Impact
Wrestling
Date:
November 21, 2013
Location:
Impact zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators:
Mike Tenay, Taz
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
Usually
I start each NXT review by saying Welcome Home but it's more
appropriate in this case. Tonight is the Turning Point special as we
return to the Impact Zone in Orlando. The focus tonight is on the
tournament with two tournament matches, but we also get Bully Ray vs.
Anderson, with the future of aces and 8's on the line. Let's get to
it.
We
open with an Impact365 video of Roode attacking Storm at a bar last
night.
We
get an opening video recapping both the tournament matches as well as
Anderson vs. Ray.
Dixie
comes up to Joe in the back and says she's been watching last week's
show and threatens to fire Joe if he ever takes the same tone that he
did last week.
Here's
Dixie to open the show. She plugs an article about her in Sports
Illustrated before talking about the disdain she feels for AJ Styles.
He's taken her intellectual property and misrepresented it around
the world. There are lawyers around the world ready to shut him down
but here's James Storm for an interruption. Storm says he wants some
revenge on Roode but doesn't think the bullrope he has is going to do
enough damage.
He
wants to use chairs (Dixie: “No.”), tables (“No!”) and the
old woman's dentures if he can get them out of his mouth. Storm
wants it to be a Florida death match but Dixie says the Wheel has
spoken. James says that's cool, because he can call the police and
change his minds about filing charges and drop out of the tournament.
Dixie still says no, so Storm asks all politely and gets what he
wants.
TNA
World Title Tournament First Round: Magnus vs. Samoa Joe
Falls
count anywhere. Joe pops upon the screen and says he wants to start
the fight in the back. Magnus heads backstage and we take a break.
This is joined in progress in the back with Joe throwing Magnus
through various objects. Apparently that was a replay and we cut
back to the stage with Magnus getting two off an elbow drop. They
head to ringside with Joe taking over via some right hands before
taking Magnus down with a running boot to the face.
Magnus
avoids the backsplash though and peppers Joe with forearms and
uppercuts. Joe snaps off the powerslam for two but walks into the
Michinoku Driver. Magnus loads up the top rope elbow but Joe stops
him with a chop. A superplex is blocked and Magnus knees him in the
chest to put Joe on the mat. Now the top rope elbow connects for two
but Joe kicks away from the Kingsley Cloverleaf. The Rock Bottom out
of the corner puts Magnus down on the floor and the suicide elbow
takes Magnus out again for two.
The
Brit sends Joe into the barricade and pulls out a chair which he
wedges between the bottom and middle rope. Joe reverses a whip into
the chair and hooks the Koquina Clutch but Magnus rams him back first
into the apron. Magnus ducks a charging Samoan to send Joe head
first into the chair for the pin at 7:11.
Rating:
D+. There were some decent
moments in this but for the most part the stipulation meant nothing
at all. That ending could have happened just as easily in the ring
and the backstage brawl part was nothing special. This would have
been much better as a regular match or a No DQ match but it wasn't
horrible.
Here's
Bad Influence to watch the Joseph Park vs. Abyss match.
Joseph
Park vs. Abyss
Park
says he's here to face his brother for the first time only, meaning
that this is his turning point. Naturally there's no Abyss, so Bad
Influence says Park isn't a good story of someone coming up from the
bottom. He's a jar of mayonnaise with a law degree and a cheap track
suit.
The
reason Park's mom Bernice, his dad Alfredo and his great great
grandfather Jurassic aren't here tonight is because he's such an
embarrassment. Daniels asks if Park wants to fight but thinks we
need blood first. Kazarian pours a bucket of red liquid over Park
and Daniels asks where Abyss is. Daniels demands that a loser like
Park get out of the ring right now and Park walks away very sad.
Gail
Kim vs. Candice Larea
Candice
is another newcomer and is a good looking blonde. Gail runs her over
to start and gets two off a running dropkick in the corner. Larea
comes back with a headscissors and a sunset flip before awkwardly
running into the corner. Kim forearms her a lot and catches a
hurricanrana in a sitout powerbomb for two. Eat Defeat is enough for
the pin on Candice at 1:52.
AJ
Styles video from his time in Japan.
Anderson
promises that Aces and 8's are done tonight.
Gunner
gives Storm a pep talk before his match.
We
recap Storm vs. Roode. They were partners for years until Roode
turned heel on Storm to win the title. A long running feud and
series of matches followed.
TNA
World Title Tournament First Round: James Storm vs. Bobby Roode
Florida
death match, meaning last man standing. Storm doesn't want to wait
and charge sup the ramp to pound on Bobby with a Singapore cane.
Roode makes a quick comeback but gets sent into the steps to stop it
cold. They head inside with Storm throwing in a garbage can fill of
weapons. Storm hits the corner enziguri but his running neckbreaker
is countered with a piece of steel to the head.
Storm
comes back by driving the trash can between Roode's legs and trying a
middle rope sunset flip, only to have Roode roll through and kick him
in the chest. A catapult into the corner is blocked though and Storm
hits a trashcan to Roode's head twice in a row. Roode is up at 9 but
is immediately lifted into the Eye of the Storm which Roode counters
into a spinebuster onto the trashcan.
They
pound on each other with trashcan lids and both guys go down for a
seven count. Roode has a crutch but walks into the Last Call and
rolls to the floor. He finds a beer bottle on the floor and smashes
Storm in the head but James gets up at nine. Roode clotheslines him
down again and hits an Attitude Adjustment through two chairs but
Storm is up at nine. Bobby is ticked so he goes under the ring and
finds a barbed wire board, which I guess is there just in case a
Florida death match broke out. Roode loads up another AA but Gunner
comes out to throw in the towel and end the match at 12:00.
Rating:
C+. The match was better than a
bullrope match would have been but the ending was much more about
setting up a future program than the match itself. On top of that,
Storm loses in ANOTHER big match which does nothing to help his
reputation as a choker. Still though, fun brawl.
Post
break Gunner pleads his case but Storm is still furious.
Here
are the updated brackets:
Hardy
Roode
Angle
Magnus
Your
time wasting segment of the week is a look at Samuel Shaw's apartment
and his artwork. The segment finishes filming and Shaw asks Christy
out. She says yes and gives her his number before leaving. Shaw
makes sure to straighten the notepad and pens she moved. Apparently
he's OCD.
Ethan
Carter III has brought his personal jobbers here again but isn't
facing them again because there's no challenge. Instead he's facing
a TNA legend.
Ray
talks about taking care of Anderson tonight. TNA turned their backs
on Anderson a year ago, but after Ray ends his career, he'll make
sure to take care of Anderson's pregnant wife.
Angle
is cutting a promo on Magnus when Dixie Carter summons him to her
office.
Ethan
Carter III vs. Shark Boy
Shark
Boy had announced he was coming back tonight on Impact365 earlier
this week. Carter bails to the floor for a chase but still avoids an
elbow as they get back inside. The Chummer is countered with ease
and the One Percenter is good for the pin at 2:06.
We
recap Anderson vs. Ray which stemmed from Ray using the club as a way
to get himself over and Anderson not being cool with it. Anderson
cost Ray a match against Sting and the Bound For Glory rematch
against AJ Styles.
Dixie
tells Roode and Angle that they'er going to captain teams in an eight
man elimination tag match next week.
Mr.
Anderson vs. Bully Ray
No
DQ and it's career vs. Aces and 8's. Anderson is in long tights for
the first time I can ever remember. The roster comes out to watch
the match from the stage. Anderson jumps Ray during big match intros
and hits him low while shouting his name a lot. They head to the
floor with Ray ramming him into the steps but stopping to breathe a
bit. Ray pulls out a table and we take our last break. Back with
Anderson being suplexed into the ring and chopped loudly in the
corner. There's a table set up in the corner as well.
Ray
takes off the chain to whip Anderson even more but Anderson takes the
chain away and gets in a few whips of his own. Anderson loads up a
big chained fist but gets sent to the floor instead. Ray pulls back
the mats but Anderson backdrops Ray onto the concrete instead.
Knux
saves Ray from being piledriven on the concrete but gets piledriven
down onto the mats for his efforts. Back inside and Anderson hits
the rolling senton but Ray fights out of the Mic Check. A spear puts
Anderson through the table in the corner but it's only good for two.
Tazz hands Brooke the hammer but Anderson intercepts it and blasts
Ray in the head. The Mic Check ends Aces and 8's at 13:00.
Rating:
C+. Not a bad brawl here but
Aces and 8's hasn't meant anything in months so this isn't the
biggest deal in the world. I'm glad they're gone for good and it's a
good feather in the cap for Anderson, but this is hardly some huge
moment that changes wrestling forever. Fun match though.
Anderson
gets Ray and Tazz's cuts to end the show.
Overall
Rating: C. Most of the matches
were good but this didn't feel like anything major at all. The
ending was so far overdue that it doesn't even feel like a big deal
anymore, but at least it finally happened. As for everything
else.....nothing significant really happened. Two first round
tournament matches don't feel like anything major to me but at least
the wrestling was good for the most part. Not a horrible or even bad
show, but it's nothing you need to see at all.
Results
Magnus
b. Samoa Joe – Joe rammed his head into a chair
Gail
Kim b. Candice Larea – Eat Defeat
Bobby
Roode b. James Storm – Gunner threw in the towel
Ethan
Carter III b. Shark Boy – One Percenter
Mr.
Anderson b. Bully Ray – Mic Check
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