Josh’s Final Impact
February 22, 2013
By: Josh Boutwell of Wrestleview.com
The final Impact of the UK Tour continued the build towards Lockdown and we finally found out who the #1 Contender would be for Lockdown, and it was someone who didn’t even wrestle in the “contenders” matches last week. With that said it does make sense and plays into the story they’re telling. My biggest problem is that it’s getting to the point where they are making it way too obvious that Bully Ray is in on this Aces & Eights thing (unless they swerve us) especially when the announcers (Todd & Tenay) are calling Bully a “hero” for standing up for Hogan and other hyperbole like that.
The 8-man tag was great action from start to finish and they planted the seeds for a Bad Influence/Aries & Roode feud in the future with the champs walking out on Bad Influence after they couldn’t get along in the match. The story to the match was really just that, the heels couldn’t get along while the babyfaces took advantage of that. The finish was really exciting and the crowd got behind Park’s offense.
Our first glance at Rockstar Spud in the ring wasn’t enough to really pass judgment on the guy though he did seem extremely fast and had some solid offense. They were really just getting over the continued dissension between Robbie E & Bigger Rob with Rob Terry finally seeming to break away from Robbie E.
The Knockouts 4-Way was really exciting and probably the best Knockouts match we’ve had in a year. Velvet got her win but Gail Kim still looked really strong in the process. My biggest problem with the match was the finish. It’s not something we haven’t seen a dozen times (The heel uses the ropes for leverage on a pin, referee catches them, then the babyface goes for a rollup and the heel holds onto the ropes to block it. The referee then either kicks the heels hands away or pulls them away and the babyface rolls them up for the pin) but I’ve always thought that finish was so cheap and just really dumb. It would make sense for a referee to kick the heels hands away in a pin attempt but just dumb otherwise. The last time I can remember seeing that spot used was during the Syxx-Pac/AJ Styles match years ago in TNA when Jerry Lynn was the special referee (though I’m sure it’s been done since then).
Joe & Bischoff was okay for what it was but really should have been Joe absolutely slaughtering Bischoff. I have to say I’m not too intrigued by Angle & Brisco in a Cage Match. Just putting those two in the Lethal Lockdown Match probably would have made more sense.
RVD and King had another really good match but RVD continuing to dominate the X-Division really is doing nothing for the other X-Division wrestlers, especially when King really seems to be the future of that division. I have a feeling Lockdown or the first TV taping in Chicago will be the end to that reign though.
The Main Event was just more of the same that we’ve seen with Aces & Eights lately, a big brawl. It was obvious there was no way Hogan was actually getting in the ring so not too big of a disappointment for me or likely many watching at home, but I’m sure the crowd was probably pretty pissed. DOC pinning Sting seems like it should probably be seen as a big deal for him, but I get the same feeling seeing that as I did when Gunner pinned Sting a few years ago. Nothing will come of it.
Next week Devon & Sting are announcing the teams for Lethal Lockdown so we should get some nice build there and we’ll finally get to see Hardy again and he should start the build with Bully Ray. I’m just interested to see how they go there since we have a babyface vs. babyface match up.
I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing what is going to happen with the cameras being sent to AJ Styles’ house. They’ve been teasing a heel turn for AJ via Twitter in other ways. One of the TNA producers said that he had never been treated as poorly by AJ in his life and Dixie Carter claimed a few weeks ago that she was “snubbed” by AJ at the Bellator event in Georgia. Adding a bit of an edge to AJ could do a lot for him.
It’s also going to be interesting to see where things go with King Mo after his brutal knockout loss in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title Tournament last night. I would assume this would give him a chance to finish up training for TNA and maybe debut in the ring before the end of the year.
– Promo/Segment of the Night: Aries & Roode/Bad Influence
– Match of the Night: Knockouts 4-Way/8-Man Tag (***)
– Overall Grade: B
Until next week… PEACE! 
Follow me on Twitter: @BamaBoyJosh
Josh Boutwell is the official recapper of TNA Impact Wrestling for Wrestleview.com.