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Bah Gawd - Good Ol' JR's Impact Wrestling

7K views 36 replies 8 participants last post by  CoRyP2008 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm basically hitting the reset button on TNA/Impact Wrestling and putting JR in charge. Been a while since I've done one of these so hopefully you all enjoy!


Timeline of Events​

- After feeling like he's been disrespected by Dixie Carter and TNA management, A.J. Styles announces his intention to not resign with TNA Wrestling and officially become a free agent. A.J. once again shocks the wrestling world by signing a deal with WWE, less than 24 hours after he became a free agent. Already doubting her leadership, the TNA locker room all but turns on Dixie Carter.

- A major dispute erupts between Bob Carter and Dixie over Dixie's insistence that despite all of TNA's financial problems, they still resign Hulk Hogan. Bob steps in and cancels Dixie's deal with Hulk. When Dixie calls him out on it, he removes her as president of TNA, putting himself in charge temporarily.

- Having had enough of the wrestling business, Bob Carter announces that after Bound for Glory 2013, TNA will be taken off the air and put up for sale. Rumors quickly spread throughout the internet and the wrestling world that WWE is preparing an offer.

- Not wanting to see one of their higher rated shows be taken to another network or eliminated all together, Spike TV/Viacom begin preparing an offer of their own, similar to their takeover of Bellator. After a brief period of deliberation, Bob Carter accepts Spike TV/Viacom's offer with the rumor being that WWE's offer was very small.

- Spike's first order of business is finding a new president to run TNA. Their first choice, Eric Bischoff, turns them down, citing other business ventures as well as a lack of desire to run a wrestling company full time again. They are then left with very few options until a name presents itself that most would have never thought of. That name being Good Ol' JR Jim Ross. Most would have never thought to offer the position to JR due to the belief that he was a WWE lifer but beneath the surface JR had a bitter falling out with Triple H and Vince McMahon which resulted in his "retirement" from WWE and the desire to "stick it to them" was there for him. After meeting with Spike officials for a couple days, JR accepts their offer and becomes TNA's newest president.

- JR gets to work right away. His first major decision was to announce that he was dropping the name TNA entirely and replacing it with Impact Wrestling as the promotion's official name. His next order of business was to find a new home for Impact Wrestling since it was agreed that remaining on the road permanently was just too expensive. Their first choice, Las Vegas, proved to be too expensive. Returning to Orlando was also out of the question due to the Impact Zone being converted into something else. The only option left that made sense was to return to Nashville. After deliberating, JR decided on returning Impact Wrestling to Nashville and the Asylum, pending major renovations.

- Next JR needed to fill out his management team. Returning to a role of prominence in the company that he founded, JR named Jeff Jarrett Vice President/Head of Talent Relations. JR also named Dave Lagana as temporary Head of Creative. Dave had previously worked as part of the creative team in TNA but JR felt that Impact Wrestling needed one voice so he consolidated the team into one position who now will only report to JR and Jeff Jarrett. With the management team pretty much set, JR can begin to remake the roster.

- To nearly everyone's amazement, JR made very little changes to the roster. His biggest changes were the release of Taz (a simple cost cutting move) and the demotion of Sam Shaw, Rockstar Spud, and King Mo from the main roster page back down to OVW. He made no further signings, opting instead to leaving any wrestlers he signed as secrets.

- Once the reformation of Impact Wrestling was complete, all that was left was to announce a return date to television. Due to budget cutting and only having a limited amount of talent currently, Impact Wrestling would be returning to a one hour show on a temporary basis until they could prove that things were on the up and up. Impact Wrestling's return to television was scheduled for Thursday January 2nd at 8 P.M. on Spike.

- More news coming soon...
Roster

Bully Ray - Heavyweight Champion
Since: 2/13/2014
Defeated: Jeff Hardy & Magnus

Alex Shelley - Television Champion
Since: 2/13/2014
Defeated: Chris Sabin

James Storm - Tag Team Champion
Since: 3/13/2014
Defeated: D.O.C. & Knux

Jeff Hardy - Tag Team Champion
Since: 3/13/2014
Defeated: D.O.C. & Knux

- X Division Champion
Since:
Defeated:

Abyss - On Assignment to AAA in Mexico
Alex Shelley
Austin Aries
Bobby Roode
Brooke Tessmacher
Bully Ray
Chris Masters
Chris Sabin
D.O.C.
Eric Young
Garrett Bischoff - On Assignment to OVW
Gunner
Hernandez
James Storm
Jay Bradley
Jeff Hardy
Jeff Jarrett
Jessie G
Karen Jarrett
Kenny King
Knux
Kurt Angle
Magnus
Robbie E
Samoa Joe - On Assignment to W-1 in Japan
Sting
T.J. Perkins
Ultimate Tiger
Velvet Sky - Storyline Suspended
Wes Brisco - On Assignment to OVW

Jim Ross - President
Jeff Jarrett - Vice President/Head of Talent Relations
Dave Lagana - Head of Creative
Al Snow, Devon - Agents

Mike Tenay, Jeremy Borash - TV Commentators
Hector Guerrero, Willie Urbina - Spanish TV Commentators
Christy Hemme - Ring Announcer
Taryn Terrell - Backstage Interviewer

Christopher Daniels - Impact Online General Manager
Christopher Daniels, Jeremy Borash - Impact Online Commentators
 
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1
#5 ·
Great way to kick off the JR era of TNA. Very sad that AJ Styles is gone, but what a great opportunity to make this really believable. The show itself is nothing special; your typical TNA matches at this time, but you did a great job setting up the atmosphere for the show and future TNA shows. Great post.
 
#9 ·
You have yourself a nice little scenario going. I try to give most BTB's a try and this was one. So, therefore, I wanted to give a mini review of your second Impact Wrestling Show. So, with AJ Styles gone, the Knockouts division scraped, the X Division replaced and the name, venue and any sort of Total Nonstop Action related items, there is only a foundation and a dream to start off with. SO with that being said, lets get onto your first show. I observed the way you put your matches and I must say, it is a pretty well way to do a recap. I don't know whether its the lack of more content or the realistic time constraints, some things such as the main event I want more, and with the future title matches, one hour for each seems like a stretch but lets see how that goes. All of your matches are very well written considering the length you put them in nonetheless. I am personally interested in the flickering lights and the progress of Sabin. I hope you do well in those because like Robbie said, everyone is on the same level. Additionally, I wonder why those people get instant title shots, Kenny was not on a show as of yet and with the gap, I am sure there is and will be people with more momentum but I won't argue, that is just my two cents. So without further ado, welcome your first full reviewer to Good Ol' Jr's Impact Wrestling. I will be reading further by the way, and I wish you good luck on your BTB because hard work pays off in the end, my friend.

85/B
 
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#10 ·
Lil_Dro’s Impact review

Backstage – Interesting that Bully’s request was denied by the mystery person. I can only assume that he is asking for help to win a big match and/or make a big statement. We will find out later. Solid way to open the show as not too many people cut right to a backstage segment.

James Storm vs. Samoa Joe – Let me start off by saying, having a 1 hour show is good for Impact, because there is some solid talent to spread around and pretty much no room for fillers. You could even possibly stretch it to 90 minutes and have another solid match or two on your show each week, the possibilities are endless. Onto the match, Joe looks strong throughout, however Storm is a tough one to put away and picks his spot and gets the win. The booking for this match is Grade A because not only did you book both men to look strong, but they can now both ride their own momentum. The lights flickering is strange, another mystery I guess.

Chris Sabin – Solid interview, Sabin feeding his own ego all while hyping his match with Jeff Hardy. Phenomenal writing.

Chris Sabin vs. Jeff Hardy – Let me just point out that your match writing is above average for a booker, I can’t even write like that (I’m not that good anyway). The flow of your matches are all really well, explaining the whole match, but not certain moves they apply to break the flow. You just tell the whole story in a paragraph and it works well. Sabin is conservative during this match, while Hardy is the aggressor and Sabin after a few missed opportunities, gets the win with a roll up. That’s a big surprise, I’d never think I’d see a main even guy lose to a roll up, but so far, you’re doing the unexpected. It’s truly intriguing. Hardy seems to facepalm himself at the end, he’s like “How did I fucking let that happen,” but doesn’t go after Sabin. Pretty cool.

Bully/Wes/Garrett – Interesting that nobody really seems to want to help Bully Ray. I’d figure someone around the Asylum would want to help, maybe we will get to that. Anyways, I figured it’d be for the main event match up later on. Good segment though, the objective was understood right away and there was purpose to this. Well written, again.

Kurt Angle – I’m going to have to go back and read Angle’s announcement once I’m done with this review, unfortunately there was no brief explanation of what the announcement was and that’s a bit of a turn off because not everyone is going to read every show and a quick sentence or two giving a summary of the announcement would have gone a long way. Also it’s a shame that Angle wasn’t even in the show this episode, but was only caught while leaving. (Probably picking up dat paycheck). Good segment though, if I knew what they were talking about.

Bully Ray vs. Christopher Daniels – Main event time, love the trash talk from Daniels before the match and Bully coming out from the crowd in rage. The thing I love most about your matches are the flow, it’s amazing, I can just read the entire thing without stopping to check back on what I just read and it all comes together in a beautiful little story. But the build to this match was good, as was the contest itself. Shame, Kaz and Roode left the announce both cause that would have been must see tv. I like how you mentioned that Roode and Kaz just being there is tedious task in itself to handle, because that’s how it really is (in fake pro wrestling). Good to see Bully actually has friends in the back and unfortunately he had to take the disgraceful way out. But it’s Bully Ray for crying out loud. Solid main event here buddy, great way to end the show with Bully, Bischoff, and Briscoe standing tall, showing their manpower.


Pros
-The flow of the matches, all of them were great
-The storytelling in the matches, wonderful
-Short and sweet segments, not bulky or too long. Just about perfect for a summary.

Cons
-The Angle segment and me not knowing what the announcement is about. (Very small con)
-AJ Styles no longer, 

Overall- One of the better BTB’s around, you nailed everything on the head and it was a very entertaining read. I didn’t like the title of the thread at first, but don’t judge a book by its cover. I will definitely be reading from now on, sir. Congrats man, this was extraordinary and the potential you have is stuff of prodigy. The match flow is what really got me, I have never seen match flow written that well.

And I will say, it's hard to get emotionally vested in a summarized BTB, this one though, this is special.

Lil_Dro’s Rating System (If this was a taped event and I read the spoilers, would I still watch it)
Yes, from start to finish, it had everything you needed in just a short hour.
 
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#14 ·
Show Review.

Jay Bradley vs TJ Perkins
The first match was just plain awesome. I like that you let TJ Perkins wrestle as himself instead of Manik
The whole wearing Bradley down with his speed is a great idea and one that I'm not sure I've ever seen before.

Garret and Wes vs Bad Influence
The second match was ok. I'm not sure I get where the former Aces and 8's stuff is going so I'll reserve judgement
The lack of experience by Wes and Garrett was a nice touch though.

Bobby Roode vs Jeff Hardy
I didn't like the third match but that's because I'm not a huge Jeff Hardy fan. I don't see him as a main eventer.
I know this is leading to something with Roode constantly losing and not being to keep his cool.

The Closing Segment
The closing segment was very well done. We all know the history these two have and adding Karen early was a good idea
hopefully she isn't a huge focus in the feud. Jeff's response was perfect.

Overall it was a good show. I like the direction and can't wait to see how things pan out.
 
#16 ·
Alot of tournaments to get my head round but loving the idea. Jim Ross would be amazing running a wrestling company. Like the layout a lot the colours break it up nicely. Show length is good as I can read it quickly but you could have a bit more detail and maybe some pictures or graphics.

As for the shows I like how you are using the TV Title ans good to see Jeff Jarrett back.
 
#31 ·
D.O.C./Knux VS. Storm/Hardy 4.5/5 Stars - Nice Cage Match. I love how Storm and D.O.C. were duking it out on the top of the cage.

Roode VS. Bully Ray 4/5 Stars - Loved Bully Ray's use of his girlfriend Brooke against Roode. Roode, however, still pulls out the victory.

Jarrett VS. Angle 4.5/5 Stars - Brilliant display of Angle's injury and Jarrett as usual is up to no good, so it's only fitting that Jarrett is disqualified.

Show Rating: 4.25/5 Stars
 
#2 ·
Major Impact Wrestling News - Knockouts Division no more, Status of TNA veterans, Preview for January 2nd & More

- The status of the Impact Wrestling Knockouts division had been the subject of much discussion over the past couple of weeks as the company re-grouped. Some felt it should stay but there were others who felt that with the lack of Knockouts on the roster and with Impact Wrestling trying to cut budget, the division should go until it can be brought back. Well it appears that the decision has been made to eliminate the Knockouts division for now as the only full time wrestling Knockouts were removed from the roster page today, those being ODB and Gail Kim, leaving Brooke Tessmacher, Taryn Terrell, and Velvet Sky as the only females left on the roster. It should be interesting to see what Impact Wrestling decides to do with them going forward.

- Another area of the Impact Wrestling roster that many were interested in seeing what happened with them was the big named talent, such as Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, and Sting. With the budget cuts that Impact Wrestling had already made, what would happen to them? Well Jeff Hardy has already reaffirmed his desire to stay, resigning a long term deal that he had signed before the company was sold. Kurt Angle, who had his return to the ring from rehab ruined by the sale of the company, did sign a new deal but refused to sign a long term one. Sting's status is much less certain. It is well known that Sting and Dixie Carter had a very close relationship and now with Dixie gone, Sting has not said one way or the other whether he plans to come back or not. Sting reportedly turned down yet another deal from WWE just recently so that could be a sign that he would like to stay but only time will tell.

- Currently, Impact Wrestling has no plans to hold any pay per view events. The game plan currently is to build the T.V. show back up, then possibly run T.V. specials similar to the way they were doing before, and then once things get back going, start planning pay per views.

- Regarding the T.V. show taping schedule, Impact Wrestling will retain the same formula as before, holding one show live, and then taping the next week's show. Some wanted to tape more than two shows at a time as yet another way to save money but JR stepped in and overruled them, saying that taping so many at one time would hinder their ability to write compelling T.V.

- Hyping their return to television, Impact Wrestling announced via their official website and Facebook page that their first main event back would involve former world champion Bully Ray taking on another former world champion, the longest reigning world champion in company history, Bobby Roode. Also, Kurt Angle finally makes his return, saying that he has a major announcement to make.​
 
#3 ·
Impact Wrestling
1/2/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

The show begins with no pyro or anything really special. The camera simply pans over the capacity crowd as they cheer loudly. Eventually the camera settles on Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash who welcomes everyone to tonight’s broadcast. The company has hit the reset button and now tonight we start from square one and what better way to kick things off than by an address from Impact Wrestling’s new President, Good Ol’ JR, Jim Ross.

Ring announcer Christy Hemme introduces JR who gets an unbelievable reaction from the crowd in the Asylum. JR pauses briefly at the top of the ramp to acknowledge the crowd but he doesn’t waste time, he soon heads straight for the ring. Once in the ring, Christy hands him a microphone.

JR starts off by welcoming everyone who’s in attendance tonight as well as those who are watching at home. He thanks them for their patience over these last several months as this company regrouped. It’s been a long and bumpy road for everybody involved and he can’t thank the fans enough. The crowd once again erupts in applause. He says that Impact Wrestling has not given up on its goal of becoming the biggest and most successful wrestling company in the world, they are just going to do it a different way now, by not trying to recreate the past. JR continues on but eventually he is interrupted by the music of Bully Ray.

Oddly enough, Bully Ray comes out to the ring to the old Aces & Eights music instead of previous theme song. Bully also still has his woman, Brooke Tessmacher, firmly in tow.

Bully gets in the ring and gets right into the face of JR. Bully tells him how dare he come in and ruin what Bully had. Bully was the world champion, running the show with his gang Aces & Eights, and now that JR comes in, all that goes right out the window. Before Bully can do anything, he is stopped by the music of Bobby Roode. JR, Bully, and Brooke all turn around to see Bobby Roode and his E.G.O. stable mates Chris Daniels and Kazarian, standing at the top ramp. Bobby says that yes, all of what Bully said was true, he was the world champion, he did run the show, but that was all in the past. Now that the Aces & Eights are no more, the Main Event Mafia is no more, Dixie Carter is gone, Hulk Hogan, everybody, there’s no one to stop the Extraordinary Gentleman’s Organization from taking their right place atop Impact Wrestling as well as the entire wrestling world. Bobby finishes his statement by saying that he can’t wait to go through Bully Ray to get it either. Bully then tries to taunt E.G.O. to come and face him in the ring but they don’t and the segment ends with a stare down between the two parties.

Transitioning away from the ring area, we go backstage where new Impact Wrestling backstage interviewer Taryn Terrell is standing by with the Bro-Mans, Robbie E and Jessie G.

Taryn starts off the interview by simply asking the Bro-Mans what they hope to accomplish in this new Impact Wrestling? Robbie E says it’s the perfect opportunity for underdogs such as themselves to gain a footing and make a mark because everybody is on the same level. Jessie G then steps in and says no, not everyone is on the same level, the Bro-Mans are on a different level, a level only for them, a level of total awesomeness. Robbie E agrees and the two begin hyping each other up by telling each other just how awesome they are, etc., etc. Taryn tries to get a word in but can’t before the Bro-Mans step off camera.

*Commercial*

Match #1: Bro-Mans (Robbie E & Jessie G) vs. D.O.C. & Knux

Coming back from commercial, already in the ring are Knux and making his return to Impact Wrestling, D.O.C. The Bro-Mans come out to the ring all excited until they turn and see who they have to face. They attempt to run away but D.O.C. and Knux chase them down and drag them back into the ring.

D.O.C. and Knux first choose to pick on Robbie E, while Jessie G cowers in fear in the corner. D.O.C. and Knux wisely keep Robbie E in their corner, away from Jessie G because they know the first time he gets an opportunity, he’s running and tagging in Jessie G. They were proved right. The smaller Robbie E is able to squeeze out of D.O.C. and Knux’s grip and run to his corner to tag in Jessie G. As expected, Jessie doesn’t want to enter the match anymore than Robbie does, so the two begin arguing. The arguing ends when Knux grabs Jessie and tosses him to the other side of the ring. Jessie fares a little better in the ring against these two monsters due to his slight strength advantage over Robbie E but it’s not enough to save him or the match. Jessie tries to fight back but it’s ultimately too much, eventually succumbing to a power bomb and the 1, 2, 3.

Winners: D.O.C. & Knux

An impressive showing by the two former Aces & Eights enforcers and a less than impressive showing by the Bro-Mans who argue with each other all the way back to the locker room.

Transitioning away from the ring area, the cameras go to the back where we see a car pulling up. Out of the car steps the returning Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle. The world is waiting to hear what major announcement Kurt has and how it will affect himself as well as Impact Wrestling going forward. Stay tuned.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, the lights go out in the Asylum as Kurt Angle’s theme music begins to play. As Kurt makes his way out of the entrance tunnel the lights come back on and the crowd goes wild. Faint chants of “welcome back” are heard. Kurt, who’s return from rehab was postponed due to the sale of the company, is finally coming back and with an important message too. He steps into the ring and is immediately handed a microphone.

Kurt waits for the crowd level to go down before he begins to speak. Kurt basically parrots what JR said earlier about Impact Wrestling, except this time it’s about himself. Kurt thanks his fans for supporting him through his time in rehab as well as well as continuing to wait patiently as his return to the ring got pushed back. Kurt then shifts gears and talks about how when he was in rehab, the realization hit him that he’s getting up there in age and that he may not have much time left in the ring, at least at the level that he’s become used to. He says the last thing he ever wants to do is become another one of those wrestling legends who is forced to wrestle in front of ten people at some high school gym. He’s going to continue wrestling at his best, until “the time comes”. Once it comes, it’ll be over for him. Kurt then drops the microphone and exits the ring.

An odd promo from Kurt Angle for sure. He gave no real announcement other than when the time comes; it’ll be over for him. Whenever “that time” is only Kurt knows.

The show then quickly transitions away from the ring area to a video package of “The Cowboy” James Storm. The Cowboy talks about how he’s been one of the toughest people in the wrestling world for a long time now but it’s now time to prove it. He’s officially on a mission to prove that he is indeed the toughest S.O.B. in the wrestling world, past and present and it all starts tonight when he takes on Hernandez.

*Commercial*

Match #2: Hernandez w/ Chavo Guerrero vs. James Storm

Coming back from commercial, we see Hernandez and his tag team partner Chavo Guerrero making their way to the ring. The crowd doesn’t seem too interested in these two, only giving them a luke warm reaction. That all changes when “The Cowboy’s” music begins to play. The crowd again erupts when James Storm steps out of the entrance tunnel, beer in hand. He downs the beer and proceeds to make his way to the ring to face Hernandez.

Early on in the match both men appear very evenly split. Each is about the same size and although Hernandez might be the strongest, it’s not by a whole lot. The match very quickly transitions into more of a stiff, psychical style, each man trying to out-muscle the other. Hernandez does have the slight advantage, having Chavo Guerrero in his corner, giving him tips and advice. Hernandez uses his slight strength advantage to slowly but surely wear down James Storm. This proves to be an effective strategy for him, since it appears that Storm is losing strength by the second. He ends up misjudging his opponent however. Once he feels he has Storm down enough, he decides to try and put him away. Hernandez lines him up for the Border Toss. But when he gets Storm up, Storm begins to fight his way out. Storm gets back on his feet and the match is back to begin even again. After a brief back and forth, Hernandez turns around for just one second and when he comes back, Storm hits him out of nowhere with the Last Call super kick, knocking him out right away. Storm covers him and gets the 1, 2, 3!

Winner: James Storm

Storm chooses to celebrate his victory with yet another beer. As Chavo helps Hernandez out of the ring, Storm enjoys his beer as the crowd cheers him on. Once Storm is done he begins heading towards the back. However, before he completely reaches the back, the lights mysteriously begin flickering on and off, and not by accident either. Nobody, including Storm, seems to know what’s going on so he simply shrugs it off and finishes heading towards the back.

Before the commercial break and the main event to follow, we get a backstage segment in the E.G.O. locker room. Bobby Roode is warming up for his match against Bully Ray and Chris Daniels and Kazarian are trying to cheer him on. As they are offering tips, Roode stops them. He tells them that they better not ruin anything for him or there’s going to be hell to pay. This match is about him, not them. Afraid, Kaz and Daniels promise to not screw anything up. Roode then finishes lacing up his boots and heads out the door. Kaz and Daniels soon follow after.

*Commercial*

Match #3: Bobby Roode w/ Chris Daniels & Kazarian vs. Bully Ray w/ Brooke Tessmacher

It is now main event time. Tonight’s main event features two former TNA World Heavyweight Champions in Bully Ray and Bobby Roode. Both are looking to establish themselves as the top guy in the new Impact Wrestling by getting a win tonight. First out to the ring was the last TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Bully Ray, followed as always by Brooke Tessmacher. Next up is Bobby Roode, who steps out of the entrance tunnel alone first but he is soon followed by his E.G.O. partners, Chris Daniels and Kazarian.

Once the bell sounds, both men explode, trying to gain that first strike. Bully gains the advantage first but it doesn’t last long as Bobby fights his way out. This match goes back and forth, switching off between Bully dominating and then Bobby dominating. This doesn’t change until the match spills out to the outside. On the outside of the ring, trying to babysit Kaz and Daniels while fighting off Bully Ray proves to be too much of a challenge for Bobby Roode. Bully uses everything on the outside to his advantage, from the steel steps to the guard rails, to even his girlfriend Brooke, distracting Kaz and Daniels so they didn’t try to interfere. Bully is very much in the zone as well as in the driver’s seat. However, once the match goes back into the ring, things start to turn differently. No longer able to exploit the outside, Bully loses his grip on the match, allowing Bobby to fight his way back in. Although Bobby fights his way back a little, he’s still not able to gain back control of the match. This makes Bully feel a little cocky. He decides prematurely to try and attempt a Bubba Bomb. He gets Roode up but Bobby has some fight left in him, and he wiggles his way out. After yet another back and forth, Bobby tries to hit his own finisher, the Double R spine buster but he also fails. It now appears that whoever can hit their finisher first will win. Bobby tries, and fails, Bully tries, and fails, neither can seem to get it. Bobby Roode then gets an idea. When the two are on the ground, he quickly latches in a crossface on Bully, directly in the middle of the ring. Bully fights to get to the rope but with all his mite, Bobby pulls him back. Bully reaches and reaches but he can’t quite get to it. He is forced to tap.

Winner via Submission: Bobby Roode

Bobby quickly exits the ring and is joined in celebration by his E.G.O. friends, Kaz and Daniels. Brooke checks on her man who staggers to his feet. The show fades to black as each man once again stares each other down.
 
#4 ·
Impact Wrestling News - Backstage Reaction, YouTube show possible?, Spike's Influence, & More

- The feeling backstage following Impact Wrestling's return to television was very positive. The talent who were meeting JR for the first time commented on how refreshing it was to have someone in charge who actually seems to know what they are doing. There is still some uneasiness amongst those on the lower level of the roster about not having enough room on the show now to fit them in but as of right now they're OK with waiting and seeing.

- Speaking of not being able to fit all the talent on TV, there have been serious talks amongst Impact Wrestling management about launching a second show, possibly on YouTube or someplace online, since being able to add a second hour onto the current show is a ways away. Although the feeling is that it is way too early to be thinking about it, they would like to be able to do it sooner rather than later to give the younger/lesser known talent a little bit of exposure.

- The rating for the first show came in at 0.7. Although that is lower than what they were getting before, considering that they were off T.V. for a couple months, it can't be considered too bad.

- Ever since Spike/Viacom bought Impact Wrestling, there have been legitimate concerns amongst not only the fans but Impact Wrestling officials as well over how much control Spike/Viacom would wield over the company. Most do not want to see what happened to WCW when the Time Warner/AOL people began micro-managing. Although the network still has to approve all major financial moves, the day-to-day operations including television story lines, etc, will remain in the control of Impact Wrestling management.

- Regarding when Impact Wrestling will begin the process of crowning new champions, look for that to begin at the next set of tapings on January 16th. In a controversial move, Impact Wrestling has decided to replace the X Division championship with the Television championship. Officials wanted to put as much separation as possible between the former TNA and the current Impact Wrestling and by eliminating the X Division title, they've done that.

- The preview for next week's Impact Wrestling...Jeff Hardy returns to Impact Wrestling! "The Charismatic Enigma" makes his return to the ring this week when he takes on former TNA world champion and multiple time X Division and Tag Team Champion Chris Sabin...James Storm declared that he is out to prove he is the toughest S.O.B. in wrestling today and got one step closer to proving it last week when he defeated Hernandez. Now this week he faces an even tougher challenge when he goes one on one with "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe...After embarrassingly tapping out to Bobby Roode last week in the main event, Bully Ray will look to get some revenge as he takes on Chris Daniels in this week's main event. Can Bully even the score or will E.G.O. go up 2-0?...Also, will we get more clarity regarding Kurt Angle's announcement last week? Tune in to find out.​
 
#6 · (Edited)
Impact Wrestling
1/9/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

The show begins this week with a backstage segment. The camera zooms in on Bully Ray, who is on his phone, talking to someone. Bully never really says who it is but we can guess by what Bully is saying, it’s someone that he has history with. Bully asks this person if he has any plans later and if not, would he be willing to come by and help Bully out later tonight? The mystery person’s response must have been no because Bully gets visibly upset after he asks for help. Bully eventually says screw you to the person on the other side and hangs up. Brooke Tessmacher then appears and tries to comfort her man. Bully won’t have any of it, he says he needs to find help and fast. They both then walk off camera.

Now that the backstage segment is over, the actual show can begin. The camera pans over the entire Asylum as the crowd goes nuts. Eventually the camera settles down on the announce desk where Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash welcome everyone. They give the rundown of the show, including tonight’s main event between Bully Ray and Christopher Daniels. Once they are finished, Samoa Joe’s theme music begins to play.

Match #1: James Storm vs. Samoa Joe

The crowd is very excited to see Joe back. Chants of “Joe, Joe, Joe” begin filling the arena. That lasts until “The Cowboy’s” theme music hits. Two crowd favorites are about to go at it, it will be interesting to see who the crowd sides with.

Out of the gate Joe explodes and takes down Storm, gaining the early advantage. It becomes clear right away what Joe’s game plan is for this match; keep Storm down thus taking away most of his offense. The two men roll around down on the mat for quite a while before Storm manages to fight to his feet. Although he’s back to his feet, he’s still not in any better shape than he was before. Joe came to win tonight and it shows. Despite having lost the ground battle, Joe keeps the pressure on with kicks, punches, anything he can think of to wear Storm down. Joe targets the legs of Storm, hoping to take away the very dangerous Last Call super kick that won Storm the match last week. He is successful in getting Storm hobbled but not down and out. Despite being in control for nearly 90% of the match, Joe is still unable to put Storm away. Joe’s temper slowly starts to get the best of him and he becomes reckless, taking his focus away from Storm’s legs, allowing Storm to rest up for a potential super kick. Storm waits it out, knowing that the perfect opportunity will soon present itself and it does. After waiting for quite some time, as soon as Joe turns his back, Storm sets up. As he comes around, boom! Storm nails Joe with a perfect Last Call Super Kick. Storm follows it up with a pin and the 1, 2, 3!

Winner: James Storm

James Storm gets another hard fought victory. He chooses to celebrate the way he celebrates all of his victories, with a beer. As Storm is enjoying his beer, the lights begin flickering on and off just like they did last week. Unlike last week though, James seems to get legitimately pissed at whoever is behind it, yelling and screaming for whoever it is to come out and face him like a man. Nobody answers Storm’s call so eventually he gives up and starts heading to the back.

Before Impact Wrestling goes to commercial, we go backstage quick for a brief interview segment with backstage interviewer Taryn Terrell. Taryn is with Chris Sabin and Velvet Sky. Taryn tells everyone that it was Chris Sabin who called for this interview so she hands him the microphone. Chris keeps it short and sweet. Chris says he’s tired of being overlooked. In TNA or in Impact Wrestling it’s all the same, no one ever takes him seriously. Even this week, Impact Wrestling chose to promote the return of Jeff Hardy when they should have promoted the return of Chris Sabin. Where was the hype for him? He says he’s done complaining after tonight because when he beats Jeff Hardy, management will have to take notice and give him the spot he deserves, a spot at the top of the company. Both Sabin and Velvet then walk off camera as the show goes to commercial.

*Commercial*

Match #2: Chris Sabin w/ Velvet Sky vs. Jeff Hardy

Coming back from commercial, Impact Wrestling goes straight into the second match of the evening. This match features two of the most popular wrestlers on the roster in Chris Sabin and “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy. Chris Sabin is the first man out to the ring, coming down with his girlfriend Velvet Sky by his side. Just a little bit ago, Chris made his feelings known that he didn’t take too kindly to Impact Wrestling officials not promoting his return to the company but deciding to promote Jeff’s instead so it’ll be interesting to see how he responds to that. Jeff Hardy soon makes his grand entrance. The crowd is split like most nights, the girls and younger kids love him while the men boo. Hardy enters the ring and soon after the match begins.

Both men begin the match by trying to get a feel of what the other guy has planned. Both seem to be waiting for the other guy to do something so they are very cautious with their move set, at least early on. Jeff is the first one to break that pattern, deciding he’s had enough of waiting. This sets off a chain of back and forth wrestling between the two, one man dominating the match for a while and then the rolls reversing. For wanting to prove that he should have been the one hyped, Chris Sabin sure doesn’t seem to be trying very hard though. There are several points in the match where Sabin had a clear opening to get a shot in but for whatever reason, he chose not to. As a result of this, Hardy begins taking more and more control of the match but despite that, Sabin still manages to hang on but just by a thread. Hardy moves to set Sabin up for the Twist Of Fate but Sabin manages to wiggle out. After a few more seconds, Hardy tries again but just like before, Sabin gets out. Hardy tries for a third time but as he is doing it, out of nowhere Sabin explodes, countering Hardy’s attempted move by rolling Hardy up. The referee notices that Sabin has Hardy pinned so he begins the count…1, 2, 3! Sabin pulls an upset!

Winner: Chris Sabin

Following the match, Sabin quickly exits the ring, trying to avoid an angry Jeff Hardy. Hardy and the audience are stunned that Sabin was able to come out of nowhere to steal a victory. Although upset, Hardy doesn’t let it get to him very much. He just shrugs it off and starts heading to the back.

Switching away from the ring area, Impact Wrestling cameras go backstage where we see Garrett Bischoff and what appears to be Wes Brisco who is wearing some sort of Leather Face like mask. Bully Ray and Brooke Tessmacher soon walk in. Garrett and Wes are a little uncertain about what their former Aces & Eights president might have to say but they’re willing to listen anyway. Although he doesn’t come right out and say it, Bully is clearly there to ask both Wes and Garrett for help in the main event. Bully sweet talks them and pulls out the “for old times’ sake” card but Garrett and Wes don’t seem to be buying it. Once Bully is done giving his pitch, Garrett simply tells him that they’ll think about it. The three men shake hands and Bully walks off, still not feeling too good about his upcoming match.

*Commercial*

Before Impact Wrestling cameras go to the ring area for the main event, we are drawn backstage, to the parking lot area specifically where Kurt Angle appears to be getting ready to leave the building. Before he can get into his car and drive away, Taryn Terrell and the camera crew stop him. Taryn pushes Kurt for more information on his “announcement” from last week. Kurt doesn’t say much, other than he can’t talk about it now, he has to leave. Taryn continues pressuring him so Kurt gives in and says that he promises that next week, things will become clearer. Kurt then gets into his car and drives away.

Match #3: Bully Ray w/ Brooke Tessmacher vs. Christopher Daniels w/ Bobby Roode & Kazarian

Before the main event can begin, Christopher Daniels is standing in the middle of the ring with a microphone. Daniels basically begins taunting Bully Ray for having to basically beg for help because he’s too scared of the handsome gentlemen known as E.G.O. Bobby Roode and Kazarian, who are joining Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash at the broadcast booth, cheer him on. With no Bully Ray in sight, Daniels continues the taunting, baiting Bully to come and face him. Daniels turns his back and faces the entrance tunnel which turns out to be a big mistake. Running in from the crowd, Bully Ray jumps Daniels from behind and the match begins.

Bully Ray obviously has the early lead as a result of his jumping Daniels from behind and he does not seem like he intends to give that advantage up. Bully makes sure to keep Daniels down for as long as he can because he knows once Daniels gets back up; it becomes an even fight again. Fearing for their friend, Bobby Roode and Kazarian leave the broadcast booth and go ringside to offer any sort of help they can to their struggling partner. Having Roode and Kaz at ringside does seem to help Daniels, at least helping him to get to his feet. Now that he is upright, Daniels begins chipping away at the lead that Bully has developed in the first half of his match. Bully soon begins to struggle keeping the advantage he had built up now that Roode and Kaz are at ringside. He knows that at any time Roode and Kaz could interfere and it would cost him the match so he must be vigilant at all times. This constant watching of all three takes its toll. Slowly Bully begins losing grip. Things aren’t looking good for him at all until both Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco begin making their way down the ramp. Just their presence is enough to make Roode and Kaz back off a little. Garrett and Wes come down and observe the match right at ringside. Having his former Aces & Eights partners with him doesn’t seem to help however. Despite this, Daniels still has pretty much taken over control of the match. Now more worried than ever, Roode and Kaz begin directly interfering in the match, all behind the ref’s back of course. This allows Daniels to build up an even bigger lead than he had before. Desperately seeking help, Bully pleads with Garrett and Wes to help him but they don’t seem interested. Feeling like he has the match won, Daniels begins acting cocky. Every move he hits he has to celebrate after. After one such move, he takes his eyes off Bully for just a few seconds. During these few seconds, Garrett approaches Bully and slips him what appears to be a hammer. When Daniels turns around, Bully nails him in the head with the hammer, in direct view of the referee who is forced to end the match.

Winner Via Disqualification: Christopher Daniels

Garrett and Wes enter the ring and join Bully in beating down an already injured Daniels. Roode and Kaz attempt to save him but they are outnumbered and are quickly tossed back out of the ring. The show ends with Bully, Wes, and Garrett standing over a motionless Daniels as Roode and Kaz look on in horror.​
 
#8 ·
Impact Wrestling News - Championship Tournament Details Announced, Jeff Jarrett Interview & More

- Impact Wrestling released details regarding their upcoming championship tournaments today on impactwrestling.com. Each tournament will be a "mini-tournament" with six competitors in each. The first round will consist of three matches and then the winners of those matches will go on to face each other in three different triple threat matches, scheduled for February 13th, where the winner will become the new champion. Those competing in the tag team tournament are: Christopher Daniels & Kazarian, Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez, D.O.C. & Knux, Garrett Bischoff & Wes Brisco, Jessie G. & Robbie E., and James Storm & Gunner. Those competing in the television tournament are: Chris Sabin, Eric Young, Jay Bradley, Kenny King, Manik, and Rob Terry. And finally, those competing in the world title tournament are: Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Bully Ray, Jeff Hardy, Magnus, and Samoa Joe.

- Two notable names missing from the tournaments are Abyss and Kurt Angle. Kurt's absence is said to be related to his upcoming "announcement". Abyss' absence is a little more of a mystery. Officials have been trying to figure out a good way to bring him back as "The Monster" once again but so far have yet to think of a good idea. There is no telling when/if he will be back.

- On a business meeting with JR, Jeff Jarrett was asked a few questions about his current role in Impact Wrestling. Most notable was the question about whether or not he plans to return to the ring...

"I think right now my days of being a full time wrestler are over. I have a lot of new responsibility now getting this company back to where it needs to be but hey, never say never regarding one more match. You never know, it might be right around the corner..."

- Last week's episode of Impact Wrestling once again got a 0.7 rating, with the overall viewer total down slightly.

- Preview for next week's Impact Wrestling...Championship tournaments begin. In the first match of the tag team title tournament, Gunner & James Storm look to regain the gold when they take on the Bro-Mans. Also, in the first round of the T.V. title tournament, "Showtime" Eric Young takes on Kenny King...Kurt Angle refused to give more information regarding his big "announcement" other than to say that this week, things will become more clear. Hopefully Kurt decides to shed some more light on the situation...Last week, Bully Ray re-aligned himself with old Aces & Eights buddies Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco, attacking Christopher Daniels with a hammer in the process. Now this week in the main event, the three members of E.G.O.(Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels, & Kazarian) face off against the three former Aces & Eights members in the next chapter of their growing feud.​
 
#11 ·
Impact Wrestling
1/16/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

The show begins once again with no pyro, opening video, or anything special. The camera goes over the entire crowd eventually settling back down on the announce desk where Jeremy Borash and Mike Tenay welcome everyone to tonight’s broadcast. The two hype up the beginnings of the tag team and television championship tournament as well as tonight’s main event, a six man tag team match featuring all three members of E.G.O., Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels, and Kazarian taking on the team of Bully Ray, Garrett Bischoff, and Wes Brisco. Once Mike and Jeremy finish the rundown, the music of “The Cowboy” James Storm begins to play.

James Storm, followed closely by his tag team partner Gunner, come racing down the ramp. Storm, who has been taunted the past couple weeks by flickering lights following his matches, appears determined to get to the bottom of the situation right here and now.

Storm and Gunner enter the ring and immediately Storm asks for a microphone. He wastes no time in calling out the man who has been taunting him for the past couple of weeks, saying there’s no need to hide behind anything, if he wants to fight then come and fight. Storm prepares himself to fight but no one comes. Storm tries getting the man to come out once again but still nothing. Storm and Gunner wait, and wait, and wait but nobody ever comes. Finally they give up. Right as they are turning around and preparing themselves for their upcoming match, the Bro-Mans (Jessie G. and Robbie E.), trying to take advantage of the situation with Storm and the mystery person, sneak up behind them and attempt a sneak attack. Luckily Gunner notices them in time and stops them.

Match #1: Bro-Mans vs. Gunner & James Storm – Round 1/Tag Team Championship Tournament

With the experience of being former tag team champions on their side, as well as having successfully stopped a sneak attack by the Bro-Mans, Storm and Gunner start the match off in very good position. They use their tag team know how to keep Jessie G. and Robbie E. away from each other for as long as they can. One would think that with Gunner and Storm’s size as well as their reputation for being tough and aggressive that they would easily walk over the less experienced Bro-Mans but Jessie and Robbie are actually holding their own fairly well, despite being constantly put into bad situations. Despite dominating the match, Storm and Gunner are unable to put the Bro-Man’s away and that failure to secure the victory starts to put a wedge between the two former champions. Storm and Gunner begin visibly arguing amongst each other. Luckily for them, at this point in the match the Bro-Mans have pretty much tired themselves out so they are not much of a threat to steal the victory but Storm and Gunner still continue arguing. Gunner, who decides he has had enough, tags himself in. With a look of determination on his face, and after a brief struggle, he gets Robbie E. up the Gun Rack in an attempt to finish him off. Robbie E. has no strength left anymore so he quickly taps out.

Winners via Submission: Gunner & James Storm

Gunner & Storm move on to the triple threat finals for a shot at regaining the tag team titles but they can’t feel good about how they got there. Following the match, there is still visible tension between the two. When Storm attempts to smooth things over by offering to shake Gunner’s hand, Gunner pauses for a moment and then walk off without shaking Storm’s hand. Storm can’t do anything at this point other than shake his head and start walking to the back.

Right before Impact Wrestling goes to commercial, the cameras go to the backstage parking lot area where Bully Ray (with Brooke right behind him), Garrett Bischoff, and Wes Brisco (still wearing the Leather Face-like mask) arrive to the arena together, all on motorcycles. An obvious sign of solidarity amongst the former Aces & Eights members as they prepare for their upcoming main event match.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, the Impact Wrestling cameras go right into the E.G.O. locker room where Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels, and Kazarian all are.

Roode starts off by pacing nervously back and forth. Kazarian keeps repeating “what are we going to do, what are we going to do?” Roode can’t say much but “shut up, I’m thinking.” Daniels, who is wearing an unnecessarily large bandage on his head to sell the hammer shot from last week, steps in and says he’s got this. Roode and Kaz continue pacing nervously, reminding Daniels that Bully Ray has back up now. Daniels can’t stand it anymore, he gets right in both Roode’s and Kaz’s face and slaps both of them, telling them to calm down and that he does indeed got this. That seems to work as both Roode and Kaz calm down, following Daniels out the door as the camera cuts back to the ring area.

Match #2: Eric Young vs. Kenny King – Round 1/Television Championship Tournament

Christy Hemme begins introducing the two competitors. First out is “Showtime” Eric Young who is out to prove that he should be taken seriously. Secondly, the former X Division Champion Kenny King comes out to the ring. Just as they are about to start the match, the music of Chris Sabin hits. Chris, followed by his girlfriend Velvet, makes his way down to the ring to confused looks from both Eric Young and Kenny King. Once down to the ring, Chris sits himself and Velvet down right at ringside to get a firsthand look. Once they have been seated, the match can finally begin.

Kenny King, the younger and more flashy of the two competitors, takes the road of trying to simply out-athlete Eric Young. This lightning quick offensive strategy pays off for Kenny, at least in the first half or so of the match. Eric Young appears to have a hard time trying to do anything as he is always trying to keep an eye on King. Eventually though, Eric does manage to slow the match down, getting things to where he is most comfortable. With the match slowed way down, Kenny King finds it hard to get any sort of momentum back. He keeps trying but all he seems to do is wear himself out. What started off as promising now has turned disastrous for King. As quick paced as it began, the match ends. Eric manages to finish Kenny off when he hits his Youngblood Neckbreaker finish, following that up with a pin attempt and the 1, 2, 3.

Winner: Eric Young

Eric Young moves on to the triple threat finals match and Kenny King goes home. Following the match, as Eric Young is getting his hand raised by the referee; Chris Sabin gets up from his chair and enters the ring to congratulate him. Eric, like everyone else, is unsure of what to think of this. Chris extends his hand. Eric decides to not shake his hand and to just walk away. When he does this, on cue, Velvet gets up, picks up her chair, and slides it in to the ring. Sabin grabs it and calls for Eric to turn around.

When he does, Sabin lays him out with the steel chair. Once Eric is knocked out, Sabin quickly drops the chair and exits the ring as medical personal attend to Eric.

Before the commercial break, the cameras once again go to the backstage parking lot area where a car has just pulled up. Dressed in a nice fancy suit, out of the car steps Kurt Angle. Angle, who has promised to reveal what his big announcement is this week, quickly makes his way inside the Asylum as the show cuts to commercial.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, the Asylum is filled with the sound of Kurt Angle’s theme music. Coming up from under the entrance ramp, Kurt gets a massive ovation from the crowd. As he is making his way down to the ring, Kurt shows very little emotion on his face, providing no clue to what his pending announcement might be. Kurt then enters the ring and is immediately handed a microphone.

Kurt starts off by saying that he is once again thankful for all the support that his fans have given him. He says that these last few months, heck even the last year, has been extremely hard on him and has caused him to rethink his future. He said he turned down offers from the “other company” to go wrestle for them one last time because he ultimately wanted to end his career with Impact Wrestling and the end is fast approaching. Like he said before, he does not want to drag his career out and make a fool of himself; he wants to end it right. He knows that he still has quite a bit of good wrestling in him but he just can’t risk making a fool of himself. So, his announcement is that the next time he loses a match; he will retire forever from in-ring wrestling. He understands that other wrestling legends have done this and have ultimately come back, sometimes multiple times but he has too much respect for himself and for the wrestling business to do that. He’s also thought about who he wants his first, and potentially last, opponent on this “retirement tour” to be and there’s only one man he can think of, a man who he says still has some unfinished business with, and that man is “The King of the Mountain” Jeff Jarrett.

And with that, Kurt drops the microphone and starts exiting the ring. He does not demand Jeff meet him at anytime, he simply calls him out and says he wants to face him. The ball is now in his court.

The camera then goes back to the announce desk where Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash both comment on Kurt’s announcement that the next time he loses a match, he will retire from in-ring wrestling. They both agree that the wrestling world won’t be the same when he’s gone. They also comment on Kurt’s choice of Jeff Jarrett. It will be interesting to see if Jeff, who hasn’t wrestled in over a year, will say to his challenge. Once finished, the two quickly switch to hyping up the upcoming main event. The camera gives us a double shot of both E.G.O. and the former Aces & Eights members making their way to the ring. That match is next.

*Commercial*

Match #3: Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels, & Kazarian vs. Bully Ray w/ Brooke Tessmacher, Garrett Bischoff, & Wes Brisco

It is now main event time. It will be interesting to see which team can work together better and gain important momentum going in to their respective tag team and world title tournaments. First team out is E.G.O. Bobby Roode comes to the ring by himself, to his own music. The two members of Bad Influence follow him shortly after. Bully Ray, Brooke Tessmacher, Garrett Bischoff, and Wes Brisco all come to the ring together through the crowd like they used to do in their Aces & Eights days. Bully, Garrett, and Wes all enter the ring and they immediately get into E.G.O.’s face. It’s only a matter of time before something explodes.

And sure enough it did. Right as the referee is trying to separate the six men, they all immediately start attacking each other and things start getting out of hand. Bully and Roode square off in the middle of the ring while Garrett, Wes, and Daniels and Kaz spill out of the ring, on to the floor outside. No team has a distinct advantage in the early going. One minute it seems like the members of E.G.O. are about to take control then the roles reverse and it seems like Bully, Garrett, and Wes are about to take control. The chaos continues for quite some time until the referee manages to slowly but surely get each man onto the ring apron and in their correct spots. Now the match can actually begin. Even though the match is now back to normal, neither team still takes advantage. Bully is forced to do the heavy lifting for his team due to Garrett’s and Wes’ inexperience but this doesn’t seem to cause any problems, at least right away. After a brief strategy “get together” the members of E.G.O. quickly realize that fact and decide to take advantage of it. Rather than trying to out power Bully Ray, they decide to wear him down by hitting him with quick little strikes and then running away, repeating this strategy over and over again until they feel they have him right where they want him. Once they get Bully Ray sufficiently wore down, they move in for the kill. For whatever reason, despite having him wore down, they still can’t put him away. Each member of E.G.O. tries but each fails. They grow desperate which leaves the door open for Bully to strike. While the E.G.O. members are arguing with each other and while the referee has his back turned, Bully Ray has Garrett and Wes further distract the referee while Bully pulls out his steel chain, wrapping it around his fist. He taps Kaz on the shoulder and nails him right over the head with it, quickly tossing it out to Brooke before the ref can see. Bully follows that up with a cover. The referee notices and counts 1, 2, 3!

Winners: Bully Ray, Garrett Bischoff, & Wes Brisco

Bully Ray once again picks up the victory after having cheated to obtain it. Roode and Daniels continue arguing with the referee while Bully, Garrett, and Wes high tail it out of the ring and towards the back. The show fades to black with a shot of Roode and Daniels still arguing while Bully, Garrett, and Wes laugh.
 
#12 ·
Breaking News - Impact Wrestling TV Special Announced, & More

- Impact Wrestling announced earlier today that the February 13th broadcast will be their first live "special" since coming back. This episode will only be one and a half hours long however and be held at the Asylum in Nashville. Officials had hoped to get a different venue booked but they ended up getting too crunched for time to make it happen. February 13th will feature the final matches of the three championship tournaments as well as one additional match.

- Impact Wrestling also announced that due to injuries suffered by Eric Young at the hands of Chris Sabin, Eric will not be able to go on to compete for the T.V. title on February 13th. The final match will now be just a normal one on one match.

- Last week's edition of Impact Wrestling got a 0.8 rating which is up from the previous two week's 0.7.

- Preview for January 23rd...Last week, Kurt Angle shocked the wrestling world when he announced that the next time he loses a match, he will retire forever from in-ring competition. He also shocked everyone when he called out Impact Wrestling Vice President Jeff Jarrett for a match. Will Jarrett respond or will Kurt have to find someone else?...Championship tournaments take over Impact Wrestling. In the second match of the Television tournament, Jay Bradley takes on Manik...Following his victory in the first match of the T.V. title tournament, Eric Young was taken out by Chris Sabin who was watching the match from ringside. What is Chris' goal and should Jay and Manik be worried?...In the second match of the tag team title tournament, former Aces & Eights members Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco look to continue their feud with E.G.O. when they face Bad Influence. And last but not least, the first match in the world heavyweight championship tournament. Jeff Hardy returns to Impact Wrestling after embarrassingly losing to Chris Sabin on his first match back. Jeff will face E.G.O. leader Bobby Roode who will need redemption of his own following two straight loses to Bully Ray and his thugs.​
 
#13 ·
Impact Wrestling
1/23/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

The show opens this week with a video look back at last week’s action, noticeably Kurt Angle announcing that the next time he loses a match, he is going to retire as well as the continuing feud between the members of E.G.O. and the former Aces & Eights members Bully Ray, Garrett Bischoff, and Wes Brisco. The video emphasizes that Bully and his gang got the upper hand last week and that it will be an uphill battle for E.G.O. to regain it. Once the video finishes up, the camera cuts way from it and goes right in to the Asylum where the crowd goes nuts. Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash welcome everyone to the broadcast and give the rundown of the scheduled action for tonight where every single match is a championship tournament match. They finish up by wondering if Jeff Jarrett will answer Kurt Angle’s call or not. When they are done, the first match can begin.

Not surprisingly, before the two competitors in the upcoming Television Championship match can begin to make their way to the ring, they are interrupted by the music of Chris Sabin. With his girlfriend Velvet Sky by his side, he makes his way down to the ring to a mix of boos and cheers. When he reaches the ringside area, just like last week the two sit down to watch the match.

Match #1: Jay Bradley vs. T.J. Perkins – Round 1/Television Championship Tournament

Arriving first to the ring is Jay Bradley, who stares down Chris Sabin on his way in to the ring, as to say “stay the hell away.” Although he was billed as Manik up until this point, to everyone’s amazement, Christy Hemme announces Jay Bradley’s opponent as T.J. Perkins, the real name behind the Manik character. T.J. comes out to the ring wearing a very bright, Lucha Libre, Rey Mysterio type outfit with a similar mask. Jay isn’t too sure what to think of it so he begins yelling at both Christy and the referee. Soon realizing there’s nothing either of them can do about it, Jay puts his game face on and begins preparing for the match.

Still not sure quite how to respond, Jay Bradley begins the match acting very cautious, not wanting to get caught by any surprises that T.J. might have up his sleeve. Despite flying around the ring, and clearly being the better athlete, T.J. is not able to do much damage at all other than to annoy Jay. Jay simply laughs off T.J.’s attacks as nothing and begins adopting the idea of “I can take this guy easy.” To T.J.’s credit, he hangs around the match for quite some time, to the annoyance of Jay Bradley. Thinking he can take this guy easily, Jay did not seem to try and put much offense out there which put him at a huge disadvantage as it always seemed that he was playing catch up. With little strike after little strike, T.J. chops down the much bigger Jay Bradley piece by piece. Even when most people thought he should have struck the final blow, T.J. stayed firm and keeps on with his “wear you down” strategy. This benefits T.J. in the end. Since Jay has had to constantly keep chasing T.J. throughout the match, he grew tired very quickly. The longer the match wore on, the slower Jay got. The moment finally comes for T.J. to finish his opponent off. He gets Jay in position and hits him with a springboard tornado DDT which he wisely follows up with a cover and the 1, 2, 3!

Winner: T.J. Perkins

A shocking upset for sure but a victory none the less for T.J. Perkins. Due to the injury Eric Young suffered last week at the hands of Chris Sabin, T.J. Perkins now moves on to face Chris Sabin one on one for the Television Championship. Cautiously waiting for Chris to pull something once again, T.J. wisely keeps his eyes on both him and Velvet Sky as he exits the ring. To most everyone’s amazement, Chris and Velvet do nothing other than to stand up and applaud T.J. for his victory.

The show now transitions to a backstage segment where we see D.O.C. and Knux standing in the hallway when their former Aces & Eights buddies Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco come walking up.

Already knowing what they’re going to ask, D.O.C. and Knux play along anyway and ask what they can do for Garrett and Wes. Although they do not come right out and say it, Garrett makes it pretty clear that he is asking for D.O.C. and Knux’s help tonight in their match against Daniels and Kazarian. He plays upon their history together which seems to sway D.O.C and Knux to help them. Feeling confident that he’s successfully recruited them, Garrett and then Wes walk off camera. D.O.C. and Knux soon follow as the camera cuts to commercial.

*Commercial*

Match #2: Bad Influence vs. Garrett Bischoff & Wes Brisco – Round 1/Tag Team Championship Tournament

Coming back from commercial, we go right into the second match of the evening, the second match of the tag team championship tournament featuring former tag team champions Christopher Daniels and Kazarian of Bad Influence taking on new comers Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco. Bad Influence is the first team out to the ring. Daniels and Kazarian look to get back on the right foot after they suffered a difficult loss last week against Bully Ray, Garrett, and Wes. Next out is the team of Garrett and Wes. They are followed behind by D.O.C. and Knux. Garrett and Wes both feel pretty confident now that they have muscle to back them up.

Despite their lack of experience, Garrett and Wes start off the match in control, no doubt feeding off of the courage having D.O.C. and Knux at ringside gives them. This new found courage allows them to do things they wouldn’t have normally done in a match due to their inexperience. They move well, they attack well, everything is going great. However, right as their momentum appears to be hitting its peak, they hit a wall. One little mistake here and there starts to pile up on them which the veterans Daniels and Kazarian take full advantage of. An almost snowball effect starts to hit Garrett and Wes and they start to panic. Despite having D.O.C. and Knux at ringside, they are unable to put them to good use due to the referee keeping a close eye on them the whole match. Unable to use their enforcers and with things going horribly wrong for them in the ring, Garrett and Wes are in serious trouble. Desperate to get D.O.C. and Knux involved somehow, Garrett and Wes devise a plan to distract the referee. With the referee temporarily distracted, Garrett goes to beg for D.O.C.’s and Knux’s help but to his surprise, they do nothing. Instead of helping him, D.O.C. and Knux end up walking off, leaving Garrett and Wes alone to fend for themselves. Now all alone, the end soon comes. It comes after Daniels hits a BME on Wes for the 1, 2, 3!

Winners: Bad Influence

Bad Influence moves on to face James Storm and Gunner as well as either Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez or D.O.C. and Knux. Garrett and Wes on the other hand can’t do anything but wonder why the heck D.O.C. and Knux would abandon them like that after things looked like they were cool again with them. Garrett and Wes simply pick themselves up and walk to the back, hanging their heads in shame the whole way.

Switching gears, we now go backstage where Taryn Terrell is standing by with the two competitors in tonight’s main event, “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy and “The IT Factor” Bobby Roode.

Taryn starts off by commenting on how it has been a rough few weeks for both of them, Jeff surprisingly losing to Chris Sabin a couple weeks ago as well as Bobby Roode’s problems with Bully Ray as of late. Jeff responds by saying that it simply was a tough loss, something that he wishes he could get back but he can’t so now he’s focused on the next task at hand which is winning the world title. Things take a much different turn when it’s Bobby Roode’s turn to speak. Feeling that Taryn’s question was somehow disrespectful to him, Bobby instantly gets defensive and moves to where it seems like he might attack Taryn. Lucky for her, Jeff steps in and stops Bobby before he can go any further. Still upset, Bobby then pushes Jeff and the two start fighting. It’s only until Impact Wrestling security steps in that the two get separated. The show cuts to commercial as the two walk off camera to prepare for their match.

*Commercial*

Match #3: Bobby Roode vs. Jeff Hardy – Round 1/World Heavyweight Championship Tournament

Coming back from commercial, it is now main event time. Tonight’s main event is match #1 in the tournament to crown a new Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion. It features two former world champions in Bobby Roode and Jeff Hardy. It will be interesting to see how the match goes now that the two had an altercation just a few minutes before. Jeff is the first man out to the ring, once again getting a huge reaction from the crowd. Bobby Roode is next up and you can tell he is upset about what happened earlier. He starts fights with the crowd, with security, anybody that gets anywhere near him. He will need to drop the attitude and quick if he wishes to do well in this match.

Once the bell rings, Bobby Roode goes from wild and upset to calm and focused. He successfully channels his energy and aggressions and points it to towards Jeff where it should be. Things are going great for Bobby, he’s calmed down, he has the match right where he wants it, he’s on top of the world. That is, until he feels the referee makes a mistake. Upset that the referee did not count three on a pin attempt, the anger returns and starts to affect Bobby in a negative way. He starts getting distracted, by the ref, by the people in the crowd, once again anybody. This distraction starts to cost him. Unable to put the same kind of focus on Jeff Hardy that he did in the first part of the match, Bobby Roode soon falls behind which only adds to his frustration. With his frustration growing, it’s only a matter of time before it gets the best of him and soon it does. After a few brief moments, Jeff manages to hit the Twist of Fate on Bobby Roode which he follows up with a Swanton Bomb off the top rope, covering him for the 1, 2, 3!

Winner: Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy gets the win in a rather quick main event match. Bobby Roode just couldn’t let go of the distractions and it cost him in the end. Once Bobby comes to, he can’t do anything but throw yet another fit. Kazarian and Christopher Daniels come running from the back to try and calm him down but it doesn’t seem to help. They do, however, manage to get him to the back without further incidents.

Before the final commercial break, we see another shot of Kurt Angle arriving at the Asylum. Last week Kurt called out Jeff Jarrett for what could possibly be Kurt’s final match ever. Kurt makes his way to the ring to await Jeff’s answer as the camera cuts to commercial.

*Commercial*

Returning from commercial, Kurt makes his way down to the ring like a mad man, hell bent on not waiting for Jeff’s answer.

Kurt immediately gets in the ring and calmly reminds everyone that he called out Jeff Jarrett last week for what could very well be his final match ever. He says that although he respects Jeff and everything that he has done, and although they’ve had many matches together, there is still some unfinished business to take care of. He then demands that Jeff answer his challenge now. When nobody answers, Kurt starts to get impatient. He asks calmly again, still nothing. He asks a third time, still nothing. Right as it appears he’s starting to get really frustrated; Jeff Jarrett’s music starts to play. To Kurt’s dismay, it is not Jeff himself who steps out of the entrance tunnel; it is his former wife and current Mrs. Jarrett, Karen. Karen walks down to the ring to confront her ex-husband. Karen says that she is here to deliver a message from Jeff, and that message is no. Kurt demands to know why. Karen gets defensive and says it’s none of his business. She begins to lay into him about what a poor role model Kurt has been over the past few months for his kids and about how she didn’t want Jeff around him because Kurt might “contaminate him.” When Karen talks about his kids, Kurt gets very defensive right back, getting right in her face and everything. This ends up being a big mistake. Unknown to Kurt, Jeff is indeed in the building and he’s snuck up behind him with a guitar in hand. When Karen tells Kurt to turn around, Jeff wastes no time and nails him right over the head with it. Jeff then gets right into Kurt’s unconscious face and tells him “you’re on.”

The show faces to black with a shot of Jeff and Karen Jarrett standing in the ring, with Jeff’s music loudly playing throughout the Asylum.
 
#15 ·
Impact Wrestling News & Notes - Status of Abyss, JR on Commentary, House Shows, & More

- A couple weeks ago there were questions over the status of Abyss. His name was still listed on the roster but he was not included in any championship tournament despite everyone else on the roster being included. Many speculated that this meant the end for Abyss in TNA was near. That does not appear to be the case anymore. Although he will not be on Impact Wrestling television, he is still employed by TNA. Abyss has returned to AAA in Mexico, where he won the tag team championship, as part of a "good will" mission if you will. Impact Wrestling wants to rebuild its relations with other wrestling promotions in the world after a working relationship deal with Wrestle-1 in Japan fell through due to the sale of the company and they hope to use Abyss and others to do that.

- Impact Wrestling recently announced that Good Ol' JR Jim Ross will be returning to the announce booth, for one night for the upcoming one and a half hour edition of Impact Wrestling. He will be joining Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash. Although JR resisted going back to the announce booth because of his new commitments as president of Impact Wrestling, expect him to return every once in a while, especially for special editions of Impact Wrestling and potential pay per views as well.

- Speaking of that one and a half hour special, it was also recently announced that due to what happened at the end of last week's broadcast with Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett, those two will face off in the ring one on one in what could be Kurt Angle's final match.

- As some have noticed, Impact Wrestling does not currently have any house shows scheduled or any plans to schedule them in the near future. Just like the future of their pay per view's, the future of house shows will depend on how quickly the T.V. can get built back up.

- This week's Impact Wrestling rating was back down to a 0.7, a small drop from the 0.8 that they got the week before.

- Preview for January 30th...Another slate of championship tournament matches...In the final match of the T.V. title tournament, Chris Sabin will face off against Rob Terry to decide who goes on to face T.J. Perkins for the chance to become T.V. champion...In the final match of the Tag Team title tournament, D.O.C. and Knux face off against Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez. The winner will go on to face the teams of Gunner & James Storm, and Christopher Daniels & Kazarian...In the second match of the heavyweight championship tournament, Magnus takes on "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe...Also, after accepting Kurt Angle's challenge, Jeff Jarrett will meet him face to face in the ring. What will happen when these two meet eye to eye?​
 
#17 ·
Impact Wrestling
1/30/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

The show begins once again with a look back at all the action from last week, including the three championship tournament matches that were held last week. The video package showed bits and pieces of the Television and tag team championship tournament matches but it focused mainly on the world heavyweight championship tournament match between Bobby Roode and Jeff Hardy. It highlighted the fact that throughout the entire match Bobby Roode just didn’t seem to be in to it, that he was distracted even before he got to the ring. The video finished up with the biggest thing to happen last week, and that was the return of “The King of the Mountain” Jeff Jarrett, accepting Kurt Angle’s challenge. Once the video is finished, the camera cuts to the ring area.

The camera pans over the entire Asylum as Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash welcome everyone to tonight’s broadcast. They run down tonight’s scheduled card, which is once again filled with championship tournament matches. When they are finished, the music of Jeff Jarrett begins blaring throughout the Asylum.

Jeff gets a huge ovation from the crowd as he and wife Karen make their way out to the ring. A few chants of “Welcome Back!” can even be heard. Both Jeff and Karen appear to be very happy to be back and can’t seem to wait to get down to business.

Jeff and Karen enter the ring and thank everyone for their very warm reception. Jeff says he was all but set on being retired from in-ring competition but when he heard how much the fans wanted him back, he just couldn’t help himself, he had to come back. Why did he come back to face Kurt Angle for the thousandth time do you ask? Well Jeff explains that although he’s beaten Kurt more times than he can count, the opportunity to end his career was just icing on the cake. Jeff’s won championships, he’s won important matches, he even founded his own wrestling company, but the one trophy missing from his trophy case is the career of an Olympic Gold medalist.

Right when Jeff finishes speaking, the music of Kurt Angle hits. The Jarretts brace themselves for a sneak attack by Angle but they are surprised when Kurt simply walks out of the entrance tunnel, dressed in a suit, with a microphone in hand. Kurt then calmly makes his way to the ring and gets right into their face.

Kurt does not begin to yell or scream, he simply begins speaking. Kurt does not trash Jeff or Karen, he simply states that his challenging Jeff Jarrett to a match was not to settle old scores or to add another win to his total, he chose Jeff Jarrett because he knew he and Jeff could have a damn good match. It was about respect, nothing else. Everyone, including the Jarretts, seems stunned at this apparent change of tone by Kurt. All Jeff can muster is a thank you. Kurt extends his hand. Jeff thinks about it for a moment and extends his hand as well. Right as he does, out of nowhere Kurt yanks Jeff towards him, on to his shoulders, and down to the mat, hitting an Olympic slam out of nowhere. Karen quickly exits the ring in terror. The camera remains focused on Kurt Angle, even as it starts cutting away.

Going away from the ring area, we go backstage where we see Chris Sabin getting ready for his upcoming match, as his girlfriend Velvet Sky watches on.

Chris finishes lacing up his boots and adjusting the rest of his gear. He then stands up and asks Velvet if everything is in place. Velvet nods her head. Chris smiles and says good as he walks out of the locker room towards the ring area.

*Commercial*

Match #1: Chris Sabin vs. Rob Terry – Round 1/Television Championship Tournament

Coming back from commercial, Impact Wrestling goes right into the first match of the evening and the final match of the Television Championship tournament. This match features Chris Sabin taking on Rob Terry. When the cameras come back from commercial, Rob Terry is already in the ring awaiting his opponent. Chris Sabin then makes his grand entrance, and to the surprise of everyone, he does not have Velvet Sky with him. Everyone collectively wonders what this means.

The match is very uneven and awkward in the early going as both men struggle to figure each other out. Rob Terry manages to get some momentum going early by using his size and strength to just simply toss Chris Sabin to the side. Although he is able to easily out power Sabin that does not translate to helping him in the match as Rob doesn’t really have much of a strategy other than swatting away Sabin every time he attacks. As expected, this inexperience and lack of any sort of offensive strategy on Rob Terry’s part ends up costing him against the cunning and ruthless Chris Sabin. Chris knows that he can’t risk this match going on for too long as the longer it goes the worse it is for him so he must find a way to end it quickly. Sabin tries but fails several times before magically hitting a strong kick to the back of Rob Terry’s head that instantly knocks the big man unconscious. Sabin seizes the opportunity and covers him right away for the 1, 2, 3!

Winner: Chris Sabin

To everyone’s surprise, Chris Sabin manages to get a victory without having to resort to cheating or using his girlfriend as interference. There is a general uneasiness in the air as shown by the comments Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash make over how everyone expects Sabin to pull some sort of stunt eventually, they’re just not sure what. Until that time comes everyone is forced to just wait and see. As Sabin exits the ring and Rob Terry staggers to his feet, the cameras cut away.

Going to the back, we see D.O.C. and Knux walking to the ring area for their upcoming match tonight when they are stopped in their tracks by Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco.

D.O.C. and Knux know what Bischoff and Brisco want but they ask them anyway. Garrett presses them as to why they didn’t help them in their match last week even when they said they would. D.O.C. and Knux don’t say anything, they simply just start walking away but Bischoff and Brisco don’t let them get too far. Bischoff keeps at it, bringing up their old Aces & Eights bond. This seems to have caused a light switch to go on in their heads. D.O.C. and Knux then turn around and calmly answer Garrett’s question…”We just didn’t feel like it.” Once they utter those words, D.O.C. and Knux unload on Garrett and Wes. Both of them are unprepared for an attack and as a result, quickly get overwhelmed. They are beaten pretty bad but saved from any major damage when Bully Ray comes running in, swinging his chain at D.O.C. and Knux. D.O.C. and Knux then scram as Bully checks on his cronies.

*Commercial*

Match #2: D.O.C. & Knux vs. Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez – Round 1/Tag Team Championship Tournament

After that vicious backstage attack on Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco, Impact Wrestling switches gears to match #2 tonight. This match is also the final match in the tag team championship tournament where the winner will go on to face Bad Influence and Gunner & James Storm for the chance to become Impact Wrestling tag team champions. First out to the ring are the former champions, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez. Chavo and Hernandez get a mixed reaction from the crowd but this doesn’t seem to bother them too much. Next out are the two big men, D.O.C. and Knux who come to the ring looking ready and focused.

The match starts off with D.O.C. and Hernandez in the ring. Hernandez is a good match for D.O.C. and Knux, someone who they are not able to as easily over power. Unsure of how to proceed against an opponent as worthy as Hernandez, D.O.C. and Knux struggle a little bit. Their power game just does not work as well against him and they can’t seem to figure out an alternative. Things are looking very good for the team of Chavo and Hernandez, that is, until Chavo gets in the match. Hernandez was able to match D.O.C. and Knux’s strength but the much smaller Chavo cannot. The power game that wasn’t working against Hernandez is not suddenly starting to work against Chavo. Hernandez notices this and begins to forcibly insert himself into the match to try and help his partner. Although Hernandez is extremely strong and well-conditioned, going up against two men the size of D.O.C. and Knux really starts to take a toll. He comes weaker and weaker until he isn’t as effective anymore. This is when D.O.C. and Knux strike. Getting Hernandez out of the way, they isolate Chavo. After a brief struggle, Knux gets him up and power bombs him to the ring canvas below. Before Hernandez can realize it, Knux covers Chavo and gets the win.

Winners: D.O.C. & Knux

D.O.C. and Knux move on to the final match as Chavo and Hernandez are left with nothing. Not as over powering as their first victory in Impact Wrestling but it was a victory nonetheless for D.O.C. and Knux. The two briefly celebrate in the ring before exiting as the camera cuts to the back.

Cutting to the back, we see the man Chris Sabin will be facing in two weeks for the Television title, T.J. Perkins, talking with an Impact Wrestling official. The official soon walks away but before T.J. can, Velvet Sky comes walking up, dressed in some rather provocative clothing.

T.J. seems to know that something’s up but he plays along anyway. He tells Velvet hi and the two begin talking. Velvet congratulates him on his victory last week and T.J. says thanks. When Velvet offers to take T.J. someplace “more private” he politely declines and starts walking away. Before he can get too far away, a large man dressed in all black with his face completely covered, jumps out and grabs T.J. As he is doing this, the lights go completely dark. When they come back on, there is no sign of the masked man, Velvet, or T.J.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, Impact Wrestling goes right to the announce desk where Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash comment on yet another backstage attack tonight. They both are demanding that something be done about Chris Sabin but obviously nothing can be done right now and there’s also the main event to get to. Before the main event can begin, a video package is shown of the world title tournament so far. The video focuses heavily on the feud between Bobby Roode, who lost his match last week because he couldn’t keep his focus, and Bully Ray, whose match against Austin Aries is next week. The package finishes up with a look at tonight’s main event between Magnus and Samoa Joe. There is little shown of Samoa Joe, rather the video decides to focus more heavily on Magnus who says in the video that he’s been the “up-and-comer” or “the next big thing” for too long now, it’s his time to be world champion. When the video finishes up, the cameras transition back to the ring area.

Match #3: Magnus vs. Samoa Joe – Round 1/World Heavyweight Championship Tournament

Tonight’s main event is the second match in the world heavyweight championship tournament. The winner of this match will go on to face Jeff Hardy and the winner of Austin Aries vs. Bully Ray in two weeks. Samoa Joe is the first man out to the ring, getting arguably one of the best crowd reactions of the whole night. Magnus soon follows and although he gets a decent reaction from the crowd, it is not nearly as good as the one Joe gets.

Once the bell rings it becomes instantly clear that this match will be a very physical one. Both men explode right towards each other as they start trading strikes back and forth. This type of match favors Samoa Joe so Joe ends up taking the early momentum lead. You can see the intensity in Joe’s face, he is extremely determined about regaining the world heavyweight title. However, Joe cannot keep up the intense pace that he set early on so as the match goes on, the momentum swing becomes much more even, until neither man once again has an advantage. This back and forth goes on for quite a while as neither man is unable to get any sort of consistent offense going. The crowd is very much into it, as they are seemingly split over who they want to root for. It becomes clear that whoever can get the crowd firmly on their side will win the match. Back and forth they go but still nothing. The crowd grows louder but that does not seem to sway the momentum in the ring. That is, until Magnus hits an impressive elbow drop off the top rope. The crowd loved it and starts putting themselves behind Magnus. With the crowd on his side, nothing seems to stop Magnus. He is able to build and build until he reaches the peak, another elbow drop. Getting the crowd revved up, Magnus climbs to the top rope, positions himself and jumps down, nailing the elbow drop perfectly. Not wasting any time, Magnus covers Joe and gets the victory!

Winner: Magnus

With that victory, Magnus moves on. The crowd erupts as the referee raises his hand in victory. There is a bit of a tense moment there when Samoa Joe gets to his feet and gets right into Magnus’ face like he’s going to attack him. But instead, Joe shakes his hand and then walks off. The show fades to black as Magnus remains in the ring, posing for fans.
 
#18 ·
Impact Wrestling News & Notes - Chavo Released, Mystery Video, Bischoff/Brisco, & More

- Impact Wrestling announced earlier today that they were officially parting ways with Chavo Guerrero. Chavo was said to be a Dixie Carter favorite and although there were never any complaints about him, it was said that he never did quite get a long with the new management. Plus the salary that they were paying him just did not justify his position.

- A mystery video was "delivered" to Impact Wrestling headquarters and posted to their official YouTube page. The video was similar in style to the August 1st warning videos that were posted just before Tito Ortiz's re-debut in TNA but the person behind them makes it very clear that he is not Tito Ortiz nor is he another MMA fighter. He does reveal himself to be the man that was behind the taunting of James Storm with the lights flickering on and off and all that. He says he's coming for James Storm and he will be there on February 13th.

- The beating of Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco by D.O.C. and Knux was simply a way of writing the two off of T.V. for a while. They have been reportedly sent to OVW. Garrett Bischoff has impressed a lot of people backstage with his work ethic when many didn't think he'd survive his father leaving the company but the general feeling is that he is still a ways away yet when it comes to the ring. Wes Brisco recently began wearing a Leatherface-like mask in hopes of adding a different dimension to his character. Look for him to further that in OVW.

- In an effort to smooth over relations with the Wrestle-1 promotion in Japan, whose relationship with TNA/Impact Wrestling soured after the sale of the company, Impact Wrestling has agreed to send Samoa Joe over to Japan for a couple months. Impact Wrestling also recently sent Abyss back to AAA in Mexico to continue relations with them. Look for more cross promotion between different companies now that Jeff Jarrett is back in a position of power.

- Speaking of Jeff Jarrett, his return to Impact Wrestling must have generate a decent amount of interest because the rating for this week's Impact Wrestling reached a 1.0 which is up from last week's 0.7. Impact Wrestling will look to continue this trend as the head towards the one and a half hour special on February 13th.

- Preview for February 6th...The final spot in the world championship final match will be decided when two former champions collide. Bully Ray takes on "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" Austin Aries. With his two henchmen taken out, how will Bully Ray respond? And will E.G.O. attempt to take advantage?...The man that has been taunting James Storm on and off for the past several weeks announced that he will arrive on February 13th, just in time for the tag team championship final match that James Storm and Gunner are a part of. This week, James will need to put that behind him as he takes on another participant in that tag team match, D.O.C....To prepare for his upcoming match against Kurt Angle on February 13th, Jeff Jarrett says he plans to call out anyone on the Impact Wrestling roster. Who will answer Jeff's call and what role will Kurt Angle play?...Last week, Velvet Sky with assistance from a large masked man, kidnapped T.J. Perkins who was scheduled to face Chris Sabin on February 13th for the T.V. title. What role did Chris play, if any, and more importantly, why was it done?​
 
#20 ·
Hey, thanks for the feedback! As of right now, I don't have any plans to add a second show but if I do maybe we could work something out. I would like to keep this BTB going for a while and eventually get to adding another show but it all depends on my schedule.

Impact Wrestling
2/6/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

No video package to begin the show this week. The show simply opens up with a pan over the crowd, eventually settling back down on to the announce desk where Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash both welcome everyone to tonight’s broadcast. They run down the scheduled card, including the final world title tournament match between Bully Ray and Austin Aries. When they finish giving the rundown of the card, they turn their attention to what occurred last week when T.J. Perkins was apparently kidnapped by Velvet Sky and a masked assailant. They can’t help but assume that Chris Sabin was behind it somehow although it was pretty clear judging by the body size of the masked man that it wasn’t him. As they continue talking about him, Chris’ music begins to play and he steps out of the entrance tunnel, dressed in street clothes.

Holding a piece of paper in his hand, Chris Sabin slowly makes his way down to the ring to a majority of boos from the audience. Chris doesn’t seem to care however, as he just continues on, looking pretty proud of himself in the process.

Chris enters the ring and immediately begins addressing the allegations against him that he was the one responsible for attacking and kidnapping of T.J. Perkins last week. Chris immediately denies the allegations and starts rattling off the proof he has that he didn’t do it. First, he shows a series of photos that were taken showing that Chris was apparently working out at the gym when the attack took place. He even says that he has the gym’s official log with him, showing that he had signed in at the gym during the time in question. Chris then switches gears from himself to his girlfriend, Velvet Sky who clearly was at least part of the kidnapping. He says although it does indeed look fishy that his own girlfriend was a part of the attack, she did everything completely on her own, planned it and everything by herself. Chris even presents a signed document by Velvet Sky backing up his story. Once he has finished presenting his alibi, he turns his attention to what was supposed to be him vs. T.J. for the TV title. He says that since he has no challengers left, the right thing to do would be to just hand him the title right then and there and not waste anyone’s time. Right as he says that, JR’s theme music surprisingly begins to play.

Making an unscheduled appearance, Jim Ross steps out of the entrance tunnel to an amazing reaction from the crowd. Chris Sabin can’t seem to believe it either but he continues to stand behind his story, even when he comes to face with Impact Wrestling’s president.

JR starts off by saying that he knows that Chris was somehow behind the attack but he does agree that Chris has presented a good alibi so he can’t suspend/fire him. JR continues by saying that Chris is crazy to think that he would ever have any championship just handed to him. He will still have to earn it the old fashioned way, just like he would have if T.J. hadn’t gone missing. When Chris presses JR about who his new challenger will be, especially since all of the previous challengers are now down and out, JR doesn’t say anything other than it’s going to be a surprise, one that Chris won’t see coming.

On that note, JR then ends the conversation and proceeds to exit the ring, leaving Chris and his apparent plan to win the TV title in shambles. As JR is making his way up the entrance ramp, the show cuts to a quick backstage segment.

Right before the show goes to commercial break, we get a shot of Jeff and Karen Jarrett walking down the backstage hallway to the ring where Jeff will face off against anyone on the Impact Wrestling roster, other than Kurt Angle, who wishes to take him on. Jeff looks pumped up and Karen continues giving him a pep talk as the show cuts to commercial.

*Commercial*

Match #1: Jeff Jarrett w/ Karen Jarrett vs. ???

Coming back from commercial it is now time for the first match of the evening and the first match on Impact Wrestling for Jeff Jarrett in a long time. The Jarretts begin making their way down to the ring to a very mixed reaction from the crowd. Jeff, carrying his trademark guitar, struts down the entrance ramp, taunting the crowd the whole time. Once Jeff and Karen enter the ring, Jeff takes off his robe, hands his guitar to his wife, and demands a microphone.

Jeff thanks the crowd for such a warm reaction which of course invites more boos from them. Jeff says that some people have told him that he’s crazy for issuing this open challenge to the locker room that he should be preparing for Kurt Angle instead. To that, Jeff responds by saying that he doesn’t need to prepare any amount for Kurt Angle; he could beat Kurt Angle with both hands tied behind his back. No he called for this match because he wanted to send a message to everyone that he is back in charge, that this is his company, he’s the King of the Mountain again, and it’s time for him to shine. He then turns and asks who dare challenge him? Jeff, along with Karen and everyone else are shocked when it turns out that the Bro-Mans are the ones who end up answering the call.

More specifically, it’s Robbie E. who is the one that answers Jeff’s challenge. Robbie E., flanked by his tag team partner Jessie G., begins making his way down to the ring to challenge the Impact Wrestling Vice President.

Robbie E. gets right into Jeff’s face and says “yo, boss man bro, I’ll take ya on.” This doesn’t sit well with Jeff as he immediately unloads on Robbie E. as the ref calls for the bell. The match begins with Jeff Jarrett just walling on Robbie E., not wanting to let up in fear that he might look weak or something. The referee manages to get both Karen Jarrett and Jessie G. out of the ring and to their respective corners so they don’t end up interfering in the match. Even with Karen on the outside of the ring, Jeff continues to dominate Robbie E., not having let up on the gas one bit since the start. A dominating performance by Jeff Jarrett that’s for sure, just the kind of performance he needed to show that he can not only hang with, but just destroy, Kurt Angle. Everything is going good for Jeff, until he notices Jessie G. hitting on his wife. Although Karen wants nothing of it, Jeff can’t help but interfere, taking his eye off of Robbie E. An enraged Jeff Jarrett is enough for Jessie G. to back off. Once Jeff has that cleared he is now free to return to dominating Robbie E. or so he thinks. Before he is even able to turn around, Robbie E. sneaks up behind him, grabs him by the tights, and rolls him up. The ref sees Jeff’s shoulders pinned to the mat and begins to count 1, 2, 3!

Winner: Robbie E.

With a little bit of unintentional distraction by his tag team partner, Robbie E. picks up the huge upset. Robbie E. quickly rolls out of the ring to celebrate. Jeff Jarrett is obviously furious that he let this happen. Karen tries to comfort him but she doesn’t seem to be helping. Jeff smashes his guitar over the ring post in frustration. His frustration only grows when he sees Kurt Angle standing at the top of the entrance tunnel, laughing. Jeff begins yelling and screaming at Kurt but Kurt remains steadfast, silently chuckling to himself as the camera cuts away.

The camera cuts to a video “delivered” to Impact Wrestling headquarters by the man who has been taunting James Storm. The man had already announced in a similar video that he planned to reveal his identity to both James and the world on February 13th. The mysterious man does not provide many clues to his identity other than to say that he is closer to James Storm than anyone realizes. What that means we will just have to wait and see as the video finishes up with the reminder that he’s coming next week.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, Impact Wrestling goes right into a backstage interview segment with Taryn Terrell who is standing by with “The Cowboy” James Storm.

Taryn starts off by asking the question that’s on everyone’s mind, does James have any idea who might be behind these videos as well as the taunts? James says he doesn’t know but he does say that he’s sick and tired of whoever it is and he wishes whoever it is would just show his face so he could whip his ass right there. Taryn then asks James how this will affect his and Gunner’s upcoming tag title match. James shrugs it off, saying that there’s no doubt in his mind that he and Gunner will not only be ready for this mad man, but they’ll win back the tag team titles in the process. James set out to prove he’s the toughest S.O.B. in wrestling and he’s not going to let some coward stop him. He then excuses himself from the interview; he has a match up now.

Match #2: D.O.C. w/ Knux vs. James Storm

Cutting away from the backstage interview area, the cameras show that James’ opponent D.O.C. is already waiting for him. His tag team partner Knux is also waiting. James Storm dashes down to the ring and wastes no time going right after D.O.C.

Although D.O.C. is bigger and stronger than James Storm is, James doesn’t back down, he is clearly out to prove that he’s not scared of whoever is out to get him. In the early goings of this match it is very evenly split, both men putting together a very physical type fight. The edge would have to go to James Storm since he appears to want it much more but neither guy has too much of an advantage. If there is a disadvantage to D.O.C.’s game it is that he is not much of a technical wrestler, he is more of a brawler but since James isn’t known as a real technical wrestler either, he isn’t able to take much advantage of that, even though he does seem to try. James attempts to put his slight quickness advantage to good use and it seems to work for a little while until D.O.C. nearly explodes with his power game. D.O.C.’s explosion seems to have been perfectly timed as it catches James off guard, forcing him to try and change directions on a dime. James is trying to find an avenue to where he can get back in to the match but D.O.C. just doesn’t seem to want to let up. James tries but he is unable to find any sort of opening. He manages to hang around in the match for a little bit longer but eventually he succumbs to a choke slam finisher by D.O.C.

Winner: D.O.C.

An overpowering performance by D.O.C. and a disappointing loss by James Storm. When James manages to stagger to his feet, he is visibly frustrated and rightly so. As James is turning to exit the ring, the lights once again begin flickering on and off. When they finally stop, James demands a microphone. He says he’s tired of all this and he’s going to hunt whoever’s behind this down like the vermin that they are. Right as James makes his threat, the lights go dark completely. A skirmish is heard and then the sound of a beer bottle smashing over someone’s head. When the lights finally come back, it is revealed that James Storm has been laid out, apparently knocked unconscious by a beer bottle over the head. The assailant is also nowhere in sight.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, and before the main event can begin, we see a shot of Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, and Bobby Roode all together in the backstage hallway area.

E.G.O. is apparently trying to come up with a game plan to how they can stop Bully Ray from advancing to the world title finals. They say that now that Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco have been taken out, that leaves Bully Ray vulnerable. Right as they are talking, they see Austin Aries walk by. They stop him and attempt to recruit them to their cause. Aries thanks them for wanting to help and all but he really wants to do this by himself. E.G.O. tries again. This time Aries gets right into their face and warns them sternly, do not interfere. That was the end of that as Aries walks away towards the ring area, leaving E.G.O. speechless.

Match #3: Austin Aries vs. Bully Ray w/ Brooke Tessmacher – Round 1/World Heavyweight Championship Tournament

It is now main event time. The tag team and television championship title matches have already been set, now it’s time for the third man to be decided in the world heavyweight championship match. Tonight’s main event pits Austin Aries against Bully Ray, both men who are former world champions. Austin Aries, who has yet to appear for Impact Wrestling since it came back to T.V. will look to get things started off on the right foot with a win tonight while Bully Ray will look to get one more leg up on E.G.O. by advancing to the world title final. First out to the ring is Bully Ray, with his girlfriend Brooke Tessmacher not far behind. And last but not least, “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived”, Austin Aries makes his way down to the ring so the match can begin.

One has to wonder if E.G.O. will end up indeed playing a role in this match but for right now they are nowhere to be seen. The match starts off fairly even, both men apparently trying to get a feel for each other before deciding which strategy to go with. First to strike is Bully Ray. Bully knows that he has a power advantage over Aries and he uses that right away. Bully also knows that he can’t let Austin increase the pace of the match because that puts him at a huge disadvantage so he does everything he can to keep Aries grounded. This strategy works well for Bully Ray as he is successfully able to keep Austin Aries down on the mat for quite a while. This is not to say that Austin isn’t trying like hell to break out of the holds that Bully Ray keeps him in, on the contrary, he is doing everything he can, Bully is just too overpowering. But Aries doesn’t give up, he continues trying. Lucky for him, it appears to slowly be working. Little by little Aries is able to break out of Bully’s holds and put together a more high paced offense. Eventually it builds and builds until its Austin Aries who now has control of the match. Things are going very good for Austin, until E.G.O. finally makes their way down to the ring. The referee, thinking that E.G.O. is here to try and help Austin wins, takes his attention away from the match and puts it towards them. Austin does the same thing, yelling and screaming at E.G.O., telling them to go away. With the referee distracted by Kazarian and Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels tries to slip something to Austin Aries but Austin doesn’t want it. He begins arguing with Daniels, which takes his focus off of Bully Ray even more. Eventually Austin ignores E.G.O. but the referee doesn’t. With the referee’s back turned, Bully Ray does what any good heel does, take advantage of the situation. With a chain now wrapped around his fist, Bully Ray nails Austin right on the side of the head, knocking him out instantly. Bully then tosses the chain quickly to Brooke and gets Austin in position to finish him off. Bully then hits the Bubba Bomb on Austin just as the referee has turned around. Bully covers Aries as the referee counts 1, 2, 3!

Winner: Bully Ray

Bully Ray moves on to the world title match. E.G.O.’s plan to try and help Austin Aries win the match backfired big time, instead they end up helping Bully Ray win. Bully Ray then exits the ring with Brooke, laughing the whole time. When Austin finally comes to, and sees what has happened as a result of E.G.O.’s interference, he begins to throw a huge fit. The show fades to black with a shot of E.G.O. arguing amongst themselves.
 
#21 ·
Breaking News - Ted DiBiase Jr. "invades" OVW, Velvet Sky Suspended, TV Rating, Preview for upcoming special, & More

- Ted DiBiase Jr. made an unexpected appearance at an OVW live event last Saturday. Ted came out from behind the curtain in the middle of the main event but he did not get involved, rather he remained at the top of the entrance walk way until the audience began chanting for him which caused OVW officials to escort him out. No reason was given by Ted or anybody as to why he made the appearance.

- Due to her involvement in the kidnapping of T.J. Perkins, Impact Wrestling announced earlier today that Velvet Sky has been suspended indefinitely.

- Last week's edition of Impact Wrestling got a 0.9 rating which is down slightly from the 1.0 they got two week's ago.

- Preview for February 13th, one and a half hour edition of Impact Wrestling...Three new champions will be crowned and a career is on the line...Kurt Angle made the shocking announcement that the next time he loses a match, he will retire from in-ring competition forever. He also chose as his potential final opponent, the man who married his ex-wife, "The King of the Mountain" Jeff Jarrett. Will this be the end of the line for the Olympic Gold Medalist or can Kurt dig deep and pull out another impressive victory?...Someone has been taunting "The Cowboy" James Storm for several weeks, threatening him with videos and even attacking him last week. How will this mystery man affect the outcome of the tag team championship match where James Storm will once again team up with Gunner to face Bad Influence and the team of D.O.C. and Knux?...One by one his opponents fell until he was the only one left standing. When he thought that all competition had been removed and his path to the TV title was complete, Good Ol' JR threw Chris Sabin a curve ball, announcing that he would not be simply handed the title, rather he would still have to compete for it, against an unknown opponent. Who will this opponent be and will Chris have yet another plan up his sleeve?...Finally, a world title will be crowned when two former world champions take on a new challenger. Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray, and Magnus will compete in a triple threat match where the winner will be crowned the new Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion.​
 
#22 ·
Sorry that it's taken me so long to get this up. Been pretty busy with work lately.
Impact Wrestling
2/13/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

Impact Wrestling opens up this one and a half hour long special with a simple hype video, saying how this is a new beginning for not only the company but for each and every one of the wrestlers competing tonight. The video package does not highlight any one particular wrestler or match, choosing rather to focus on the entire night. Once the video is finished, the camera cuts away, the pyro goes off and the show can begin.

After panning over the entire crowd, the camera makes its way to the announce desk where Impact Wrestling President Jim Ross has joined usual Impact Wrestling commentators Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash for tonight’s broadcast. JR starts off by thanking everyone for watching tonight, thanking them for sticking with the company through thick and thin. He does not say much after that, he simply says let’s get started.

Match #1: Chris Sabin vs. ??? – Impact Wrestling Television Championship Match

Impact Wrestling starts off tonight’s broadcast with the first of three championship matches scheduled, the television championship match featuring Chris Sabin taking on a mystery opponent, picked by JR himself. What was originally supposed to be a triple threat match eventually got whittled down to just Chris Sabin. When Chris thought since he was the last man standing he deserved the title, Jim Ross stepped in and said that he will still have to compete for the championship but against a mystery opponent. Chris soon makes his way down to the ring area. Noticeably absent from his side is his girlfriend, Velvet Sky who, because of her actions in the disappearance of T.J. Perkins, has been suspended indefinitely from Impact Wrestling. Once Chris makes it to the ring he immediately calls for a microphone.

Chris begins his rant by saying it’s a travesty that he’s being forced to compete tonight against an unknown opponent. It puts him at a huge disadvantage because, since he has no idea who it could be, he has not been able to prepare at all for the match when on the other hand; this “mystery man” has been able to train for him the whole time. So, as a result of these circumstances, he is staging a protest until he gets a rematch against someone who he knows ahead of time. He will refuse to move out of the ring until his request is granted.

In light of this new turn of events, JR gets up from the announce desk, temporarily removes his headset, and grabs a microphone.

JR says that Chris should be thankful he was even allowed to compete tonight when he should have been fired. Sabin then tries to respond but JR cuts him off. JR reminds Chris that if he doesn’t compete tonight against the opponent that he’s picked for him, not only will he lose his title shot, he will lose his spot in the company. So either put up with it or get the hell out. The threat of being fired seems to have calmed Chris down. Once it appears that Chris’ protest is over, JR introduces his opponent.

There is a several second pause between when JR stops speaking and when the mystery opponent’s music begins playing. Chris Sabin can’t seem to stand it, as he starts pacing back and forth. Suddenly, familiar music begins to play, the crowd erupts, Chris Sabin can’t believe his eyes as out of the entrance tunnel steps…ALEX SHELLEY! Chris’ former tag team partner steps out of the tunnel as the crowd begins to chant “welcome back”. Alex takes his time walking down the ramp, both to pump up the crowd and to give Chris Sabin time to soak it in. When he finally does get in the ring, he gets right into the face of his former partner as the referee calls for the bell.

The shock from seeing his former Motor City Machine Guns partner back in Impact Wrestling must be too much for Chris Sabin at first because right out of the gate he appears to struggle immensely trying to mount any sort of offense against Shelley. Shelley sees this and exploits it, constantly attacking Sabin from behind, not giving him a chance to get his wits about him and attack back. Shelley maintains the lead in the match for quite some time until Sabin manages to finally clear the cobwebs out of his head and starts fighting back. The pace of the match greatly picks up to where it more resembles the type of match that people would expect out of these two. Neither man has the advantage anymore, both Shelley and Sabin trade high flying move for high flying move over and over again. Despite the exciting action that it provides to the audience and the people watching at home, Shelley and Sabin can’t possibly keep this going forever; one of them is bound to get tired eventually. Both men seem to slow down at the same pace, leaving everyone to wonder who was going to be able to gain the upper hand and then eventually, the victory. Although it takes a while to get an answer, it appears the man who is able to gain the upper hand is Alex Shelley. A small surge of energy by Shelley allows him to distance himself from Sabin just a little so he can set up his finishing move, Sliced Bread #2. Once he gets Sabin right where he wants him, Shelley locks in and hits the move perfectly. The crowd goes wild as Shelley covers Sabin for the 1, 2, 3!

Winner and New Impact Wrestling Television Champion: Alex Shelley

The referee hands Alex the new T.V. title as the crowd continues to cheer him on. He stares at the belt for the longest time before eventually accepting it and throwing it over his shoulder. As he is acknowledging the crowd, Chris Sabin is finally starting to stir. Sabin finally makes it to his feet and just stares at Shelley. Alex attempts to shake his hand but Chris will have nothing of it. He blows the gesture off and starts walking back to the locker room. This doesn’t seem to bother Shelley any, as he remains in the ring celebrating with the crowd as the show cuts to commercial.

*Commercial*

Match #2: Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) vs. D.O.C. & Knux vs. Gunner & James Storm – Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship Match

Coming back from commercial, Impact Wrestling keeps this special edition going with the second championship match of the night, the tag team championship triple threat match between Bad Influence, D.O.C. & Knux, and the former champions Gunner & James Storm. Before the match begins, there is a brief video package highlighting how each team got here. The biggest question hanging over this whole match though is the question of who has been taunting James Storm and how will that person affect the outcome? They promised they would be here tonight so only time will tell.

Once the video package is complete, the official introductions can begin. The first team out to the ring is the team of Bad Influence, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. Lately Bad Influence, along with their E.G.O. stable mate Bobby Roode have not been having much luck trying to get their way so we will see if that can change tonight. Second team to make their way to the ring is D.O.C. and Knux, coming through the crowd in homage to their Aces & Eights days. Last but not least are the former champions, Gunner and James Storm. Both men show no signs of being afraid or cautious about the potential attacker, they’re just ready to fight.

Three men begin the match in the ring and the first successful pin attempt wins. As expected, each team starts off the match by trying to get a feel of how their opponents plan to attack. Soon, both Bad Influence and Gunner & Storm realize that they’ll need to try and work together to eliminate D.O.C. and Knux since they are clearly the bigger and stronger team. This cooperation by both teams works for a little bit but eventually D.O.C. and Knux power out and it becomes every team for themselves again. Realizing that they can’t take down D.O.C. and Knux by themselves, Bad Influence decides to simply wait it out, letting Storm & Gunner do the dirty work for them and then sneak in and steal the victory. This is a smart strategy in theory but in order for it to work, there needs to actually be an opening for Bad Influence to take advantage of and unfortunately the opening just never comes. Bad Influence tries to interfere but every time they get shoed away until they become virtually a non-factor. The attention in the match then quickly turns to D.O.C & Knux versus Gunner & Storm. Gunner & Storm hold their own very well, frustrating their opponents in the process. The match starts to get pretty physical pretty fast. In the ensuing chaos, the referee gets bumped and temporarily knocked out of commission. James Storm decides to take advantage of this. He grabs a hold of a beer bottle that he had conveniently left on the outside of the ring, takes a swig of it and spits it right into D.O.C.’s face. With the beer bottle now empty, James looks to use it. As he takes aim, Gunner stops him. As the referee stands back up, Gunner takes the beer bottle out of Storm’s hand and in a shocking twist, smashes it over his own partner’s head, knocking him unconscious. Much like the audience, the referee is stunned at this turn of events. Since it was his own partner that attacked Storm, the referee decides not to end the match and rather to let it continue. D.O.C and Knux quickly seize the opportunity and cover the motionless Storm to become new champions.

Winners and New Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions: D.O.C. & Knux

The mysterious man who has been taunting James Storm this whole time appears to have been his own tag team partner Gunner. Gunner soon joins the new champions D.O.C. and Knux in the ring and the three celebrate their victory as they stand over the motionless body of James Storm. The three remain standing in the ring as the camera cuts away.

Before the commercial break, we get a split screen shot of both Jeff and Karen Jarrett and Kurt Angle walking to the ring. Mike Tenay, JB, and JR all continue to hype up that this may indeed be Kurt Angle’s final match ever.

*Commercial*

Match #3: Jeff Jarrett w/ Karen Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle

Coming back from commercial, Impact Wrestling once again goes right into a promo video detailing how both Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett got to this point, from Kurt Angle coming back announcing that the next time he loses a match he will retire from in-ring competition forever to him calling out Jeff Jarrett as his first opponent and Jeff answering that call. Once the video finishes up, the entrances begin.

First out to the ring are the Jarretts. Since Nashville is right in the middle of his old stomping grounds and since this is his first match back in a long time, Jeff and Karen get a huge reaction from the crowd which obviously fills Jeff’s ego right up. Next out is “The Olympic Gold Medalist” Kurt Angle who gets an equally large reaction from the crowd, much to the chagrin of Jeff. Once both men have entered the ring and prepared themselves, the referee calls for the bell and the match begins.

Before Kurt can react, Jeff dives right for his knees in an attempt to take them out. It appears to have worked as it catches Kurt by surprise, giving Jeff a great early advantage. It becomes clear right after the sneak attack that Jeff’s plan in this match is to weaken Kurt’s knees so he can possibly make him tap out. Right away Kurt becomes noticeably hobbled but he is not crippled, he is still able to stand and fight back, albeit at a very distinct disadvantage. Despite not having fully immobilized him, Jeff continues the assault on Kurt’s legs and knees, knowing that eventually he would be able to get Kurt to the point where he would no longer be able to stand which at that point he would be able to do whatever he wanted to him. Initially Jeff remains calm and collected, going about his business like nothing bothers him but as the match goes on, Kurt remains standing and mobile. But as the match goes on and Kurt is still standing, Jeff becomes increasingly more agitated and desperate. He increases the volume of his attacks and his attempted pin falls but despite all this, he is still not able to put Kurt away. After every attack, Kurt manages to stagger back to his feet. Although Kurt is putting up an amazing fight, one has to wonder how much longer he can possibly keep this up; eventually something’s got to give. To everyone’s amazement, after yet another failed pin attempt by Jeff Jarrett, out of nowhere Kurt gets a rush of energy, fighting back with everything he’s got. This catches Jeff off guard since his entire game plan throughout this match depended on a severely weakened Kurt Angle. After an impressive Olympic Slam, Kurt lowers the straps and zeroes in on Jeff. Mustering up all the strength he can, Kurt grabs a hold of Jeff’s leg and ankle and doesn’t let go. Despite trying to grab for his wife on the outside, Jeff keeps getting pulled back in the middle of the ring. He tries to counter out but he just can’t. He is soon forced to tap out.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Kurt survives the match and his career lives to fight another day. Still noticeably hobbled, Kurt gets his hand raised by the referee as the crowd cheers him on. However, right as Kurt turns his back to start heading to the locker room, Jeff Jarrett attacks his knees once again. Joining her husband in attacking her ex-husband is Karen. The combined effort of Jeff and Karen attacking his knees is too much for Kurt, all he can do is try to defend himself any way he can. Right as things are looking bad for him, the lights in the Asylum go out. Right before they come back, music starts to play. Once the lights do come back, the crowd erupts as standing over the hobbled Kurt Angle is “The Icon” Sting. Sting does not say or do anything other than stand by Kurt, pointing his black baseball bat at the Jarretts as they exit the ring. Sting then helps Kurt to his feet as the show goes to commercial.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, the cameras go right to the announce desk where Mike Tenay, JB, and JR all comment on the shocking return of “The Icon” Sting and what it means for both Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett. Once they are done commenting on that, they turn their attention to tonight’s main event, the triple threat match between Magnus, Bully Ray, and Jeff Hardy for the world title. They show who each man had to beat to get to this point. Once they are finished, they send it over to Taryn Terrell who’s standing by with Magnus.

First off, Taryn starts with asking Magnus how it feels to be competing for the world title for the first time ever. Magnus obviously says it feels great and that he’s ready for the challenge. Taryn then follows up that question by asking Magnus if it puts more pressure on him that he’s the much younger one in this match and the only man who hasn’t won a world title yet. Magnus seems a little annoyed by that question but answers it anyway by saying that although he respects what both Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy have done, that’s all in the past, they’ve had their opportunities but it’s time to put the old boys out to pasture, because it’s Magnus’ time. Almost on cue, right as Magnus finishes talking, Bully Ray interrupts. Bully says how dare he think that he is even close to world championship material and that it’s insane to think that Bully Ray’s time has gone. Bully Ray says that he’s met hundreds of punks just like Magnus who think they’re the next big thing but everyone of them ends up failing and that’s exactly what Magnus is going to do as well. The two then get into each other’s face. There is a brief pause before Magnus says “bring it on old man”. The situation then explodes into an open brawl.

Match #4: Bully Ray vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Magnus – Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship Match

Eventually the brawl between Magnus and Bully Ray spills out from the backstage interview area to the ring area. The two start their fight at the top of the entrance ramp. The referee tries to get them to go in to the ring but they are having none of that. However, they do slowly start to make their way down to the ring by themselves. Once they reach the ring area, they stop once again and start using everything that’s at the ringside area to their advantage. The referee has yet to officially start the match because there is still no sign of Jeff Hardy. That changes soon. As both Magnus and Bully Ray’s backs are turned, Jeff Hardy comes through the crowd on the opposite side, climbs in to the ring, on to a post, and takes aim. When Magnus and Bully Ray turn around, he dives on top of them, officially starting the match.

Now that all members are present, the match can begin. Although it has officially started, the match does not resemble a traditional match at all, rather an all-out brawl. All three men take turns in control of the match. One minute Bully Ray has Magnus and he’s tossing him into the guard rail and the next Jeff Hardy is doing the same thing. The referee tries to keep order in the match but after trying and failing several times, he just throws up his hands in the air and lets each man do what they want, within reason of course. The action has now moved into the crowd. Again, each man takes turns in control and it seems like this could go on forever until someone gets a plan. Familiar with brawls in the crowd, Bully Ray devises a plan. He decides to take advantage of Magnus’ inexperience in title matches by separating him from Jeff Hardy but first he must take out Jeff. As Jeff, Magnus, and Bully Ray make it to the top of the bleachers, Bully notices a merchandise table set up off to the side of the seats. With a strong kick to the midsection, Bully temporarily disables Magnus just enough to get Jeff right where he wants him. Bully knows it won’t take much to send Jeff through the table and with yet another strong kick to the midsection, he does just that. Falling off the bleachers, Jeff slams right into the table, splitting it in half. With Jeff now out of the picture, Bully Ray resumes his assault on Magnus. He must put some distance between himself and Jeff Hardy, should Jeff manage to get to his feet so he starts to pull Magnus towards the ring area. Slowly but surely the two make it inside the ring, the first action inside the actual ring of the whole match. Magnus, tired from the brawl in the crowd, tries fighting back but what he does just does not seem to matter. Luckily for him, right as it appears that he’s ready to give up, Magnus sees Jeff Hardy standing up. Maybe if he can hold out until then, he’ll have a better chance. Panic sets in for Bully Ray, he must put Magnus away and fast. As Jeff approaches, he resorts to what he’s good at, cheating. Out of view of the referee, Bully Ray low blows Magnus which sets him up for the Bubba Bomb. Bully quickly gets Magnus into position, and hits the move. As Jeff Hardy approaches, he desperately tries to break up the pin attempt but he’s too late. The referee counts 1, 2, 3, right as he gets in the ring.

Winner and New Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion: Bully Ray

Despite having resorted to cheating yet again, Bully Ray manages to get the victory and in doing so, becoming a three time world champion. Bully quickly grabs the belt and exits the ring, wanting nothing to do with an angry Magnus and Jeff Hardy. As the camera fades to black, Bully Ray holds the world title over his head.
 
#23 ·
Major Breaking News - New PPV Format/YouTube show announced, New Venue announced, Ted DiBiase Jr. in OVW, & More

- In a joint press conference today following the successful first live T.V. special of Impact Wrestling, Jim Ross along with representatives from Spike T.V. announced that Impact Wrestling would be doing away with most of their pay per view events in favor of live T.V. specials, with the exception of Slammiversary in June which will now be treated as their Wrestlemania. The live T.V. specials will air each month and be prompted just like a PPV event would. The reason behind the new strategy is because for years the wrestling pay per view business has started to go down hill, with more money now coming in from T.V. contracts than PPV buys. Now with the full backing of Spike TV, Impact Wrestling can afford to make the switch.

- They also announced that the next two live specials will air April 24th and May 22nd, both emanating from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Following the May 22nd special, Impact Wrestling will be taping the next two weeks worth of T.V. at the Grady Cole Center as well. Impact Wrestling plans to announce the venue for Slammiversary within the next week or two.

- The new PPV format was not the only major change announced at the recent press conference. Jim Ross announced that starting with the February 27th live edition of Impact Wrestling, they will begin taping a simple half hour long bi-weekly special that will air on Impact Wrestling's official YouTube channel. The show, simply titled "Impact Online" will be taped before every live edition of Impact Wrestling and begin airing the following Saturday. It is expected to feature two matches and a couple backstage segments. The first Impact Online special will begin airing March 1st.

- Ted DiBiase Jr., who made an unannounced appearance at the last OVW live event, made another unannounced appearance at the latest OVW TV taping, interfering in the main event until OVW officials granted him a title shot. Officials granted him his wish but only if he could defeat Cliff Compton first. That match will be recorded at the next TV taping event.

- The first live T.V. special of Impact Wrestling was a huge success, scoring a 1.2 rating, up from the previous week's 0.9.

- The preview for this week's episode of Impact Wrestling was brief, it merely said: "Witness the fallout. Three new champions crowned, former friends become enemies, and an Icon returns. Where does Impact Wrestling go from here?"​
 
#24 ·
Impact Wrestling
2/20/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

Impact Wrestling opens up with a long look at all the action from last week’s one and a half hour long live special. Since there is too much to cover in just a short opening video, we only see the highlights of the show, starting with Alex Shelley returning to defeat Chris Sabin and become the new Television Champion. Then to the tag team title match where it was revealed that Gunner was the one taunting James Storm as well as being on the side of D.O.C. & Knux, since in the process he helped them win the tag titles. Then highlights of a very physical triple threat match for the world title between Bully Ray, Jeff Hardy, and Magnus with Bully Ray once again becoming world champion. The video finishes up with a look at the Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett match where Sting made his shocking return to Impact Wrestling, saving Kurt Angle from a further beat down at the hands of the Jarretts. That’s where we start off tonight because soon the video finishes up so the show can begin.

Panning over the entire Asylum, the cameras eventually settle back down on to the announce desk where Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash welcome everyone to another edition of Impact Wrestling. Since there were no matches announced before the show, there is no card to run down so Mike and JB simply start talking about all the new champions in Impact Wrestling. Before they can finish however, they are interrupted by the theme music of Jeff Jarrett.

Jeff, followed closely behind by his wife Karen, comes out to the ring clearly not happy. Not only did he lose his match last week but he was not able to finish the job of taking out Kurt Angle completely because of the return of “The Icon” Sting. Once the Jarretts arrive in the ring they obviously ask for a microphone.

Jeff does not mention Sting at all, choosing instead to completely ignore him all together and focus on Kurt Angle who he feels stole a victory from him. Since Jeff is Impact Wrestling Vice President, he could fire Kurt Angle on the spot for disrespecting him like he did but he knows the backlash of that would be huge so he’s chosen a different path. Instead, Jeff wants a rematch. He is not asking for this match, he is demanding it. He says that if Kurt Angle does not come out to the ring tonight to face him for a rematch, he will then have cause to fire him and he certainly will not hesitate to do so. The crowd boos this immensely but Jeff doesn’t care, he is giving Kurt Angle thirty seconds to come out to this ring and face him otherwise he will be fired. Ten seconds go by, no Kurt Angle. Twenty seconds go by, still no Kurt Angle. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, no Kurt Angle. Right as Jeff is about to channel his inner Vince McMahon and say Kurt Angle, you’re fired!, Sting’s theme music hits. The crowd goes insane as the Icon slowly makes his way down to the ring. Sting tells him that Kurt cannot answer his call because he’s not here tonight, he’s at home recuperating from the attack that Jeff and Karen put on him. Jeff continues to seem disinterested in Sting and continues to try and call out Kurt Angle. Sting gets more and more in to Jeff’s face, telling him that Kurt is not here. At this point Jeff is really angry and starts confronting Sting directly. He tells him to plain stay out of his business otherwise he will be fired. This doesn’t bother Sting at all, he remains right in Jeff’s face. Pretty soon Jeff changes his mind. Instead of wanting to face Kurt Angle again, he challenges Sting to a match tonight which of course, Sting agrees. Huffing and puffing away, the Jarretts then exit the ring as their music plays in the background. Soon after that the camera cuts away.

Before cutting to commercial Impact Wrestling cameras catch the new world tag team champions D.O.C. and Knux arriving at the Asylum on the motorcycles but they are not alone. Also arriving with him on a motorcycle is Gunner. The three men park their bikes and head inside as the camera cuts to commercial.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, we see the new T.V. champion Alex Shelley talking directly to the camera.

Alex is telling the camera man and the world that now that he is T.V. champion, he intends to be a fighting champion that means he intends to defend the title as much as possible, starting next week live on Spike T.V. Once Alex finishes his announcement, he starts walking away from the camera. Before he can get too far however, he is jumped from behind by Chris Sabin, his former tag team partner who he beat to become T.V. champion. Luckily for Alex, the two are not fighting for very long when Impact Wrestling security break the two up. Shouting at each other, Chris Sabin challenges Alex to a rematch for the title next week, which in the heat of the moment, he agrees to. Once the two have been pulled far enough apart, the show can transition back to the ring area.

Coming back to the ring area, we see the tag champs D.O.C. & Knux as well as their new partner Gunner standing in the middle of the ring and Gunner has a microphone.

Gunner starts off by saying that James Storm wanted to prove that he was the toughest S.O.B. in professional wrestling today but he was proven wrong. Gunner, D.O.C., and Knux are the toughest S.O.B.’s in professional wrestling and there isn’t a damn thing that anybody can do about it. To prove that, he is calling out anyone from the back, besides James Storm of course, anyone who may want to get a beating. It isn’t long before someone answers the call and that someone is Jeff Hardy.

Match #1: Gunner w/ D.O.C. & Knux vs. Jeff Hardy

Gunner seems surprised that of all the people that would answer his challenge it would be Jeff Hardy but hey, that doesn’t bother him at all because he has the massive tag team champions to back him up. Jeff enters the ring, the referee calls for the bell, and the match can begin.

Almost instantly, Jeff Hardy takes command of the match. Despite feeling extremely confident, Gunner does not seem prepared at all which isn’t much of a surprise since he had no idea who is opponent was going to be. Still, he doesn’t appear to have been prepared at all for any match against anybody. With encouragement from his friends on the outside, Gunner does manage to start fighting his way back in to the match ever so slightly, at least to the point where it’s not embarrassing him anymore. Jeff clearly knows that his high paced, aerial offense is the key to keeping Gunner confused and off of his game so he keeps that going. Gunner has no answer for Jeff so he must rely on his friends on the outside once again. While the referee is slightly distracted, and while Jeff is climbing to the top turnbuckle, D.O.C. pushes him off and back into the ring which allows Gunner a temporary window of opportunity to take advantage. Gunner does but his window is not open for very long. Despite the outside interference from earlier, Jeff fights back and regains control of the match. Once again Gunner is in need of help and once again the help comes when Jeff returns to the top turnbuckle. This time Knux tries to push him off but when he does the referee sees it and immediately calls for the bell, Gunner has been disqualified.

Winner via DQ: Jeff Hardy

D.O.C. and Knux immediately enter the ring and join Gunner in arguing with the referee. To his credit, the referee stands his ground and does not back down. This isn’t too smart on the referee’s part however as D.O.C. and Knux soon get tired of dealing with him so they simply toss the referee to the side and set their sights on Jeff Hardy. Luckily for Jeff, before they can do anything, James Storm comes running down the ramp and D.O.C, Knux, and Gunner scatter. James helps Jeff to his fight and once he’s back up, the two stare down D.O.C., Knux, and Gunner as the camera cuts to commercial.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, Impact Wrestling transitions to the backstage interview area where Taryn Terrell is standing by with all three members of E.G.O., Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, and Bobby Roode.

Taryn starts off the interview by asking the obvious question, where does E.G.O. go now that they’ve lost out on both the tag team and world titles? Daniels and Kazarian are the first to speak. They give the standard answer of how they are disappointed that they fell short in their attempt at the gold but they’re not giving up, that Bad Influence will soon have gold around their delicious waists yet again. When Taryn turns to Bobby Roode, he doesn’t seem too talkative. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t say anything at all for the first few seconds. When he finally does, he asks Bad Influence how they can live with themselves after being such losers. Bobby’s comments take them off guard and they’re not quite sure how to respond. Bobby says that not only did they not prevent Bully Ray from becoming world champion again, they couldn’t even win the stickin’ tag team titles. Kazarian is the first to take offense to Bobby’s statements saying that at least they made it to the tag team finals, when the same sure can’t be said about Bobby and the world title. He also seems to remember that Bobby wasn’t much of a help either in preventing Bully Ray from becoming champion, as a matter of fact he was just as responsible as anybody. That statement seemed to have set something off in Bobby’s brain as immediately he attacks Kazarian, tossing him through a monitor directly behind them, knocking him out. This leaves just him and Christopher Daniels alone to fight it out. Slowly the brawl starts to go away from the backstage interview area and down the hallway, then into the entrance tunnel, then out of the entrance tunnel and down the ramp.

The brawl between Daniels and Roode has now spilled out in to the ring area. Impact Wrestling security attempt to break the two up but every time they do, they find their way back to fighting and the process repeats itself. Finally one referee steps in and says he’s had enough. If they’re insistent on fighting, then it might as well be made official. The referee then calls for a bell and the impromptu brawl becomes an impromptu match.

Match #2: Bobby Roode vs. Christopher Daniels

Now an official match, the two keep on fighting on the outside of the ring. They have now moved close to the ring, battling against the guard rails. No one man has the advantage but initially Bobby Roode does seem to be the one in control of the pace of the fight. Despite controlling the pace, Bobby doesn’t seem too interested in putting Christopher Daniels away, rather he seems content inflicting as much pain as possible. Although he has control, the longer he lets Christopher Daniels stay up right, the worse things could potentially get for him. Every once in a while Daniels will get a burst of energy and fight back, evening the odds a little but soon Bobby stops it. This pattern repeats itself several times before Bobby finally does realize that he needs to take more punishing measures if he wants to take out Daniels for good. He begins to repeatedly whip Daniels into the steel steps, back first as well as the guard rails. With Daniels severely crippled, Bobby looks to put him away. Sliding a steel chair in to the ring, Bobby tosses Daniels in there as well. Despite pleas from the referee, everyone knows what Bobby is about to do. He lines up Daniels with the steel chair and hits a powerful Double R spine buster, slamming Daniels down back first onto the steel chair. Initially the referee does not start counting the pin but after threats from Bobby Roode, he starts counting 1, 2, 3.

Winner: Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode stands over the now crippled body of his former stable mate as the referee reluctantly raises his hand in victory. With both members of Bad Influence taken out, at least at the moment, Bobby Roode will have to go about the process of trying to regain the world title by himself. As Bobby begins to exit the ring he is stopped in his tracks by the sight of the new Impact Wrestling world champion Bully Ray and his girlfriend Brooke standing at the top of the entrance ramp. As the camera cuts to commercial, we see a shot of Bobby and Bully staring each other down as Bully holds the world title high above his head.

*Commercial*

Match #3: Jeff Jarrett w/ Karen Jarrett vs. Sting

It is now main event time. In a match that was made at the beginning of the broadcast, “The Icon” Sting returns to Impact Wrestling to face “The King of the Mountain” Jeff Jarrett. Standing up for Kurt Angle who was injured last week at the hands of the Jarretts, Sting stepped in and answered Jeff’s challenge. First man out to the ring is Jeff Jarrett, followed closely by his wife Karen. The crowd boos Jeff loudly which only serves to piss him off. Once Sting’s music hits however the crowd goes nuts which angers Jeff even more. When Sting enters the ring, Jeff immediately attacks him as the referee calls for the bell.

Jeff Jarrett has the obvious advantage here in that he is not only Impact Wrestling vice president, but this is Sting’s first match in several months so he is a little rusty. Jeff has complete control of the match for some time because of it, taking advantage of Sting’s rustiness. Despite having control, Jeff does not do enough to limit Sting so as the match goes on, Sting starts to gain more and more strength and shed off some of the rust that was plaguing him earlier. Now that Sting has fought his way in to the match, Jeff starts to panic. He becomes reckless with his move set, trying to think of anything that will help him gain back control. He can’t think of anything conventional so he does the next best thing, he uses his power. Threatening the referee with termination if he disqualifies him, Jeff begins playing dirty, hitting Sting with low blows as well as exposed turnbuckles. The referee has no choice but to simply look the other way as Jeff starts to cheat his way to victory. Despite Jeff’s cheating, Sting does not go down without a fight. He kicks out of every pin attempt and even manages to hit a few moves here and there. Since Sting isn’t going down easy, Jeff decides to use his other secret weapon, his wife. Karen gets Sting’s attention. When Sting goes to confront Karen, she throws some sort of powder in his face which must have blinded Sting. Jeff takes immediate advantage, getting Sting in position and hitting The Stroke soon after. With the Jarretts yelling at him, the referee then gets down and counts 1, 2, 3.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett

Following the match, Karen enters the ring and celebrates with her husband like they just won a major, hard fought match when in reality Jeff used his powers as Impact Wrestling vice president to get the victory. Now that he realizes he can do nearly anything, what’s next for Jeff Jarrett? The camera fades to black while the Jarretts remain celebrating in the ring.
 
#25 ·
Impact Wrestling News & Notes - Venue for Slammiversary Announced, OVW Update, Details regarding Impact Online, & More

- In a brief press announcement this afternoon, Impact Wrestling announced that this year's Slammiversary pay per view event will be held at the world famous Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. This will only be the second time in company history that Impact Wrestling has held an event there and the first to be televised.

- The size of both the Grady Cole Center and the Hammerstein Ballroom is yet another part of the new Impact Wrestling strategy. In the past the company tended to book larger venues, resulting in having to curtain off large sections of the venue. Now the new strategy is to book smaller venues that they are for sure to sell out in so it does not come off looking bad on T.V.

- At the most recent OVW TV taping, Ted DiBiase Jr. won his match against Cliff Compton, resulting in him earning himself a title shot against current OVW world champion Marcus Anthony. The date for that match has yet to be announced. Also in OVW news, Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco are once again teaming up. Both men have been impressing OVW officials, especially Wes Brisco who has taken on a more hardcore style since adopting the Leatherface-like mask.

- Impact Wrestling also announced a few more details regarding the upcoming Impact Online YouTube show. It was announced that Christopher Daniels would be joining Jeremy Borash at the commentator booth. Daniels will also be handling the interviewing duties. Christopher Daniels has been considering winding down his in-ring career for a few months now, sending feelers out about possibly working in a backstage role and with the recent attack by Bobby Roode and him becoming Impact Online commentator, it looks like he's gotten his wish.

- Last week's edition of Impact Wrestling scored a 1.0 rating which was down from the 1.2 that the live special earned the week before.

- Preview for the February 27th edition of Impact Wrestling...After just missing out on getting his hands on his former tag team partner last week, this week James Storm says he plans on calling somebody out who we can only expect will be Gunner. Will Gunner answer James' challenge?...Alex Shelley made his shocking return to Impact Wrestling February 13th, beating former tag team partner Chris Sabin to become T.V. Champion. Promising to be a fighting champion, Alex's first challenger was none other than Chris Sabin which Alex accepted. This week, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley go head to head once again for the T.V. title...Impact Wrestling president Jim Ross recently announced that he will decide the next #1 contender to the Impact Wrestling world title not from a tournament, but by who steps up and impresses the most. Which man will take the next step and earn his shot at the world title?...Vice President Jeff Jarrett is on a mission to get his hands on Kurt Angle one way or the other, despite Kurt being too injured to compete in a match. Standing in his way though is "The Icon" Sting? Can Sting keep Kurt away from Jeff long enough for him to heal up or will Jeff use his power and influence to put Kurt Angle away for good?​
 
#26 ·
Impact Wrestling
2/27/2014
The Asylum
Nashville, Tennessee

There is no opening video recap package to start off this week’s edition of Impact Wrestling, instead the show starts right off with a pan over the entire Asylum before finally settling on the announce desk where Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash welcome everyone. Mike and JB end up giving the recap of last week’s action, from Bobby Roode’s attack on both Kazarian and Christopher Daniels to Sting and Jeff Jarrett in the main event. Once they are done recapping the action last week they turn their attention to this week where the only match currently scheduled is Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin for the T.V. title but we’re bound to end up having more due to James Storm calling out Gunner and Jeff Jarrett’s continued pursuit of Kurt Angle. Speaking of James Storm, the action begins when his music starts to play.

Coming out to the ring dressed in his wrestling gear, James appears bound and determined to finally get his hands on Gunner after just missing out on him last week. James makes a very quick trip down to the ring and once he arrives he demands a microphone.

James says he does not wish to waste anyone’s time since there’s no suspense on who he plans to call out since everyone pretty much knows that he plans to call out Gunner. James demands that Gunner come out and face him right now so they can end this once and for all.

To everyone’s amazement, Gunner answers the call right away. Dressed in street clothes he steps out of the entrance tunnel, flanked from behind by the Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Champions D.O.C. & Knux.

Gunner says that since he is not dressed to compete, he’s not going to even try so his answer to James’ challenge is no. Of course this doesn’t sit too well with James as James immediately demands that Gunner stop with all the B.S. and just man up. Standing firm, Gunner continues to say that he is not prepared to fight tonight. Upset, James keeps pressing but soon decides that it’s not worth the effort. He then gets another idea. Seeing that both D.O.C. & Knux are dressed to compete, why don’t they come down there and face him? D.O.C. & Knux seem fine with it, but Gunner, still trying to find a loophole, says that he doesn’t want to run the risk of having D.O.C. & Knux take out Storm before he can and plus, James doesn’t even have a tag team partner. He responds by saying that yes, he knows he doesn’t have a tag team partner right now but he knows of someone who’ll want to join him. Right as he says that, Jeff Hardy sneaks up behind Gunner, D.O.C., & Knux and attacks them from behind. Of course Gunner ducks out of the way but D.O.C. & Knux remain to fight. James Storm soon comes to join Jeff in the fight and this impromptu match officially begins.

Match #1: D.O.C. & Knux vs. James Storm & Jeff Hardy

Initially starting at the top of the entrance ramp, the match soon migrates from there to the ring area. Due to Jeff Hardy’s sneak attack on D.O.C. & Knux, the team of Hardy and Storm get out to a huge early lead. Not expecting to be in a match this week, against this pairing no less, D.O.C. & Knux appear very confused and disoriented, unable to get much of a game plan together at all. Storm and Hardy do everything they can to exploit this, using their many years of tag team success to their advantage. They keep the tag team champions apart as much as possible, weakening them one by one until they eventually come back together and have to be separated. Despite not having much of a game plan and being picked apart by two of the more experienced tag team wrestlers in wrestling today, D.O.C. and Knux hang in there, using what won them the tag titles in the first place, their size. Using brute strength, D.O.C. and Knux slowly fight their way back in to the match. However, their late surge of energy does not seem to do the trick. Deciding that they’d rather live to fight another day, D.O.C. and Knux appear to almost give up. After a few brief moments, the champions end up succumbing to a Last Call super kick on Knux by James Storm, followed by a Swanton Bomb by Jeff Hardy and the pin for the 1, 2, 3!

Winners: James Storm & Jeff Hardy

Having just beaten the tag team champions, and in impressive fashion, one has to wonder what’s next for the team of Storm and Hardy? But for now, although they didn’t accomplish James Storm’s initial goal of taking out Gunner, they did deal him a pretty nice size blow by proving that his big bodyguards are defeatable. The camera cuts away with a shot of Storm and Hardy remaining in the ring to celebrate with the fans.

Before the commercial break, we see a split screen shot of the Impact Wrestling Television Champion Alex Shelley and his challenger, Chris Sabin walking down the hallway in the back towards the ring. Their match for the T.V. title is up next.

*Commercial*

Match #2: Alex Shelley [C] vs. Chris Sabin – Impact Wrestling Television Championship Match

Coming back from commercial, it is now time for the second match of the night, a rematch from February 13th between former Motor City Machine Guns tag team partners Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. Shelley said he was going to be a fighting champion, and then in the heat of the moment when Chris Sabin challenged him for a rematch, he accepted and now we are here. The challenger, noticeably still missing his girlfriend Velvet Sky who is still suspended, begins slowly making his way down to the ring. The crowd appears to be rather indifferent towards Sabin as Sabin has an odd look of sadness yet determination on his face as he makes his way to the ring. When the T.V. Champion begins making his way to the ring, the crowd quickly changes their tune which only serves to piss Sabin off. Quickly, Alex Shelley makes his way down to the ring and gets right in the face of his former tag team partner as the referee rings the bell.

The match begins with an intense stare-off between the two before Sabin is the first to strike. Being the first person to strike seems to pay off for Sabin as he is able to jump out to an early lead and build some serious momentum. Unlike their first match which was back and forth for most of it, this match clearly favors Sabin. You can just see the confidence build inside Sabin as every move he makes seems to hit and everything that Shelley tries to respond with he has a counter for. Not wanting to be embarrassed by not being prepared yet again, Sabin has done his homework and came up with a game plan that seems to be working to perfection. How can you respond to a game plan that is working as well as Sabin’s is working? Well, Shelley decides that the best course of action is to wait it out and hope that Sabin eventually slips up, allowing him to sneak in and steal a victory. The match goes on, and on but still no slip up from Sabin. Despite this, Shelley hangs in there, hoping for something that may or may not come. Wanting to put Shelley away, Sabin goes to the top rope and gets in position but before he can, his foot gets caught in the ropes. Seeing his chance, Shelley springs to life. Jumping to the top rope as well, Shelley positions himself and Sabin for a one time shot at Shelley’s finisher, Sliced Bread #2. After a brief struggle, Shelley gets himself in to the right position and nails it! The shock from the move appears to temporarily stun Sabin so Shelley quickly follows up with a pin and the 1, 2, 3!

Winner and Still Impact Wrestling Television Champion: Alex Shelley

Chris Sabin did everything right but in the end it was one little mistake that cost him. Once Sabin gets his wits back, he stands up and immediately starts throwing a fit. He even tries to steal the T.V. title from the referee before it can be handed back to Shelley but before he can, Shelley interferes and tosses him out of the ring. Defeated and humiliated, Sabin hangs his head and quickly heads to the back while Shelley remains to celebrate in the middle of the ring. The camera soon fades away.

Transitioning to the backstage interview area, we see interviewer Taryn Terrell standing by once again with Bobby Roode.

Bobby Roode appears much calmer than he did last week during his interview where he snapped and attacked both Kazarian and Christopher Daniels. Still, Taryn keeps her distance as she begins the interview. Not wanting to ruffle any feathers, Taryn does not ask about last week, choosing to instead to ask about the announcement that Impact Wrestling President Jim Ross made this week where the next #1 contender to the world title would be decided not by a tournament but rather by who stepped up and impressed him the most. Again, calmly, Roode responds by saying that now that he’s back on his own with nobody to hold him back, there’s absolutely no reason why he isn’t the most impressive wrestler in Impact Wrestling. Roode starts listing off his accomplishments, such as how he still is the longest reigning champion in company history and how he was part of the greatest tag team in company history as well. Quite frankly, everything he does is impressive. On that note, Austin Aries steps in. Austin says that although he may have all of these accomplishments, those are in the past now, this is the future and the future belongs to “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived”. Almost instantly, Roode’s demeanor changes and he gets right in to Aries’ face. Sensing that he wants to fight, Austin Aries then challenges him to a match, right here and right now. Bobby thinks about it for a minute and then says “you’re on!” Tonight’s main event is now set. The two men remain in each others faces as the camera cuts away to commercial.

*Commercial*

Coming back from commercial, rather than go right in to the main event, the cameras cut to backstage where the Jarrett, Jeff and Karen, are looking everywhere for Kurt Angle.

Yelling and screaming, the Jarretts demand that Kurt show himself. They stop everyone they can find and demand that they let them know where Kurt is but everyone says the same thing, “Kurt’s not here”. Once their frustration reaches a boiling point, they are stopped in their tracks by Sting who calmly approaches them and tells them what they’ve been hearing from everyone else, that Kurt Angle is not in the building, that he is still home hurt. Having had enough of this, Jeff turns and faces Sting, telling him that if Kurt Angle does not show up next week and agrees to face him, he will not only fire Angle on the spot but he’ll fire Sting as well. Sting is left speechless, clearly worried that Kurt may not be ready to face Jarrett but knowing if he doesn’t, they’ll both lose their jobs. As the Jarretts walk away, the camera cuts away as well.

Match #3: Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode

It is now main event time. In a match that was made just minutes ago, Austin Aries will take on Bobby Roode where the winner will hopefully start down the path of impressing JR enough to earn a shot at the world title. Before the two men can make their way down to the ring, the music of the world heavyweight champion Bully Ray begins to play. The champ and his girlfriend make their way down to the ring and take a seat at ringside where they will be able to watch all of the action. Once they are seated, Aries and Roode can begin to make their entrances. First out to the ring is Bobby Roode who gets a mostly negative reaction from the crowd. Last but not least is Austin Aries who the crowd appears to love.

Both men know that there is a lot more at stake here than just simple pride, they know a victory for them will go a long way to earning a shot at the world title so expect them to pull out all the stops for this one. Right off the bat the match takes on a very physical feel, both men desperate to impress. Initially the physical style of this match seems to favor Bobby Roode but as the match progresses, Austin Aries becomes more comfortable and starts fighting back, evening the playing field back up. The two former world champions trade the momentum back forth. First Roode will gain the upper hand by tailoring the pace of the match to fit him and then things will even out and then it will be Aries’ turn. Nobody seems to be getting anywhere with this. Knowing that they can’t win by out-muscling the other, they both seem to get the same idea at the same time. Instead of overpowering their opponent, they each decide to try and make the other tap out. Each man gets a chance to lock in a finishing hold of their choosing but each time they do, their opponent is too close to the ropes so they are forced to break it. Whoever can manage to get their hold locked in the middle of the ring seems to be the one who will end up being victorious. First it seems to be Bobby Roode but he struggles to get his Cross Face locked in so Aries is able to break out. Roode tries again but once again he struggles. This time however Aries manages to counter, countering right in to a submission hold of his own, the Last Chancery. Right in the middle of the ring and locked in tight, Aries knows that it’s only a matter of time now. Roode struggles to reach for the rope but Aries keeps the hold on tighter and tighter. Roode struggles so much that he ends up making himself pass out. The referee has no choice but to end the match.

Winner via Submission: Austin Aries

The referee checks on Roode as Aries celebrates with the crowd. Aries goes from ring post to ring post, posing for the crowd until he locks eyes with the world champion, Bully Ray. Pointing to the title, Aries makes the motion along his waste to signal that he plans on coming for that title. Bully Ray holds the title up high as to say come and get it. The show fades to black with the two staring each other down.
 
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