Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
We start off with a look at last week's episode when MVP was relieved of his duties as the Director of Wrestling Operations and was replaced by Kurt Angle, who rehired Bobby Roode and gave Eric Young a rematch with Bobby Lashley for the title.
Speaking of Angle, he comes out to kick off the show by celebrating TNA's freedom from politics and backstabbing. He set up the Kurt Angle 4th of July Throwdown, and before we get any further into that, he calls Earl Hebner out to the ring and rehires him as well. Angle runs down tonight's matches: Ethan Carter III taking on Bully Ray in a Tables Match, a triple threat for the TNA World Tag Team Title as the Wolves defend against DJ Z and Jessie Godderz and also Knux and Crazy Steve, Angelina Love defends the Knockouts Title against Gail Kim, and then Eric Young challenges Bobby Lashley for the TNA World Title. Samoa Joe comes storming out to the ring and he doesn't look happy. He thinks Angle is full of BS, and that he's no different than his predecessors. He knows Angle better than anyone in TNA and he knows he covets the TNA World Title more than anyone, and he bets Angle will book himself into a title match as soon as his knee is healed. Angle says he put up with the same BS as Joe for the last eight years, but Joe says that Angle was bought and brought here, while Joe kicked his way in and fought his way to where he is, and that's where they'll always be different. Angle says Joe has had nights where he's come in and kicked everyone's ass, then he comes in the next night half assed. Angle has never half assed anything in his career, and Joe says that Angle better not ever question his dedication because while Angle was flying around the country on a jet, he was rebuilding wrestling for $40 a night in an armory down the street. Angle says that's the Samoa Joe he wants to see, and Joe tells Angle to be careful what he wishes for. Joe drops the microphone and walks off.
MVP finds Bobby Roode backstage and asks him if he wants to fight, and Kenny King blindsides Roode and lays him out when he goes for it. He kind of deserves it for trying to beat up a guy on crutches. Speaking of crutches, MVP grinds his into Roode's throat and tells him that he's not even on MVP's level.
Kurt Angle is checking on Bobby Roode backstage and apologizes for something like this happening to him, and Roode says he should apologize since Angle didn't have to hire him back given their history. He's adamant that he'll be fine and leaves.
TNA World Tag Team Title Match: The Wolves vs The Bromans vs The Menagerie
The Bromans jump the Wolves and toss them to the floor, then they get laid out and dumped by the Menagerie. It's Knux and the Freak by the way, not Crazy Steve. My bad. Things settle down and Eddie gets trapped in the ring for a bit, but then he tags in Davey and he cleans house on both opposing teams. the Freak accidentally clotheslines Knux to the floor, the Wolves hit Jessie with the double team Alarm Clock, and that's all she wrote.
Winners: The Wolves
We go backstage where Kurt Angle (with Bobby Roode in tow) makes it clear that he expects all the fighting to take place in the ring, and he makes a match between MVP and Roode for tonight. MVP says no can do because of his torn meniscus, so Angle makes it Roode vs Kenny King in a streetfight instead.
We come back from commercial and Roode is in the ring and says that he's back thanks to Kurt Angle, and he's not wasting any time and wants Kenny King to get his ass out here. King comes out with MVP and says that since they already injured Roode's shoulder, they should go break his neck now. Kurt Angle comes out and stops that real quick and sends MVP to the back, and Roode nails King with a Northern Lariat from behind to start the match...
Streetfight: Bobby Roode vs Kenny King
Roode beats King up all around ringside, then takes him up the stairs and rams him into a metal door. King returns the favor and smashes a trash can over his head, then they head along the balcony until Roode throws King over the railing to the section below. They fight back through the crowd and Roode backdrops King over the guardrail into the ringside area. Roode gets a chair, but King kicks it into Roode's face and takes back over. King rolls Roode into the ring and the bell rings to officially start the match, and King covers for 2. King goes for a Royal Flush onto a chair, but Roode slips out of his grasp and hits a Roode Bomb onto the chair for the win.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Short but intense, good stuff.
We go backstage to EC3, who wonders what it's going to take for Bully Ray to realize he's never going to put EC3 or Aunt Dee through a table, and that he's the Hardcore American Icon.
Brittany is backstage, and she's...WALKING! She's got some stuff to set straight tonight!
Bobby Roode is backstage saying how he got jumped on his first day back after two months, and he and Angle don't have a good history, but Angle did the right thing by giving him the streetfight tonight. He's destined to be the World Champion, he did it once, and he'll do it again.
Austin Aries sits down with Kurt Angle and says he's the common denominator because he's confident in his abilities. MVP was trying to throw roadblocks in his way, and he never gave him his rematch with Sanada for the X Division Title. Angle knows he created Option C and he wants to win the X Division Title to get the World Title shot, and he makes the match for next week, then says that they should face off someday to decide who really is the best wrestler in the world.
Brittany is in the ring and has some stuff to straighten up, and she calls Madison Rayne out to the ring. Madison comes out and assumes that Brittany wants to fight her, but Brittany really just wanted to tell her that she's right. Madison acts all bitchy and is like "You called me out here to tell me I'm right?" and Brittany says she should have listened to her and she's sorry. She looked up to Madison and wanted to be just like her, but she's sorry and she's learned a big lesson from all of this. Madison says the Knockout locker room can be difficult to navigate if you're the new girl, but if she's really sorry, she'll be there for Brittany from now on. They hug, but before letting go, Brittany says the lesson shelearned is to never meet your heroes because they always disappoint. She short clotheslines Madison, punts the HELL out of her ribs, and whips her into the ringpost. She lays Madison out again on the floor, then looks down on her and says "I guess we're not friends anymore."
Bully Ray is backstage and says that you have to be tough to be lucky, and EC3 proved he's tough by hanging with him in a Texas Death Match. But if it weren't for Spud and Aunt Dee, he would have never walked out alive. He's guaranteed the wrestling world that he'll finally put his aunt through a table, and he'll keep that promise, but tonight, EC3 will go through one first.
MVP is backstage and introduces Bobby Lashley and predicts that he will be the most dominant TNA World Champion ever. He wonders how many times Kurt Angle will throw the gazelle to the lions, and he hopes that Angle won't hold them responsible for what happens to Eric Young.
Tables Match: Ethan Carter III vs Bully Ray
They start brawling right off the bell and Bubba dominates EC3, running him from pillar to post and dumping him to the floor. The crowd chants that they want tables as Bubba continues to pummel EC3, but they head back inside and EC3 finally gets some offense by hitting a clothesline after dodging a charge from Bubba. Bubba does Get The Tables and brings one in, but EC3 nails him again and grabs Bubba's chain. Bubba knocks it out of his hand, but EC3 nails him and does a corner mount, Bubba tries to powerbomb EC3 through the table, but Spud comes out and nails him in the ding ding. Spud and EC3 double team Bubba as the referee looks on helplessly, and Rhino comes charging out and starts to make for a gore on Spud, but stops and gores Bubba instead. The fans inform Rhino that he sold out as EC3 easily hits a spinebuster through the table for the win.
Winner: Ethan Carter III
The return of Rhino was a surprise, but the match was pretty strong in its own right.
Bobby Roode and Eric Young are backstage and Roode tells Young that tonight is his night, but he notices that Young doesn't look too confident. Young says the facts speak for themselves: he's 0-3 against Lashley, he was in the Army, he still fights in MMA, and he doesn't have a chance. But nobody believed the odds were in his favor all along, and he's got a bigger heart than Lashley, and he'll prove the naysayers wrong by winning his title back tonight. Roode says he'll be out there in Young's corner tonight because he wants to make sure none of MVP's crew get involved.
We look back at what just happened to Bully Ray, and then we go backstage to EC3, Spud, and Rhino, who says that sometimes he just does things because he feels like it, and Bubba ought to know that better than anyone.
We look back at the history of Samuel Shaw and how he wound up in the nut house before being befriended and rescued by Gunner. We then go backstage where Gunner is giving Shaw a pep talk and explaining that it'll feel weird for a bit, but he needs to regain everyone's trust. The first person they run into of course has to be Ken Anderson, and he tells Gunner that he spent months trying to get him out of here, but Gunner pleads Shaw's case and convinces Anderson to give him a chance. They then go into Christy's dressing room and Shaw says he knows he did some terrible things, but he's been getting help and is a new person and hopes they can put everything behind them. Gunner and Shaw leave and Anderson and Hemme don't look impressed.
The Beautiful People have referee Brian Stiffler in their dressing room and get all sexy on him to make sure he calls the match with Gail in Angelina's favor tonight. It was actually pretty funny, even if Stiffler looks like one of the guys from the Blue Man Group.
Kurt Angle finds Stiffler backstage and removesw him from the Knockouts Title match because there's too much at stake, and he puts Brian Hebner in the spot instead and tells Stiffler to watch and learn something.
Knux is backstage yelling at the Freak and Crazy Steve for treating wrestling like the carnival, because his loan shark wants his money now and they need to start winning.
Knockouts Title Match: Angelina Love vs Gail Kim
Gail gets the early advantage, but Gail falls victim to Velvet Sky running her into the ringpost behind the referee's back. Velvet continues interfering as the match progresses until Hebner catches her and kicks her out of ringside. This turns the tide, as Gail mounts a comeback and hits a missile dropkick for 2. Gail goes to the top, but Angelina nails her with the Botox Injection and Gail tumbles to the floor. Angelina stops the count and brings her inside because she wants to pin her, and Gail kicks out at 2. Gail blocks another Botox Injection and hits Eat DaFeet for the win.
Winner and new Knockouts Champion: Gail Kim
The match got good after Velvet got kicked out, and I liked that Angelina wanted to pin Gail instead of getting the cheap countout win, makes it look like a champion actually has pride in their work for a change.
Bobby Lashley and Eric Young are backstage, and they're...WALKING! The TNA World Title is on the line next!
Kurt Angle is backstage talking about how great the job is going so far, then says that every title will be on the line next week except the TNA World Title. Instead, there will be a 20 man battle royal to determine the #1 contender to the title.
It's main event time!
TNA World Title Match: Bobby Lashley vs Eric Young
Lashley immediately and easily takes Young to the mat, and MVP takes a grab at Young from the floor and gets himself ejected. Oh wait, he's tossing Roode too. Young goes out to the floor and dares Lashley to come out after him now to mock Lashley. Lashley chases him and gets nailed coming back in, but Lashley quickly rams him to the corner and rams shoulderblocks into his ribs. Young fights back and tries going to the second rope, but Lashley nails Young and sends him tumbling out to the floor. Young seems to have tweaked his knee on the way down and Lashley goes right after it. Lashley gets a heel hook on Young, then DDTs the leg for 2. Young gets the boots up on a charge by Lashley and comes off the second rope with a dropkick, then they wind up duking it out on the top rope. Young knocks Lashley to the mat and comes off the top with the elbowdrop, but hesitates before making the cover and only gets 2. Young goes for the piledriver, but his leg gives out and Lashley quickly snaps him up and hits the powerslam. Lashley sets for the spear and hits it to make it 4-0 against Young.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Solid main event, and that's a wrap 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!
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
