3/21/13 IMPACT WRESTLING RECAP

Mar 21, 2013 - by Jason Graening

Join the Starman as he covers tonight’s pre-taped edition of Impact Wrestling that took place in Chicago, IL.

A video package showing Bully Ray talking about pulling the biggest swerve in professional wrestling history and tells us that he will show us how he did it. Ray says it took nine months for the plan to come together, and although things didn’t go together as planned, he was able to destroy the Hogan family. Ray then tells us to sit back and enjoy as he walks us through all the steps on his quest to become the TNA World Champion.

We head into the Sears Centre Arena as we are welcomed to the show by the announce team. Hulk Hogan’s music hits as he makes his way out to the ring with one crutch. Hogan grabs a microphone and says he has never had the wool pulled over his eyes like he did with Bully Ray. Hogan says Aces & Eights fooled everyone and he realized last week that they are now in a war for survival against the group. Hogan says there were four guys who led the charge last week and calls them true warriors.

Hogan then calls out the four to give them the respect they deserve, which are Samoa Joe, Magnus, Kurt Angle, and Jeff Hardy. All four of them join Hogan in the ring as Hogan tells them to led the charge against Aces & Eights, take them out, and bring back the TNA World Championship. Hogan asks Hardy if he is up for a rematch against Bully Ray, and Hardy says he is in rough shape but they need to get the title back. Hardy suggests the four of them have a four way match to see who will go up against Bully Ray first. Hogan loves the idea and says the best man in the ring will become the number one contender.

Another Rise of Bully Ray package is aired and he says Plan A was to win the Bound for Glory Series and then win the World Championship. Ray says the start of the BFG Series was the first time his boys jumped Sting and they started taking people out week after week. Then, all it took was a small suggestion to Bobby Roode who put the focus on James Storm by saying it was him behind the group. Storm then played right into their hands and he got Roode to do his dirty work once again, who interfered in their match at No Surrender. It was supposed to be his night, but Hogan locked out Aces & Eights and Jeff Hardy ended up being a lot tougher than he thought. For that, he came up with Plan B.

We then see Austin Aries & Bobby Roode walking backstage and they will be taking on Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez after the break.

Match 1: Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez vs. Austin Aries & Bobby Roode (TNA Tag Team Championship)
Chavo and Roode go back and forth in the opening moments until Chavo takes down Roode with a head scissors and tags Hernandez into the match. Hernandez hits a splash on Roode to pick up a near fall, however, Roode is able to catch Hernandez off guard and makes the tag to Aries. The tag team champs isolate Hernandez into their corner and use quick tags to keep the fresh man in. Roode and Aries then try for a double suplex, but Hernandez counters and takes them both down with a suplex. Chavo is then tagged in as we head into a commercial break.

We return to the match to see Roode send Chavo into the steel steps as Aries flies off the top rope and hits Chavo with an elbow. Aries rolls Chavo into the ring and picks up a few near falls before tagging Roode back into the match. Roode continues to work over Chavo, but Chavo hits a tornado DDT as tags are made on both sides. Hernandez comes in and takes down both Roode and Aries and uses the entrance ramp to get a full head of steam before jumping over the top rope and taking them both out.

Hernandez then takes Roode out with a shoulder block that sends him out to the floor and Chavo is tagged in and set up for a double team move, but Aries counters and takes Hernandez out to the floor with a head scissors, which causes Hernandez’s neck snaps hard on the bottom rope on the way down. Aries then tries for the brainbuster but Chavo counters with the Three Amigos. Chavo then sets up for the Frog Splash, but Bad Influence runs out and Kazarian distracts the referee while Daniels pushes Chavo off the top rope. Aries then rolls up Chavo and picks up the pin fall to retain the TNA Tag Team Championship. After the match Bad Influence attacks Roode and Aries from behind before leaving the ring.

A video package on the X Division is aired which covers its history. New rules are then shown that say there will be a 230 pound weight limit and all title matches will be three ways contests, which is being branded as the X Division Evolution. Kenny King is backstage and says if there are two guys coming at him, there will just be two funerals. King will be defending the X Division Championship against Zema Ion and Sonjay Dutt after the break.

Match 2: Kenny King vs. Zema Ion vs. Sonjay Dutt (X Division Championship)
More rules for the X Division is that if you are not the one who is pinned or submits, you will be in the next three way match. The match starts with some quick action with bodies going everywhere. Dutt takes both King and Ion down with head scissors but ends up being pulled out to the floor and sent into the guard railing. King then sends Ion into the railing before diving off the apron and taking them both out on the floor. King rolls Ion into the ring and picks up a near fall before taking control of the match.

Dutt then takes King out with a missile dropkick and heads to the top rope, but King pushes him out to the entrance ramp. Ion then comes with a tornado DDT on King but Dutt flies in and takes Ion down with a hurricanrana. Both Ion and King are out on the floor and Dutt jumps off the top rope and takes them both out. The match returns to the ring and Dutt hits a moonstomp on Ion but King then takes Dutt down with a leaping neckbreaker to pick up the pin fall over Dutt to retain the X Division Championship. Dutt has been taken out of the new format due to losing the match.

Footage from earlier in the day is aired where Brooke Hogan deflects questions about her dad and Bully Ray. Brooke says she is there to handle Knockouts business and nothing more as we head into a commercial break.

Another Rise of Bully Ray video package is aired where Ray discusses Plan B. After Jeff Hardy won the BFG Series, he had to come up with a new plan and Joseph Park became the bait. He got Hogan to agree to a tag team match, and they played right into it by having Ray participate in it. Ray talks about losing by allowing his own brother, Devon, put him through a table. The next step of the plan was to get in a relationship with Hogan’s daughter and he knew he was in after that and there was nothing Hogan could do to stop it.

We then see Sting standing outside of Hulk Hogan’s office door as we head into a commercial break. After the break, we see Sting walk into Hogan’s office and says he wants a piece of Bully Ray tonight. Hogan tells Sting to do what he does best when things get rough and tells Sting to stay silent and sit in the rafters for a couple of years. Hogan says Sting does nothing but cause problems and tells Sting to get out of his office. Sting then tells Hogan that he wants Bully Ray before leaving the office.

A video package is aired on the ongoing saga between Taryn Terrell and Gail Kim, which came to a head at Lockdown. Due to this, Taryn has been put on probation for her actions. Taryn then comes to the ring and says as a referee it is her job to control the chaos, not cause it. However, she felt she had to retaliate after Gail put her hands on her twice, and it’s time for the consequences. Gail then makes her way out and says she is glad Taryn learned her lesson, which is not to miss with Gail Kim. Gail then says she is here to witness Brooke Hogan firing her.

Brooke’s music hits as she makes her down the entrance ramp with a microphone. Brooke says she has thought long and hard about her decision and she has to be fair. Brooke says she has to terminate Taryn as the Knockouts referee, however, she has decided to sign Taryn to the Knockouts roster. This means she can get physical with anyone, including Gail. Taryn then takes Gail down with a spear and chases her to the back. Bully Ray then comes out and stares down Brooke before pointing to his wedding ring. Brooke says she hates him and runs off as we head into a commercial break.

Another Rise of Bully Ray video package is aired and talks about getting the members to join. Ray says Devon and Garret Bischoff wanted to help Hulk Hogan but they were pushed aside. Wes Brisco was made to beg for a shot in TNA, and who did he defeat? Garret Bischoff. Anderson, on the other hand, had beef with Hogan as he wasn’t checked on after being beat down by Aces & Eights. Taz was easy to get to sign up and D’Lo was a no-brainer as he was part of the TNA office. With his title shot in hand, he made sure all of his members were unmasked, except for one. One they never saw coming.

Kurt Angle is backstage and says he has to prove tonight that he still has what it takes and how he wants to be the one to take back the TNA World Championship.

Match 3: Matt Morgan vs. Joseph Park
The match starts and Morgan quickly shoves Park down to the mat and laughs. Morgan continues to toy with Park and beat him down with some crushing blows. Park is able to duck out of the way and get in a few blows, but Morgan quickly levels Park with a clothesline. Morgan then sets up for the Carbon Footprint, but Park dodges it and Morgan gets hung up on the ropes. Park then takes Morgan down with a shoulder block and heads to the middle rope, but misses with a splash. Morgan then connects with a Carbon Footprint to pick up the pin fall victory.

Footage of AJ Styles’ return last week is aired, where he took out both Kazarian and James Storm. We will hear from Styles when we return from the commercial break.

Jeff Hardy says it would mean everything to get his hands on Bully Ray and get the title back. Hardy says if he’s not ready, though, he hopes whoever wins tonight’s match will do the same thing.

Mike Tenay is in the ring as AJ Styles’ music hits and he comes out. Tenay gives Styles a stern talking to and wants Styles to explain his actions. Styles doesn’t answer as Taz steps up and wants Tenay to step aside as a professional does the interviews. Taz says life is about opportunities and wants to give Styles a Prospect vest to cut his teeth with the group. James Storm’s music interrupts as he makes his way to the ring and wants to know if this is the new AJ Styles. Styles doesn’t even acknowledge Storm as Storm talks about how he can be the new AJ Styles but he is still the same old James Storm. Storm then stares down Styles as Styles backs away and leaves the ring.

The announce team then hype tonight’s four way main event, which is coming up next.

Another Rise of Bully Ray video package is aired and talks about Hulk Hogan not trusting Bully Ray and suspending him, but all it did was drive Brooke closer to him. He then used his wedding to get Hogan where he wanted him. He didn’t reveal himself then as it wasn’t part of the plan. As for being hit by a pillar, things aren’t always what they seem and he had to take some lumps to earn Hogan’s trust. He then had to give Devon a beating and he knew his role in the whole plan. Ray then says he manipulated Brooke for a whole week to get her to convince her dad to give Ray a shot at the title. For nine months, he pulled off the biggest con in wrestling history. Ray says nobody will stop them and nobody will take his World Championship.

Match 4: Samoa Joe vs. Magnus vs. Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy (#1 Contender’s Match)
The match starts as the four pair off as Joe goes against Angle and Magnus faces off against Hardy. Joe then takes Magnus and Hardy down with clotheslines as the two roll out to the floor. Joe goes back up against Angle and takes him down with a kick and hits a knee drop for a near fall. Magnus and Hardy begin fighting on the floor and Joe tosses Angle to the two before diving through the ropes and taking all three out. The fans start a “TNA!” chant as we head into a commercial break.

We return to the match and see Magnus and Joe work together on Angle. Magnus tries to go for a pin but Joe pulls him off and the two start going at it. Magnus takes Joe down and then hits Angle with a high knee to take him down. Hardy tries to hit a cross body block, but Magnus catches him and slams Hardy down to the mat. Magnus begins to wear Hardy down in the ring as Joe and Angle go at it on the floor. The fans start a loud “We want Joe!” chant as Joe comes back in and takes Magnus down. Joe hits Magnus with a few headbutts but Magnus counters with a MDD to quiet the Chicago crowd.

Hardy then takes Magnus down with a head scissors before hitting Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle with Twist of Fates. Hardy then hits Magnus with a Twist of Fate and heads to the top rope but Angle stops Hardy’s attempt at a Swanton Bomb. Magnus knocks Hardy off the top rope before Angle takes him down with an overhead suplex and then takes Joe down with a German suplex. Angle then puts Joe in an ankle lock but Joe kicks him off and into Magnus. Hardy then flies off the top rope and hits Joe with a Swanton Bomb and picks up the pin fall to keep his title shot against Bully Ray.

Taz says Hardy stole this one as we are treated to some replays of the match. Joe then shakes Hardy’s hand for winning the match and gives him a thumbs up before leaving the ring. Hardy then poses for the fans as the announce team wonders if he will be able to turn the balance of power in TNA. We are then told we will see them next week in Jonesboro, AR, as Impact Wrestling comes to a close.

Quick Results
– Austin Aries & Bobby Roode defeated Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez by pin fall to retain the TNA Tag Team Championship.
– Kenny King defeated Sonjay Dutt and Zema Ion by pin fall to retain the X Division Championship.
– Matt Morgan defeated Joseph Park by pin fall.
– Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe, Magnus and Kurt Angle by pin fall to become the #1 Contender to the TNA World Championship.

Leave a Reply