My TNA Monthly Catch-up, Sept - Oct 07

Ok, it's that time of month again where I review the previous months Impacts & PPV. I call it how I see it and if you don't like the views expressed, don't read it! I only talk about stuff I personally find interesting or feel is of benefit to TNA (so I won't mention interviews or video inserts) and if I don't like something I'll say so! This month's catch-up is late due a postal strike, ok?

Impact 13th Sep 07 - Show kicks off with Karen Angle boring us on the mic, joined by Sting doing likewise. Sting gets a beatdown from Kurt.

Black Reign (Dustin Rhodes) vs Sharkboy who jobs, sells everything & totally puts Dustin over as Black Reign gets a very quick win & Sharkboy is saved from worse by Eric Young.

Non-title X Division match, Chris Daniels (with Senshi & Elix Skipper) vs Jay Lethal. Both men worked hard, sold well, Lethal's superkick hit nothing but air (bad camera man there!) with Daniels taking the win.

Cornette introduces Junior Fatu (still wearing a Rikishi jacket!).

Non-title submission cage match (If Abyss submits he leaves TNA, sounds like a Russo made match?). Abyss vs Kurt Angle. Angle went straight for Abyss and his bad leg from the ppv. There was the ususal and predictable Ref bump which was pointless as nothing happened while he was down. I assume the chair came in during the commercial break? The match was a no contest once Judas Mesias cut through the ring and choked Abyss out as Angle bailed out.

Impact 20th Sept 07 - Judas Mesias vs Eric Young in a squash match. Mesias gets the quick & predictable win & Young put him over really well. Sharkboy tries to return the save from last week only to be beaten down. Rhyno finally saves them both.

AJ Styles (with Tomko) vs Ron Killings (With T**tman/Spacman/A**ehole Jones). Both men gave a decent account of themselves in an even match, Killings took the win with an assist from his partner.

Karen Angle comes out to bore us on the mic & we're treated to her "arrest" as this storyline gets ever worse under the helm of Russo.

Christian Cage vs Junior Fatu (formerly WWE's Rikishi, doing well in TNA to get a main event as his 1st match). Fatu had the best of the match, Cage sold well and put him over big time. Fatu gave a nice superkick, an amazing Samoan drop only to be beaten by Cage with a rollover/small package combo with the help of a handfull of trunks. Styles got the 1st stinkface in TNA and Cage got the 2nd only to be saved by Tomko but Samoa Joe saved Fatu from the triple beatdown and we may now have a Samoan tagteam being created.

Judas Mesias attacks Sting backstage as the show ends.

Impact 27th Sept 07 - Tag team match - Team 3d (still running as heels) vs Sonjay Dutt & Sharkboy in a squash match. With heavyweights against X Division this was only ever going 1 way. Brother Ray getting the win off Sharkboy with the 3d.

Tag Team match - Lance Hoyt & Jimmy Rave (WHO?) with Christy Hemme vs Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin (I still refuse to use their team name). Sabin & Shelley were the better team here with Hoyt refusing to sell the side head scissors from Sabin (homo!) with Sabin taking the very deserved win they both worked very hard for off Hoyt. Team 3d make a beatdown on them and Sharkboy failed to make a save only to take the chairshot across the chest (not his neck).

5 way knockout ladies match - Miss Brooks (still with Robert Roode) vs Jackie Moore (with James Storm) vs Roxxi Laveux (with VKM) vs Christy Hemme (with Lance Hoyt & Jimmy Rave) vs Gail Kim (with Chris Harris). Moore & Brooks went straight for Kim as a double team but this was everyone in the ring at once versus everyone else. Laveux threw Brooks out (I think genuinely hurting her spine on the apron as she fell) which started a brawl amongst the men outside (this was totally unnecessary, the women were putting on a REALLY GOOD match and this spoilt it, detracting and distracting from it). Laveux got the win thanks to an assist from Kip James (she could have easily won that one clean) earning herself the 10th entry slot into the womens event at Bound For Glory.

Not an official match but Sting vs Judas Mesias which started backstage, Angle came out to join in on Sting who was saved by Rhyno only to be beaten down. Abyss came out to make the save on Rhyno & Sting and take revenge on Mesias.

Impact 4th Oct 07 - Making history as Impact transmits its 1st 2 hour long show.

Black Reign (now working for James Mitchell) vs Rhyno. This wasn't a promising opening match for the 1st 2 hour Impact but it was 2 big guys with strength & speed giving a half decent match. Although slow (to almost dead) in places it was ok, but not what I'd have booked to open a show this important. Rhyno got the win off Raven's interference. Raven & Black Reign gave Rhyno a beatdown who was saved by Abyss who in turn was saved by Sting.

C**p storyline involving Sting's son & Angle.

More on Team 3d's heel push as they beatdown Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt from backstage, down the ramp to the ring. Sharkboy hurt again, Dutt taking a huge top rope sit-out powerbomb.

Special contest, Jackie Moore (with James Storm) vs Gail Kim, Kim getting a very good and clean win with no outside help at all.

Tag Team Championship Match - Team 3d vs Team Pacman. Jones got his most in-ring time to date in this match and still managed not to wrestle. This was a DQ after VKM interferred & The Steiners returned.

A Fight For The Right (10 man) Gauntlet Preview Match - Battle Royal style rules, 2 men start & someone comes in every 60 seconds, elimination only by going over the top rope & touching the floor - match starts with James Storm vs Kaz. Next in was Robert Roode followed by Petey Williams (can someone PLEASE make him & Kaz a tag team? They'd be amazing!), next in was Eric Young followed by Jimmy Rave. Next in was Chris Sabin followed by his tag partner Alex Shelley (giving them a bit of an unfair advantage really) who eliminated Petey Williams. Chris Sabin eliminated Jimmy Rave & next in was Lance Hoyt who eliminated Chris Sabin & last in was Chris Harris who was eliminated by Robert Roode during a commercial break (during a match like this, ARE YOU KIDDING?). Alex Shelley was eliminated by Lance Hoyt who was eliminated by Robert Roode & Eric Young working together. Kaz eliminated Robert Roode & James Storm eliminated Kaz. Down to the last 2 of James Storm & Eric Young with a pinfall or submission to get the win with Eric Young taking the win.

8 Man Tag Team Match, Senshi & Chris Daniels with Elix Skipper with Christian Cage & AJ Styles vs LAX with Junior Fatu & Samoa Joe. This was another match to further the idea that Samoa Joe & Junior Fatu can be a tag team. As a match it was pretty even but nothing special at all considering the level of talent involved with only the final 5 minutes giving any real action. Samoa Joe got the win off the muscle buster.

Impact 11th Oct 07 - X Division Non-title match - Jay Lethal vs Havok (of Seratonin). Lethal got the win but was WAY over selling his injured midsection.

Angle comes out to bore us on the mic about the C**P storyline involving Karen & Sting's son.

Non-title Tag Match, Elix Skipper & Senshi vs Team Pacman. Killings is clearly enjoying being a champion (pretty much defending both belts on his own every time) but I'm sure he'd be happier with a partner whose allowed to actually fight and have his back. Killings got the eventual win in a scrappy match.

TNA Knockout Public Battle Royal - Christy Hemme, Jackie Moore, ODB (One Dirty Bitch, somebody new), Talia Madison (another new face), Angel Williams (yet another new face) & Roxxi Laveux were all introduced (why?) for the match of Gail Kim vs Amazing Kong (yet another new person & she's not called Kong for nothing!). Kim gave a decent account of herself in what was pretty much a squash match. Kong took the win with a violent sit-out powerbomb.

B**ls**t chat insert from Christian Cage. Petey Williams vs Robert Roode (with Miss Brooks), Roode took a quick win in a poor match.

No DQ Tag Team contest, Raven & Black Reign vs Rhyno & Abyss. Raven & Black Reign jumped Rhyno before Abyss ever got to the ring. Abyss took a wicked Raven effect DDT into the thumbtacks. Raven took a good gore into a table. Black Reign got the win after Abyss gave Rhyno a Black Hole slam by mistake.

6 Man Tag Team Match, With Matt Morgan as Special Guest Enforcer - LAX & Junior Fatu vs Team 3d & Kurt Angle. With another badly taken commercial break taken in this match (Message to TNA - You DON'T take a break during your main event!). In an overly long match Angle takes the eventual win for his team.

Bound For Glory PPV 07 - Ultimate X Tag Team Match to become #1 contenders for the Tag Titles. Elix Skipper & Senshi vs LAX. The highlight of this match was Elix Skipper's crossbody block from the top of the podium. The match was overly long and eventually won by LAX.

Fight For The Right match - 16 wrestlers start outside the ring in a reverse Battle Royal, The 1st 8 to enter the ring then go into a standard Battle Royal with the final 2 in a standard match. The 1st 16 are Jimmy Rave, Lance Hoyt, Havok, Sharkboy, Petey Williams, Kaz, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, Kip James, BG James, James Storm, Eric Young, Robert Roode, Chris Harris & Junior Fatu. 1st in is Junior Fatu, 2nd and 3rd in are Kaz & Robert Roode, 4th is Alex Shelley, 5th in Eric Young, 6th in is Chris Sabin, 7th in is Lance Hoyt & 8th in is James Storm without fighting. 1st out earning 8th seed is James Storm eliminated by Eric Young. 2nd out earning 7th seed is Junior Fatu eleminated by Chris Sabin. 3rd out earning 6th seed is Chris Sabin eliminated by Kaz. 4th out earning 5th seed is Kaz eliminated by Rover Roode. 5th out earning 4th seed is Lance Hoyt eliminated by Robert Roode. 6th out earning 3rd seed is Alex Shelley eliminated by Eric Young. Last 2 men are Robert Roode & Eric Young. Young got the win off a good & fast small package and 1st seeding leaving Roode with 2nd seed.

Tag Team Championship - AJ Styles & Tomko vs Team Pacman with Rasheed Lucius "Consquences" Creed (dressed like Apollo Creed) who I know knothing about. Now this match should be a forfeit to Tomko & Styles as Jones isn't in the ring fighting. Don't the rules state both champs fight or forfeit the belt? Creed has some moves and clearly is a wrestler. Killings was the better worker for his team but Creed held his own pretty well against the more experienced men. Styles as always was the better man for his team. Tomko took the win for his team off Killings so we have new Tag Champs (who CAN at least be fighting champs!) & I get the feeling Ron's new tag team will be "Truth & Consequences" with Jones leaving TNA very soon.

X Division Championship - Jay Lethal vs Chris Daniels. Wow. For a main title match this was awful! Much too long and nothing special at all, Lethal got the win in a match that could have been much better as both men have much more to offer than they did.

2 out of 3 tables Match - The Steiners vs Team 3d. 3d scored 1st putting Rick through a table in the ring early on, Scott equalised with a Frankensteiner on Brother Ray off the top turnbuckle. Rick got the win off Devon with a bulldog off the top rope thanks to help from Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin.

TNA Knockout Championship Gauntlet match - 2 women start the match with another coming in every 60 seconds with standard Battle Royal rules applying until 2 women are left then it's standard match rules. 1st in was Miss Brooks, 2nd in was Jackie Moore. 3rd in was new face Shelly Martinez, 4th in was Awesome Kong (having changed her name since last week), 5th in was ODB, Kong eliminated Shelly Martinez. Jackie eliminated Miss Brooks (no shock there as I think she was still carrying the back injury) then Kong eliminated Jackie. 6th in was Angel Williams, 7th in was Christy Hemme. 8th in was Gail Kim, Kong was eliminated by everyone (with a MAJOR costume failure and revealing WAY more than she would have wanted), 9th in was Talia Madison & as Christy Hemme was carried out Angel Williams was eliminated by Kim & ODB working together. 10th & last in was Roxxi Laveux. Kim eliminated Talia Madison & Roxxie eliminated ODB, technically we WEREN'T down to the last 2 as Christy Hemme was never eliminated (unless Kong threw her out & I don't think that happened, I think they classed her as eliminated due to being injured & unable to continue). Both Roxxi & Gail impressed with good moves but the win eventually went to Gail Kim.

Must Be A Winner match with Special Enforcer Matt Morgan, Samoa Joe vs Christian Cage. The match wasn't much to talk about with Joe providing the better work. Matt Morgan had nothing to do until Tomko & Styles (rather predictably) came down to interfere. Joe took the eventual win in a weak match.

Monsters Ball 4 way match with no DQ, anything goes & weapons are legal. Raven vs Black Reign vs Rhyno vs Abyss. Yet again Raven & Rhodes jumped Rhyno before Abyss reached the ring. A decent enough hardcore match worthy of old school ECW. Highlights were Raven dropping an awesome elbow from the balcony onto Abyss on a table possibly breaking his wrist. Rhyno goring through a wall. Abyss giving Raven a Black Hole Slam into glass & thumbtacks. Abyss got the win from Raven right after that.

World Heavyweight Championship - Sting vs Kurt Angle. All the crappy storylines had been building up to this one so expectations were very high indeed. For the main event and biggest title this was a very scrappy matchy. Decidedly unspectacular with neither man offering anywhere near their best. With a c***py break after a rundown from Karen Angle (slowing down an already slow match, why?) a clothesline from Kevin Nash (setting up his comeback to the ring, no doubt). Angle knocking out the ref in desparation (instant DQ for touching an official and belt lost under TNA rules), Nash knocking out the 2nd ref (Angle DQ'd again for outside interference and belt lost) . Sting gets the win when the 3rd Ref finally shows up (not that he hadn't legally already won the belt twice in this match).