Don't call it a comeback!
June 23, 2006
TNA IMPACT! [83%]
Announcers: Mike Tenay & Joey Styles
Live from Albany, Georgia
Attendance: 11,046
Instead of the usual opening featuring fireworks and the announcers pimping the card, the show starts out with the music of TNA commissioner Mick Foley, signifying that he is making his way down to the ring. It was announced on TNAWrestling.com that Foley had some announcements to make but it looks like he is going to get them out of the way right now! The camera cuts to the ring to see what he has to say.
Segment 1
Foley: “Well, Slammiversary was a…interesting show to say the least. As always, TNA provided the best wrestling action on the planet. However, there were also some developments on the show that I am less than pleased with. In particular, the actions of one Randy Orton. For those that are unaware, after his match with Raven, Mr. Orton decided to attack a TNA official and cause him to be hospitalized. At this moment, referee Rudy Charles is still in the hospital recovering from the DDT Orton gave him. Its one thing to attack a wrestler but it’s completely another thing to attack a referee. Mr. Orton’s actions were reckless and damn near inhumane. Therefore, I have decided that, until further notice, Mr. Orton is suspended without pay and will not be allowed to attend any TNA events. Also, I have ordered him to give a message tonight, live via satellite, apologizing for his reprehensive actions. If Orton wants to return to active competition anytime soon, he’ll make it a damn good apology.
Moving on to more positive news, next month, TNA will NOT be having a PPV.” The crowd reacts with confusion to this announcement but Foley continues speaking. “You see, TNA management feels that it’s time to give back to our loyal fans. So, on Sunday, July 23rd, TNA will hold a 3-hour TV special entitled ‘Summer Heat’ that will be shown right here on The Sunshine Network! Tell your family, tell your friends, hell, tell people that you hate about it! TNA is going to be giving out PPV quality action on free TV! On July 23rd, we are going show exactly why we are the #1 wrestling company in the world today.” The crowd cheers at this announcement and a small “TNA! TNA!” chant even breaks out.
Foley: “With that said, I figure now is as good a time as any to announce the first confirmed match on the show. In August, TNA will be holding a PPV entitled ‘Rise Above’. At that show, there will be a 30-man Over-the-top-rope Battle Royal. The Battle Royal will have 2 men start out. Then, every 2 minutes, another man will come out until all 30 men have entered the match. The winner of this match will receive a shot at the NWA World Championship at Bound for Glory, TNA’s Flagship event in October. On the ‘Summer Heat’ TV special, there will be a 4 corners match in which the winner will earn the right to enter as number 30 in the ‘Rise Above’ Battle Royal. This, of course, will give that person a huge advantage as it means they will have to be in the ring for a shorter amount of time than everyone else. The people that will compete in this four way dance will be decided in qualifying matches that will take place on Impact over the next few weeks. I think I’ve rambled on for long enough, so I hope you all enjoy the rest of the show!”
[93%]
Segment 2
Jack Evans V. Zach Starr
After Commissioner Foley has headed to the back and the announcers have pimped the card (in particular, they hyped tonight’s main event which will see AJ Styles defend his Television Championship against ‘The War Machine’ Rhino), it’s time for our first match of the night. This bout will see ‘The Prince of Parkland’ Jack Evans taking on Zach ‘The Real’ Starr. Recently, Evans has come back from a 3-month long sabbatical to recover from ‘personal issues’. Since returning, Evans has managed to remain undefeated, even managing to defeat Kid Kash last week in a minor upset. This is Zach Starr’s first Impact appearance in quite some time and he hopes to make the best of it by getting a win over Evans.
The match started in a very unusual way as Evans challenged Starr to a dance contest of all things. Although he initially refused, after some goading from the crowd and Evans, he begrudgingly accepts the challenge. Both men decide that the crowd will pick the winner of the contest. While Starr isn’t a bad dancer, it’s obvious that Evans is worlds ahead of him as he outshines him with his insane breakdancing ability. At one point, Evans pantomimes chewing Starr up and spitting him back out which caused a big “OHHH!” reaction from the crowd. After both men had strutted their stuff, they both posed for the crowd to gauge the reaction and see who the audience thought the winner was. To the surprise of, well no one, Evans won the contest. Evans bows to the crowd in appreciation of their support. Starr, however, is less than pleased about losing the glorified popularity contest and decides to blind side Evans while his back is turned! He knocks Evans to the ground and begins to beat him down, leading to the official match finally getting underway.
Taking advantage of his cheap shot, Starr controls the opening minutes of this match. He keeps Evans on the mat and does his best to not allow the Prince of Parkland to take to the skies and wrestle his high risk style. Unfortunately, after about four minutes of Starr being in control, this plan falls apart as Evans is able to turn a kick that was caught by Starr into a Dragon Whip kick! From that point onward, there was no stopping Evans as he dazzles the crowd and dazes his opponent with his amazing athleticism and high flying ability. Starr tries to keep up but Evans is just too fast for him. Soon, Evans picks up the pinfall victory after putting Starr away with a 630 splash off the top rope at the seven minute mark. The P.O.P picks up another victory as he continues to impress TNA fans and, possibly, some TNA higher ups.
[***]
Segment 3
The camera cuts backstage where Alicia Webb talking to Alex Shelly & Matt Bentley in their locker room. It seems that she is in the middle of a pep talk for her men. Shelly & Bentley are scheduled to be in elimination, 4-team tag match that will decide the new #1 contenders for the NWA Tag Titles. The pep talk stops, however, when Petey Williams walked into the room. On the last edition of Xplosion, Webb supposedly severed ties with Williams due to his recent losing streak. The atmosphere in the room becomes very tense as everyone remains quiet for a moment until Webb finally speaks.
Webb: “What are you doing here? I told you that I am done managing you!”
Williams: “Oh, come on Alicia. Just because I’ve lost a couple of matches recently, you’re going drop me as a client? I’m the pride of Canada, the master of the Canadian Destroyer and…”
Webb: “And a loser! It has been months since you have gotten any kind of big win. You’ve been causing Shelly & Bentley to lose their matches. It’s gotten to the point where you are a liability. My client’s success determines my success and I refuse to be associated with a loser like you!”
Williams: “I’m just on a cold streak right now. All I need is one big win to get back on track and I’ll be your biggest asset. Just one win. Give me another chance!”
Webb seems to think about this for a second before speaking.
Webb: “Okay, I’ll be your manager again…on one condition. I want you to go out to the ring, right now, and issue an open challenge. You have to beat whoever accepts the challenge. If you win, I’ll continue managing you. If you lose, however, I will cut ties with you forever. I don’t even want you to be within 100 feet of me. Do we have a deal?”
Williams gets a smirk on a face and says, “Oh yeah, we have a deal. I might have to call in advance for an ambulance to come so that they can get the guy who is going to get his head spiked into the mat from the Canadian Destroyer. Or maybe, I’ll make him tap to the Sharpshooter? Oh well, I’ll figure it out when I get out there. See you guys after my match!”
With that, Williams exits the room. Once Petey is gone, Webb just shakes her head and resumes her pep talk for Shelly & Bentley. Can Petey earn his way back into the good graces of Alicia Webb? We’ll find out after this commercial break!
Segment 4
Petey Williams V.
After a quick commercial break, we go to the ring where Petey Williams is waiting, having issued his open challenge. He seems confident, probably expecting a pushover of an opponent to accept the challenge. Those expectations are crushed when the music of Abyss plays and the Monster makes his way down the ramp way. Abyss is accompanied to the ring by James Mitchell and Rhino, who he has had communication issues with in the past couple of weeks. As Abyss enters the ring, Williams looks down right horrified that one of the most dominant men in TNA has accepted his challenge. He looks like he is going to leave before the match even starts but, out of the corner of his eye, he spots Alicia Webb, Alex Shelly, and Matt Bentley getting on the stage. It appears that they want to see whether or not Williams will pass Webb’s test. Remembering what’s on the line, Williams throws caution to the wind and charges towards Abyss as the bell rings.
Despite showing courage in the opening moments of this match, Williams doesn’t show much else as he proceeds to get decimated by the Monster. The match goes 5 minutes and at least 2 of those minutes involved Abyss toying with Williams. Whenever Williams tries to get some offense going, Abyss just shrugs it off and continues to beat down the cocky Canuk. After stopping several of his own pin attempts just to inflict more damage, Abyss mercifully ends the match with a Black Hole Slam. As he pins Williams, he looks directly at Rhino, who is at ringside. The War Machine just snarls in response. It looks like Abyss is indirectly sending a message to Rhino saying, “Top that.”
After the match, Mitchell gets in the ring and celebrates his monster’s dominant victory. Rhino just stews in the corner and glares a hole through Abyss whenever Mitchell isn’t looking. Meanwhile, Webb and her remaining men just shake their heads in disgust and head to the back. It looks like Webb is officially done associating with Petey Williams!
[**]
Segment 5
We now go backstage where Jeff Hardy is walking around, talking with his fellow wrestlers and any members of the production crew that he runs into. At Slammiversary, Hardy failed in his bid to dethrone Christopher Daniels and become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The finish of that match was very chaotic as Sean Waltman, Austin Aries, and Ron Killings all tried to help their respective partner/leader (Daniels for Waltman and Aries, Hardy for Killings) walk out of Nashville with the gold. In the end, it was an accidental chair shot from Killings to Hardy that ended up ensuring that the “Fallen Angel” kept his gold.
After greeting several people, Hardy bumps into Ron Killings. The two just awkwardly stare at each other for a moment before Killings asks if he can talk to Hardy in private for a moment. The Charismatic Enigma agrees and the two go into an unoccupied room.
Truth: “Hey Dawg, I haven’t talked to you since Slammiversary and I have to ask… are we cool? I mean, you know that what happened in the World title match was an accident right? I was trying to hit that punk Aries but he moved out of the way! I know I screwed up but I was only trying to help you.”
Hardy: “Truth, don’t sweat it. I know that what happened was an accident and that you were only trying to stop the Flock from cheating their way into another victory. There was a million things happening at once and it was easy to get confused. You just made an honest mistake. Sometimes, Sh** really does just happen.”
Truth: “So…we cool?”
Hardy: “Yeah, we’re real cool.” With that, the two pound fists. “All I can do now is just try to earn another shot at Daniels’ title and make sure that my next World Title match will be the one where I finally get the big win.” At this, Truth lets out an awkward cough.
“What?” Hardy asks and, after some hesitation, Truth answers.
Truth: “That’s actually another thing I wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering if you could…well…. Take yourself out of the title hunt for the next couple of months.”
Hardy: “WHAT?! Ron, how can you ask me to do that? We’re talking about the World title here, the most prestigious title in TNA. That’s the prize that everyone in this company is striving for.”
Truth: “Just hear me out for a second. Jeff, I love you and all, but you just had a shot. So, I was thinking, maybe you could let me try to get the next shot at Daniels? You said it yourself that the World title is the prize that everyone wants. Well, to me, that title isn’t just a prize. To the Truth, that title means everything. No offense, Jeff but you came into this company already being a big deal. The Truth, on the other hand, has to scratch and claw for every opportunity that has been given to him over the past four years. You’ve never been World champion so you’re hungry for gold. I understand that but for me, it’s worse.
I’ve been NWA World Champ before. I’ve been to the top of the mountain, I’ve seen the green pastures, I have been THE MAN in this company. However, I haven’t been the man in over two years now. I know what it feels like to be World champion and I know what it feels like to lose that championship. Once you’ve held that belt, it’s hard to go back to life without it. For two long years, I’ve been counting the days until I finally get that gold around my waist once more. For the past few months, I’ve been happy teaming with you but I think it’s time for me to re-enter the world title scene. I know that I’m ready to be the man once again. I just need the opportunity. Above all, I don’t want our friendship to suffer because of my goals. Do you get where I’m coming from Jeff?”
After a brief moment of silence, Jeff answers.
Hardy: “I think I know exactly where you’re coming from. You feel really strongly about this, don’t you?”
Truth: “With all my heart.”
Hardy: “…Then, hell, go for it man!”
Truth: “Huh?”
Hardy: “Look, I’m not going to turn down any opportunities to get the World Title. But, how about we do this? Next week, we have one more match as a team. After that, we focus on our singles careers. I’m certainly not saying that we can’t team up every now and then or that we can’t support each other but we will make our singles careers our main priority. However, no matter what, we have to promise that we will remain friends. Deal?” Hardy then sticks his hand out for a handshake.
Truth, with a big smile on his face, says “Deal!”, and shakes Hardy’s hand. The two hug it out and then walk off, with each man having an arm around the other’s shoulder. Next week, The Enigmatic Truth will have their final match as a regular tag team. Who will it be against?
[83%]
Segment 6
The camera now cuts to the ring where Mike Tenay is standing by. He has a mic in his hand and looks like he is about to address the audience.
Tenay: “Ladies and Gentleman, it is time for the apology speech by Randy Orton for his questionable actions at Slammiversary. I have been asked by Commissioner Mick Foley to mediate this apology and make sure that Mr. Orton fulfills the two requirements for this apology. Standing by, via satellite, is Randy Orton.”
On the titan-tron appears a live feed of Randy Orton, who is sitting in a chair with a mic taped to his shirt. He is wearing a nice looking dress shirt and tie and flashes the crowd his pearly white teeth. A graphic in the corner of the titan-tron lets us know that he is in his home in St. Louis, Missouri. For a man who looked so out of control after losing to Raven at Slammiversary, he appears to downright serene here. After quick greetings are exchanged between Tenay and Orton, Tenay begins speaking.
Tenay: “Randy, last Sunday at Slammiversary, you attacked referee Rudy Charles after your match with Raven and caused him to be hospitalized. It is said that Charles is still in critical condition and that he may not ever fully recover from the damage to his neck. What do you have to say about your actions?”
Randy: “Well, Mike, I would like to apologize to Rudy Charles and his family. My actions were completely uncalled for. Just because Charles is an awful referee and made a completely illogical call by not restarting the match between Raven and myself, doesn’t mean that I should have attacked him in the manner that I did. After falsely being accused of losing the match at Slammiversary, I tried to calmly tell Rudy that he had made a grave mistake and that it would be in his best interests to restart the match and right the wrong that he had made. When Rudy refused to listen to logic, I became very upset. With testosterone pumping through me, I let out some of my frustrations on Charles. I intended to just give him a DDT onto the protective mats on the outside to knock some sense into him. I figured that the mats would, as their name indicated, protect Charles from any real danger.
However, I didn’t count on two things. One, I didn’t count on Charles apparently having incredibly weak neck muscles as my seemingly harmless DDT caused him to be hospitalized. Turns out Sabu suffers from the same weakness, go figure. Secondly, I completely disregarded my own impressive strength. I forgot that I have shoulders like boulders and my amazing arm strength caused me to drive Charles neck into the mats at an insanely fast speed. I hear that scientists are currently determing whether or not the DDT was faster than the speed of sound. I say yes but that is neither here or there. Basically, I would like to apologize to Rudy for being too strong for your well-being.” By this point, the crowd is heavily booing Orton for his less than sincere apology.
Tenay, seemingly disgusted with Orton’s insincere apology but trying to remain professional, says, “Well, now that you have apologized for your actions towards Rudy Charles, you have fulfilled one obligation of this apology. Now, you must fulfill the other obligation. Commissioner Foley wants to you publically state that you are giving up the idea of ‘killing legends’ and that you will no longer target Raven as it causing your actions to become more reckless.”
This seems like it will be a harder task for the third generation superstar as he hesitates for several seconds. After some prodding from Tenay, Orton speaks up.
Orton: “Raven, I will….” He trails off and stops again. After being prompted by Tenay again, he says, “Raven, I promise to no longer…” Again, he trails off. After one last prompt from Tenay, who reminds him that if he doesn’t fulfill this obligation, he will remain suspended indefinitely, Orton speaks one more time. Right before he speaks, his eyes quickly roll into the back of his head and he takes a deep breath.
“Raven, I promise….that I will not stop until I end your career! Raven, you KNOW that you got lucky at Slammiversary. I don’t what kind of good luck charms you had on you that day but it somehow managed to work. Well, guess what? This thing, between you and me, is FAR from over. I will not stop, I will not rest until you are lying at my feet in a bloody, broken heap and you are on your way to join your buddy Sabu in the hospital!”
Tenay: “Randy, please think about what you are saying!”
Orton doesn’t listen, however, and continues to rant and rave. It seems that a reminder of his failure against Raven has caused him to fly off the handle! Finally, Orton ends his tirade against Raven with the following statement.
“Raven, I’m going to end your career. Even if I’m still suspended, I will find a way to end you. I’m Randy Orton. I don’t fail! What I want, I get. And right now, what I want most of all, is the pleasure of being the one to kill the legend of Raven. You, and the rest of these people listening to this, will remember the name Randall Keith Orton!” With that, Orton rips the mic off his shirt and walks off. Tenay just stands in the ring with a look of shock on his face. To what lengths will Orton go in his quest to end Raven’s career?
[84%]
Segment 7
It is now time for the four way tag match to decide which team will become the #1 contenders for the NWA Tag Team Titles! Unfortunately, the match is delayed for a couple of minutes due to Edge and Samoa Joe brawling through the curtain and onto the stage! These two had a brutal No-DQ match at Slammiversary that ended in a no contest when neither man could continue after Edge speared Joe off of the ring apron and through a table. It seems as if they have decided to continue their fight right here on Impact! The two brawl down the ramp way and into the ringside area with neither man seemingly getting an advantage over the other. Despite the apparent stalemate, the fighting is fierce as both men seem like they want to truly end their rival. Both men are still showing some injuries from their match at Slammiversary as Joe has his ribs bandaged up while Edge has a large bandage over his forehead.
Finally, the stalemate is broken when Joe is able to place Edge’s head against the ring post and connect with an Ole kick! Edge crumples to the ground as his head bounces off the ring post. Joe then grabs a chair, waits for the blonde to get up, and hits a sick sounding chair shot right Edge’s skull! Edge’s wounds from the match at Slammiversary have been reopened by this point and his face is now covered in blood. As Edge lies on the ground, hurt, Joe begins screaming at him, “I told you I was going to kill you, you son of a bitch!” Joe then waits for Edge to get back so he can hit him with another chair shot. When Edge is up, however, he is able to duck the chair shot and connects with a Big Boot that drives the chair into Joe’s face! The shot stuns Joe but he doesn’t go down.
After connecting with the Big Boot, Edge takes the chair from Joe and nails him in the head with it! The Samoan doesn’t go down completely but he is forced to get on one knee. Another chair shot forces Joe onto both of his knees. Edge then winds up with and hits a THUNDEROUS sounding shot to Joe’s head! Joe finally goes down but Edge does too. It seems that Edge used his last bit of strength on that final chair shot! With both men down, beaten and bloodied, TNA security and medical staff finally come and take both men to the back so they can be treated for their injuries. Just how far will this blood feud go?!
[86%]
Segment 8
Elimination 4-Way Tag Match
Winners become #1 contender for the NWA Tag Team Titles
The Naturals V. America’s Most Wanted V. MM Wrecking Crew V. Alex Shelly & Matt Bentley (w/Alicia Webb)
After Edge and Joe have been escorted to the back, the four-way tag match to decide who will become the #1 contenders for the NWA Tag titles is able to get underway. This match was announced on Xplosion by Mick Foley. The winners of this match will more than likely go on to challenge for the NWA Tag titles at the “Summer Heat” TV special. Before the match begins, the camera pans to the front row of the crowd where The Backseat Boys are seated. The obvious question of how the champs could be here when they were suspended by Mick Foley on Xplosion is answered by Johnny Kashmere flashing two tickets to the camera with a big grin on his face. Trent Acid has a large bowl of popcorn in his hands while Kashmere is obnoxiously eating nachos. It seems like they want to get a close up view of their potential challengers.
First fall: The opening minutes of this match are extremely fast paced as all four teams show why they are four of the best teams in TNA right now. No single person is in the match for more than a minute due the rules of the match, which allow a competitor to tag out to another competitor even if that competitor isn’t their partner. This helps create a very chaotic environment as no one wants to get tired so they make sure that they aren’t in the ring for too long.
After about 10 minutes of non-stop action, the first team is eliminated and it is a bit of a surprise. With Chase Stevens and James Storm as the legal men in the ring, Andy Douglas hits a Plancha Suicida onto all of the other men in the match, who were brawling on the outside! In the ring, Stevens attempts to hit Storm with his signature Death Valley Driver but Storm is able to get out it. The Cowboy then hits his Last Call superkick on Stevens and goes for the pin. Three seconds later, the Naturals are first team eliminated from the match!
Second fall: With one team gone from the equation, the pace of the match begins to slow down and The MM Wrecking Crew begin to use their strength to dominate the two remaining teams. Monty Brown, in particular, pretty much tears through anyone that tries to oppose him. Shelly & Bentley’s almost unnatural talent (in addition to a little help from Alicia Webb) keeps them in game while AMW are able to use their experience edge to pick their spots and stay alive. In the end, the next elimination is caused by the Shelly, Bentley & AMW working together. It looks like Monty Brown is preparing to finish Storm off with the POUNCE!!!(…PERIOD!) as he Irish whips the Tennessean into the ropes and bounces off of the parallel set of ropes. As he attempts to tackle Storm, however, Matt Bentley comes in and connects with a superkick to the jaw of Brown. The kick stuns Brown long enough for him to take another superkick, this time from James Storm! This causes Brown to get down on one knee. Storm and Bentley briefly look at each other, nod in silent agreement, and connect with simultaneous super kicks to Brown! The Alpha Male drops like a stone! Mark Magnus tries to come in and help his partner but Chris Harris is able to stop him with a tackle. Strom covers Brown and gets the three count! The MM Wrecking Crew are the second team eliminated!
Final fall: Despite showing brief teamwork with Storm, Bentley reminds everyone that AMW are still his opponents by attacking Storm before he is even able to get to his feet from pinning Brown! Shelly & Bentley use this cheap tactic to take control of the match. The match begins to follow a much more formulaic pace as Webb’s men cut the ring in two and work Storm over while not allowing him to tag to his partner in. Whenever it looks like Strom is about catch a break and tag in Harris, a timely distraction from Webb puts him right back in Shelly & Bentley’s control. Finally, after ducking a clothesline from Shelly, Storm is able to jump over to his corner and make the tag to Chris Harris!
Harris comes in as a house of fire and begins to turn the tide of the match into AMW’s favor. He is able to avoid any double team attempts from Shelly & Bentley and doesn’t allow himself to be distracted by Webb. After Shelly breaks up an attempt by Harris to pin Bentley, Storm gets back into the mix and the match becomes chaotic once again. The last few minutes of this match sees an array of tag team moves from both sides but neither team is able to get a 3 count. Finally, Harris, the legal man for his team, is able to put Shelly, the legal man for his team, in position for the Catatonic. Bentley tries to save his partner but Harris is able to swing Shelly in a way that his legs hit Bentley in the face. Bentley goes down as Harris connects with the Catatonic! He makes the cover and gets the 3 count! AMW have earned a shot at the NWA Tag Team Championship and have done so in decisive fashion by pinning all of the other teams!
After the match (and after Storm grabs his mandatory post match beer bottle), AMW head outside the ring and get into the faces of the champs, who are still in the front row. If the Backseat Boys are intimidated by the idea of defending their titles against AMW, they don’t show it as Acid spits a large amount of popcorn kernels right into the face of James Storm! Storm, covered in spit and popcorn, just looks at Acid, takes a big swig from his beer bottle…and spits beer right into Acid’s face!
As Acid tries to wipe the beer from his face, Kashmere tries to get security to arrest AMW for attacking paying fans, despite the fact that his partner started the confrontation. Security, however, refuses to arrest AMW. As Kashmere is mouthing off to security, Storm hands the beer bottle to Harris, who takes a big swig of his own and spits it into Kashmere’s face! Almost immediately after the beer is spit into it, Kashmere’s face is also introduced to a Last Call Superkick from Storm! As Acid attends to his fallen partner, AMW head up the ramp way. At the top of the ramp, they both make a motion with their fingers, signaling that they are going for their seventh reign as Tag Champs. AMW will be challenging for the Tag Titles on July 23rd!
[**3/4]
Segment 9
After a quick commercial break, we go back to the ring, which is now filled with balloons and has a silk red carpet covering the canvas. It looks like the ring has been prepared for some kind of celebration. The crowd and the announcers quickly realize who it’s for as the King of the Mountain, Jeff Jarrett, and his men (Chris Hero and The Dudley Boys) make their way to the ring. At Slammiversary, Jarrett was successful in defeating “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. It was a controversial win, however, as Jarrett scored the pin after smashing his signature guitar over Danielson’s head while the ref was distracted by the Dudley Boys. Jarrett doesn’t seem too concerned with getting a less than clean victory as he and his men come down to the ring with big smiles on their faces. All of them are dressed to the nines in fancy suits and Bubba is carrying a large bottle of champagne. As they enter the ring, Hero grabs a mic.
Hero: “Ladies and Gentlemen, this past Sunday was a great night for all of TNA. But, for one man, it was a truly amazing night as he managed to put an ungrateful punk in his place. And no, that punk did not have C.M. as his first initials. By defeating Danielson, he proved that he is, has been, and always will be The King of the TNA Mountain. He is the man, the legend, JEFF JARRETT!
At this, Jarrett raises his arms wide while turning as his men cheer for him. The crowd, on the other hand, begins to boo heavily. After Bubba cracks open the bubbly, Jarrett takes the mic from Hero and begins to speak.
Jarrett: “Thank you Chris, for that wonderful introduction. Yes, last Sunday truly was a great night for us. But, I have a feeling that the next few months will be even better. Earlier tonight, Mick Foley announced that on July 23rd, there will be a four corners match to decide who will gain the 30th entry into the Rise Above battle royal in August. Well, I can confirm that next week, I will compete in a match where, if I win, I will qualify for that four-way match. I’m going to win my match next week, win the 4-way dance and then go onto to win the ‘Rise Above’ battle royal. After that, I’ll go onto to Bound for Glory and make sure that the show has the proper ending. The image of me raising the NWA World Title high above my head, once again the face of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. I know you people have been begging for it and I’m going to make your dreams become a reality. In 2006, once again, you all will be ushered into…the Jarrett-ude Era!”
Seemingly on cue, a large banner unfurls from the rafters with the words “JARRETTUDE ERA 2006” written on it. Once again, Jarrett’s men loudly cheer as the crowd gives the opposite reaction. Jarrett and his men pay the crowd no attention as D-Von produces four glasses and his brother pours champagne into all of them. After each man in the ring receives a glass, they all raise their glasses, toast to the Jarrettude Era, and down their alcoholic beverages.
Suddenly, the crowd begins to cheer loudly. Thinking that the cheers are for them, Jarrett and his men pose for the crowd, soaking in the cheers. What they don’t realize is that the crowd is cheering for the appearance of Bryan Danielson, who walks with a purpose down to the ring in his street clothes.
As he enters the ring, Jarrett’s crew finally recognizes his appearance. Although they seem shocked at first, they quickly realize that the odds are in their favor and begin to advance on Danielson. The American Dragon has come prepared, however, as he pulls out a hidden lead pipe from the back of his pants! He tells the supporters of the Jarrettude Era to stay where they are or he would cave all of their heads in with the pipe! Jarrett’s crew stop dead in their tracks as Danielson demands that Jarrett give him the mic. The Chosen One places the mic on the ground and kicks it over to Danielson. With the lead pipe in one hand, Dragon picks up the mic with his other hand.
Danielson: “Don’t worry. As long as you just listen to what I have to say, I won’t cave your heads in with this pipe. I WANT to…but I’m not going to. Why? Because if I’m going to beat you Jarrett, I want to do it in a match. Not by attacking you from behind or by getting my buddies to help me out when I’ve already lost the match. I want to do it fair and square. Jarrett, you and I both know that you tapped out at Slammiversary. By all means, I should have won that match. But thanks to your little entourage, I didn’t. Jarrett, it’s reached the point where you almost never have to worry about the outcome of your matches because you know that if things start getting too rough for you, Hero & the Dudleys will interfere on your behalf. And you know what? I’m sick and tired of it. So, I have an offer for you.
At ‘Summer Heat’, I want to have a 6 man tag match. In it will be your boys against me and two partners of my choosing. If my team wins, I get another match with you, this time with a stipulation. That stipulation being that if any of your crew gets involved in our rematch, ALL of your contracts will be immediately terminated and you will be wished the best in your future endeavors!”
Double J and his men are appalled at this idea.
Jarrett: “And just why the hell would I accept this offer?!”
Danielson: “Because, if your team wins, than I can never face you in a one-on-one match again. I’ll finally be out of your hair. What do you say, Jeff?”
Jarrett ponders the offer for a minute, during which Hero is mouthing, “No way in hell that match is happening”, with a grin on his face. Finally, Jarrett answers.
Jarrett: “I accept. Go ahead and find two scrubs to team up with you so that my boys can beat the piss out of the three of ya and get you out of my hair forever!”
Hero and the Dudleys seem shocked at Jarrett’s acceptance but Double J reassures them that they can handle it. With his offer accepted and a new match set for “Summer Heat”, Danielson silently drops his pipe and exits the ring. Who will he choose as his partners?
[74%]
Segment 10
Mike Tenay: “Ladies and Gentlemen, coming up soon is the main event of the evening. It will see the ‘Phenomenal One’ AJ Styles defend his Television Championship against the ‘War Machine’ Rhino. Before that, however, we are going to show a video that sent to TNA management earlier this week by CM Punk.”
Styles: “For those of who did not see Slammiversary, Punk was victorious in his match against Steve Corino after Low-Ki, who we thought was still out of action due to a broken leg, interfered on his behalf. After the match, Punk, Colt Cabana, and Low-Ki gave Corino a brutal beating that left him a bloody mess. Apparently, Low-Ki explains his recent actions in the video sent by CM Punk.”
The feed cuts to a dimly lit room. In it are CM Punk, Colt Cabana, and Low-Ki. As always, the (censored) ROH World Championship is around Punk’s waist. There is also a white banner behind the men that has the word “HONOR” written crudely in black on it. The men are standing in a semi-circle with Punk in the middle of it. Punk is the first to speak.
Punk: “Honor. Funny word, isn’t it? To show honor is to show respect when respect is deserved. To show honor is give someone the opportunities that they deserve. It’s such a powerful word yet very few people seem to appreciate its power. Some people that don’t understand the true meaning of honor are TNA management. They claim that opportunities are given to those who deserve them. What they really mean is that opportunities are given to those who they WANT to have opportunities. If you’re labeled as an x-factor, if you go too far against the grain, if you’re willing to expose this company’s lies and uncover the way it really works…then no, you aren’t going to get any opportunities. That’s not honorable at all.”
Now, Punk’s right hand man, Cabana, speaks.
Cabana: “When Punk and I first came to TNA, we expected great things to happen to us. After all, TNA touts themselves as the best wrestling company in the world so we figured that they would show their best wrestlers the respect they deserve for being the best. And make no doubts about it. This championship around Punk’s waist (points to ROH title) proves that he is one of the best wrestlers walking the planet today. By being his best friend and tag partner, I’ve proved that I’m also one of the best wrestlers in the world.
When we came to TNA, however, what happened? Instead of being encouraged to grow and be the very best that we can be, we constantly had road blocks put up in front of us to make sure that we don’t succeed. Instead of it being an even playing field, we were intentionally tripped at the starting blocks. We were basically punished for openly admitting that we are the best that this company has to offer and expecting to be treated as such. Above all, TNA refuses to even acknowledge that this title around Punk’s waist, despite the fact that Punk and I have worked our asses off to make it what it is today. That’s not honorable.”
Now, the usually silent Low-Ki speaks.
Ki: “Let me tell everyone a little story. About a month ago, I informed TNA management that I would be returning from my injury and would be able to wrestle again soon. I expected video recaps to play to hype up my upcoming return. I expected the crowd to cheer my name when they found that I was returning. As I watched Impact at home, what did I see? NOTHING! No video recaps, no chants, not even a mention of my return on commentary! I was on the very first TNA show. I helped make the X-Division, one of the focal points of this company, what it is today. In the early days of TNA, I carried this company on my back. I gave my blood, sweat, and tears because I truly believed in what this company represented. Hell, I injured myself for this company! And I can’t even get a goddamned mention on commentary?! That’s not honorable.
About a week ago, Punk called me. I was tempted to hang up on him but he convinced me to hear him out. It ended being the best thing I could have done. It turns out we both have a similar grasp on how important honor is. I talked to him about how TNA had all but ignored me and he agreed that it was a damn shame. He knew that as one of the founding fathers of this company, I deserved to be treated with honor. He then offered me an opportunity, something TNA management hasn’t done for me in a while. He gave the chance to remind everyone just how valuable I am to this company by helping him defeat Steve Corino. I accepted his offer and now the wrestling world is once again abuzz with the name Low-Ki.”
Now, Punk speaks again.
Punk: “You see, it seems like a lot of people in TNA have forgotten what it truly means to represent honor. So, it’s time for us remind them. Last Friday, Steve Corino claimed that all Cabana and I were doing was bitching. You know what? He was right. Now it’s time for us to do something about it.
It’s time for the outcasts to make their voices heard. It’s time for the forgotten sons to make themselves known. It’s time for respect to be given to those who truly deserve it. It’s time that everyone knows the true meaning…of honor. We are those outcasts. We are those forgotten sons. We refuse to have our speech be quelled and go silently into the night. We are…the Men of Honor.” With that, the camera focuses on the “honor” banner in the background and slowly fades to black.
[94%]
Segment 11
TNA Television Championship
15 minute TV Time Limit
AJ Styles© V. Rhino (w/James Mitchell & Abyss)
It is now time for our main event of the evening! This match will see the TV title be defended as AJ Styles takes on Rhino. Styles is coming off a big title defense against Austin Aries at Slammiversary. He was hoping to get the night off tonight but earlier in the week, Rhino requested a match against for the TV title, claiming that he had “something to prove”. Styles, being the fighting champ that he is, accepted the challenge and here we are. Rhino is accompanied to the ring by James Mitchell and the Monster Abyss. Lately, Rhino has been involved in a game of “one-upmanship” with Abyss and has been trying to prove James Mitchell that he is just as much of a monster as Abyss.
The opening goings of this match are completely dominated by Rhino as he, being fully aware of the limited amount of time he has to win the belt, goes after Styles with ferocity and looks to end the match quickly. Initially, Styles struggles to string together any offense as Rhino gives him no time to breathe and recover. After several minutes of Rhino controlling the match, Styles is able to get some momentum going by countering a spine buster attempt into a DDT!
Styles begins to mount to a big comeback, using his speed to outmaneuver the stronger man. At one point, Styles is able to duck under a Rhino clothesline attempt and connect with the Pele kick! Instead of going for the pin, the champ heads to the top rope and connects with a Frog Splash! He covers Rhino. “1…2…” Rhino powers out of the pin and tosses Styles off of him! It was at this point that ring announcer Jeremy Borash informed the crowd and the people watching at home that there are “5 minutes remaining in the time limit!”
Upon hearing this, Styles begins to pick up the pace of the match and does his best to Rhino away. Any of his pinfall attempts, however, are unable to get the desired 3 count. With 3 minutes remaining in the time limit, The Phenomenal One tries to go for the Styles Clash. Unfortunately for the champ, Rhino manages to backdrop his way out of it. Styles gets up and tries to hit Rhino with a clothesline but the Man-Beast is able to counter with a HUGE Powerslam! He makes the cover but only gets 2. Remembering that there is less than 3 minutes left in the time limit, Rhino begins to get desperate and does whatever he can in an attempt to put Styles away. Styles, being the resilient champion, manages to get his shoulder up before 3 on any pin attempts. Rhino is quickly running out of options when he hears Jeremy Borash announce that there is “One minute left in the TV Time Limit”!
Not knowing what else to do, Rhino goes to the move that has done him so well over the years, the Gore. He waits for Styles to get to his feet, rushes toward him…and breaks the champ in half with a thunderous Gore! Rhino hooks Styles’ leg, believing that he has won the TV title.
“1…2...” Rhino has done it, we have a new…NO! Although Rhino celebrates after the ref has stopped his count, believing that he has won, he is quickly informed that the ref stopped the count due Styles having one of his feet on the ropes! Rhino is furious and begins complaining to the ref and threatening him. His threats are quickly halted when he hears Jeremy Borash announce that there is only 30 seconds left in the time limit! Rhino, going into full on panic mode, quickly looks over at James Mitchell. Mitchell just smirks at him and says “Chocking in the clutch again, I see?” before chuckling. This seems to set Rhino off as he decides to hit Styles with another Gore. The time slowly ticks away as Rhino waits for Styles to get to his feet. Finally, at the ten second mark, Styles gets to his feet and the War Machine charges in for the kill! Styles, however, is able to jump in the air and somehow catch Rhino with a sunset flip! The ref makes the count.
“1…2…3!” With only seconds remaining, Styles has managed to cleanly defend his Television Championship. Rhino is in absolute shock! While the ref has hands Styles his belt, Rhino just sits on his knees, holding his head in his hands. He then lifts his head up and looks at James Mitchell and Abyss, who just shake their heads at him and head up the ramp way. True to Mitchell’s claims, Rhino has once again failed when the spotlights on him are at their brightest.
Despite Rhino’s disappointment, he is approached by AJ Styles, who offers him a handshake. It seems that the Phenomenal One appreciates Rhino’s effort tonight even if James Mitchell doesn’t. Rhino stares at the champ for a few seconds and then, begrudgingly, accepts the handshake. The crowd cheers for the display of good sportsman ship as both men promise each other that they will have to do this again soon. Rhino then silently leaves the ring, allowing the champ to bask in the fan’s cheers.
Suddenly, the camera cuts from the happy scene in the ring to a backstage area. There, The New Flock of Christopher Daniels, Sean Waltman, and Austin Aries are watching the events in the ring on a television monitor. It seems that they have watched the entire match and are intrigued by what they have seen. Soon, Mick Foley appears behind the trio.
Foley: “Like what you see?”
The Flock are initially surprised by Foley’s appearance but quickly brush it off as their leader, Daniels, begins to speak.
Daniels: “Ah, Commissioner Foley, I’m actually glad that you’re here. I wanted to talk to you about young AJ defending his title at ‘Summer Heat’ against…”
Foley (interrupting Daniels): “I think I know exactly who you’re talking about but I can’t book the match. In fact, I can’t book AJ in any TV title defense at ‘Summer Heat’. Because he already has a match.”
Daniels: “Against who?”
Foley: “Against…you! You see, Styles has been very impressive over the past couple of weeks. He just defeated Rhino, he defeated your pal Aries at Slammiversary, and he pinned you in that 6-man tag match last week. The way I see it, he’s next in line for a World Title shot. So, on July 23rd, it’s going be AJ Styles going on a quest to become a double champion when he faces you for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship! Good luck champ…hope you have a nice day!” Foley leaves as Daniels stews in anger while his disciples try to calm him down. On July 23rd, Daniels will defend his World Title against arguably his greatest rival, AJ Styles!
[***3/4]