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September 23rd
On this day in history in ....
1968 - Nick Kozack defeats Johnny Valentine in Orlando, Florida for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title, ending Valentine's third title reign.
1968 - WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeats Rocky Fitzpatrick with a backbreaker in the main event of a card at Madison Square Garden. Fitzpatrick is also known as Bob Orton Sr., grandfather of current WWE star Randy Orton.
1977 - Andre The Giant defeated Gorilla Monsoon in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Roberto Clemente Stadium. However, this wasn't a wrestling match, with was a boxing match, with Jersey Joe Walcott as the special referee. The match is available on the Andre The Giant DVD.
1985 - Andre The Giant defeated King Kong Bundy at Madison Square Garden in New York City in a bout billed as "The Colossal Jostle". Andre won via disqualification when Big John Studd interfered as Andre was about to score the pin with a sit-down splash. Andre then grabbed a chair to run off Studd and Bundy.
1986 - Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura defeat Akira Maeda & Osamu Kido in Tokyo, Japan for the IWGP Tag Team Title, ending Fujinami & Kimura's second and final reign as champs.
1987 - WWF taped their twelfth Saturday Night's Main Event show at the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The show would air on October 3rd, earning a 9.7 rating for NBC. Here are the results from the televised portion of the show:
- Randy Savage defeated Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man via disqualification. As the Hart Foundation worked over Savage, Miss Elizabeth brought Hulk Hogan out to help Savage, starting the storyline that would eventually lead to Hogan and Savage teaming as the Megapowers.
- WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Samoan Sika.
- King Kong Bundy defeated Paul Orndorff.
- WWF Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation defeated Paul Roma & Jim Powers.
1990 - Rick Valentine & Eric Embry defeat Hurricane Castillo Jr. & Miguelito Perez to win the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Title in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, ending the fourth reign of Castillo & Perez.
1991 - FMW hold's their Fall Spectacular at Kawasaki Stadium, drawing 33,000 fans for a show headlined by Atsushi Onita defeating Tarzan Goto in a No Ropes Explosive Barbed Wire match.
1992 - New Japan Pro Wrestling abandons the WWF Martial Arts Heavyweight Title. The Great Muta would be the final champion, having beaten Riki Choshu for the belt on August 16, 1992 in Fukuoka, Japan. The belt was mostly a plaything for Antonio Inoki in the 70's and 80's when he would wrestle in the U.S., and it often went years without being defended or referred to.
1994 - After a three year hiatus, Herb Abrams' UWF would revive itself for one final event, the UWF Blackjack Brawl, which was broadcast live on Sportschannel America, featuring commentary by Blackjack Mulligan and an apparently inebriated Abrams, who at one point yelled, "Let's hear it for the Jews" in an extremely embarassing moment. Results of the show. held before a sparse (and I mean SPARCE) crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas:
-Danny Spivey beat Johnny Ace to win the first UWF Americas Title when manager Missy Hyatt threw in the towel. The match was joined in progress on the broadcast.
-Jack Armstrong pinned Mando Guerrero (to win the first UWF Junior Heavyweight Title.
-Sunny Beach beat Dr. Feelgood via DQ to win the vacant UWF Sportschannel TV Title.
-UWF Southern States Champ Bob Orton, Jr. DDQ The Finnish Hellraiser (Ludvig Borga).
-Little Tokyo pinned Karate Kid to win the first UWF Midget Title.
-Samson pinned The Irish Assassin (4:30).
-Tyler Mane pinned Stevie Ray to win first UWF MGM Grand Title
-Candi Divine pinned Tina Moretti (the future Ivory) (3:24) to win vacant UWF Women's Title.
-The Killer Bees beat Warlord & Power Warrior (Larry Power) to win the first UWF Tag Title when Blair pinned Power. David Power, Warrior's Twin Brother, became involved.
-Cactus Jack went to a double countout against Jimmy Snuka in a Lumberjack match. (don't ask).
-UWF champ Steve Williams beat Sid Vicious (10:45) via DQ.
1996 - During a Raw taping in Hershey, Pennsylvania with Marc Mero defeated Faarooq with a shooting star press to win a tournament for the Intercontinental Title. During a match with Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith vs. Skip & Zip, Tazz (then part of ECW) jumped over the rail with a sign that said "Sabu Fears Taz". This was night two of the "invasion" angle that would result in ECW wrestlers appearing on Raw.
1996 - Kensuke Sasaki defeats Shiro Koshinaka in the finals of New Japan Pro Wrestling's "Japan-U.S. All Star Tournament". Sasaki defeated Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and Scott Norton on his road to winning, while Koshinaka beat Hugh Morrus, Sting, and Shinya Hashimoto to reach the finals.
1998 - Shadow WX defeats "Mr. Danger" Mitsuhiro Matsunaga in Tokyo, Japan to win the Big Japan Pro Wrestling Death Match Title.
1998 - Scott Norton defeats Yuji Nagata for the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Title in Yokohama, Japan. The title had been vacated by Masahiro Chono due to a neck injury.
2000 - Inferno Kid defeats JJ The Ring Crew Guy for the ECWA Heavyweight Title in Newport, Delaware.
2002 - The top two titles in Pro Wrestling Noah changed hands at their show at legendary Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito defeated Takeshi Rikio & Takeshi Morishima for the Global Honored Crown Tag Team Title, and Mitsuharu Misawa defeated Yoshihiro Takayama to win the Global Honored Crown Heavyweight Title.
2001 - WWE holds their Unforgiven Pay-per-view in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, highlighted by hometown hero Kurt Angle defeating Steve Austin for the WWF World Heavyweight Title, Angle's second World Title win. The show also saw Christian defeat Edge for the Intercontinental Title and Rhyno defeat Yoshihiro Tajiri for the United States Title. Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the show:
Unforgiven was yet another good WWF PPV event, airing live from the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. The key matches were all good and the crowd was hot for them, even if some of the mid-card came off heatless and sometimes disappointing. Commentary from Jim Ross & Paul Heyman was great. There are way too many titles now, though, and their significance is essentially nil except for the WWF World Title.
Jennifer Holliday opened the show singing "America the Beautiful".
THE DUDLEYS beat THE HARDYS, LANCE STORM & HURRICANE, and BIG SHOW & SPIKE DUDLEY in a four-way elimination match to retain the WWF Tag Titles in 14:20. Real good opener. They put Hurricane over big by letting him do hot spots with both Hardys and with Spike early. Hurricane put on his cape, which is a sign he's going to fly, and did a crossbody from the top. JR noted that Hurricane is getting popular and hinted that he should therefore be in the WWF, which is a problem because they seem to want all the popular guys out of WCW. Everyone ended up on the floor except Show and Spike. Spike vaulted off Show's shoulders onto everyone on the floor. Show then started up the ropes as if he was going to jump off but Bubba Ray stopped him. In the ring, Storm came off the top and was caught and chokeslammed by Show for a pin at 6:52. Matt and Spike traded some good spots, with Matt nailing Spike with the twist of fate for the pin at 7:56. The Dudleys then worked Jeff over until he suddenly hit a springboard twisting moonsault and hot tagged Matt. Matt did an Asai Moonsault. The Dudleys hit the 3D on Matt but Jeff saved with a swanton. However, the Dudleys recovered and Bubba gave his bomb move to Matt for the pin.
Stephanie offered to help Rob Van Dam in his match with Chris Jericho in any way she could. She was being very suggestive. RVD said he's a one man show and doesn't need help, but thanked Steph anyway. He did suggest that he deserves a bigger dressing room since he's a superstar. She agreed and told him to take the largest one.
Kurt Angle's family was shown on the front row, and they interviewed his mother and one brother.
PERRY SATURN beat RAVEN in 5:06. Nothing much to it, and no heat. As if a feud over a mop is gonna blow the lid of the place. Terri was out there with Raven. Actually, the match wasn't really bad, it was just sort of there. At one point, Raven did a cobra clutch. Saturn won clean with a fisherman suplex.
CHRISTIAN beat EDGE to capture the IC Title in 11:52. Kind of disappointing as there was no heat. I don't think the fans wanted to see this team break up. Christian tried to flee early but was caught on the ramp. They brawled a lot, standard action mostly. Christian kept calling Edge names to try and anger the crowd but they stayed silent. Edge got a hardway cut below one eye. Edge went under the ring and came out the other side to do a crossbody spot but the crowd still barely reacted. Christian tried to do the one man concerto but Edge blocked it. Edge then tried it, and as the ref struggled with him for the chair, Christian hit Edge with the other chair in the crotch and got the pin. It was a weak finish but the crowd gave it a babyface pop. Weird!
UNDERTAKER & KANE beat KRONIK to retain the WCW Tag Titles in 10:20. Just slow brawling with not much heat. Not a lot of selling, either. They all brawled some on the floor. Kane got doubled on for a while. Undertaker won the thing by chokeslamming Bryan Clarke for the pin. Afterward, Steven Richards got trapped between UT and Kane, and Kane chokeslammed him, which was the most entertaining part of the match.
Tazz told Booker T & Shane that Stephanie pinned Rock last week so it would really be a disgrace if the two of them together couldn't beat him. They didn't appreciate that comment.
Steph was outside RVD's door, talking to him through it, saying tomorrow is her birthday and it would be very pleasurable for her if he totally massacred Jericho. Jericho walked up and asked if she's going to be 37 or 38. She indignantly said 25, and Jericho said that's the number of men she was with last week. He promised to bring party items but not balloons, since Steph already has those. He wished her the "breast" for her birthday.
ROB VAN DAM defeated CHRIS JERICHO to retain the Hardcore Title in 16:32. They got a big pop early for a series of moves and counters. They sort of messed up one move but quickly recovered. There were competing "RVD" and "Y2J" chants, with the RVD's getting the upper hand. He's definitely over. Jericho hit an enzugiri. Jericho bumped out and RVD hit a crossbody. They did some spots along the ring barrier. Jericho used a ladder on RVD. They sold it as if RVD's shoulder was hurt, and Jericho followed up on it by sending his shoulder twice into the post. Each guy took a sick bump on the ladder. RVD did his split leg moonsault but Jericho got his knees up. Jericho juiced hardway below the eye. RVD threw in the kicks but missed a frog splash when Jericho rolled clear. RVD hit Jericho with the ladder and a chair. He then climbed the ladder but Jericho clocked him with a chair and hooked a submission hold on him on the ladder. RVD bumped off the ladder to the floor. Jericho came off the ladder but hit the barrier when RVD moved. RVD did a tope but went straight into a chair. Jericho hooked the Fujiwara arm bar, with RVD making the ropes. Jericho used a chair on RVD. Stephanie then showed up on the apron. Jericho swung the chair at her, missing, and when he turned around got nailed with the Van Daminator. One frog splash later and Jericho was pinned. Excellent finish to a great match!
ROCK beat BOOKER T & SHANE McMAHON in a handicap match to retain the WCW World Title in 15:21. Heyman put Shane over as a PPV legend, and he wasn't far off the mark. The early part of the match was Rock dominating Booker except when Shane interfered to turn the tide. They ended up outside and took bumps across the Spanish table. Back in the ring, Shane tried to hit Rock with the belt but accidentally hit Booker. Shane then successfully hit Rock with it, and it was right in front of WCW ref Nick Patrick, who did nothing about it. JR was furious over that. Shane missed an elbow off the top. Rock did a big comeback and hit a Rock Bottom on Shane and a spinebuster on Booker. He was going for the People's Elbow when Test attacked him and kicked his head off. Bradshaw ran Test off. Patrick rolled Rock back in the ring for Booker to pin but WWF ref Mike Ciotta stopped the pin. Patrick finally started counting but Rock kicked out at two. Ciotta walloped Patrick. Booker walloped Ciotta. Rock hit the Rock Bottom on Booker and this time Earl Hebner ran in and counted the pin. Good match!
RHYNO beat TAJIRI in 4:50 to capture the U.S. Title. Tajiri's ribs were taped from the gore he took on RAW. He sold the ribs throuughout which limited his repertoire, so this was another match that was just sort of there. Rhyno chased Torrie Wilson and tried to gore her but Tajiri made the save. However, Tajiri then got gored and pinned.
KURT ANGLE beat STEVE AUSTIN in 23:10 to capture the WWF World Title. They brawled immediately on the ramp. Back in the ring, Austin found an opening to go for a stunner but hesitated, which was a great spot since they sold it that he was afraid to try it since Angle blocked it and hit his slam in a similar spot on RAW. Angle hit the Thesz press, which is an Austin move. Angle superplexed Austin and then sold it as if it hurt his own neck, a match-long storyline from the piledriver spot on Smackdown. Austin tried to flee with his belt but Angle caught him at the ramp top, pounded him, and threw him off to the floor. He dragged Austin back to the ring area and posted him. Austin began juicing somewhere along here, possibly hardway. Angle lifted the mats to piledrive Austin on the floor, but Austin nailed him from behind. Austin tried to piledrive Angle but Angle backdropped him. The same thing happened to Angle when he tried to piledrive Austin. Austin went to work on Angle's neck as a "USA" chant started. Austin flipped off Angle's family. They went to rest holds for a while, before Angle started throwing suplexes, again selling that it hurt his own neck. Austin started shoving the referee to try and get a DQ like last month. Angle low blowed Austin and gave him a DDT. Angle gave Austin a stunner but only got two. Austin then used Angle's own Angle slam on him, also only for two. Austin then piledrived Angle, which JR sold like it was the end but Angle kicked out at two for a big pop. Angle immediately hooked the ankle lock out of nowhere and Austin, unable to reach the ropes, tapped out to a huge pop for the submission title change. Great match! And the follow up was great as well as Angle's family all came in the ring and hoisted him in the air, and the WWF wrestlers all came out to congratulate him for bringing the belt home.
2002 - On an edition of Raw from Anaheim, California, Kane and his mystery partner, The Hurricane, defeat Lance Storm & Christian with a double chokeslam to win the WWE Tag Team Title.
2003 - Yoshihiro Tajiri defeats Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Cruiserweight Title at a Smackdown taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after spitting red mist in his face and delivering a kick to the head.
2005 - TNA announced that they had signed Austin Aries, who would be appearing as Hollywood Austin Starr.
2007 - WWE's ECW brand ran Tyler, Texas. Friday filed the following live report:
Justin Roberts announced that due to weather related issues, Rob Van Dam was not
able to make it to the venue, so refunds were available up until the 2nd match.
Nobody seemed to leave.
Matt Striker came out and said nobody cared if RVD couldn't make it to the building, since they were here to learn. He was then interrupted by Sandman, who came from the crowd. He walked right over my chairs (I had 2nd row). He then caned Striker to a huge pop.
Christopher W. Anderson defeated Rene Dupree with the Spinebuster. Nice pop for the finisher.
Paul Heyman's Personal Enforcers (Basham and O'Reily this time) defeated the FBI after a nightstick to the head of Mamaluke behind the ref's back.
Kevin Thorne defeated Stevie Richards with the Hanging Rope DDT. Scary spot where Stevie was thrown out of the ring and his face smashed into a ringside folding metal chair by Justin Roberts and made a dent. Fully spot at ringside earlier saw WWE Red Hat Sign Guy (Rick) have a sign that said "Stevie Richards' odds of winning: 1-4,000,000", on the other side of the arena someone drew a picture of Thorn with the phrase "I want to suck your d***". The opening spot saw Stevie grab that sign and then Thorn grabbing the sign guy sign, totally breaking kayfabe, it was great.
Intermission
CM Punk bead Mike Knox with the Anaconda Vice. Nice match, my personal favorite of the night. Knox showed a lot of personality.
Kelly Kelly beat Trinity and Francine in an Extreme Vixens Best Body Contest
Main Event- Sabu, Sandman and Tommy Dreamer defeated Test, Hardcore Holly and Big
Show in an Extreme Rules Match. Basic six man tag until it broke down at the end.
Dreamer pinned Test after an Irish whip into the table.
I have to be honest, I went to Tyler for a Raw House Show in March, and it had all the main stars, and the show just wasn't good. The same goes for this ECW show to me. I went to an ECW house show in Huntsville in July and the show was off the charts just for the fans alone. It must be the crappy venue, but Tyler shows just aren't good for me. Too many kids in the crowd for any good chants to gain steam.
2008 - Mark Briscoe was injured in a bad motorcycle accident, keeping him out of the ring for many months.
2009 - Lauren Mayhew debuted as a WWE ring announcer. The actor and singer would be with the company for several months before moving on without signing a contract.
2010 - Bret Hart makes his first appearance inside Madison Square Garden since September of 1997, appearing during the New York Rangers-New Jersey Devils game. As a promotion for a WWE event at MSG taking place several days later, Hart appeared on the ice during a slapshot competition between two children, with the winner getting two tickets to the show.
2010 - Former WCW, WWF and AWA star Mike Enos (Blake Beverly of the Beverly Brothers tag team) was arrested in Tampa, Florida and charged with contempt of court after failing to appear for a Deposition in small claims court. Court records indicate Enos' arrest stems from a 2008 small claims case filed by Alvarez Plumbing. Enos, who retired in 2000, listed himself as employed by his own business Eno's Painting, in the Tampa area on his arrest report. Enos was best known for his team with Wayne Bloom (Beau Beverly) as the Destruction Crew, the masked Minnesota Wrestling Crew II and The Beverly Brothers. After Bloom retired, Enos worked as a singles talent for WCW during the Nitro era. The duo have made appearances at several fan conventions in recent years.
2010 - TNA debuted in The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Mike Johnson filed the following live report:
TNA Wrestling returned to the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City tonight, drawing a healthy crowd in the 1,800-2,000 range, filling the floor and first balcony of the Hammerstein Ballroom as well as parts of the second balcony, which has hosted ECW and Ring of Honor events in the past. TNA didn't sell the venue out, but with tickets priced at $75 and $50, they had a nice gate.
Amazing Red won the TNA X Division championship, pinning Jay Lethal with Code Red. Big TNA chant before the bell. They did some nice back and forth counter wrestling early. Red armdragged Lethal, who went to the floor. Red hit a spinning plancha to the floor. Red nailed a missile dropkick off the top. Lethal came back with a cartwheel into a dropkick, then a Gori Guerrero Especial. Red came back with a spinning kick, which connected after Lethal ducked twice and Red kept spin kicking. Jay went for the Lethal Combination but Red escaped and hit a Red Star Press for a two count. Red nailed a superkick but Lethal escaped a Code Red attempt. Lethal nailed the Combination but Red kicked up. Lethal went to the top and motioned for the elbow, then missed when Red rolled out of the way. Red nailed Code Red for the win. Nice pop for the title win, which was a great idea to make the show "special." Red had no idea he was winning the belt until it was handed to him in the ring, so his reaction after winning was legitimate. Really strong opener and from an in-ring athletic standpoint, this was the best match on the card.
TNA Knockouts champion Angelina Love pinned Tara with a Yakuza Kick. Tara teased tossing her t-shirt into the crowd, then blew off the crowd. Tara attacked Love as soon as she hit the ring, choking her against the ropes. Tara controlled early with clotheslines, getting several near falls. Tara grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards into a backbreaker of sorts, then did it again. Love went to the floor, where Tara continued working over her, then tossed her back in. Fans began chanting that Hebner screwed Bret Hart. Tara did a standing moonsault press but Love got her knees up. Love nailed a jawbreaker and several clotheslines. Love nailed a head scissors. Love then nailed the Yakuza for the pin.
Pope Dinero pinned Rhino with the Elijah Express. Fans chanted ECW at the bell. Rhino cleaned house early and teased a Gore after a backdrop but Pope dove out of the ring. Rhino followed him and slammed Pope facefirst into the canvas Pope cut off Rhino as they returned to the ring but Rhino made a comeback. Pope reversed a whip and sent Rhino hard into the buckles, then drilled him into the mat. Rhino was choked against the ropes. Pope came off the ropes and dropped an elbow. Pope cinched in a side chinlock. Rhino came back but Pope cut him off and went back to the side chinlock. They went back and forth until Rhino missed a gore in the corner and Pope nailed the Express for the pin. Pope snatched sunglasses off a young kid's face as he left, put them on and walked out. That's heat! Fans chanted "Thank you Rhino" after the match.
Team 3D defeated Ink, Inc. in a Tables Match. Brother Ray took the mic before the match. Big "ECW" chant. Ray said that "These people are ready." He told Ink, Inc. that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time because they were in the most hardcore city in the world. He said that if there's one thing that 3D does better than anyone else, it was giving their people what they want to see. Fans began chanting for Tables. Ray played up to the crowd before they made it a Tables match. Of course, it was advertised as one but hey, whatever! 3D was attacked from behind. 3D came back and tossed them to the floor. They brawled on the floor and the aisle. Fans chanted ECW. Devon took a camera from a cameraman and then shot Moore as he was out on the floor. Devon and Neal returned to the ring with Devon drilling him with a back elbow. Neal came back with a swinging neckbreaker.
Moore tagged in with a slingshot senton. Ink, Inc. worked over Devon in their corner. Ray tagged in and cleaned house. They nailed the wazzup headbutt on Moore. Devon got a table and they set it up as Neal returned to the ring. Bubba did some clubbering. They nailed a 3D through the table for the win. Entertaining brawl and mic work.
After the match, Brother Ray said they were in the old Bingo Hall tomorrow and that it was NYC's competition. He lead a "TNA" chant, then said that they say you should never forget where they came from and this is where they came from. He thanked the fans and said the most decorated tag team in the history of the business comes from NYC. They joked they were going to get fined for it, but gave out pieces of the broken table anyway to a kid they brought into the ring. Devon took the mic and said that even though ECW was started in Philadelphia, the true fans were in NYC and those fans went from ECW to TNA. He closed out with his "Testify" line. No tease of 3D leaving at all.
Jeremy Borash introduced TNA President Dixie Carter. She said they were so excited for being back in NYC and said she especially wanted to thank their "partners" SpikeTV. She said that TNA has the greatest fans in wrestling and they wouldn't be anywhere without them. She put over their sponsor, the United States Army and said she couldn't be more proud and put over all the current and former servicemen inp the military and brought out several servicemen who were then sworn into the United States Military in the middle of the ring.
After intermission, they brought out a DJ from Hot 97 DJ to ring announce Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson. He introduced Anderson, then dropped the mic when he went to hand it over. Anderson led a "douchebag" chant at him, then did his deal on the mic.
Jeff Hardy pinned Ken Anderson with the Twist of Fate.. There was a small "We want Matt" chant at the bell. They faced off and played to the crowd, then did some good back and forth wrestling early. Anderson took control, working on Hardy's arm. Hardy came back with a bulldog out of the corner. Anderson came back to choke him against the ropes. Anderson went to the ropes and came off but Hardy tried to kick him. Anderson caught the boot and went for an elbow but Hardy moved. They traded punches in the center. Hardy came back with a flying forearm. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate but Anderson avoided it and hit the rolling Samoan Drop for a two count. Anderson missed the top rope swanton. Hardy nailed the Twist of Fate and scored the pin. Much more of a slower paced bout than you might have expected.
They embraced after but Anderson teased hitting him. Jeremy Borash put them over as two thirds of the Bound for Glory main event. Hardy took a long time slapping hands as he left and picked up a young baby out of the crowd, posing for a photo.
Tommy Dreamer pinned Abyss in a Monster's Ball match, with Mick Foley as the special referee. Foley took the mic and said it was great to be back in the Hammerstein, but there wasn't much he could do given the rules so he was going to enjoy the best seat in the house and count 1-2-3. Dreamer was sporting the Tommy fn' Dreamer shirt from www.thetommydreamer.com. "ECW" chant for Dreamer. They locked up but Abyss shoved Dreamer down to the mat. They locked up again but Abyss kicked him in the gutand began beating on Dreamer. Fans began chanting, "You're not Mankind" at Abyss, which Foley seemed to get a kick out of. That was a pretty damn funny chant.
Dreamer came back and tossed Abyss to the floor. Dreamer did the flip off the apron to the floor. Dreamer tossed a bunch of weapons into the ring. He then took chairs from the front row and tossed them into the ring. Dreamer beat Abyss with punches against the rail outside but Abyss nailed him. Dreamer signalled for taking Abyss out into the crowd but was picked up and crotched on the railing. Abyss whipped him into the rail, then beat him with a chair. They battled back into the ring.
Abyss wedged a chair in the corner but Dreamer nailed Abyss several times with a trash can to the head. Abyss finally punched the can into Dreamer and took him out. Abyss grabbed a broom and nailed Dreamer with it. Dreamer was busted open by this point. Abyss trashed Dreamer with weapons to the head. Abyss began cranking on Dreamer's neck and wrenched it as Dreamer looked to the crowd for support. They rallied him but he was caught with a clothesline. Abyss drilled Dreamer in the gut with a chair, then did it a second time.
Abyss went to do the Earthquake splash but Dreamer crotched him on a chair. Dreamer fired up on offense and nailed a high cross bodyblock for a two count. Dreamer nailed Abyss with a chair. He whipped Abyss into the corner but was caught and sent into the chair that was positioned there. Abyss chokeslammed Dreamer for a two count.
Abyss went to the top rope but was caught by Dreamer and tied upside down to the tree of woe. Dreamer nailed him with a trash can. He went to the corner and fans chanted ECW with him. Dreamer ran for the dropkick in the corner but then stopped and led the fans to instead chant TNA, then finally hit a running dropkick into the corner. Abyss nailed the Black Hole Slam but only got a two count. Pissed, he nailed Foley and took him out.
Abyss went to the outside and poured thumbtacks across the mat. Foley went to pull on Socko but Abyss nailed him again. He pulled Dreamer up but Rob Van Dam's music hit, which got the biggest pop of the night, by far. RVD, with his arm taped up, hit the ring and shoulderblocked Abyss through the ropes, then hit the Ryder Kick off the top, sending Abyss into the tacks. Van Dam hit the five star frog splash and Dreamer rolled onto Abyss and scored the pin.
Dreamer and Van Dam celebrated together in the ring. Dreamer took the mic as the fans chanted "Whole Fn' Show." Dreamer said that if you told him he'd be back in the Hammerstein in 2010, he'd thought you were crazy. He said ECW meant the world to everyone who worked there and they changed the business thanks to "all you sick hardcore motherf**ers." He said there's a new revolution thanks to Dixie Carter, who was hotter than his last two bosses and joked he wasn't any from Beulah tonight because of that. He told Dixie they needed to come back with a camera crew for a PPV. Fans chanted PPV. Dreamer thanked everyone again and said he was going to get some stitches.
After the show, they had their traditional post show autograph session with everyone signing or doing photos in the ring.
Overall, a solid effort.
Notes:TNA Management was very happy with the turnout...Vince Russo, Pat Kenny, Serg Salinas and D'Lo Brown were in attendance. That's the first time I've heard of Russo attending a house show. He was surrounded by fans for autographs and photos during intermission....Visiting at the show was original ECW music composer Harry Slash....Dreamer received two stitches....In a new wrinkle, TNA were selling "backstage passes" for $50 which gave the buyer entry for two people and guaranteed signed photos with Ken Anderson, Mick Foley and Angelina Love...As is usual for the Manhattan Center facility, of course there were problems with security before the show. Security didn't allow fans to leave the Arena to return to the lobby to buy merchandise , nor would they let fans in the balcony down to the floor for a Ken Anderson signing. Once TNA was notified of the issues, they forced security to change their tactics....Don West was all over the place, including in the ring, pushing merchandise. How that man has enough energy to do everything he does, I have no idea. He really is a sight to see...They pushed that SpikeTV officials and cameras were in the house. I noticed one handheld camera shooting. They really need to start taping every event for their archives, especially in major markets.....When Earl Hebner was introduced, he came to the ring doing Bret Hart's pose and teased going after a fan that was giving him static from the front row....Atlas Security ran ringside security........Jeremy Borash promised they'd be back soon. Hey if WWE can run PPVs here, so can TNA.
2010 - The same evening, TNA ran Oklahoma City. Jeremiah Allen filed the following live report:
TNA in OKC 9/23 results
The show was held at the State Fair Arena and the place was about half empty or more at show time. VIP ticket holders -- I overheard the merch guy Adam say there were 450 -- were allowed in early to get autographs from Ric Flair, Matt Morgan, Beer Money, AJ Styles, Doug Williams, Kazarian, the Motor City Machine Guns, Eric Young, Brian Kendrick and Samoa Joe.
They sold everyone picture programs but we were rushed through the line and they wouldn't let us let the wrestlers sign their own respective pages so everyone's signature ended up on one or two pages in the back and some of them are really, really hard to tell apart. The line was kept moving so fast a person barely had time to say a couple words to each wrestler before being shuffled onward, kind of defeating the purpose of a "Meet and Greet" (as it was advertised).
Merch guy Adam announced Christy Hemme as guest MC of the night and she showed up wearing a smoking hot red dress.
Christy was trying to hand out some backstage passes when Kazarian came out to tell her that Fortune wasn't allowing anyone backstage. Cue Jeff Jarrett, who wrestled Kaz with the passes on the line. Jarrett won with a Stroke so they gave the passes away to some random fans in the audience.
Next up was Eric Young and Doug Williams in a comedy match that was unique, to say the least, and offered a few nice surprises for someone who's been watching the sport for twenty years. EY was a clown and the crowd, such as it was, really ate it up. Lots of "U-S-A" chants.
There were a couple "multiple bounces off of opposite ropes" spots where the crowd kept waiting for one of the guys to hit each other but they just kept hitting the ropes instead, about six times apiece before Young stopped and pointed at the ceiling and said, "Wait! What's that?!" Williams looked, of course, and got popped for it. (He tried the same trick on Young later but EY was wise to his games.)
At one point, Young took off the referee's shirt and convinced the ref -- it looked like Andrew Thomas but he had a beard -- to fight Williams instead. Douglas, to his credit, went along with it as the official hammed it up like an old Popeye cartoon. EY went back to business before the ref got killed and Doug Williams pulled out the win.
At this point, we noticed Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins sitting at ringside. He was by himself on the other side of the barricades, away from the fans and right near where the ramp opened up to the ring. There were only a few moments when you could actually tell he was enjoying himself; otherwise, he just sat there expressionless and watched, always alone, though I understand that he signed autographs at intermission for the people who had backstage passes.
Velvet Sky beat Madison Rayne in a ridiculously sexy match that featured a series of one-ups-manship spots, including an "anything you can do, I can do better" battle of between-the-ropes rump shaking. Both ladies played the crowd like champs and they did women's wrestling a solid.
Samoa Joe beat AJ Styles clean with a Muscle Buster in exactly the kind of high impact match you'd expect; I can't say much more than that, as a Joe/Styles match has a connotation beyond anything I can describe, but the crowd loved it and Styles got a lot of heat for taunting the crowd. They must've used about all the time they had before a time limit draw.
My friends Ben and James were recognized by Christy for wearing their military fatigues so they got to stand up and get an ovation, and now neither of them will shut up about it. :)
Morgan massacred Spanky and I'll go as far as saying that Morgan was better at riffing the crowd than Styles was. Kendrick mounted a little offense here or there but it was Davey vs. Goliath and this was definitely the way to do a squash; the match lasted awhile and, after the bell, Morgan was going to hit Spanky with a chair to add insult to injury but BK reversed with a Van Daminator-like kick.
What was really weird, Spanky seemed super pissed after the match; he unfolded the chair and sat briefly over the injured Morgan and flipped him the double digits and yelled, at the top of his lungs, "Fuck you!" And immediately left. I don't know if it was a shoot or if that's part of Spanky's Jedi persona but it seemed really out of place.
Some really rude TNA security guy who looked like Jim Zorn kept telling everyone at ringside to sit down, and of course we wouldn't listen -- because, WTF, we're at a wrestling show -- so he finally gave up after about thirty minutes and disappeared, which was fine with all of us because the "chairman of the seating committee" was a huge buzz-kill.
The Motor City Machine Guns beat Beer Money after landing all of their big signature moves. There was a lot of booze-related crowd play from James Storm and painful looking spit-sells from the Machine Guns. It seems like I'm knocking these guys when I say it was a typical MCMG/BM match but typical for them is a career-making, five-star bout for anyone else.
Flair vs. Angle was short with Angle winning via submission after an Olympic Slam and Ankle Lock. I don't even think they went ten minutes, which was kind of a disappointment after having so many other great matches on the card, but it was what it was and the two legends were still entertaining.
Flair bailed and Angle thanked everybody for supporting TNA, and stayed around in the ring to do autographs and pictures for $20 a pop while the rest of the talent came out to ringside to talk to the fans and sign stuff. It was crowded and we'd gotten their autographs before the show so we didn't stick around but they seemed like they were going to be out there for awhile.
2010 - WWE broadcast Superstars. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We start off this week’s show with the Smackdown brand and your announcers are Todd Grisham and Matt Striker.
Match Number One: Primo with AJ versus JTG
They lock up and Primo with an elbow and he works the wrist followed by a drop toe hold into a front face lock. JTG with a hammer lock and kick and he maintains the hammer lock. Primo with an elbow and wrist lock but JTG reverses using the ropes and he hits an arm drag. They shake hands as a sign of respect. They lock up again and JTG with a side head lock. JTG with a drop kick followed by a hip toss and knee. JTG with a flip shoulder tackle and he gets a near fall. JTG backs Primo into the corner and he goes to the turnbuckles and punches him. Primo sends JTG to the floor but Primo misses a baseball slide. JTG tries to hit a clothesline but Primo moves and he stops short of AJ. Primo hits JTG from behind and then sends him into the ring steps as we go to commercial.
We are back and Primo with a reverse chin lock but JTG escapes after punches. JTG with a sunset flip but Primo rolls through and kicks JTG. Primo with a near fall. Primo with a drop kick for a near fall. Primo with a suplex and he gets a near fall. Primo with a body scissors as he works on JTG’s ribs. Primo adds an arm bar and gets a near fall. Primo with an arm bar but JTG with an arm drag. Primo charges into a boot and then he connects with a back elbow. Primo sweeps the leg but misses the diving head butt. JTG with punches followed by a back elbow and clothesline. JTG with a back body drop for a near fall. JTG goes to the apron and hits a shoulder and the flip shoulder tackle. JTG goes into the corner and he hits the Mug Shot. JTG sets up for the wraparound clothesline but Primo hits the Backstabber for the three count.
Winner: Primo
It is time to take a look back at the highlights from the greatest 40 minutes of the week and the worst 20, otherwise known as NXT.
We are back and Did You Know that WWE provides their shows to the military.
It is time for the Raw section of the show, a bit early as your announcers are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.
In a special treat from Monday night, we will see the match between John Cena and Nexus in the You Can’t Cee Me Gauntlet.
Wade Barrett gets on the announce table and he tells John Cena that there is a change in plans. Since Cena wants to take apart Nexus one by one, Cena will want to face them in a gauntlet match. Barrett says that if Cena can get through the other four, he faces Wade Barrett. Barrett gives Cena an alternative that they can all face him at once and kick his teeth in.
John Cena versus Nexus in a You Asked for it you got it Gauntlet
First Victim: Heath Slater
Cena with a side head lock to Slater followed by a knee and gutwrench suplex for a near fall. Cena charges into a boot and Slater with a punch. Slater with a running forearm into the corner followed by a drop kick. Slater gets a near fall. Slater with a reverse atomic drop and neck breaker for a near fall. Slater punches the mat in frustration before he punches Cena in the head. Cena with punches but Slater with a flapjack for a near fall. Slater goes up top but he takes too long and Cena rolls through on a cross body and he gets Slater on his shoulders and hits the Attitude Adjustment for the three count.
We go to commercial before David Otunga gets in the ring.
Victim Number Two: David Otunga
The match is joined in progress and Otunga with shoulders followed by an uppercut. Otunga with a suplex while Barrett continues to pay tribute to Dead Poet’s Society on the announce table. Otunga with another suplex and he gets a near fall. Otunga takes too long for another suplex and Cena with an inside cradle for the three count.
Victim Number Three: Michael Tarver
Tarver punches Cena in the corner and he adds some kicks. Cena with a kick to the head and he puts Tarver in the STF and Tarver taps.
Victim Number Four: Justin Gabriel
Justin Gabriel with a spin kick for a near fall. Gabriel with a kick to the leg and midsection. Gabriel with a jumping back kick and he gets a near fall. Gabriel goes to the apron for a slingshot senton but he can only get a two count. Gabriel waits to connect with a forearm. Gabriel with a forearm but Cena with punches and a standing drop kick that connects for a near fall. Cena goes up top but Gabriel punches Cena. Gabriel with a forearm and then he hits a superplex and both men are down. Gabriel gets a near fall. Gabriel goes for a top rope quebrada and hits it but he can only get a two count. Gabriel stands over Cena and then he tries for a suplex but Cena blocks it and hits a suplex of his own. Cena gets a near fall on Gabriel.
Cena punches Gabriel but Gabriel responds with punches of his own. Gabriel with an STO but he can only get a near fall. Gabriel with a cross body into the corner and then he goes to the apron for a springboard move but Cena moves. Cena with the two flying shoulder tackles followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb and then it is time for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena sets for Attitude Adjustment but the members of Nexus interfere.
They all go after Cena but Cena takes the chair from Barrett and Nexus leaves the ring because one man and a chair is not as effective as five men.
John Cena gets on the mic and he tells Barrett that he owes him. They end it now.
Barrett tells Cena that is quite the offer, but to be perfectly honest, he doesn’t gain anything for laying him out one more time. Barrett says that he wants something to sweeten the deal.
Cena accepts the deal sweetener.
Barrett says that Cena will put everything on the line for the WWE. Barrett says that he tried to recruit him in the past and has had it thrown in his face. Barrett says that he is taking the choice out of his hands. Barrett says that he will fight Cena at Hell in a Cell on one condition. Cena wants Barrett to cut to the chase. Barrett says that if he beats Cena, John becomes a part of Nexus. No ifs, no buts, no maybes, no excuses, and no escape clauses.
Cena says that he isn’t going to back down from a fight and the match is on. Cena interrupts Barrett and he says that if we are going to make this big, they need to make it big. If Cena is going to put his lifeblood on the line, Barrett can’t just show up. Cena says that if he wins, Nexus is done. Cena says that he doesn’t mean Nexus is weakened or the foundation is shaken. He says that Tarver goes to Macy’s selling women’s fragrances. Gabriel goes back to the Twinkie factory as a cream filler. Otunga goes back to mooching off his wife, but that is what he is doing now. Slater goes back to working at Wendy’s as ‘The Chick from Wendy’s’. Wade Barrett goes down in history as the winner of NXT Season One. The man with the golden opportunity but flushed it down the toilet. Cena wants to know if the stakes are too big for him.
Barrett says that he is on.
Match Number Two: Goldust with Aksana versus William Regal
Regal with an arm drag into a wrist lock. Goldust reverses and he hits a snap mare and leg drop to the arm. Regal and Goldust with a Greco Roman Knuckle Lock but Regal with a kick and side head lock. Goldust with a top wrist lock but Regal returns to the side head lock. Goldust with a shoulder tackle and near fall. They lock up and Goldust backs Regal into the corner and Regal tries to control the leg but Goldust escapes. Regal with a cravate and take down and gets a near fall. Goldust with a punch but Regal with a knee and side head lock. Goldust with a leaping butt bump and Regal goes to the floor. Regal walks over to Aksana and Aksana confused as she back up. Goldust attacks Regal from behind but Regal drops Goldust on the ring steps and Regal with a running boot to the groin as we go to commercial.
We are back and Regal works on Goldust’s leg as he continues the momentum he gained before the commercial break. Goldust tries to fight off Regal but Regal with a single leg take down and then he drops a knee to the leg. Goldust punches Regal but Regal with a drop toe hold and he returns to the leg. Goldust gets to his feet and he hits a monkey flip as he finally gets out of Regal’s grasp. Regal dives into the front of the knee as he continues to work on the leg and he stands on Goldust’s leg while holding the ropes. Regal with kicks and knees to the leg in the corner. Goldust with a kick but he runs into a forearm. Goldust with uppercuts to Regal and then Goldust with the Final Cut and he gets the three count.
Winner: Goldust
2010 - TNA broadcast Impact. Stu Carapola filed the following TV report:
We open with a recap of the events of last week, as Eric Bischoff declared a three way main event at Bound For Glory, then Dixie Carter overruled him and made an Angle-Hardy match with the winner facing Anderson at Bound For Glory, the match going into overtime and continuing into Reaction, the match ending in a double pin, and Bischoff declaring a three way main event after all as Dixie Carter stalks angrily to the back where she offers an inquiring cameraman a friendly "no comment."
Let's head to the Impact Zone and go right to the ring for our first match! Well sort of, as during the entrances, we go backstage to Rob Van Dam being held back from doing some drastic thing by Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore. Hey, here's the guy RVD was probably going to go after...
Rob Terry vs Abyss
For those who weren't listening to the Impact Postgame Show last week in the Elite section, Dave Scherer figured out that "Janice" and "Bob" are named after Dixie Carter's parents. Abyss jumps Terry before the bell as the fans chant "Abyss sucks", and I wonder why, of the two guys in the ring, they chose to chant that at Abyss. Terry levels Abyss with a clothesline, then takes him out with the 50/50 spinkick. Abyss gets the boot up when Terry charges him in the corner, and Abyss runs him over with a clothesline. Abyss beats Terry down in the corner and follows him in with a running splash. He goes for the chokeslam, but Terry breaks free and, in an admittedly impressive display, picks Abyss up, holds him for a few seconds, and powerslams him, then in an even more impressive display, picks Abyss up over the shoulder and delivers a British Bulldog powerslam for 2. He goes for a chokeslam on Abyss, but Abyss goes to the eyes and hits a side suplex for 2. Abyss goes for the chokeslam again and gets it this time, but only gets 2. Abyss clotheslines Terry over the top to the floor, at which point we get a camera shot backstage of Rob Van Dam walking backstage with Jeff Hardy and planning his attack on Abyss. Back to the match, as Abyss tears off a piece of the guardrail from ringside and rams it into Terry's face, causing the ref to call for the DQ. God forbid Rob Terry of all people do a job.
Winner: Rob Terry by DQ
Abyss continues pounding on Terry with the piece of guardrail as Rob Van Dam, covered in bandages and carrying a chair, limps down the stairs through the crowd. Abyss sees him and grabs Dixie's Mom, but security runs out with chairs and Abyss backs off. Van Dam doesn't, and cracks one of the security guys in the face and then climbs in the ring. He grabs a mic and thanks the fans for their support, and says the reason he's here tonight is to show the fans that he's not going anywhere. He asks Eric Bischoff to come out to the ring, and we'll find out what happens...after this commercial!
We're back and RVD is in the ring with Bischoff, and RVD is telling Bischoff how upset he was about being stripped of the TNA World Title and the announcement of the title tournament, but there's nothing he can do about it, so he wishes luck to Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, and Ken Anderson, and challenges the winner to give him the first title shot. But what he's here to talk to Bischoff about is his physical condition because he hates looking like this and appearing vulnerable. His doctor has given him a date of clearance to return to the ring, and guess what that date is? That's right, 10/10/10, and he wants Abyss at Bound For Glory. Bischoff says he wants it, the fans want it, and Bischoff wants it for him, so he makes the match: Rob Van Dam vs Abyss at Bound For Glory.
Tonight: Dixie Carter has a major announcement! But wait, Bischoff is still in the ring and the Pope's music hits. Pope comes walking out and he looks none too happy. Pope says hi to Eric and says since he's in a mood to do favors, he can do Pope a favor and tell him what the hell's going on around here. Bischoff looks confused, and Pope says he can smell crap a mile away and Bischoff is full of it. In the past month or so, he's done what few men have been able to do: he beat Matt Morgan, then the week after that he pinned Frankie Kazarian, and then the week after THAT, Pope pinned Kurt Angle. He's not going to complain about what happened at No Surrender, but he wants to know how RVD is going to get the first title shot after Bound For Glory, and how Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy got into the main event of Bound For Glory without winning. Bischoff says he hopes Pope is not accusing him of what he's accusing him of, to which Pope replies that he's not accusing Bischoff of anything, he's telling him straight to his face that he's a con man. Bischoff says they need to take this in the back and discuss it like professionals, not this way and not right now. Bischoff drops the mic and walks off, followed closely by Pope.
We go backstage to the women's dressing room as Angelina Love & Velvet Sky are getting their makeup done, and Lacey Von Erich strolls in, pulls a chair up behind them, and sulks. Velvet asks Lacey if she's okay, and Lacey says no, she's really ******* pissed off over Madison Rayne getting Tara to beat her ass. She kicks her chair over and stalks off, leaving a stunned Velvet and Angelina staring after her in shock.
We go backstage to Pope and Bischoff, and Pope is yelling at Bischoff to put him in the title match at Bound For Glory. Bischoff says if he's up for it, he'll put him in the ring with Samoa Joe tonight and if he can get by Joe, he'll put Pope in the title match.
Back to the ring for our next match...
Jeremy Buck vs Chris Sabin
Sabin goes to a side headlock, Jeremy fires him into the ropes and Max trips him from the floor. The referee sees what happened and kicks Max Buck out of ringside. Sabin rolls Jeremy up from behind, then gets a hiptoss and a shoulderblock and covers for 2. Sabin is heavily favoring his shoulder, and gets an armbar on Jeremy. Jeremy makes the ropes and elbows Sabin in the shoulder on the break, then leaps to the apron and comes back in with the slingshot facebuster for 2. Jeremy with a snapmare and Dragon Sleeper on Sabin, then gets a neckbreaker for 2. Jeremy chokes Sabin on the top rope and then charges him in the corner, but Sabin gets the boot up, heads out to the apron, suplexes Jeremy to the outside but he lands on his feet on the apron and DDTs Sabin on the apron, then rolls him back in the ring and covers for 2. Jeremy with a full nelson, but Sabin backs him into the corner to break, so Jeremy with a chinbreaker to the back of the head and then goes for a tornado DDT, but Sabin escapes and gets an enziguiri and a schoolboy rollup for the win.
Winner: Chris Sabin
Max comes running back in and nails Sabin and GenMe beat him down 2-on-1. GenMe with the hanging DDT on Sabin, then Max grabs the title belt from ringside and he and Jeremy hold it up high.
Velvet Sky and Lacey Von Erich are backstage, and they're...WALKING!
Last week on Reaction, the Pope said his top priority is to win the TNA World Title, and he feels like he's being held back. Jeff Jarrett said that Pope's got an ego problem, and he can complain when he has the kinds of matches and gets the kinds of reactions that Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle do.
Back to the ring for our next match...
Knockouts Tag Team Title Match: Taylor Wilde & Hamada vs Velvet Sky & Lacey Von Erich
Can someone please explain why Sarita hasn't been on TV in weeks? Yeah, didn't think so. Lacey and Taylor start, Lacey gets an armdrag but Taylor comes back with an ankle pick and a side headlock takeover. Lacey sends Taylor into the ropes and manages to drop down and hiptoss Taylor, then hiptoss and armdrag Hamada without screwing it up. Lacey tags Velvet (who is already in the ring) and she cranks the arm of Hamada, who rolls out and plants a running boot right in the chest of Velvet. Hamada with a slam and goes up top, but misses the moonsault and Velvet with a diving dropkick to Hamada. Taylor tags in and exchanges pinning combinations with Velvet, but Velvet gets the advantage and drops a few elbows on Taylor before tagging Lacey back in. Taylor kicks her legs out from under her and gets a running dropkick to Lacey. Tag out to Hamada and they hit a double suplex for 2. Hamada with an enziguiri and a cradle suplex for 2. Taylor tags back in and lays Lacey out with a clothesline, but Lacey whips Taylor to the corner and tries to go up and mount her, falls off, does it again, and does a bad Frankensteiner that she completely blows. Velvet and Hamada come in and brawl and wind up out on the floor, and then Madison Rayne runs in and nails Lacey with the motorcycle helmet, and Taylor takes advantage of it and hits a spinning kick and covers Lacey for the win. God forbid Lacey of all people does a job.
Winners: Taylor Wilde & Hamada
Angelina comes running out and stares angrily after Madison Rayne as Velvet checks on Lacey.
Backstage, Tommy Dreamer is arriving at the Impact Zone, and he's got EV2.0 with him. And up next, the Pope takes on Samoa Joe!
We go to a video package of Jesse Neal, detailing his history aboard the USS Cole and dream of becoming a professional wrestler. He trained at Team 3D's school and then was signed to a contract by TNA, left the Team 3D fold, and formed a team with Shannon Moore.
We go to the broadcast booth as Mike Tenay and Taz are joined by Dixie Carter, who announces that the main event of the live Impact on 10/7, everyone on the Bound For Glory card will participate in a $100,000 battle royal. Tenay then asks Dixie about the major change she teased months ago on her Twitter, and she said that details about that are going to start to come out on the live Impact.
Back to the ring...
The Pope vs Samoa Joe
Joe attacks Pope before the ring, tosses him into the corner, and pummels him with rights. Joe whips Pope into the ropes and catches him with a flying knee. Joe unloads with a series of rights, but Pope comes back with a few kicks and an STO and covers for 2. Pope tries coming off the ropes again but Joe wipes him out with a double axhandle, whips him into the corner and charges in with an elbow and a leaping enziguiri for 2. Joe HITS THE CHINLOCK! Pope fights his way out but Joe rips his head off with a clothesline and goes back to the chinlock. Pope fights out again and takes Joe down with a series of double axhandles, an inverted atomic drop, and a flying shoudlerblock for 2. Pope comes off the ropes but Joe catches him with a snap powerslam for 2, and then Pope ties Joe up in the ropes and gets a neckbreaker. Jeff Jarrett comes out to cheer for Joe as Pope puts the boots to him in the corner. Joe recovers as Sting and Kevin Nash come down to ringside and attack Jeff Jarrett, he hooks the Kokina Clutch and Pope passes out.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Joe immediately goes out to the floor and helps even the odds, and he and Jarrett are able to turn things around on Sting and Nash.
Backstage, Christy catches up with EV2.0, and Tommy says that he forgot who he was, but these guys helped remind him, and Dixie Carter made a Lethal Lockdown match at Bound For Glory, and Sabu will face AJ Styles later tonight to decide who gets the advantage.
Ken Anderson is backstage, and he's...WALKING!
We're back from commercial, and Ken Anderson comes out and tells the assholes he loves it when they make noise. Yep, can't argue with that: there's nothing better than a noisy asshole. He asks Kurt Angle to join him in the ring, which of course he does. Anderson says it's no big secret that he is what his t-shirt says, which by the way, can be purchase on shoptna.com. That's not going to change at Bound For Glory, and the interesting thing they have in common is that they both don't play politics and they don't swing from the boss' nuts. Well, Anderson admits that would technically be impossible in TNA, but the point is that he thinks Kurt is without a shadow of a doubt the best in the business, but at Bound For Glory, he plans to be better. Angle says he respects that and the fact that he's saying this to Angle's face like a man, and when he started in this business, he had the mindset that he wanted to be the best, and anything less would be failure. Here he is, ten years later, and he's accomplished everything he's set out to do. They're going to have a problem at Bound For Glory, because he promised everyone that if he lost on his way to regaining the TNA World Title, he'd retire. But there's something Anderson needs to understand: what Angle does in this ring is who he is, he's sacrificed everything and many people don't know where his drive and determination come from and that he's some kind of freak, maybe he is and maybe he isn't, but at Bound For Glory, he's not going to lose because without wrestling, Kurt Angle doesn't have anything. Angle extends his hand to Anderson and Anderson shakes it, then raises Kurt's hand so everybody can applaud him...for the last time.
Ric Flair is backstage with Fortune, and he calls them the heart and soul of TNA, and in Lethal Lockdown, EV2.0 are going to be gone from TNA. Tonight, AJ has a ladder match with Sabu and the winner gets the advantage at Lethal Lockdown, but before that, they give Flair a Smirnoff Ice so he can chug the entire thing. Hey, if TNA thinks it's important for us to see that, it's their dime.
Hey, good news: The Shore is coming in two weeks!
Backstage, Kevin Nash and Sting ask the Pope if he has the information they need. Pope says he doesn't know what information they want, and they mention his rendezvous with Miss Tessmacher. Pope looks shocked and asks them if they know, and Sting says that's what they've been fighting for all this time. Pope says he's in.
We go to a video package hyping the Fortune-EV2.0 match at Bound For Glory, and then it's off to the match to decide the advantage in Lethal Lockdown...
Ladder Match: Sabu vs AJ Styles
AJ unloads with some heavy rights to start, but Sabu fires back and beats AJ down. Sabu tries to go for the ladder, but AJ kicks the middle rope into Sabu's groin as he stepped through the ropes to take the advantage. AJ sends Sabu into the ropes, but Sabu comes back with a flying headscissors and a clothesline off the ropes. Sabu climbs out of the ring and goes after the ladder, but AJ chases him out to the floor and nails him. AJ tries to suplex Sabu, but Sabu picks him up and dumps him chest-first on the guardrail. Sabu slides the ladder in the ring and heads back in, but AJ yanks the ladder back out and slings Sabu's neck across the top rope. Now AJ wants the ladder, so he picks it up and puts it on the apron, so of course you have to have Sabu baseball slide it into AJ's ribs like in every ladder match. Sabu rams AJ into the rail and grabs a chair, then heads back in. Sabu nails AJ as he gets back in the ring and tries to climb, but AJ nails him and Sabu falls to the mat. AJ tries charging Sabu in the corner, but Sabu moves and then takes the ladder and nails him with it. He picks it back up and tries to launch it at AJ, but AJ dodges and the ladder flies out to the floor. AJ goes out and brings it back to the apron, and Sabu tries the baseball slide spot again, but AJ lifts the ladder out of the way and Sabu slides to the floor where AJ cracks him with the ladder. Mick Foley comes wandering out of the back, and we're at commercial.
We come back to Sabu tossing a chair at AJ's head, then setting the chair up for a triple jump into the corner on AJ. Sabu follows that up with a triple jump dive at AJ and both of them tumble over the top to the floor. Foley gets in Flair's face on the floor and Matt Morgan nails Foley from behind and holds him so Flair can kick him in the nuts. Tommy Dreamer comes running out to help, but Frankie Kazarian comes out of nowhere to tackle Dreamer and they brawl at ringside. The rest of EV2.0 and Fortune all come pouring out to ringside and a big brawl erupts as AJ sets up the ladder and starts climbing, but Sabu pushes the ladder over and AJ falls onto the top rope, and then Sabu hits a springboard dive onto everyone on the floor. Sabu sets up the ladder and starts climbing, but Bobby Roode comes in and nails Sabu, but then Rhino comes in and gores Roode. James Storm comes in and superkicks Rhino, but Sabu nails him and sets the ladder back up, and he and AJ each climb up one side of the ladder. They fight at the top of the ladder and Sabu knocks AJ to the mat, but Storm runs back in and cracks the beer bottle over Sabu's head, then literally carries AJ to the top of the ladder where he can grab the key.
Winner: AJ Styles
Fortune will now have the advantage in Lethal Lockdown.
Jeff Hardy is backstage with Rob Van Dam and saying how good it is to see him back here, and says that if he wins the title at Bound For Glory, he'll give RVD the first title shot. RVD says he has no doubts about Hardy and walks off, leaving Hardy staring off into space, deep in thought when all of a sudden, Abyss runs in and I guess knocks out the cameraman because the camera ends up on the floor as we hear Abyss beat Hardy up and ask him if he wants to fight like his buddy.
After commercial, Abyss is carrying Jeff Hardy's unconscious form out from the back. He tosses him in the ring, then grabs the mic and asks RVD if he's wondering why he's got his best friend Jeff Hardy here with him. Seeing RVD here was like seeing a ghost because he was never supposed to come back, and the fact that he did only proves that he's just as ignorant and pathetic as he thought. THEY gave Abyss strict orders to eliminate him from TNA, and he made one mistake: he left RVD breathing. He's going to correct that on 10/10/10 because at Bound For Glory, THEY will finally reveal themselves and begin the takeover of TNA. And on 10/10/10, Abyss and Janice are going to finish the job once and for all because they're not going to hurt, maim, or cripple RVD. On 10/10/10, Abyss and Janice are going to slaughter RVD. After talking to Janice backstage, she doesn't want to wait until 10/10/10, she wants another piece of him tonight, so Abyss yells for RVD to come to the ring. RVD's music finally hits and he comes staggering out with a chair. Abyss tears Hardy's shirt off and starts to go after RVD, but RVD throws the chair at Abyss' head and gets in the ring. Abyss boots him in the fact and starts pounding on RVD, hanging him up in the corner and charging in with a splash. Abyss grabs Janice and stands over RVD and...you're going to have to watch Reaction to find out what happens because Impact is off the air!
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