams. During the match, someone in the audience – Joey Ryan – punched Al Snow, distracting Shaw for a bit and eventually leading to Williams winning. Aries’s job revolved around deciding a number one contender, so he had a room full of people shouting at him.

Chavo Guerrero cut his debut promo, and while it’s good to see him get treated with some respect, WWE buried him for so long, it’s kind of hard to think of him as a big deal. Kid Kash and Gunner interrupted him – Kash isn’t much on the mic – before a fight broke out and Hernandez joined Chavo to fight off the duo.

Next up was AJ Styles vs. James Storm in the BFG Series. This was a good match, though they worked a slow pace and it was obvious that both were holding back a bit. In any case, Aces and Eights caused a No Contest after Styles hit a Pele’ kick. Each received two points. Oddly enough, they didn’t attack Storm. To wrap up the Gut Check segment, Tazz and Bruce Pritchard voted “yes”, meaning that Sam Shaw is now on the active roster.

Aries narrowed down his choice to Kenny King, so he fought Zema Ion for the X-Division strap. Some names. But man, these guys have some flashy moves. Oddly enough, Bobby Roode came down and cost King the match, handing it to Ion. Good match, though. Aries chased Roode off. For the main event, it was Kurt Angle vs. Bully Ray. Ray hit a Piledriver early on that set the stage, but when Angle got back into it, this match took off. Angle couldn't put him away with an Angle Slam and then missed a Moonsault. A second Angle Slam got him the win, though. Great match with a weak ending. Aces and Eights jumped Angle, but Styles, Aries, and Sting arrived as the cavalry. When Storm showed up, the group just left. The show went off the air with Angle and Aries grilling Storm.

The Aces and Eights story isn't original at all, but that's okay – no one's asking TNA to re-invent the wheel, necessarily. Each episode of 'Impact' tells a story that starts at the beginning and then builds to a logical conclusion by the end. That's saying a lot in wrestling, these days. This was a solid episode, and it's nice that they are willing to let their performers and go out and just… wrestle.

Tags: Bobby Roode, Hulk Hogan, Impact, Kurt Angle, Sting, TNA, Wrestling

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