8/23/12 IMPACT WRESTLING RECAP

Join the Starman as he covers this month’s Open Fight Night edition of Impact Wrestling, live from the Impact Zone in Orlando, FL.

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Aces & Eights are seen riding to the Impact Zone on motorcycles. We then see a video recap on the recent Aces & Eights assaults. Last week, Sting challenged the group to a match for Open Fight Night and the match will kick off at the top of the hour. The pyro goes off in the Impact Zone as the announce team hype tonight’s Open Fight Night with Gut Check, the Bound for Glory Series and Sting issuing a challenge to Aces & Eights.

Sting’s music hits as he comes out to the ring with a large portion of the TNA locker room, which includes Austin Aries, Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray, Mr. Anderson, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Gunner, Devon, and others. Sting says he told security to hold the doors wide open for Aces & Eights and there is a group of them ready to fight. Sting then invites James Storm to come out as the cloud of doubt with his involvement with Aces & Eights has been lifted.

Storm comes out and says the evidence against him stacked up but he was attacked last week and wants to turn this wrestling show into an ass-whipping show tonight. Sting then says Aces & Eights also pissed off Hulk Hogan by attacking his daughter and he is in the house tonight. Two members of Aces & Eights begin making their way through the crowd as Sting invites them in. The two slide in and are quickly beaten down by the TNA roster.

Storm unmasks one of them and Sting allows him to talk and he thanks Sting through his bloody mouth as they just got patched in. He then continues to say that they are all in for a long painful night as we head into a commercial break.

Miss Tessmacher makes her way to the ring as we are treated to footage of last week’s match where Tessmacher defeated Madison Rayne for the Knockouts Championship with Taryn Terrell as the referee. Tessmacher gets on the microphone and thanks Brooke Hogan for righting a wrong by giving her a shot at the Knockouts Championship. She then goes on to say that she wants to call out her friend and mentor for a match and calls out Tara.

Match 1: Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara
Taryn Terrell is the referee for this OFN match. The match starts and the two go back and forth in the opening minutes with Tessmacher having some sloppy moments. Tara picks up a two count on Tessmacher after slamming her down to the mat but Tessmacher is able to comeback with a couple of clotheslines and a dropkick. Tessmacher continues on the attack and plants Tara’s face on the mat before heading to the top rope. Tara cuts her off, though, and takes her down with a superplex to pick up the pin fall. The two hug after the match as a sign of mutual respect.

Footage of Aces & Eights attack on the Pope at Hardcore Justice is aired. His x-ray of his broken collarbone is also shown and he is out of the Bound for Glory Series. Sting is backstage with AJ Styles, RVD, and Robbie E. are backstage and says all three were set to face the Pope in the BFG Series and they will all face each other in a match, and that match is up next.

The BFG Series Leaderboard is shown and James Storm, Samoa Joe, RVD, and AJ Styles are the top four in the competition. Two of the top four will be in the next match.

Match 2: Robbie E. vs. Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles (Bound for Glory Series Match)
Sting has barred Robbie T. from the ringside area for this match. Styles and RVD ignore Robbie as the match starts but he gets himself involved before being quickly taken out and sent out to the floor. Styles and RVD lock up and trade kicks, chops, and pin attempts. Robbie enters the ring and is again quickly taken out and rolls out to the floor. Styles and RVD turn their attention to each other once again and Styles takes RVD down with a dropkick and RVD rolls out to the floor. Robbie sneaks in from the other side and levels Styles with a clothesline and begins working over Styles to wear him down as we head into a commercial break.

We return to the match to see Robbie still in control and picks up a near fall over Styles. Robbie continues to talk trash and keeps RVD out on the floor by knocking him off the ring apron. RVD finally trips up Robbie and pulls him out to the floor and hits him with a series of stikes. Styles then takes them both out with a dive over the top rope. Styles then takes RVD into the ring and picks up a near fall. RVD comes back with a kick and hits Rolling Thunder before taking Robbie out with a spin kick and a standing moonsault for a near fall.

RVD then sends Robbie out to the floor as Styles hits an inverted DDT for another near fall. RVD comes back with a kick to the face and heads to the top rope, but Styles gets up and knocks him down. The two then fight on the top rope as RVD pushes him down and connects with the Five Star Frog Splash. While RVD is rolling around in pain, Robbie comes in and picks up the pin fall on RVD to pick up the pin fall and earn seven points in the BFG Series. The BFG Series Leaderboard is shown and Robbie is finally out of the basement with 12 points, moving ahead of the Pope, who is injured.

Jeff Hardy is seen walking backstage and is heading to the ring as we head into a commercial break. Hardy’s music hits once we return from break and he makes his way to the ring. Hardy grabs a microphone and says he will not have a BFG Series match tonight and instead calls out Robbie T.

Match 3: Jeff Hardy vs. Robbie T.
Robbie comes out and the match immediately starts and Robbie takes Hardy down with a hard clothesline. The fans rally behind Hardy but Robbie continues beating Hardy down and picks up a near fall after hitting a slam. Hardy finally catches Robbie with an elbow and Hardy goes for a cover after hitting a Whisper in the Wind. Hardy then takes Robbie down with a series of clotheslines and follows with a Twist of Fate. Hardy heads to the top rope and hits the Swanton Bomb to pick up the pin fall.

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian are backstage and talk about the upcoming paternity test results for AJ Styles. Daniels says Styles thinks he has all the answers but he hasn’t heard all of the questions yet as we head into a commercial break.

Sting is backstage and says he is looking for Aces & Eights and says he will deal him the Dead Man’s Hand if they come back. Sting says he is easy to find as he walks away.

A video package on the AJ Styles/Claire Lynch saga is aired. Jeremy Borash is standing in the ring and is holding the results of the paternity test. Borash introduces Styles to the ring to find out the results of the test. Styles comes out and pours out his feelings. Styles apologizes to his friends, fans, and family for having to put up with all of this. Styles says there is a night in his life that he doesn’t recall and says if he is the father of Claire’s baby, he will accept responsibility for the child, like all real men should. However, if it isn’t his, he doesn’t want Daniels or Kazarian to ever speak to him again.

Borash then introduces Claire Lynch but Daniels and Kazarian come out instead. Kazarian says after all that has gone down, Styles cares more about himself than the baby he is going to have with Claire. Kazarian says Styles makes him sick and says it’s time for him to be concerned with the little one. Daniels steps in Claire has come out over the past few weeks in a vulnerable state and Styles just turned his back on her. Daniels then says she isn’t here tonight as she is in a hospital after suffering a placenta disruption. Daniels wishes her a speedy recovery and asks Styles if he is happy for causing her pain and suffering.

A woman then makes her way to the ring and says she is Claire’s lawyer. She reads a prepared statement from Claire Lynch which states she was approached by Daniels and Kazarian back in January of 2012 to blackmail AJ Styles. The plan included drugging a cola that was drank by Styles, which resulted in the photographs. Claire deeply regrets her actions and states that she isn’t, nor has she ever been, pregnant. She then asks Styles, his family and friends, for forgiveness before ending her statement. The lawyer leaves the ring as Daniels and Kazarian can’t believe what just went down. Styles then takes Daniels down with an enziguri and chases the two out of the ring.

A video package on Kris Lewie is aired and he will be participating tonight in Gut Check. Lewie talks about being shocked getting a call from Al Snow and says it couldn’t have come at a better time as there is no work for him and nothing to go home to. Lewie talks about his motivation and there says there is nothing he can’t do in the ring. He promises to blow the roof off.

A few more members of Aces & Eights are seen walking backstage as Sting catches up with him. Sting distracts them with a deck of cards as Hogan walks up from behind. Sting tosses Hogan a bat and Hogan takes them all out and gets in their faces for messing with his daughter. Hogan is dressed in his old Hollywood Hogan garb and begins to growl and snort like a dog as Sting says it’s great for him to be back.

A video package on Gut Check is aired. Alex Silva talks about winning a contract and how it didn’t feel real to him. Silva talks about focusing on becoming the best wrestler in the business and tells everybody to chase after their goals. This brings us to the next Gut Check match, which features Kris Lewie.

Match 4: Kris Lewie vs. Gunner (TNA Gut Check)
The bell rings and Lewie takes Gunner down with a couple of hip tosses and a shoulder block before he goes for a quick pin attempt. Gunner tries to mount a comeback but Lewie takes him down with a dropkick. Gunner finally gets in some offense and begins to methodically pick apart Lewie. Lewie comes back with a few weak punches and a clothesline. Lewie then takes Gunner down with a Samoan drop but misses with a high risk move. Gunner then slams Lewie down and picks up a pin fall to put an end to this wreck of a match.

Mr. Anderson is seen making his way to the ring as we head into a commercial break.

ODB is seen in the backstage area and is on the phone with Eric Young. She tells him to bring his pole back and fish for her tuna. She then talks to someone off camera and walks off.

Mr. Anderson’s music hits as he makes his way to the ring. Anderson has his microphone lowered to him and says tonight is his last Bound for Glory Series match and saved the biggest and meanest for last. Anderson then calls out Bully Ray for a BFG Series match.

Match 5: Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray (Bound for Glory Series Match)
The bell rings as these two are fighting to break into the top four. The two go back and forth in the opening moments until Ray picks up a near fall after hitting a back drop. Ray then sends Anderson through the ropes and into the ring post as we head into a commercial break. We return to the match to see Ray pick up a few quick near falls over Anderson. Ray continues powering Anderson around and wearing Anderson down while picking up a few more near falls. Ray finally misses with a middle rope splash but Anderson is too wore out to capitalize.

The two exchange blows from their knees until they rise to their feet and Anderson hits Ray with a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Anderson the picks up Ray but collapses under Ray’s weight. Ray then comes back with a neckbreaker for a near fall before heading up to the middle rope. Anderson cuts him off and takes him down with the Green Bay Plunge for another near fall. The camera cuts to the back where the TNA roster is fighting a few more members of Aces & Eights.

Back to the match, Ray hits the Bully Bomb for a near fall but Anderson is able to kick out at the last moment. Anderson is able to counter Ray’s attack and hits a DDT before hitting a Swanton Bomb for a near fall of his own. Anderson then connects with the Mic Check to pick up the pin fall and seven points in the BFG Series. The BFG Series Leaderboard is aired once more and Anderson has moved up to seventh place from eighth place. Anderson is three points short of making it to the top four spots.

The Aces & Eights mouthpiece is shown and he says they are close to unleashing hell with the dead man’s hand as we head into a commercial break.

Sting’s music hits as he comes out again with the TNA locker room. The roster file in and out ring as Sting calls out Aces & Eights. The fans begin a “We want Hogan!” chant as Sting tells the crowd they may need to start an “Aces & Eights” chant. The group finally comes out and a brawl between both sides takes place in the ring and out on the floor. It looks like the TNA roster is getting the best of the renegade group. More of them are seen coming out and are beginning to fight back.

We then see a brawl in a locker room as Hogan, James Storm, and AJ Styles are tossing them into the lockers. Back in the Impact Zone, the ring has been cleared as the battle backstage continues. The battle has also spilled out into the parking lot as more members of Aces & Eights come into the ring. Aces & Eights are able to regroup in the ring and have isolated Austin Aries in the ring. The group puts a guard rail on the turnbuckle and smash Aries’s arm into it with a chair. Six members of the group stand tall over the fallen TNA World Champion but they are finally chased out of the ring by Bully Ray and his chain. We then see Aces & Eights leave the arena and take off on their motorcycles as Impact Wrestling comes to a close.

Quick Results
– Tara defeated Miss Tessmacher by pin fall.
– Robbie E. defeated Rob Van Dam and AJ Styles by pin fall to earn seven points in the Bound for Glory Series.
– Jeff Hardy defeated Robbie T. by pin fall.
– Gunner defeated Kris Lewie by pin fall in a TNA Gut Check match.
– Mr. Anderson defeated Bully Ray by pin fall to earn seven points in the Bound for Glory Series.