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2/24 THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 24th

On this day in history in ....

1987 - Sir Oliver Humperdink defeats Bad News Allen in Tampa, Florida for the Florida Heavyweight Title.

1991 - The NWA held their WrestleWar Pay-per-view in Phoenix, Arizona at the Memorial Coliseum. Here are the results from the show:
- Eddie Guerrero & Ultraman defeated Rudy Boy & Huichol.? This was a dark match.
- WCW Six Man Tag Team Champions Ricky Morton, Tommy Rich & Junkyard Dog defeated The Big Cat & The State Patrol.
- Bobby Eaton defeated Brad Armstrong.
- Itsuki Yamazaki & Mamni Kitimura defeated Miki Handa & Dynamite Kansai.
- Dustin Rhodes defeated Buddy Landel.
- Tracey Smothers & Steve Armstrong defeated Rip Morgan & Jack Victory.
- Terry Taylor defeated Tom Zenk.
- Stan Hansen vs. Big Van Vader ended in a double disqualification.
- United States Champion Lex Luger defeated Danny Spivey.
- The Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) defeated Doom (Butch Reed & Ron Simmons) to win the World Tag Team Title.
- Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious & Larry Zbyszko (subbing for Arn Anderson) defeated Sting, Brian Pillman, Rick & Scott Steiner in a War Games match when Sid Vicious knocked out Pillman with a series of powerbombs.?  El Gigante came out and pulled Pillman out of the cage, and the match was ended because Pillman could not continue.

1992 - Koko B. Ware defeated Kamala for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee.

1995 - UFC star Dan Severn defeats Chris Candido in Erlanger, Kentucky for the NWA World Heavyweight Title, beginning a reign that would last over four years.

1997 - Syxx (Sean Waltman) defeats Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight Title in San Francisco, California.

2002 - World Wrestling All-Stars, a company that had been running overseas tours and taped Pay-per-view events, held their first live U.S. PPV with "Revolution" from the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show drew 2,800 fans (including MANY comps and freebies given out), and was the first live U.S. Pay-per-view not put on by WWE since WCW was sold. The show originally was advertised to feature the return of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to wrestling, but the two ended up entering negotiations with WWE, and pulled themselves from the show. Randy Savage was also advertised for the show, but also didn't appear, with fans being informed of this during the pre-show.  Here are the results from the card:
- Nova won an elimination match with Low Ki, Shark Boy, AJ Styles, Tony Mamaluke and Christopher Daniels. Nova pinned Styles with a backflip style belly to belly suplex for the win.
- Bret Hart made an appearance to announce that Brian Christopher would take Randy Savage's place in the main event, calling Savage a "Space Cowboy".
- Alan Funk, doing his "Funkster" Hulk Hogan impression defeated Reno with a piledriver and legdrop.
- Kronik defeated Navajo Warrior & Ghost Walker after the "High Times" double chokeslam on Walker.
- Psycho defeated Tio in a Hardcore Midget match with a fireman's carry into a released stunner onto tacks.
- Scott Steiner beat up the midgets, then defeated Disco Inferno in an impromptu match with a Steiner Recliner.
- Eddie Guerrero defeated Psicosis and Juventud Guerrera to win the WWA International Cruiserweight Title with a frog splash on Psicosis.?  After the match, Jerry Lynn made a surprise debut, having just left WWF, to challenge Eddie for a match that would never happen in WWA, as Guerrero went back to WWF.
- Devon Storm defeated Sabu when he rammed Sabu into a chair that Bill Alfonso was holding for Sabu to use, and rolled him up for the pin.
- Larry Zbyszko cut a promo ripping on Vince McMahon and Chris Jericho.
- Rick Steiner & Ernest Miller defeated Lodi & Lenny Lane in less than a minute.
- WWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett defeated Brian Christopher with a low blow followed by The Stroke.

2003 - During an edition of Raw from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Booker T eliminated The Rock to win a 20-man Battle Royale and earn a title match with World Champion Triple H at Wrestlemania XIX.

2005 - WWE began contacting former ECW wrestlers to take part in a June 2005 PPV, which would come to be known as "One Night Stand."

2006 - Ted Turner, who first put pro wrestling on TBS and later purchased Jim Crockett Promotions, turning it into WCW, departed Tim Warner.  The company had merged with AOL in 2001, resulting in Turner losing power in the company, one of the reasons WCW was canceled by Jamie Kellner.  Turner would make occasional appearances for WCW during its run.

2007 - Ring of Honor ran Dayton, Ohio.  Aaron S. Rund filed the following live report:

I attended the ROH show last night in Dayton, here are the results.

In preshow action. Rhett Titus and Bobby Dempsey defeated Jon Moxley and "Sugarfoot" Alex Payne. Shane Hagadorne defated Eddie Osiris to retain the Top of the Class Trophy. Sara Del Ray defeated Josey in a good women's match.

The show started with ring Announcer Bobby Cruise telling everyone that tonight was the five years to the day that ROH ran their first show. This got a Happy Birthday chant from the crowd. 

Cruise then introduced "the voice of ROH" Dave Prazak who then called out Takeshi Morishima to make his ceremoinal new champ crowd address. Morishima's music played but he didn't come out. Nigel McGuinness came out and told Prazak that Morishima only comes out if their is an ass to kick and sincd their was no ass to kick he wasn't going to come out. 

This brought out Irish Airborn, Dave Crist took the mic and said that ROH was all about opportunities and down the line Irish Airborne would like to take on Nigel McGuinness and Takeshi Morishima.  Before Crist could finish Morishima comes out and gives Irish Airborn a lariat followed by Backdrop Driver on Jake Crist.

After Morishima left the ring, Lacey's Angels came out and Lacey asked Nigel why he is teaming with Colt Cabana tonight against Lacey's Angels she doesn't have a problem with him. Jimmy Rave then comes out and attacks Nigel and puts him in the Heel Hook. Rave leaves and then the heels start working over Nigel McGuinness until Colt Cabana makes the save. Which leads to.

Colt Cabana and Nigel McGuinness defeat Jimmy Jacobs and Brent Albright (w/Lacey) After Nigel McGuinness hit the Tower of London on Jacobs off of Cabana's shoulders. This was a good opener which at one point saw Jimmy Jacobs choke out Colt Cabana with a guitar string. This was my first time seeing Brent Albright live and he is a beast. 

Jimmy Rave beat Sterling James Keenan here by making him tap to the Heel Hook. Short match that showcased mostly Jimmy Rave. A few fans managed to smuggle some toilet paper in to the building to throw at Jimmy Rave (toilet paper is banned from being thrown at ROH events) and when they did this
Jimmy was livid and tried to go into the stands after the fan. After the match Nigel McGuinness runs down and attacks Rave giving him a European Uppercut that sent him through the corner of the security barrier. They then fought to the back. Nigel was noticeably limping.

Lacey (w/Jimmy Jacobs) defeated Daizee Haze following a Jimmy Jacobs spear.  This was a great match and both women worked really really hard. At one point Lacey even tried to use the Heart Punch on Haze (which is Daizee's finisher). Great Match.  Before the match Delirious took a seat in the front row of the bleachers (which only the people sitting in the section noticed).

After the match Rebecca Bayless came out into the crowd and asked Delirious what he was doing at the show because he was injured and he didn't have a match. Delirious didn't answer and was just quiet for the entire segment. 

Homicide defeated Christopher Daniels (w/Allison Danger) and Jay Briscoe in a three way match with an Ace Crusher off the second rope. This match featured the three performers who were all on ROH's very first show. It was a good match with a lot of action. Allison Danger was wearing one of the Skimpiest outfits I have ever seen her wear.

Matt Sydal successfully defended the Dragon Gate Open the Brave Gate title by defeating Austin Aries. This was a good match with Sydal using a few heel tactics to get the better of Austin Aries and work over his ankle in the ropes. Sydal wins the match with a beautiful Shooting Star Press.  After the match, the No Remorse Corps (Roderick Strong & Davey Richards) hit the ring and attacked both participants but focused more on Austin Aries.

Delirious sees this happen and makes the save running through the crowd and throwing chairs the entire time. Delirious took the mic and cut a promo after the match. The only part I could really understand was that Delirious is insane.

Intermission

Following Intermission, Super Agent "Sweet and Sour" Larry Sweeny came to the ring with Tank Tolland and Mitch Franklin. Sweeny put over his client Chris Hero saying that since Sweeny came to ROH not only has Hero received a title shot but he has also gone over to tour Japan. Sweeny introduced Tank Tolland as a physical specimen and announced that Tolland is going to be Hero's personal trainer upon Hero's return from Japan. Sweeny then turned to Franklin and said that Franklin was everything that Tolland wasn't. Tolland attacked Franklin which lead to.

Tank Tolland destroyed Mitch Franklin.

The next match up was a Six Man Mayhem match that featured Roderick Strong vs Marc Briscoe vs Shingo vs Claudio Castagnoli vs Matt Cross vs Pelle Primeau. This was the match of the night. This match told a perfect story with the heels (Strong, Shingo, Claudio) beating the hell out of the much smaller Pelle. At one point during the match Shingo and Strong were taking turns chopping Pelle's chest. Pelle got some nice offense in as well hitting a tope con hilo into a rana on the floor on Claudio. Austin Aries hit the ring (noticeable limping) and chased Roderick Strong out the front door so he was not a factor in the finish of the match. Finish of the match came when Claudio elevated Cross into the air and as he was coming down hit a European uppercut. Claudio won the match. After the match Pelle got a standing ovation that last well over a minute. Matt Cross also got a small chant.

Samoa Joe defeated Davey Richards after a Musclebuster on the Apron. This match was brutal. Both men delivered stiff kicks with Joe getting Richards with one that may have legitimately knocked out Richards. Joe was able to hit three ole kicks as well as the rest of his signature moves. Richards also hit a very pretty looking Shooting Star Press. A very good match in my opinion.

Takeshi Morishima retained the ROH World Championship by defeating BJ Whitmer. This match was almost totally dominated by Morishima. Morishima is a complete beast. Morishima might be the most agile big man in the entire business. He hit an amazing missile drop kick as well as powerbombed BJ Whitmer on the floor. Morishima got the pin after a Lariat followed by a Back Drop Driver.

Overall it was an excellent show and worth picking up on DVD at www.ROHWrestling.com when its released.  ROH announced a return to Dayton on June 22.

2008 - WWE signed Colin Delaney, who had previously made a few appearances for the ECW brand.

2009 - WWE held a press conference to announce Wrestlemania was headed to Phoenix, Arizona.  Mike Johnson filed the following report:

Today's press conference announcing that the WWE Wrestlemania 26 PPV will take place in Phoenix, Arizona has already sparked some coverage from the local media. 

Vince McMahon (ignoring his on-screen character's injury to appear), John Cena, Chris Jericho, Kelly Kelly, WWE Women's champion Melina and Kofi Kingston all took part in the  conference alongside officials from the city of Glendale, The Phoenix Cardinals and Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs.  Scruggs pushed that the event would be a "much needed" $30-$50 million into the local economy.

The official theme for the show will be "Destruction in the Desert" which was the tagline pushed last year by area officials when they were vying for the event. 

"Arizona is an extraordinary place. I don't have to tell you that," Vince McMahon said to the media "Everyone who's in Arizona knows it is and everyone all over the world knows that Arizona is a very special place. We have a very special event known as Wrestlemania so it should be quite the honeymoon and quite the marriage. Arizona and Wrestlemania."

2009 - A heated exchange ended WWE's conference call announcing their quarterly earnings.  Buck Woodward filed the following report:

WWE held their Investor Conference Call to discuss the 2008 Fourth Quarter Earnings, which had been released that morning.  I noted in my recap that the Q&A session at the end of the call came to a rather abrupt close when an investor questioned WWE's dividend policy given their current earnings.  Well, SeekingAlpha.com has posted a full transcript of the conference call, which you can read by clicking here.

Here is the closing moments of the call, an exchange between WWE Chief Financial Officer George Barrios and Bobby Melnick of Terrier Partners, an investor firm located in New York City:

2009 - Jack Swagger won the ECW title, his first belt within WWE.  Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report from the title change:

Tonight Christian gets his chance to achieve the same ultimate goal as WWE Hall of Fame Inductee to Be Ricky Steamboat, to win a secondary WWE title not the NWA World Heavyweight Title. Will Tommy Dreamer continue his ‘Winning is for Losers’ Tour as he moves closer to the end of his run in the WWE? Will Jack Swagger continue his time at the top of the brand or is the recent losing streak the sign that he will no longer be the ECW champion? Will Vickie Guerrero complete the triple crown to become the Todd Grisham of General Managers? How many recaps of the GameHammer heard round the world into the mirror holding the One Warrior Nation will we get? Will we find out any more participants in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match? Will we see who just got announced into the Hall of Fame?

We are live on tape from Nashville, Tennessee and your announcers are Matt ‘Fang Fingers’ Striker and Todd ‘Predators’ Grisham.

Match Number One: DJ Gabriel with Alicia Fox versus Mark Henry with Tony Atlas
They lock up and Henry sends Gabriel to the mat. They lock up again and Gabriel gets hip tossed. Alicia distracts Henry and Gabriel with a drop kick and Henry wonders if something hit him. Henry with a body block to Gabriel followed by a head butt. Henry chokes Gabriel in the corner. Henry with a hard Irish whip followed by a boot to the back. Henry with a forearm to the chest followed by a reverse chin lock. Henry sends Gabriel into the corner but he avoids a charge by Henry. Gabriel with forearms that do not knock Henry off his feet. Gabriel with a drop kick to the knee followed by a European uppercut. Gabriel with a double sledge from the turnbuckles and Henry stays on his feet. Gabriel goes up top again and Henry catches Gabriel and hits the standing power slam for the three count.
Winner: Mark Henry

We go to commercial.

We are back and Evan Bourne is still having video packages aired for his impending return.

Match Number Two: Tyson Kidd with Dave Scherer’s favorite hairdo and Natalya versus Matt Boyce
Kid with a waist lock take down and he has Boyce in a body scissors until Boyce gets to the ropes. They lock up and Kidd with a top wrist lock into a key lock and Boyce gets to the ropes. Kidd slaps Boyce but Boyce with a forearm. Boyce with a sunset flip for a near fall, but Kidd with a series of kicks and Boyce is down. Kidd with punches and then he kicks Boyce in the head. Kidd with an elbow to the head. Kidd with a head scissors followed by a corkscrew drop kick. Kidd with the springboard elbow drop for the three count.
Winner: Tyson Kidd

We go to commercial.

We are back and did you know that photos from WWE shows are on WWE.com.

It is time to take a look at highlights from the Triple H interview from Smackdown that aired in its entirety on Raw last night. Then we see what happened when Triple H confronted Randy Orton on Raw in a moment that has many yearning for the return of Cha$e (have to give credit to Paul from the unofficial chat room).

We see highlights from last week’s victory by Paul Burchill over Boogeyman.

Match Number Three: Tommy Dreamer versus Paul Burchill with Katie Lea
Dreamer with an Irish whip and hip toss followed by punches to Burchill and a side Russian leg sweep. Dreamer sends Burchill to the floor. Dreamer sends Paul back into the ring and he avoids a punch and hits a neck breaker. Dreamer misses an elbow drop and Burchill with a clothesline and then he puts Dreamer in a front face lock. Burchill with a splash into the corner. Burchill with a European uppercut and then he chokes Dreamer in the corner. Burchill with a kick to the back followed by a clothesline for a near fall. Burchill sets for the knees in the corner but Dreamer moves. Tommy with a clothesline and swinging neck breaker followed by an elbow drop for a near fall. Burchill with an elbow but Dreamer stops Burchill from hitting a Codebreaker. Dreamer catapults Burchill into the corner and then Striker mentions ‘vintage’ Dreamer with the Tree of Woe but Katie pulls Paul out of the way.

The lights go out and Boogeyman is under the ring and he pulls Katie under before she escapes. Dreamer with a DDT for the three count.
Winner: Tommy Dreamer

Christian is walking in the back and we go to commercial.

Match Number Four: Christian versus Jack Swagger for the ECW Title
Swagger looks anxious to get things started but Christian with a waist lock and Swagger with a standing switch and take down. Swagger holds on to the waist lock as Christian tries to escape. Christian goes to the apron and Swagger with a double leg take down. They lock up and Swagger backs Christian into the corner. Christian with punches to Swagger and Christian with a spinning heel kick for a near fall. Christian with a side head lock but Swagger escapes and he has Christian up. Christian tries for a sunset flip but Swagger grabs Christian by the throat and sends him into the corner. Swagger with kicks to Christian followed by Irish whips and Christian avoids the charge and he kicks Swagger. Swagger goes to the floor when Christian moves out of the way. Christian with a springboard cross body and we go to commercial.

We are back and Christian comes off the turnbuckles and Swagger with a clothesline to the back of the head. Christian is on the apron and Swagger with a shoulder tackle that sends Christian to the floor. Christian with elbows on the floor as he fights off Swagger. Christian charges at Swagger but Jack moves out of the way but the steps are waiting for Christian.

Christian returns to the ring and Swagger with a slam to Christian and then he applies an arm bar. Swagger pulls Christian up and drops him to the mat. Swagger continues to work on the arm. Christian eventually escapes and has Swagger in a side head lock. Swagger with a shoulder breaker and then he runs Christian into the turnbuckles and then hits a running power slam. We go to commercial.

We are back and Christian with a sleeper but he backs Christian into the turnbuckles. Swagger with a kick followed by a front face lock take down. Swagger backs Christian into the corner and then he releases the hold. Christian with a punch to Swagger but Swagger with a kick and punch. Swagger puts Christian on the top turnbuckle but Christian knocks Swagger off. Christian with a missile drop kick and both men are down. Christian punches Swagger followed by a running forearm. Christian with a drop toe hold that sends Swagger into the ropes and then he stands on Swagger. Christian goes to the apron and then he drops Swagger across the top rope. Christian misses the diving head butt and Swagger with a Northern Lights suplex and bridge for a two count. Christian tries for the Unprettier but Swagger escapes the hold. Christian with an inverted DDT for a near fall. Swagger with a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Swagger tries for a splash off the turnbuckles but Christian gets his knees up and then Christian with a sunset flip for a near fall. Christian goes to the apron and he goes up top. Swagger meets Christian on top but Christian knocks Swagger off. Christian with the diving head butt for a two count. Swagger sends Christian into the turnbuckles. Christian hits the Tornado DDT but he can only get a two count. Christian tries for the Unprettier but Swagger sends Christian into the ring post. Christian tries for the Unprettier again, but he cannot complete the move because of his shoulder. Swagger hits the Doctor Bomb for the three count.
Winner: Jack Swagger

2010 - All charges against former WWE, ECW and TNA star David "Kid Kash" Cash were dropped on 2/11 when Cash arrived in court in Jonesborough, TN in Washington County to face charges of identity theft, forgery and theft of property. 

I was told that Cash and a number of witnesses on his behalf arrived at the courthouse together, only to learn that the former female acquaintance who had pressed the charges instead decided to recant her story. 

The female admitted the credit card charges had been made with her knowledge and permission and that she had pressed charges because she was upset Cash had cut off their relationship.

Cash had claimed in a December 2009 interview with PWInsider.com that the card charges were made at a gas station prior to a group they were part of heading out to the woods for a day out. Cash also claimed during the interview that he had paid her back the total, which was under $100, in cash the next day. Cash claimed at the time that the entire situation came from his decision to end the relationship, which is what the woman pressing charges eventually admitted.

Cash was arrested on 12/22 and charged with charged with four counts of identity theft, two counts of forgery under $500 and four counts of theft of property under $500.  Every single charge has been dropped and Cash is scheduled to head to Great Britain tomorrow for several dates.

2011 - The USA Network announced that Steve Austin, Bill DeMott, Booker T and Trish Stratus had signed to become trainers for the resurrected Tough Enough series.

2011 - WWE announced that they had signed the former Mistico, now christened Sin Cara.  Cara would become a staple of the Smackdown brand but would end up suspended and tearing his ACL within one year of being signed.  WWE's announcement reads:

SIN CARA SIGNS WITH WWE

STAMFORD, Conn. – WWE today unveiled their latest Superstar signing, Sin Cara, formerly known worldwide as Mistico. The announcement took place today during a press conference in his hometown Mexico City, where passionate fans of all ages turned out to see their favorite performer become the newest addition to the WWE roster.

Having already forged a strong international fan following, Sin Cara, known for his high flying style and awe inspiring acrobatics, is expected to reach new heights of global success with WWE.

“Sin Cara is a tremendous performer who brings the crowd to its feet every time he steps into the ring,” said Stephanie McMahon, Executive Vice President, WWE. “With us, his stardom will only get bigger and brighter.”

Upon his signing, Sin Cara said, “WWE is the pinnacle of sports-entertainment. It is an honor and a thrill for me to be able to perform with the world’s best. Being a WWE Superstar will present new challenges, new mountains to climb and new competition. It is a new beginning and a new life. With that in mind, I have chosen the new name of Sin Cara in hopes to represent all the legendary Mexican masked performers and to carry the banner of their legacy to the entire world.”

Kris Zellner covered the Mexican Press conference of Cara's signing as well as EMLL's reaction:

 Sin Cara (Faceless) making his debut today at a press conference held by WWE in Mexico City. Jim Ross & Carlos Cabrera were there among other WWE luminaries and when they introduced Sin Cara he came out in a Mistico style mask before taking it off revealing his new look mask which is a blue colored version of his combo mask he wore with Averno last year with some cloth over the eyes. Sin Cara then spoke saying that this is his dream come true and he is honored to be working for the greatest promotion in the world. Sin Cara went on to say that he didn't know which brand he would end up on or when he would make his exact debut but he is ready when called. WWE.com has quite a few articles on Sin Cara with photos from his days as Mistico and they have setup a Facebook page at facebook.com/wwesincara with a Twitter account coming soon. Clips from this press conference should be airing on WWE TV as early as this week especially on their Spanish versions and I would expect to be on the ones here as well from how heavily they have covered this. They have made a point today to make sure that everyone knows that this was Mistico which personally I think is very important especially in Mexico and regarding the brand he would go to, I would be HIGHLY shocked if he doesn't end up on Smackdown with Alberto del Rio & Rey Misterio.

The WWE press conference completely took the steam out of the eventful press conference held by EMLL a few hours earlier where they announced their big matches on the horizon but the Mistico story completely took control of the event. EMLL Director Juan Manuel Mar said that the guy who was under the Mistico mask is indeed gone from the promotion but they still owned the gimmick and said that they would eventually put someone back under the hood in the future basically following the Tiger Mask template. The spin control then started as it was said that they were trying to sign Mistico to a new deal for the last two weeks but he would never call them back and they figured out then that he was done with the promotion but they were willing to talk to him again about a contract. This is nonsense as two weeks ago was 11 days after Super Luchas broke the story that Mistico had signed with WWE and 16 days after he actually signed his contract so they supposedly offered him a contract well after he had already signed a deal with WWE. They were trying to save face here showing that they made an actual effort to keep him there but he wouldn't take their offer and left them high and dry and this could've worked as late as about 3-4 years ago but with the fans getting smarter to the inside of the business and magazines breaking big stories puts a big dent in the spin control a promotion tries to do.

2011 - Chris Jericho's announcement in front of Nokia Theater LA was that he will be hosting the Revolver Golden God awards on VH1 Classic on 4/20. Jericho's band Fozzy will also be performing that night.

2011 -  TNA issued the following press release:

NEW YORK JETS’ BART SCOTT TO GET IN THE WRESTLING RING WITH HIS HERO, HULK HOGAN,ON SPIKE TV’S “TNA iMPACT!”

New York, NY, February 24, 2011 -- New York Jets’ linebacker Bart Scott will fulfill a childhood dream by assisting TNA Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan’s triumphant return to the ring to settle a score with Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle and Kazarian in Spike TV’s “TNA iMPACT.”

The special episodes featuring the Jets’ defensive star will air on Thursday, March 3 at 9:00pm ET/PT and Thursday, March 10 at 9:00pm ET/PT on Spike TV.

Hulk Hogan, returning from a recent hiatus, will join his Immortal team featuring many of the biggest names in wrestling including Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, and Jeff Jarrett as they look to win control of TNA. Hogan has enlisted the help of the hard-hitting Bart Scott to secure an ultimate victory.

This special TNA “iMPACT!” event tapes Thursday, February 24 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC. ‘TNA iMPACT” airs on Spike TV Thursdays at 9:00pm ET/PT

2011 - Documentary "Card Subject to Change" signed a DVD distribution deal.

2011 - Welcome to the TNA Impact report here on PWInsider.com!

We open with a recap of last week as Jeff Hardy pinned Rob Van Dam on TV and Ric Flair returned to TNA and betrayed Fortune to the shock of nobody, leading to AJ Styles challenging Ric Flair to a match we'll be lucky to see...TONIGHT!

Ken Anderson comes out for our opening promo, bringing a steel chair with him and sitting on it in the middle of the ring. He doesn't care who's calling the shots around here, whether it's Hogan, Bischoff, Dixie Carter, or the network, because the contract says he gets a rematch and he's going to do a sit-in in the middle of the ring until he gets it. He doesn't know why the network doesn't like him, and wonders if it's because...(crowd chants asshole as he seems lost for words)...if it's because he's an asshole, and then he says asshole about ten more times. He says if that's the case, then Rob Van Dam isn't exactly a law-abiding citizen, and...oh wait, RVD's music hits and he comes out because I assume he has something to say to Anderson. Anderson stands up and goes face to face with RVD, who says that he wants to make sure his hearing isn't distorted, and wants to know about the laws of morality and about someone feeding one of his friends to the sharks. He knows Anderson had huge plans when he came to TNA and he knew that those plans might never happen once RVD came to TNA because he knows RVD is better and he's never going to get anywhere near the TNA World Title as long as RVD is in the company. Anderson may be formidable with a mic in his hand, but he's no match for RVD in the ring and now he's going to screw Anderson any way he can. Anderson doesn't care about anything other than getting his rematch for the title, but before they both do something they're going to regret, let's-

RVD doesn't wait to hear what Anderson's got to say before punching him in the face and starting a fight with referees and security coming out to pull them apart. Here he is, Eric Bischoff's music hits and he comes out with Immortal and says it looks like he's got his main event for tonight, because he was going to give Anderson his rematch...Anderson and RVD start fighting and need to get pulled apart again...Bischoff was going to give Anderson his rematch until he saw the sheer ratings draw in front of him, so instead of the rematch, we're going to get Ken Anderson vs Rob Van Dam tonight. Jeff Jarrett whispers something in Bischoff's ear and Bischoff loves it, so since the network loves ratings, it's going to be Anderson vs RVD vs Kurt Angle in a three way dance.

Later tonight: Scott Steiner vs Rob Terry in a posedown and AJ Styles takes on Ric Flair!

We go backstage to Scott Steiner, who has been training all week and is now stopping to enjoy some James Storm beer. Eric Young is posing behind Steiner, and says that he's been working on his muscles and asks what he thinks. Steiner says he looks terrible and kicks him out.

We go to a video package where a...flamboyant fashion designer shows Jeff & Karen Jarrett different dresses that Karen might like to wear when they renew their vows next week. Jeff gets tired of looking at the guy's crappy dresses, so he pours wine for Karen and himself to take the edge off.

We go backstage where the Mysterious Cameraman asks Kurt Angle what he thinks about what the Jarretts are doing, and he says giving Karen away isn't going to be a problem because he couldn't give her away fast enough. As for Anderson and RVD, no disrepsect to them but he's in a bad mood tonight.

Let's go to the ring for our opening match...

Orlando Jordan & Eric Young vs Gunner & Murphy

Beer Money join Mike Tenay and Taz on commentary for this match. Murphy tries to charge Young so Young dodges and Jordan rams Murphy's face into his crotch, so Gunner tags in and criss crosses with Eric for about 20 minutes, then Eric dropped down, then they criss-crossed again and Gunner blew up, so Jordan grabs Gunner's ass from outside the ring. They criss cross some more and Gunner takes a shot at Jordan, then lays Young out and tags out to Murphy so he can dish out some punishment. Young hits a chinbreaker, then pulls his pants down so Murphy kills him with a clothesline and then has one for Jordan. Gunner & Murphy hit a Demolition Decapitator for what I believe to be their first win ever.

Winners: Gunner & Murphy

With this win, Gunner & Murphy will challenge Beer Money for the TNA World Tag Team Title on Impact next week...which is actually being taped right now!

We go backstage where Angelina Love is trying to talk Velvet Sky out putting her career on the line against Sarita. Angelina says it's not her, it's Sarita, but Velvet says she needs to be alone now and kicks Angelina out.

We go back to the Impact Zone, where an emotional Brother Devon comes out to apologize to his boys, because a father's worst dream is being unable to protect his own kids, and that's what happened at Against All Odds. The boys loved him, looked up to them, and called them uncle, but he put his hands on them. He wants to apologize to the family, but most of all the boys because he wasn't there to protect them, and he promises them that this will not go unanswered. Bully Ray appears on the video screen and calls him a weak piece of crap. He's beating up a backstage hands and asks how the boys how they're doing after he put one of them through a table and gave him a concussion, then gave the other one whiplash. Just so Devon doesn't forget what he did to his little bastards, he's going to put this BROTHA through a table to remind him that he was always the leader of Team 3D and he was just a follower. He goes to pick the kid up, but Tommy Dreamer comes out of nowhere and attacks Bully Ray, beating him out to the Impact Zone and onto the rampway. Devon grabs a chair and takes a wild swing that Ray dodges, and Ray gets away as security comes out to break it up. Devon tries to break free and takes another wild swing and accidentally punches Dreamer in the face. Devon gets pissed when he realizes what he just did, but we barely have time to take it in before...

We go backstage to Madison Rayne & Tara, and Madison says she is tired of people saying she can't keep her title without Tara's help, so no matter who accepts the open challenge tonight, Madison wants her to stay in the back.

Earlier tonight, AJ Styles said he's not standing in anyone's shadow any more because he built this company, so he's going to step out of Ric Flair's shadow and take care of business like only AJ Styles can.

Back to the ring...

Brutus Magnus vs Crimson

Magnus grabs a mic before the match and tells Crimson that he's great in a lot of ways, though none of which as much as him. The difference is that he's not carrying Kurt Angle's bags around. Crimson responds by ripping his head off with a clothesline and hits a T-Bone Suplex. Crimson with a three quarter nelson and a kneestrike to the face, then turns it into a rolling neckbreaker. Magnus snaps his head down on the top rope and hits a big boot to the face and goes for the MDD, but Crimson reverses to the Red Alert for the win.

Winner: Crimson

Rob Van Dam is backstage, and he's not sure what this match tonight is about: entertaining Bischoff, evening the score with Ken Anderson, or moving back to the World Title. Either way, he's coming out on top tonight.

Rob Terry is backstage, and he's...LUMBERING!

All right, it's time for the moment we've all been waiting for...

Super Posedown: Rob Terry vs Scott Steiner

Rob Terry says he doesn't know who the hell Scott Steiner thinks he is, but he's going to prove that he's the best built man in the history of the business and the real Genetic Freak of TNA. Scott Steiner comes out in a suit, and he says that the best thing for Rob Terry is that he's in a good mood, but he better not call himself a genetic freak because there's only one genetic freak and it's him because he's been a Genetic Freak since he was **** ******* ***** his mom's ****** ******. He says he looks more like a chemical disaster than a Genetic Freak, and he came from the bodybuilding world and tried to come into his world, but he's not going to come out in Speedos all oiled up. Rob Terry asks him if he's afraid, but Steiner says he's going to go get in the back, put on his wrestling gear, and if Rob Terry's still out here when he gets back, he's going to kick his ass. Terry says it's just like an American to run away when he sees someone bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter. Steiner comes back in and gets ready to show Terry how Americans do things, but Terry instead show how the Welsh do things by nailing Steiner from behind and choking him out with his jumprope thing. Actually, that's not fair to say about the Welsh, since Terry Jones is awesome. Okay, I'm cool with the Welsh again. As for this match, let's call it...

No Contest

Velvet Sky runs into Winter backstage, and Winter asks if she has better things to worry about than her, and says now that they're friends, people around here doubt her abilities and don't think she can get the job done. She'd love to see her go out there and get the job done like when she and Angelina won the Knockouts Tag Team Title. Velvet says that when she's done with Sarita she's coming for her ass.

Ric Flair is backstage, and he's...WALKING!

We catch up with the Jarretts again, this time at the church speaking to the priest who's going to perform the ceremony. Karen says they actually got married a few months ago, but they want the whole world and especially Kurt to see their love. The priest doesn't know who Kurt is, so Karen says it's her ex-husband and she wants him to hand Karen over to her big daddy and the King Of The Mountain. The priest is aghast because this is blasphemous, and Jeff argues that it doesn't matter because the church is non-denominational.

Back to the Impact Zone where Ric Flair comes out to say stuff we'll remember for the rest of our lives. He says it's hard to be humble when you're the Nature Boy, and he tells some skank at ringside that he's going to give her a ride on Space Mountain. He knows AJ Styles is backstage because he saw him all day long, and he wants him to come out here, get down on his hands and knees, and apologize. AJ joins Flair in the ring, and AJ says he was avoiding Flair because he wanted to beat the piss out of him and peel his head like an onion, but he's not going to do that because he won't let Flair get to him. Flair says that Fortune doesn't do anything without Flair giving the okay, and AJ says they didn't tell Flair what they were going to do because Flair would try to talk them out of it. Flair says he had been trying to teach them how to walk the path of greatness, and now he's going to teach them about respect and he slaps AJ. AJ flips and attacks Flair, but Hernandez comes out of nowhere and attacks AJ from behind, wraps his t-shirt around AJ's neck, and tosses him across the ring. He takes a charge at AJ but gets backdropped to the floor and AJ goes back after Flair. Hernandez grabs AJ again and grabs AJ in a full nelson, but AJ lowblows both of them in one fluid motion and then hits a Pelle Kick on Hernandez, then tears Flair's pants up. AJ takes Flair to the floor and rams him into the guardrail and...you guessed it, Flair bladed. Flair tries to escape back into the ring but AJ follows him in and beats him up some more, so Hernandez gets back in the ring AGAIN and kicks AJ to the floor and then press slams him face first onto the apron. Hernandez rolls AJ back into the ring, but AJ baseball slides him and hits a dive to wipe Hernandez out and then goes back after Flair, tearing his pants completely off and then going after his shirt as well. Flair does the Flop, but AJ is undeterred and goes for the Styles Clash but Hernandez comes back in and clotheslines AJ, then tackles him hard into the corner and the two of them now start to work AJ over until the rest of Fortune runs out to make the save. About time they showed up! Matt Morgan runs out and nails Hernandez from behind and then beats him all the way to the back of the Impact Zone.

Ken Anderson is backstage and says that Bischoff has been stacking the deck against him for months, but now he doesn't care about anyone or anything but regaining the TNA World Title.

We look at what I think is the same video package from last week where we recap everything from Hulk Hogan coming to TNA all the way up to Dixie Carter serving Hulk Hogan with an injunction that put him out of action since Thanksgiving. Next week: Hulk Hogan and Dixie Carter come face to face as we hear the verdict that will decide the future of TNA!

Back to the ring for Madison Rayne's Open Challenge, and Madison says that every time TNA has set up an opponent for her, she's taken great pleasure in knocking them down, so she knows her opponent for tonight is backstage and wants her to come out now and face her. Hey, look who it is!

Madison Rayne vs ODB

ODB tackles Madison Rayne and slams her hard, then takes her to the corner and unloads with a series of hard chops. ODB goes for the Bronco Buster but Madison dodges the move and gouges the eyes, then does her move where she humps ODB's head into the mat over and over. Madison ducks a clothesline and hits a lungblower, but ODB fights back and runs Madison over with shoulderblocks. ODB with a fallaway slam and a kip up and then hits the Bronco Buster, but Madison gets her neckbreaker with a knee thing and gets the win.

Winner: Madison Rayne

We go backstage to Velvet Sky, who is sick of people talking **** about her, so she goes into Sarita's locker room and accept Sarita's challenge to wrestle her next week. Sarita makes sure her career is going to be on the line and Velvet says yes, her career will be on the line. Sarita is really impressed with her, so she gives her word that she's not going to pull any tricks and it'll be the two of them one on one next week. They shake on it and Velvet leaves, then Sarita and Rosita crack up when she leaves and Sarita says she's going to screw her so hard she'll have trouble walking.

Our main event is up next! And I bet we'll really have more video packages and stuff before we get there!

Matt Morgan is backstage gloating about kicking Hernandez's ass, and as his former partner, Hernandez knew how much the World Title meant to him and that's when he chose to return out of nowhere and take it from him, his wife, his father, and his mother, so what we just saw was his comeuppance. The Mystery Cameraman asks what Morgan's going to do on March 3rd, and Morgan says he's going to give him a North Carolina ass whupping, because payback in a mother******.

We go back to the Jarretts on the move again, and Jeff is getting measured for his tux and wants Kurt measured for a tux as well, especially his big fat head. Karen wonders what Kurt is going to think when he hands her over to Jeff next week, and Jeff says he's going to realize that Jeff took his bride and now he's going to hand her over to the King Of The Mountain.

We take a look back at October when J Woww showed up on Impact and beat the crap out of Cookie. Next week, Angelina from the Jersey Shore will be on TV to call out J Woww. I can't wait.

It's main event time! Looks like I was right about those video packages, huh?

Rob Van Dam vs Ken Anderson vs Kurt Angle

They circle each other and then RVD and Angle beat up Anderson, then Angle gets knocked to the floor so RVD continues working Anderson over with a monkey flip and a spinkick in the corner. RVD hits a clothesline on Angle and hits Rolling Thunder, but Anderson nails him from behind and hits a spinning neckbreaker. Angle comes in and nails Anderson and hits a snap suplex and then rips Anderson's head off with a clothesline. Angle and RVD face off and Angle goes to the ropes, but Anderson pulls the top rope down and Angle tumbles to the floor. RVD goes after Anderson but Angle grabs Anderson by the ankle and drags him out to the floor and they fight it out until RVD hits a somersault dive and all three men are down on the floor as we go to commercial.

We're back and Angle and RVD are duking it out in the ring and RVD hits a spinkick and goes for a monkey flip, but Angle turns it around and sits RVD on top, RVD kicks him out and loses his footing, then recovers and hits a top rope jumpkick for 2. RVD backdrops Angle to the floor and Anderson comes in and hits a really ugly back suplex on RVD and a running kneedrop for 2. Anderson goes to a top wristlock, but RVD fights his way out and kicks Anderson in the face and then hits a springboard jumpkick. Angle pops back in and starts laying out both men with clotheslines and gives RVD an overhead belly to belly and then hits the Rolling Germans on Anderson and follows that up with a full rotation German on RVD and the Angle Slam on Anderson. RVD finally breaks Angle's momentum with a superkick right to the jaw and then goes for the Five Star, but Angle suplexes him off the top rope and RVD rolls to the floor. Anderson goes for the Mic Check, but Angle counters and DRILLS him with a T-Bone Suplex. Angle goes for the Ankle Lock, but wedding music starts playing and the Jarretts come out to distract Angle and allow Anderson to hit the Mic Check for the win.

Winner: Ken Anderson

The Jarretts kiss and give Angle an evil smirk as they head to the back and Mike Tenay and Taz hype the big show next week in North Carolina that's being taped now, and we'll see Angelina from Jersey Shore, Bart Scott, Hernandez vs Matt Morgan, Beer Money defends the TNA World Tag Team Title against Gunner & Murphy, Velvet Sky puts her career on the line against Sarita, the Jarretts renew their vows, and the verdict in the case of Carter vs Hogan will be announced! Oh wait, we have some footage in the production truck, and it's...a guy in a trenchcoat and boots walking around in the rain, ending with the inscription 3/3/11. How original!

Thanks for watching, and see you all next week!

2012 - Lucha star Charly Manson was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the assault on two police officers in 2011.

2012 - WWE signed DGUSA referee Jason Harding to a developmental deal.

2013 - es Thatcher, who has worked in every aspect of the pro wrestling industry, from wrestler to promoter to booker to announcer to writer to publisher to agent to producer to trainer to author and beyond, was named the first inductee of the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes class of 2013.

2014 - WWE launched the WWE Network!

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