On Friday, July 28, 2006 at 2:51 AM EST Full TNA iMPACT! Results – 7/27/06
Taped From: Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay & Don West
Report by: Ryan Droste (Droste@wrestleview.com) of WrestleView.com
-Show starts with highlights of last week's show.
-The Impact opening airs.
-The James Gang are walking backstage with Eric Young. Borash approaches them. He says this isn't the plan he gave Eric last week. The James Gang has a plan for him. They say Eric is entertaining so they want him to be a part of their segments on TV and be their partner.
-Brother Runt is fighting with Abyss up the entrance tunnel into the Impact Zone. Runt is on the offensive. Abyss comes back and Mitchell gives him a chair. He swings it but misses. Runt gets the chair and nails Abyss with it. Raven is looking on from afar in the arena. They get in the ring and Abyss gives Runt a big boot, sending the chair into his face. Abyss gives him the Black Hole Slam on the chair. Security comes out and pulls Runt from the ring.
-Borash is backstage with Monty Brown. Borash wants his thoughts on Joe vs. Rhino. Brown says he and Rhino have unfinished business. Borash wants his opinion on who will win. He says he doesn't care who wins, the only thing he cares about is that "Rhino's and Hippophants (Yes, that is his nickname for Joe. Half elephant and half hippo. OK?) don't deserve to be on the Serengeti."
Petey Williams defeated Johnny Devine, Shark Boy & Sonjay Dutt in a 4-Way X Division Match
Kevin Nash and Alex Shelley are watching the match from a lift behind the bleachers. There was a commercial during the middle of the match, as has become usual. The finish came when Williams hit the Canadian Destroyer on Shark Boy after Devine kicked Dutt in the gut and was rolling him to the outside.
-Borash is backstage with Brother Runt. He asks if Abyss didn't get the memo? He says everywhere he's been, he looks for the biggest and meanest guy and he walks up to them and smacks them in the face. He says he isn't affraid of anyone and he has nothing to lose. He calls out Abyss any place, any time.
--COMMERCIAL BREAK--
-A video airs about the Sabin vs. Nash match coming up at Hard Justice. It features comments from Jerry Lynn, talking to Chris Sabin. He says Nash has made a mockery of the X Division and embarassed all of them. Jerry Lynn slaps him over and over to get him fired up.
-Christian Cage's theme comes on, and he makes his way to the ring with a mic in hand. The fans chant his name, but he says the gesture is appreciated but he doesn't deserve it tonight. He says he came out to apologize to Sting for the last couple of months. He says he doubted Sting, his character, and the reasons he came to TNA. He says he realized something when Sting won the number one contender's match. He says Sting came back to make TNA the greatest wrestling promotion in the world. He says Sting came back to pave the road for guys like him, and the only way to do that is to get rid of the cancer. Christian says he didn't see it at the time, he was too busy being selfish and worrying about his own agenda. Christian says for that, he is saying that he is sorry. He says last week he asked Cornette if he can be in Sting's corner at Hard Justice. Cornette told him he needs Sting's approval. Sting's theme comes on. Sting is up in the rafters. Sting says he didn't come here to try and make TNA the best promotion in the world, it already is number one. Sting says Christian will get his answer in due time, but right now the only thing on his mind is removing the cancer from TNA at Hard Justice.
-A video package airs featuring Jarrett's comment on Victory Road. He says what he did to Sting at Victory Road was retaliation for what Sting did to him a few weeks ago on Impact. Jarrett says TNA management is listening to the fans, and he doesn't know why. He says when the fans threw trash in the ring, it showed that they are ungrateful SOBs. Jarrett says Cornette, Christian, and Sting are in cahoots to oust him from TNA. Jarrett says if Sting doesn't beat him at Hard Justice, he should pack his bags and go because TNA is not big enough for both of them. Jarrett says if by some way he loses the match, he might not have a choice but to leave TNA.
--COMMERCIAL BREAK--
-An LAX video package airs with comments from Konnan about their feud with Styles/Daniels.
The James Gang (BG & Kip James) & Eric Young defeated America's Most Wanted (James Storm & Chris Harris) & A-1 Ralphz
Eric Young is now billed as being "from an undisclosed location" so that a pink slip can't be sent to him. Before the match, at the end of the the usual James Gang mic routine, Kip said, "I got 3 words for ya...Don't Fire Eric!" The match broke down after only a few minutes. The James Gang drop kicked A1 into AMW, and then Eric rolled up A1 from behind for the pinfall.
-A new Paparazzi Productions Video aired. "Super Blue Cross #6" and "Samolian Joe" are introduced to Nash by Alex Shelley. They are the "Mongolian wrestlers" they spoke of last week. Shelley shows Nash some moves. Nash just gives the guys a forearm smash twice in a row and says "how about this?" Nash says he's been practicing a move off a trampoline into his pool at home that involves three sommersaults. He goes to demonstrate it. He jumps from the corner, the camera cuts away, and then cuts back to Nash laying on top of one of the midgets. Shelley proclaims the move as being, "incredible."
-A Bobby Roode video package airs. Tenay calls him "one of the most in demand heavyweights in the world today." They are building him up as being a hot free agent. They say next week the interview process begins.
Rhino and Samoe Joe wrestled to a No Contest
They start off exchanging high powered offense, stiff shots back and forth. Monty Brown came out early with a chair to sit on and watch the match. They went to a commercial break less than 2 minutes into the match (I know, I couldn't believe it either). Rhino went for the Gore, but Monty Brown pulled him out of the ring before he could run and try for it. Rhino and Brown brawl on the floor, and then joe nails a suicide dive to the outside taking out Brown. Joe and Rhino brawl up the entrance ramp. Rhino gave Joe a belly to belly on the ramp. Rhino then went down the tunnel and came back out with a table. He sets up the table stacked up in front of the entrance. He sets up Joe on the table and gets ready to go for the Gore, but Brown attacks him from behind. Brown then charges Joe, but Joe kicks him and puts on the Kokino Clutch. Rhino then Gores both of them through the table down into the tunnel.
-The show closes with the usual "Adrenaline Rush" video featuring highlights from tonight's show.
Closing Thoughts: A decent show. Not at the level of last week's show, but a good shower overall. The show was definitely one set-up more for building feuds and advancing storylines rather than having action packed matches.
One problem I'm having with these shows, though, that became a big problem which I really noticed tonight was how they have started this trend of going to a commercial during the middle of almost every single match. Even if it's only a 5 minute match. This bothers me because I think it kills alot of the excitement of the match. I've never liked it. It's understandable if you've got a 15 minute match, but not with the short matches that are standard on Impact. Changing this I think would really help the excitement level of the show overall.
I thought the Sting/Christian segment was pretty average. Nothing real great or memorable. I am looking forward to the eventual Christian heel turn, though, as he is much more entertaining when in that role. He said it himself on his shoot interview with ROH.
The opening X Division 4-Way match was good for the time they were allowed, but there wasn't much time to work with to really get it going.
The stuff with Eric Young was entertaining as usual. I'm still not a fan of the Nash vs. The X Division (it's sure done alot for Sabin hasn't it? I'm not one to say I told you so, but...you get the point), but the "Paparazi Productions" videos he does with Shelley are gold.
I was looking forward to the main event, but left a bit disappointed in it. I heard from live accounts it was a PPV caliber match, but with the commercial break in the middle, all we were left with on TV was a couple minutes of wrestling and then the big spot at the end of the match (which I must say was a cool shower closer).