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We start the show with Dixie Carter entering the building with Adam "Pacman" Jones and taling about how happy she is to have him back after so long, but she runs into Ken Anderson on the way in. Dixie says she doesn't want any trouble, and Anderson says he won't do any run ins or anything crazy, he just wants to get his hands on Bully. Dixie says it's okay under those conditions, then introduces Anderson to Pacman and then excuses herself because she and Pacman have some business to take care of.
We go to the video hyping the first matches in the TNA World Title tournament, which begins tonight when Jeff Hardy faces Chris Sabin in Full Metal Mayhem. Pacman and one of his football teammates are at ringside as the entire Main Event Mafia, including Kurt Angle, come out to the ring for our show opening promo. Sting says he reformed the MEM to get the title off of Bully Ray and keep Aces & Eights at bay, and they can stand here five months later and say mission accomplished. With that in mind, they're here to announce that they're putting the Main Event Mafia back on the shelf because they've all got their own issues to deal with now. Magnus seized the opportunity and eliminated him to get into the tournament, and all three of his teammates have the chance to seize the moment and regain the TNA World Title. With that in mind, Sting is now on his way to deal with people who think the business owe them something and think they should come in on top without having to pay their dues. He wasn't taught that way because he has respect for the business, especially the ones who came before him. He hugs Angle and Joe and tells them he loves them, but gives Magnus a half hug and pats him on the chest and leaves without saying he loves him. Joe gets the mic and says he's had Angle and Magnus' backs for the last few months, but he hasn't been a champion for far too long, and unfortunately, the road to the title lies through Magnus and Angle. They're great friends, but he's ready to remind them why they make better enemies. Now Joe leaves and Magnus gets the mic, and he tells Angle that he's on a road to redemption and he applauds him for that because he is undoubtedly the greatest of all time, but his road to redemption happens to also be Magnus' road to destiny, and while he loves him like a brother, he wants to tell him to his face that after he goes through Joe, if he has to, he'll mow Angle down because he has one thing on his mind: the TNA World Title. For the first time in his career, he intends to become the heavyweight champion of the world. He hands the mic to Angle and walks off, and Angle says it's been an honor to run with those guys, but they're right that it's time to go their own ways and concentrate on regaining the TNA World Title. He suffered a setback last week when he wrestled against doctor's orders, but he talked ot his personal doctor and he had some great news.
Bobby Roode comes out to interrupt before Angle can continue and says he's embarrassed for Angle making one excuse after another. He tells Angle to be a man and admit that he lost twice, back to back, to the It Factor. Roode tells Angle to move on like he's moving on, because Roode's in the tournament too and, if Angle makes it to the finals, he'll have no problem kicking Angle's ass for a third time. Angle stares a hole through Roode's skull for a moment before saying that he has Austin Aries in the first round, but that he does expect to see Roode in the finals, and when that happens, his ass is Angle's. Then again, he says that maybe he doesn't feel like waiting until then to kick his ass, and he attacks Roode and pounds on him until security runs out to separate them. They break free and charge each other again, and Angle spears Roode to the mat and continues pounding on him as we go to commercial.
We're back from commercial and Angle is sitting in a chair in the ring and says he can wait all night and will do just that until Bobby Roode comes back out to fight him like a man, and indeed Roode comes charging back out and they start brawling again on the rampway and around ringside as TNA officials and security come back out to break them up again. Angle is finally herded up the ramp and away from Roode, but Angle breaks back through and attacks Roode again, forcing the mob of enforcer types to run out and separate them yet again. Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian run out to hold Roode back while Samoa Joe and Brutus Magnus hold Angle back, but both men STILL manage to get through and go after each other yet again. Angle is pulled out of the ring and his music starts playing, which lets me know that they've finally been broken up for good since the Seventh Commendment of Professional Wrestling says "Thou Shalt Not Engage In Physical Conflict Whilst Thy Entrance Music Is Playing".
Daniels and Kazarian get in Pacman Jones and the other football player's faces on their way out of the ring, and this leads to a brawl breaking out in the ring with the football players double bodyslamming Bad Influence and sending them running for the hills.
We look back at earlier today when Jeff Hardy and Chris Sabin arrived at the building, and they'll face off later tonight in a Full Metal Mayhem match to determine who advances in the TNA World Title Tournament!
Also, ODB, Brooke, and Velvet Sky are backstage, and they're...WALKING!
Knux and Garett Bischoff are backstage being quizzed by the Mystery Cameraman about the state of Aces & Eights, and they say that club business is none of his concern. Ken Anderson pops out and tells them that he's not there to start a fight, he just wants a match with Bully Ray and says that what they did taking his colors was the best thing that ever happened to him and that they ought to think about that because this isn't what they started.
ODB vs Brooke vs Velvet Sky
Brooke starts off by twerking at the crowd, followed by Velvet letting the pigeons loose, and then ODB bowls over Brooks with BAM, dumps both Velvet and Brooke in the corner, and gives them a double Bronco Buster. ODB picks Velvet up for a fallaway slam, but Brooke rolls her up for 2 before ramming Velvet into her to knock ODB out to the floor. Velvet begins firing back on Brooke and hits a running neckbreaker for 2, and ODB is back in to regain control, powerslamming Velvet before losing control just as quickly to a rolling neckbreaker from Brooke. Brooke goes to the top rope and hits a flying elbow, but seems to have hurt her elbow on the way down. Gail Kim comes strolling out to ringside with Lei'D Tapa as we go to commercial.
We're back as ODB and Velvet are working Brooke over and put her in a double Boston crab. They release the hold to attack each other and exchange chops before ODB lays both Velvet and Brooke out and goes out to the floor to get in Tapa's face. Brooke cheapshots ODB from behind, but Velvet does the same to Brooke and then rolls both opponents into the ring to try covers on both girls. Neither is successful, and Brooke lays Velvet out with a clothesline before going to the top. She takes her time, but still takes both Velvet and ODB out with a flying crossbody. Gail and Tapa get on the ring apron as Velvet and Brooke go at it, and Velvet sets up for In Your Face when Gail comes in and attacks her to cause a DQ.
NO CONTEST
Gail gives Velvet Eat DaFeet as Tapa gives Brooke the TKO Stunner, then ODB goes after Tapa and gets a couple of shots in before Tapa hits a shot to the throat and gives ODB the TKO Stunner as well. Gail says she's beaten everybody and has no competition left in the division, and with Lei'D Tapa at her side, she's unstoppable. She declares that as of right now, she will issue a challenge to any female wrestler outside this company who thinks they can beat her, and will give anyone who can beat the first ever, longest reigning, and greatest Knockouts Champion of all time a title shot.
We see a video package "paid for by Friends of AJ" that shows AJ taking his version of the TNA World Title on the road and defending it in AAA, the biggest wrestling promotion in Mexico.
Garett Bischoff and Knux are in the clubhouse drinking beer and Garett says maybe he's right, but Bully comes in and says he knows about their little conversation with Anderson and reminds them that he brought the club together for "us". Garett says it hasn't been about "us" for a long time, and that there hasn't been a club vote for a long time. Bully says they vote all the time, but Knux says they haven't been votes because it's just Bully making decisions. Bully gets in Knux's face and Garett tries to separate them, but Knux says he's sick of this and the three of them are having a vote tonight. Knux storms off and Bubba grabs Garett by the cut and tells him he better vote the right way before shoving him away and looking tense.
Dixie Carter is backstage on the phone yelling at someone to fix some problem with someone who's trying to humiliate them when Ethan Carter III comes in. Dixie is happy to see her nephew, but says they need to change their gameplan and that Ethan has to choose his own opponent. Ethan thought it would be easy as her nephew, but she put him in the ring with two world class athletes, and he has a feeling his streak is ending tonight. Dixie says that can't happen because they're Carters and the world needs them, and she sends Ethan on his way while she stresses over whoever is trying to ruin her this week.
Garett Bischoff and Knux are in the ring and Garett says they're having a vote to decide the future of Aces & Eights, and Garett asks Taz to join them in the ring before asking Bully Ray to come out as well. Bully comes out and asks the fans if they know who he is, but Garett takes the microphone out of his hand and says they all know who he is, because he's the poison who has torn the club apart. It's been about Bubba and his ego since day one, and whether he likes it or not, the vote is happening right now. Before the vote happens, Ken Anderson's music hits and he comes out to ringside to share his thoughts with his former brothers. He says not to mind him because he's just out htere to observe the vote, and Garett tells Bubba that his vote is that he's finished. Garett takes his cut off and hangs it on the cornerpost, so Bubba goes to Knux, his final remaining Aces & Eights partner, and says he could rely on him since day one and to move on without Garett, but Knux says he doesn't need the club or these colors, and he takes his cut off and hangs it on another cornerpost. Bubba looks disgusted and says that's fine because they're going to have themselves a tie. Garett and Knux want out, but in the event of a tie, it goes in favor of the President, and he votes to keep the club together because it's his club and his invention, and since Taz is his best friend in the whole world, we know exactly how he's going to vote. Oh, I bet we don't. Bubba says that unlike them, Taz knows how to do what his President tells him to do, and he hands Taz the microphone. Taz tells Bubba that he needs to pump the brakes a little bit because they did the right thing their entire careers, and Bubba knows the club has gone wrong because they've been rolling on his own agenda for too long. Garett and Knux are right, Anderson's right, and he's done as well. Taz takes his cut off and holds it out to Bubba, and Bubba gets right in his face and tells Taz to put his colors back on. Taz looks Bubba in the face and says to make him, and Knux and Garett step out of the ring as Taz stares Bubba down. Bubba turns his hat around and tells Taz that he's going to say it one more time, and that Taz better fall in line before he falls on his face: PUT YOUR COLORS BACK ON. Taz says to make him because he will destroy Bubba and to make ihm put them back on. Bubba tells Anderson this is his fault and that he ruined everything, and Anderson asks if he has any more lemmings around to do his bidding. He says that at Turning Point on November 21st, he doesn't just want to wrestle Bubba, he wants to fight his ass in a No DQ match. Bubba calls Anderson an ungrateful son of a bitch and says he's hated him since day one, but there's one thing he never understood about him: for a guy who respects Stone Cold Steve Austin since day one, he forgot a very important rule. Garett Bischoff and Knux suddenly run back down and jump Anderson, beat him down, and dump him back into the ring with Bubba and Taz, who has his cut back on. Knux comes in and boots Anderson's face off, then Bully finishes his thought: "Don't trust anybody" before whipping Anderson unconscious with his chain. He says again that when you ride with Aces & Eights, you never walk alone. Hey, I'll give it to them, they had me fooled!
Chris Sabin is backstage getting himself mentally prepared for his match later tonight with Jeff Hardy, then we go out to ringside where Mike Tenay asks Taz what he's so proud of as Taz laughs it up. Their conversation is interrupted by Bobby Roode coming out and telling Kurt Angle to come back out because he's gonna kick his ass. The lights go out as Roode goes running off looking for Angle, and Ethan Carter III's music hits to lead us into our next match...
Ethan Carter III vs Dewey Barnes
EC3 easily controls Barnes off a tieup and manhandles him before pummeling him with a clothesline in the corner and an atomic flapjack. Carter punts Barnes in the ribs a couple of times, and Barnes fires off a couple of right hands and hits a weak one legged dropkick, then ducks a clothesline and hits Carter with a rolling neckbreaker. Barnes goes to the top for a missile dropkick, but Carter sidesteps and picks Barnes back up for the One Percent and gets the win.
Winner: Ethan Carter III
Another tough win.
We go backstage where Joseph Park is enjoying some leftover Halloween candy when Daniels & Kazarian come in to call him fat and talk about how funny it is that he was suddenly nowhere to be found when Abyss showed up last week. They start BULLYING Park when Eric Young comes in to make the save and suggests they not do this incognito, and instead settle things in the ring.
Bad Influence vs Eric Young & Joseph Park
Wow, matches get booked quick around here, don't they? EY outsmarts and outwrestles both Daniels and Kazarian before trapping Kazarian in his corner and tagging in and out on him with Park. EY does the Nigel McGuinness headstand in the corner and waits for Kazarian to come in after him to hit a flying headscissors that sends Kazarian out to the floor. Young nails Kazarian with a dive, then rolls him inside and covers for 2. EY gets rammed into the corner and does a Flair Flip, but Daniels dropkicks Young's legs out from under him and beats him up in the floor to take control for Bad Influence. That only lasts a moment before EY takes them both out and tags in Park, who ruffles Bad Influence with repeated bodyslams and splashes in the corner. Park dodges a missile dropkick from Kazarian and gets him in a Boston crab, but Daniels breaks it up with a clothesline and winds up brawling with Young on the floor. Daniels rams EY into the steps and goes after him with the hammer from the ring bell, but picks up his appletini when the ref takes it away and tosses it in Park's face, allowing Kazarian to crucifix him for the win.
Winners: Bad Influence
We barely have time to register the result of that match before we go to Jeff Hardy and Chris Sabin, who are backstage, and they're...WALKING!
We come back from commercial, but before we go to our main event, Kurt Angle comes out with a microphone and tells Bobby Roode that he's out here if he wants a piece of him and tells him to get out here now. Austin Aries comes out and tells Kurt that, with all due respect, he's been watching Angle tonight and knows his focus is on Bobby Roode, but Angle isn't getting in the ring with Roode next week, he's getting in the ring with Austin Aries. Aries has nothing but respect for Angle and knows why they call him a cyborg, but Aries has been called a wrestling machine, and if Angle doesn't bring 100% focus next week, he has no chance of beating the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. Dixie Carter pops up on screen and says it's time to spin the Wheel of Dixie and see what kind of match they're having next week, and it lands on a submission match. Aries wishes Angle good luck next week and walks off, but Bobby Roode comes out of nowhere and jumps Angle, beating him down at ringside until Aries runs in and goes after Roode, beating him down until Angle shoves Aries aside and starts unloading on Roode. Aries is irate and starts unloading on Angle, and finally security comes out and now has to separate the three of them. Man, I'm loving this!
We look at the brackets for the World Title tournament, then it's...MAIN EVENT TIME!
TNA World Title Tournament First Round/Full Metal Mayhem: Jeff Hardy vs Chris Sabin
Sabin tries to get the jump on Hardy to start and gets caught, and Hardy sends Sabin crashing to the floor with a flying headscissors and a baseball slide. Hardy comes off the apron with a clothesline, then sends a ladder inside. He and Sabin fight over the ladder until Sabin rams Hardy into the corner with it, then Sabin leans the ladder on the bottom rope, drapes Hardy on the top rope, and hits Total Anarchy onto the ladder. That looked devastating, but it only earns Sabin a 2 count, so he stands the ladder in the corner and tries to suplex Hardy onto it. Hardy blocks and tries to reverse, Sabin blocks that but makes the mistake of charging at Hardy and winds up getting backdropped onto the ladder. That looked nasty, but not as bad as what happens next when Hardy picks up a metal trash can and SMASHES Sabin in the face with it. Jesus Christ, Hardy looked like he hit Sabin with everything he had on that one! He legdrops poor Sabin's face before going out to the floor and bringing a table into the ring, but Sabin counters a powerbomb attempt to a Frankensteiner. Hardy tries going up top for the Whisper In The Wind, but Sabin crotches him on the top rope and smashes a chair over his back before hanging Hardy in the Tree of Woe and GOUGING HIS EARS. He follows that up by putting a chair over Hardy's face and baseball sliding it before climbing the corner and standing on his crotch, but Hardy picks the chair up and hits Sabin in the back with it, gives him another shot with the chair for good measure, then springboards off the chair to hit Poetry In Motion before dumping Sabin out to the floor. Hardy sets up a table at ringside and puts Sabin on it, then goes up to the top rope and tries a splash, but Sabin rolls off the table and Hardy goes through the table and hits the floor. Sabin quickly rolls Hardy inside, sets the table up in the middle of the ring, and puts Hardy on it before going to the top for a splash of his own. Hardy gets the knees up, hits the Twist of Fate, and sets up the ladder in the corner. Hardy takes his shirt off and climbs the corner, leapfrogs the ladder, and Swantons Sabin to pick up the very hard fought win.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Awesome match to finish out a terrific episode of Impact! Kurt Angle and Austin Aries face off next week in a submission match in the title tournament, and that's all we got for this week.
Thanks for reading the Impact Wrestling Report here on PWInsider.com! I'll be back tomorrow to discuss Impact and more with Dave Scherer on the Stu & Pid Show!
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