Impact Wrestling – January 23, 2014

Date:
January 23, 2014

Location:
Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama

Commentators:
Mike Tenay, Tazz

Reviewed by Tommy Hall

We’re
back with Genesis Week Two, featuring all of the matches that we
couldn’t get to last week because we needed a thirty minute opening
segment. Tonight we have Roode vs. Angle in a cage, Gunner vs. Storm
for the briefcase, Sabin vs. Aries for the X Title and Sting vs.
Magnus in a contract vs. title match, even though Sting was forbidden
from challenging for the title ever again just a year ago. Let’s get
to it.

The
opening video recaps Sting challenging Magnus from last week and the
Roode vs. Angle feud.

Dixie
and Spud are in the back with Dixie freaking out about Ethan not
being here. Magnus comes in and shakes hands with some lawyer whose
name sounded like Creed. Apparently there was a meeting with the
board of directors and someone is setting up a hostile takeover of
TNA.

The
attorney says he can deal with the new investor, even though it seems
to be something personal. Magnus says deal with it because he has a
title defense. Apparently the investor wants someone in Sting’s
corner so Magnus wants No DQ and No Countout. The lawyer and Magnus
almost get in a fight until Dixie defuses it. The editing in this
made it feel really unnatural.

Here
are Magnus, Spud and Ethan to the arena. Nice to see that the
“where’s Ethan” problem was settled inside of four minutes.
Magnus accuses Sting of playing politics and thought he was a bigger
man than that. This brings out Sting himself who accuses Magnus of
backing out of deals of his own. Magnus says this is about Sting and
wants to know how much he paid the new investor.

Either
way, Sting has to face Magnus on his own tonight and Sting just can’t
beat Magnus on his own. Sting says he’s watched their BFG match over
and over again and is ready. The fans chant Paper Champion at Magnus
so he slaps Sting, triggering a brawl. Sting is outnumbered but
Samoa Joe makes the save. Naturally Joe is the man in Sting’s corner
tonight.

Video
on Gunner vs. Storm, leading to their match for the briefcase
tonight.

Spud
freaks out about Joe so Dixie puts him in a match with the Samoan.
Spud panics even more. Dixie after Spud leaves: “Please don’t get
killed.”

Of
course it’s a briefcase on a pole. The announcers emphasize that you
have to get full possession of the case. Feeling out process to
start with Storm skinning the cat but walking into a running
clothesline to put him back down. James comes back with a kick to
the head but gets caught in the corner and taken down by a fallaway
slam. A suplex puts Gunner down but he counters the Last Call into a
Rock Bottom.

Gunner
goes up but gets taken down by a hurricanrana of all things to put
both guys down again. Storm goes up and gets his hands on the case
but Gunner stops him, bringing the case down. That’s not full
possession though so it becomes a fight for the case. A headbutt
knocks Storm away and Gunner gets the case at 5:40.

Rating:
D+. This was every pole match
you’ve ever seen though there were some decent spots in there to fill
in some time. The ending didn’t add anything special and Gunner
still having the case doesn’t change the situation. I don’t buy
Gunner as a title contender but beating James Storm won’t hurt him.
Can we get Storm a story that doesn’t involve a tag team though?

Kurt
Angle says if he can’t beat Roode tonight, he doesn’t deserve the
Hall of Fame.

Earlier
today, Velvet Sky got a package from Chris Sabin and we get to see
her open it. The note says she needs to bring them to Impact this
week. There’s a teddy bear and a lead pipe, meaning Velvet isn’t
pleased.

Sabin
is defending and Velvet is in a small cage at ringside, complete with
a bag containing the gifts. Feeling out process to start until Aries
grabs a quick Last Chancery. Sabin is thrown to the floor but jumps
back onto the apron to crotch Aries in the corner. Aries gets caught
in the Tree of Woe for a baseball slide but avoids being thrown to
the floor.

He
comes back with elbows to the head and a Lionsault for two. A discus
forearm sets up the running dropkick in the corner but Sabin counters
the brainbuster. Sabin heads to the floor and gets the bag from
Velvet but it just has the bear. Aries gets in an ax handle from the
apron followed by a missile dropkick. The brainbuster gives Aries
the title at 5:10.

Rating:
C-. I’m having a really hard
time caring about these matches when I don’t think all three have
combined to go twenty minutes. These are all just meaningless title
changes and the belt hasn’t grown at all as a result. I believe this
puts Aries at four title reigns and it doesn’t make him a bigger star
at all.

We
get a strange promo from the Wolves with the camera going all over
the place. Richards says you’ve seen their matches on Youtube so why
would you make the wolves dance for their meal? They’re the start of
the new era and next week the investor will be revealed to the world.
Cool video.

We
recap Angle vs. Roode. Bobby has beaten him over and over but
tonight it’s in a cage and if Angle loses, he can never go into the
Hall of Fame.

Roode
has a new sleeveless full body vest. It’s pin/submission/escape
here. There’s no bell after the break so we’ll say this is joined in
progress. Roode goes after Kurt to start but walks into a belly to
belly suplex to give Angle control. He stomps Bobby down in the
corner but his right hands are countered with a powerbomb into the
cage. A suplex gets two for
Roode and more choking ensues.

Angle
grabs the legs and catapults Roode into the cage, setting up the
Rolling Germans. The Angle Slam is countered and Angle is sent into
the cage. A spinebuster gets a fast two for Roode but a Roode Bomb
attempt is countered by Angle ramming Bobby into the cage. Now the
Slam connects for two and there go the straps. Ankle lock goes on
but Roode fights to his feet and takes Angle down with an enziguri.

We
go old school with Roode’s Northern Lariat (clothesline to the back
of the head) for two. Roode goe sup but Angle makes a save and rams
Roode into the cage over and over again until he falls down. Kurt is
still on the ropes and goes to escape before looking back at Roode.
Oh no. Angle busts out the moonsault but only hits mat in a HUGE
crash. Roode crawls out the door but Angle grabs the ankle to pull
him back in. Kurt is kicked away so they do the same thing again but
this time Kurt puts on the ankle lock, only to have Roode whip him
into the cage.

The
Roode Bomb gets two and Bobby climbs the cage, so Angle runs the
corner and hits the Angle Slam to put both guys down again. Kurt
crawls over for a slow two before making a very slow climb to the
corner. He gets a leg over but Roode pulls him back in onto the top
rope. They slug it out until Roode is crotched on the top, allowing
Angle to climb out for the win at 14:17, seconds before Roode makes
it out the door.

Rating:
B. Angle is going to die in a
wrestling ring at some point and there’s no way around it. This was
a good but not classic cage match and there’s nothing wrong with
that. Above all else, this match was given time to develop and it
worked much better as a result. I’d buy this as the ending of the
feud but there’s a chance they could get one more match out of them.

Ethan
gives Spud a pep talk and names him the British Dream.

Here
are the Bro Mans who say they’re on Team Dixie. Jesse says you only
Bro once and asks the fans to tweet something right now to remember
this moment. They say the word hashtag about 17 times and call out
Eric Young and Joseph Park but just get the smaller one. He charges
the ring and tries to fight everyone off but gets beaten down until
Abyss makes the save. The monster cleans house and the champions and
Zema run, leaving Eric to be grabbed by the throat but he talks Abyss
out of it.

Joe
is ready and wants a piece of Magnus afte Sting gets done with him.

Angle
is worried about what happens if TNA loses Sting.

This
is exactly what you would expect with Joe not being afraid of Spud at
all and hitting an early Facewash. Spud goes get in an eye rake and
some kicks to the leg, only to charge into the release Rock Bottom
out of the corner. The MuscleBuster and the Koquina Clutch are good
for the win for Joe at 2:20.

No
DQ and No Countout with Sting’s contract (not career) on the line
against Magnus’ title. Joe is at ringside in Sting’s corner. Magnus
cranks on a headlock to start as the fans chant Paper Champion. Off
to a wristlock by the Brit but Sting flips him down onto the mat and
Magnus bails to the ropes. A double clothesline puts both guys down
and here’s Ethan to interfere but Joe blocks him on the ramp as we
take a break.

Back
with Sting putting on the Scorpion but Bad Influence comes out to
neutralize Joe, allowing Ethan to make the save. Everyone is in the
ring now so we’re already at four interferences. Joe and Sting fight
them off and Magnus takes the Death Drop but it’s Zema and the Bro
Mans for the save, getting us to seven interferences.

Bad
Influence gets back into things but Angle makes a save (8), allowing
Sting to superplex Magnus. A replacement referee comes out (9) and
counts two but the Stinger Splash takes him out as well. There’s the
Scorpion but Bobby Roode (10) breaks up the hold to save a tapping
Magnus. The champ gets up for a Michinoku Driver and it’s Dixie
bringing Earl Hebner (11 and 12) for the three count for the pin at
13:25. That one move put Sting out for about 45 seconds.

Rating:
T. For twelve people that came
out during the match. It’s hard to get that many people into a show
sometimes and they did it in a fourteen minute match. These things
are making it hard to care about any main event TNA promotes because
they’re bigger messes than the Attitude Era ever dreamed of airing.
This was more of a match than AJ vs. Magnus though.

Magnus
rips up Sting’s contract to end the show.

Overall
Rating: C-. For Impact, this
wasn’t bad but it keeps up one of TNA’s many problems: they always
seem to be building to something but we never actually get to that
point. It’s very much a company chasing its own tail and it has been
for years. For instance, we spent months building to BFG but BFG was
just a step towards Dixieland. Now Dixieland has bene just a step
towards the investor, which will be a step to something else.

I’m
sick of these power struggle stories and they keep TNA feeling like
they’re on life support. I’m mildly interested in the reveal next
week but my hopes are low enough that a mouse couldn’t get fit
underneath them. The cage match was good but the main event was
overdone, much like every other title match anymore.

Gunner
b. James Storm – Gunner grabbed the briefcase

Austin
Aries b. Chris Sabin – Brainbuster

Kurt
Angle b. Bobby Roode – Angle escaped the cage

Samoa
Joe b. Rockstar Spud – Koquina Clutch

Magnus
b. Sting – Michinoku Driver

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